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What exactly do you want to know? I have several friends who live in Pound Ridge. They love the nature and rural feel, but also feel that there are a lot of snobby people.
My best friend lives in Pound Ridge and she is miserable! She is literally located in the woods with no neighbors in near sight. She often loses power in any kind of storm and uses well water which she considers a major pain in the ass as far as maintenance goes. They are not considered the "wealthy" part of the community as they got their house as a bargain and her husband is doing the renovations himself (and has been doing so little by little for the past 12 years now) When she takes her kids to the park she finds herself the only "mother" around as all the other kids are with nannies. Her family lives in Yonkers and it is not a quick drive but a ways away which bothers her also. She doesn't love the schools either. Her eldest kid is 6 years old now and has some social issues and is picked on all the time which breaks her heart. She is constantly at the school meeting with psychologists and teachers trying to fix the situations. Hope this helps you. Good Luck.
Our country house is right near Pound Ridge. Yes, the power DOES go out - but we have an emergency generator. Something that's come in very useful over the years.
Like it's neighboring towns, Pound Ridge residents value their tranquility and privacy. It's not Mayberry. People LIKE the fact that they can neither see nor hear their neighbors.
I live in Pound Ridge and love many things about it- my husband does not. I like nature and being outdoors a lot more than my husband. He grew up in the Bronx, I grew up in Brewster. It is all what you are used to or what you like really. To me, it is a great Westchester town. Only one elementary school so you know all the residents and everyone goes to the town pool so your kids can play with their class mates. The town park does have families on warmer days - but if you go in 40 degrees or so - you don't see so many. The park is the best I have ever been to. It is huge and has 3 pools for babies, kids, and older kids - basketball, baseball, tennis 3 playgrounds with tons of stuff for kids. They are redoing it so it will be bigger and better. Also, they are redoing the library so that it will be state of the art and awesome for kids. The power does go out, but our in laws live in Yonkers and their power also went out almost as much as ours. Our power lines are underground so we don't lose it as much as others and it also makes the streets look a lot nicer not to see them. You do have mostly well water and septic - but your taxes are lower for it and you are actually drinking healthy well water - vs. chemically treated city water. The cost of both are very little - septic is drained once every 1-2 years and the well cost nothing once it is in. Also, the electric is NYSEG which is significantly less than Con Ed which a lot of Westchester has. We also have electric heat so we have spent ALOT less than a lot of people who have oil heat. It is a low key town. People who live there do very well financially and are socially conscious. They love nature - there are walking trails everywhere (even a beautiful trail that leads into town) and you have the Pound Ridge Preserve that is (I think) the largest preserve in Westchester county. You don't have to "dress up" to run you errands - people are more outdoorsy types and you will catch them in Patagonia and Merrills vs. designer outfits and a Channel bag. The downtown is very quant and old - Mayberry type, but that is what people find so unique about it. The grocery store - Scotts Corners- is the best around so you don't suffer because it is a small town. I am a working mom and their are 4 mom groups in Pound Ridge. A lot of members are from surrounding towns because the other towns don't have any. For a town of 4,700 people or so, we are on top of that stuff. There are a lot of horse farms and we had to stop our car Saturday to let a rider cross the road to continue on his trail. A nice thing to see when you are running your errands on a weekend. I have seen hawks, red fox, deer, wild turkeys, coyote, squirrels, chipmunks, bluejays, cardinals, turtles, frogs - you name it - in my backyard, and when I walk around my house and look outside - all I see it beautiful trees, green grass, and a blue sky. Not houses right next to me and people walking by my house looking in my windows. When I sit or play with my daughter in my backyard - I do not hear cars, I hear birds chirping and the wind blowing in the trees. There is no crime, people are highly educated, successful and involved, and you don't have to be honked at and tailgated while fighting for a parking spot, in traffic, racing to get your errands done. No one honks at you and most my neighbors wave to me when I drive by. There is an organization call the Pound Ridge Newcomers Club that many members have been in for 5-10 years plus. They love to get together and do dinner/wine events, charity events, theatre, casino night etc. It is a great way to meet people. There is a lot of quality of life here.
