Best town in Westchester (Rye, Bedford: condominium, low crime, lawyers)

[esciar1]

We may be relocating from the dc area to Westchester co. Our budget is limited but just for fun, I was wondering what would be considered the best town to live in the county if money was not a factor.

Especially in terms of the following criteria:
Walkable downtown area
Neighborhoods with sidewalks
Good schools
Low crime
Plenty of decent grocery stores (walkable)
Community activities (rec centers, pools, commerce, arts ect)
Access to commuter train
Diverse community
(size of homes and lots not a big issue but newer homes are desirable)

Just a cool place to live. Any suggestions. Again, Im just pretending that money is not an issue

Thanks!!

[Viralmd]

I don't know about walkable grocery stores, but I'd take Katonah...I also like a number of other towns, but a walkable downtown isn't very important to me.

[esciar1]

Katonah is one that I liked too. The downtown area is exactly what I would want. Are there other similar towns or even neighborhoods of towns?

[havoc315]

Katonah would be high on the list, except Katonah is a pretty long commute into NYC, over 60 minutes on the train.
For a better commute, among the best schools in Westchester, a walkable downtown, etc... I'd go with Scarsdale, or perhaps Edgemont (part of Scarsdale).

I might also throw Irvington onto the list.

[bmwguydc]

Katonah is unique, that perfect blend of well planned town that has the echoes of history and meets the modern world. It was moved in 1897, however, to make way for the Cross River Reservoir, hence the perfect planning that grew up around it and throughout the Twentieth Century. It's unique among Westchester towns/villages/hamlets where the country meets town. And, the commute is not too bad, once you get used to it, and there are so many wonderful things in the area that it really is worth the trip.

In Lower Westchester, Bronxville is a favorite, and has a very comprehensive village center, but being so close to Manhattan, there is a premium exacted in house prices and taxes to support the school system. Katonah is not left out of the high tax game, either, however.

I also like Ridgefield, CT which lies to the east of Katonah and has a great town, good schools, and low taxes. The drawback is that one has to take the HART bus to Katonah station and that adds to the train trip, and/or drive and park at stations like Goldens Bridge where spaces are managed by the parking contractor. It can be difficult to get a non-resident permit in Katonah as the Town of Bedford administers parking at the Katonah lots.

Even with a limited budget, you can be in striking distance of these towns, either in a townhouse or condominium, and possibly even a smaller single family home. Neighboring Bedford Hills has some decent housing prices, but the schools switch from Katonah-Lewisboro to Bedford Central, which is shared with Mount Kisco. It's not a bad district, overall, but it's a notch below Katonah, which is generally preferred if using the public school system in the Town of Bedford and Lewisboro. And, it might mean a five or ten minute drive to Katonah, but then plenty of walking abounds for shopping and exploring.

[rug city]

Bronxville, Rye, Larchmont, Irvington

[hsw]

Scarsdale

Intriguing mix of residents, from middle-income investment bankers and lawyers to a few notable hedge fund centimillionaires/billionaires (several titans grew up in Scarsdale; not fond of Greenwich's anti-Jewish reputation; and dislike raising kids in Manhattan)

Easy drive into Manhattan, esp at ~6AM when many senior (and fast-rising) financiers arrive in office anyway...trains tend to be for the slower, less ambitious kids

Plenty of tear-downs (and implicitly cheap land) in Scarsdale/Greenwich to build what one wants

Many avoid Westchester and opt for Greenwich instead, b/c of higher NY state income taxes; higher property taxes; and hedge fund industry is heavily based in either MidtownManhattan or Greenwich