For its first two hundred years, Yonkers was a small farming town with an active waterfront. Yonkers's later growth rested largely on developing industry. In 1853, the Otis Elevator Company, opened the first elevator factory in the world on the banks of the Hudson.
After World War II, Yonkers lost much of its manufacturing industry. It transformed itself into more of a commuter city for New York. Yonkers' excellent transportation infrastructure, including three commuter railroad lines and five parkways and freeways, as well as its 30-minute drive from Manhattan, made it a desirable city to live in.
However, Yonkers' manufacturing sector has recently seen a resurgence. A Kawasaki railroad cars assembly plant opened in 1986, and started producing the new R142A and R160B cars for the New York City Subway.
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