Harrison's story begins in 1696, when a British colonial patent was granted to John Harrison and three others, who a year earlier had purchased land from local Native Americans above the old Westchester Path, a trail connecting Manhattan to Port Chester. The town was formally organized in 1788, and in 1975, Harrison became one of the rare municipalities in New York State to exist as a coterminous town and village at once.

The 20th century brought Harrison its most recognizable landmark. In 1919, hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman purchased land in Harrison and neighboring Rye to build his vision of a sportsman's retreat for New York's business elite: the Westchester Biltmore Hotel and Country Club. The ambitious project, complete with an eight-story hotel, three golf courses, polo grounds, and its own beach club on Manursing Island, cost more than $6 million to build, a fortune at the time. Financial troubles led Bowman to sell the club to its members in 1929, and what became Westchester Country Club went on to host PGA Tour events for more than four decades and multiple national championships.

Today, Harrison balances that country club legacy with a genuinely diverse, welcoming community, anchored by strong schools, walkable downtown areas, and easy access to both Manhattan and the rest of Westchester County.