[10][11] During the 19th and early 20th centuries it was a haven for wealthy Manhattanites who traveled by coach or boat to escape the city heat.

Its location on Long Island Sound and numerous beaches also appealed to visitors with more moderate means who gravitated for short stays at cottages and waterfront hotels.

[citation needed] It has an extraordinary inventory of buildings with architectural distinction that help visually articulate specific neighborhoods and districts.

"[11] The geology and hydrology of Rye is characterized by a significant quantity of rock, marshes and wetlands [5] which makes the city both desirably scenic but also challenging for developers.

Remaining wetlands are in jeopardy of being lost, despoiled or impaired by such acts contrary to the public safety and welfare."

As a result, the city has charged itself with the responsibility of "preventing the despoilation and destruction of wetlands and watercourses while taking into account varying ecological, economic, recreational and aesthetic values.

The Blind Brook watershed is also a source of that flooding with significant deluges recorded in the neighborhood of Indian Village after four days of rain in October 1975.

Rye received $3,000,000 to safeguard the city against future flooding threats, upgrade its infrastructure for resiliency, identify stormwater mitigation solutions, and protect historic buildings and natural wetlands.

[22] Areas around Indian Village and other sections of the city that had previously flooded during Hurricane Irene were under 8–9 feet of water.

As of 2010, seventy-five percent of the acreage in Rye or the equivalent of 3,954 acres had been determined to be archaeologically sensitive with many Indigenous and First Nations contact sites.

[30] The presence of Indigenous people's activities has been noted in numerous locations where implements and bones were unearthed, including an "ancient Indian burial ground, site of the present Playland Casino"[31] together with discoveries of artifacts along the shoreline,[32] pottery, skeletons and relics along Milton Road,[33][34] Disbrow Park[35] and throughout today's Boston Post Road Historic District including Marshlands Conservancy.

The publication included supporting data from files in the repositories of NYOPRHP and the NY State Museum; it further highlighted the existence of shell middens, evidence of camp sites and at least two burial grounds.

[36] Additional findings have been made at the Jay Estate in archaeological digs conducted by Dr. Eugene Boesch[37] and submitted to the NY State Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS).

Rye Playland is a 279-acre theme park is owned and operated by Westchester County and includes rides, games, an indoor skating rink or Ice Casino, beach, a boardwalk, and concession stands.

Glenn Close's and Ellen Latzen's characters ride the roller coaster in the 1980s thriller film, Fatal Attraction.

[53] Playland is also the setting for several key scenes in the 1988 comedy film Big, starring Tom Hanks Of the more than 88,000 sites in the country that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), Rye has 10 including the aforementioned Playland and Boston Post Road Historic District.

[11] Rye has a local landmark law that protects the following properties: Of note are two 200 plus year old milestones labeled 24 and 25 on the Boston Post Road, oldest thoroughfare in the United States.

[citation needed] The concept of mile markers to measure the distance from New York City was originated in 1763 by Benjamin Franklin during his term as Postmaster General.

[69] Access to recreation in Rye is plentiful with numerous public, private and shared sports facilities from tennis, to ice hockey to boating.

Attempts to revise the 1985 document with community input as recommended in NY State's Statute on Comprehensive Planning[75] were made in 2016 and 2017.

[81] In 1991, the City of Rye adopted a comprehensive plan to further regulate land and water usage to protect and preserve these fragile resources.

[citation needed] Emergency medical service is provided by Port Chester-Rye-Rye Brook EMS at the Advanced Life Support Level (ALS).