New Rochelle

New Rochelle, city, Westchester County, southeastern New York, on Long Island Sound, a residential and commercial community near New York City; incorporated as a city in 1899. The College of New Rochelle (1898), Iona College (1940), and a junior college are here, as is the home of the political theorist Thomas Paine, preserved as a national historic monument. Settled by French Huguenots in 1688, the city is named for La Rochelle, France. It was a summer resort in the 19th century. Population 70,794 (1980); 67,265 (1990); 72,182 (2000); 73,446 (2006).