What type of immigrants live in Bedford/Mt Kisco? (White Plains: middle-class, houses)

[Yankeerose00]

When searching on Zillow for homes in Westcher's Mt Kisco/Katonah/Bedford area, it says the following types of people live in these towns.
I was just curious what countries were represented here. I've only been to these towns a few times and while I came across a couple from Italy, I didn't notice any particular nationality.
Are there any German communities around here by any chance? I know my aunt would be very interested in that.

From Zillow:

1. Affluent Immigrants
   
   — High-income immigrants living in suburban areas.
2. Single in the Suburbs
   
   — Middle- to upper-income singles living in the suburbs.
3. Multi-lingual Suburbanites
   
   — Middle-class, suburban individuals who speak a foreign language.

[AurorainTarrytown]

There's a German school in White Plains so the surrounding areas have German speaking families. Don't know much about Mt. Kisco/Bedford/Katonah but I would venture to guess that Mt. Kisco and to some extent Bedford would have many Hispanic residents. There are other people here that know much more about those areas.

[kletter1mann]

The Zillow profile is ridiculous. Fortunately the local experts on this forum can offer more accurate and useful information:

1. There's no meaningful expat community in any of these towns apart from the numerous Hispanics you'll see in Mt Kisco or camping in local woods. And they're far from affluent. They're there to keep the large properties in tip top shape. There is also an alleged criminal Albanian clan in Bedford/Mt Kisco. They are said to be fabulously wealthy and greatly feared. This lead to a Romeo and Juliet type situation a couple years ago. Any Fox Lane high School student is well aware of this. No joke.

2. These are all pretty much family towns and estate areas (Martha Stewart, Carl Icahn, et al). Singles are not only far and few between, but they usually flee as soon as they can cause there's little nightlife, little reason for them to stay there. They move to NYC, SF, Boston, Stamford, White Plains, Aspen, Ko Samui or anyplace except Bedford.

3. Multi-lingual? No more than any other highly affluent, well educated area.

The spirit of the area is best summarized here: http://www.city-data.com/forum/westc...idge-info.html
Though specific to Pound Ridge, much of it applies in to Katonah and Bedford as well.

[Yankeerose00]

Thank you! Both posts were helpful. That link was great. Even though it may have seemed offensive to some, sometimes you need the brutal honesty to give you the best idea of an area. So apparently Zillow is pretty wrong. I was just wondering who were all of these wealthy foreigners in that area because it seemed very Martha Stewart-ish to me. Not a bad thing, just not what Zillow was saying.

[bmwguydc]

One thing to remember, though, is that the television personality referenced is not a native of Northern Westchester, and portrays a lifestyle that is culled from those who have lived in the area for generations. I do understand the way it's portrayed and being a pop cultural reference to use that as a guide, but it's a touchy subject (especially in Katonah).

I can say that I know some people from France, Germany, and Britain who reside in the Towns of Bedford and Lewisboro, but I would agree with other assessments that there are no large ex-pat communities in any of these areas. Perhaps some of the people I know are the ones who skewed Zillow, but then again this is the site that has given an estimated value of around $800k for a property that was listed for over $3M, and they have wrong school data as well, even crossing town boundaries.

What could be skewing Mount Kisco, however, is the use of 10549 which does straddle the Towns of Bedford and Mount Kisco. In Bedford, some use the "Bedford Corners" address with the 10549 zip (approved by the post office), while others use "Mount Kisco," and they live in the same area. You would be more apt to find sophisticated ex-pats or immigrants in 10549 in the Town of Bedford, than Mount Kisco proper.

While few in Northern Westchester are going to be shocked by someone from another country as it's a sophisticated and fairly worldly population who resides in the area, I would not characterize the area as embodying any tradition from a cultural group that one would associate with an area that has a high concentration of immigrants or legal resident aliens. So, in short, the data appear to be inaccurate, or at minimum, completely overstated.

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by bmwguydc

One thing to remember, though, is that the television personality referenced is not a native of Northern Westchester, and portrays a lifestyle that is culled from those who have lived in the area for generations. I do understand the way it's portrayed and being a pop cultural reference to use that as a guide, but it's a touchy subject (especially in Katonah).

Bmwguydc puts it so tactfully!

The above mentioned TV celebrity attempted to appropriate the village name for a line of furnishings. Why make a brand out of a town name? Because Katonah so perfectly epitomizes a kind of semi-rural gentry / horse country / classic Americana. The village has an almost too-perfect postcard appearance. Yet it manages to be very real, lived in and appreciated by all. Nobody wanted to see their town name debased by appearing in every Target or Walmart in the country. Happily the town won!

[Yankeerose00]

I do understand the way it's portrayed and being a pop cultural reference to use that as a guide, but it's a touchy subject (especially in Katonah).

Hmmm so Martha is not well liked in Katonah? I know she's not from there but I doubt most of the residents were born and raised there so hopefully that's not their issue with her. Westchester never striked me as a "if you weren't born here, you aren't one of us" kind of a place.
So what spefically do the residents of Katonah/Bedford not like about 'she who shall not be named'?
I know I've read a few articles where she talks very highly of her town, though she uses Katonah and Bedford interchangeably so I don't know if her property resides in both towns or she has two houses that close together.
Fascinating info though! My aunt is moving to Westchester next year and looking at the area so that is why I'm asking. She fears the internet.

[Viralmd]

Martha isn't liked anywhere. I used to work with people who went to school with her in Nutley, NJ. They're not fans, either.

She burned her bridges when she wanted to use the town name for her furniture line.

[Yankeerose00]

That's funny that's she's not very liked. I like watching her show when it's on but mostly for the guests and the references to towns or stores in the ny/ct area. She's always struck me as very cold and very snobby. She seems like she would be a dragon lady to work for. I really feel sorry for anyone who works for her. I didn't know she wanted to do a furniture line w/ the Katonah name. It's a silly idea because people in Kmarts across the US would know nothing about the town and wouldn't care anyway.

[bmwguydc]

You're right in that most of Westchester is not a "must be one of us" type of place, but when one trades on the lifestyle and appropriates it as their own, that's when you get people angry. She who must not be named lives in an area where people use either name, since it straddles the line, and Katonah is part of the Town of Bedford, and is actually an unincorporated hamlet, but does have its own zip code.

The furniture line was not to be for K-Mart, but is a line that competes with Pennsylvania House and other moderate price higher quality furnishings. She also has some names that use Byram if I am not mistaken, appropriating another part of Bedford, but she never tried to trademark that name. She even got the Lenape Tribe after her, since if anyone has rights to the name for a commercial trademark it would be the descendants of Chief Katonah. There were even protest songs written, some of which can be found on YouTube. You should check them out, some are creative, especially the one by two John Jay alums.