Conceived in 1850, Mount Vernon is a young city, founded as an alternative to overcrowded New York City living by a group of ambitious middle- and laboring-class citizens. By the beginning of the 20th century, Mount Vernon was known as "the city of happy homes." It became a bedroom community for the region's most prominent upwardly mobile movers and shakers. Its ideal location to the city, elegant spacious homes, tree-lined streets, progressive schools and businesses, and receptivity to diversity spawned decades of sustained growth. Today Mount Vernon has become a critical gateway to New York...