are there any parts of katonah, bedford or somers where the houses are close together? (New York: cul-de-sac, for sale)
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I know a lot of people would argue "why move to northern Westchester then?" We LOVE everything about northern Westchester, the schools, the towns, the area....however, we have young kids and ideally would like to be in either an HOA or cul-de-sac where they can be around other kids on the block and play outside. I should probably mention we def want a house, not a town house. We have lived in the city our whole life and can't really adjust to not being able to see our neighbor, it just feels too isolated for us. Plus we really don't need 3 acres of land. Do such places exist in these areas? Every time we drive around these towns we always end up seeing nothing but a very rural setting. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I know a lot of people would argue "why move to northern Westchester then?" We LOVE everything about northern Westchester, the schools, the towns, the area....however, we have young kids and ideally would like to be in either an HOA or cul-de-sac where they can be around other kids on the block and play outside. I should probably mention we def want a house, not a town house. We have lived in the city our whole life and can't really adjust to not being able to see our neighbor, it just feels too isolated for us. Plus we really don't need 3 acres of land. Do such places exist in these areas? Every time we drive around these towns we always end up seeing nothing but a very rural setting. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Not many, and such places will generally be the low rent parts of town. Privacy and distance from your neighbor is one of the primary reasons people move to these places in the first place. If you want close houses look downcounty.
Katonah village has houses close together. There are loads of lovely older homes in town, most on small lots.
As someone who grew up in the city and lived there until my mid 30s, let me say that not seeing your neighbors does not equal "isolation." We see our neighbors all the time, just not from the privacy of our house or property. In fact, I've found that physical isolation leads to a much greater sense of community and connection than I found living in Brownstone Brooklyn.
An HOA is rare in Katonah, but there are houses closer together that are at price points up to $2M or so, depending upon the individual area. For Katonah, there are houses that are in proximity of one another, less than an acre in most areas, east of Cherry Street, and west of Route 22. Between the railroad station and 22, you will find higher price points, same as some of the older, historic homes. Look along Valley Lane and Huntsville Road for some neighborhoods that you might want to consider.
In Bedford Hills, there are houses closer together, behind the police station/Bedford town hall, and one might be in an HOA, off Robinhood Road as those houses were developed in the 1960s as a neighborhood. On the other side of the train tracks in Bedford Hills, same side as the station, you can also find houses that are clustered, though they tend to be smaller.
Somers is more likely to have HOAs in some communities, because of the period in which the houses were built. The issue with Somers is there's no downtown to anchor the area, save for the area around the Elephant Hotel, which is the historic district (intersection of Routes 100 & 202). However, lots tend to be larger for this reason, in Somers, save for Heritage Hills, which used to be exclusively a retirement village, so you may find two or three acre lots in a neighborhood.
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I know a lot of people would argue "why move to northern Westchester then?" We LOVE everything about northern Westchester, the schools, the towns, the area....however, we have young kids and ideally would like to be in either an HOA or cul-de-sac where they can be around other kids on the block and play outside. I should probably mention we def want a house, not a town house. We have lived in the city our whole life and can't really adjust to not being able to see our neighbor, it just feels too isolated for us. Plus we really don't need 3 acres of land. Do such places exist in these areas? Every time we drive around these towns we always end up seeing nothing but a very rural setting. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kletter1mann
Not many, and such places will generally be the low rent parts of town. Privacy and distance from your neighbor is one of the primary reasons people move to these places in the first place. If you want close houses look downcounty.
I mostly agree with kletter except for the Katonah village. It is a great example of a close knit community. And clearly not low rent. Small lots but it doesn't feel cramped. We moved from the upper west side and the village is the perfect balance for us. We are two blocks from the train and the shops and restaurants. Everyone is extremely friendly and our neighbors always stop and say hello from their yard or as they walk by. We walked to the Christmas tree lighting (largest "living" Christmas tree in New York State in case anyone was curious ha) and it seemed like the whole town was there enjoying the cookies and hot chocolate.
We also were worried about feeling isolated coming from the city and Katonah is ideal for us.
I mostly agree with kletter except for the Katonah village. It is a great example of a close knit community. And clearly not low rent. Small lots but it doesn't feel cramped. We moved from the upper west side and the village is the perfect balance for us. We are two blocks from the train and the shops and restaurants. Everyone is extremely friendly and our neighbors always stop and say hello from their yard or as they walk by. We walked to the Christmas tree lighting (largest "living" Christmas tree in New York State in case anyone was curious ha) and it seemed like the whole town was there enjoying the cookies and hot chocolate.
We also were worried about feeling isolated coming from the city and Katonah is ideal for us.
Yeah, absolutely true, kind of the exception that proves the rule. But it's a small area and at any given time the available housing inventory is going to be small.
There are currently 12 houses for sale in Katonah village, all in walking distance to Main Street, ranging in price from 399k to 995k for perhaps the grandest house in town (right at the head of the parkway). There's a sweet house for 499k, a nice one for 559k, and a really gorgeous one for 699k. So, depending on your price range, there are nice options.
Yeah, absolutely true, kind of the exception that proves the rule. But it's a small area and at any given time the available housing inventory is going to be small.
And that is part of what makes it great. If you ever plan on leaving, which we don't'! We have multiple neighbors that have been in town 25+ years. They come and never leave and then their kids come home and raise their families here too.
If you have the patience to wait for the right place it is definitely worth it. We left Manhattan and weren't ready to be out in the wilderness by ourselves and Katonah is the ideal transition to "country living".
Great walking neighborhood, great downtown with shops and restaurants that we spend more time at than we expected, and great schools. Just be patient!
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