You can private message me if you want more specific information. I would be glad to help out.
I have lived in Pound Ridge for 16 years. I grew up six hours from here and never ventured to Westchester until I moved here. My four children have spent most or all of their lives here.
We do not lose power as often as we did years ago. Now, it's once or twice a year for a couple of hours. The kids actually think it's fun. Well water can be a pain if you don't treat it. So, we treat it.
If you want a walking town with sidewalks and lots of cafes and shops and activities, you should consider Katonah or Ridgefield (CT) or New Canaan (CT). If you love natural beauty and peaceful nights and an eclectic group of neighbors, you should come visit. You will not find that there is a Pound Ridge "style," since there are so many different types of people here-conservative, liberal, artsy, corporate, you name it.
Stop at Blind Charlie's Cafe for breakfast, walk past our select group of shops to Scotts Corner Market, where you will find Pound Ridgers in all their glory. I have seen Susan Sarandon in sweats and a ponytail shopping for ice cream there and Cindy Crawford (back when she was married to Richard Gere) all decked out and looking glamorous before Christmas Eve dinner. Jane Pauley, Paul Shaffer, Mike Myers, Tom Brokaw--they all get their groceries at "the Market." Eartha Kitt once purred in my infant daughter's ear in the produce section. Billy, the owner, is the town's most generous benefactor, and he also owns Blind Charlie's Cafe, too. The local kids work at both of his businesses, and if they make mistakes, all is forgiven. It's more important for him to help the kids learn to work than to have "perfect" employees.
Pound Ridge was a hard working town until the mid-20th century, so you won't see the grand village homes here that you might find in Bedford, but if you venture down a few long driveways, you will find spectacular late 20th century estates and rambling country homes. If you are patient, you can sometimes find a bargain fixer-upper for under half a million dollars, but that is rare these days. Most of the town is 2 or 4 acre zoning, so, no, you don't see your neighbors much (unless you go to the market or Blind Charlie's or the elementary school or the library or the pool).
The middle and high schools of the Fox Lane Campus in Bedford offer fantastic arts and academic programs as well as extensive ESL and special needs programs. While the athletics program is successful, it's hard to get a spot on many of the boys' HS teams unless you are outstanding.
The recreation commission, which sponsors youth athletic leagues, arts programs, and a smattering of other opportunities, is in the process of finalizing plans for a community center. The center will be built in the town park and will offer meeting and class space, a gym, a kitchen, recreation department offices, and will be attached to the pool house and snack bar. Right now, there are not many options for teen agers to socialize. Basically, they go to eachother's homes or to Mt. Kisco, which is a 20 minute drive.
The locals have referred to Pound Ridge as God's Country for more than half a century.
Pound Ridge is a beautiful place with it's lovely, natural surroundings. Having said that, for my money I'd keep going and move to Ridgefield. More things to do and a somewhat more diverse community (not everyone is 'rich'). Don't move to Pound Ridge before checking out Ridgefield or perhaps Katonah.
We have lived in Pound Ridge for 17 years, coming back to the US from overseas, where my children were born. My kids grew up here and my older loves it so much that he would want to stay. I found the schools to be excellent and I did not find it snobby; indeed it has always amused me to know someone from their 'home' clothes and then found out that they just had lunch with a senator. The surroundings are beautiful; if you prefer shopping to hiking you may find it isolated. Its housing is expensive but still appreciating in these hard times. I could not have found a better town to work and raise my family
Are the Elementary Schools in Pound Ridge very good? If there are differences what are they? Also, I truly value my privacy but being that my wife and I are both 26 and are planning to have a child in the next year, we were wondering if neighbors are friendly and inviting in regards to social activities? Finally, we are looking to spend between 650k-800k for a house in good condition, no major fixes because I will make it worse. Is all this attainable here? Thank you all in advance for your insight.
600-800K won't get very much in Pound Ridge. Most likely a fixer-upper.
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