Bedford Hills

To some, “Bedford Hills” might sound less cozy than “Bedford Village,” but only a little. Each of Bedford’s four hamlets makes its own special contribution to the town. Bedford Hills brings restaurants and retail and is where you’ll find most of the town’s larger estates. There is a Metro-North station in Bedford Hills; travel to and from Grand Central averages about an hour.

“Sleepy” seems to be the word most often used to describe Bedford Hills. However, the town has a vibrant commercial life. There is a mix of stores, including Country Willow, which sells furniture and home accessories, Bedford Sportsman, and Table Local Market, which sells organic food. There are restaurant choices for many tastes and budgets, including bagels and delis, a diner, Chinese, Japanese, and Italian. Bedford Hills also has its own Chamber of Commerce, charged with promoting the hamlet’s wide array of businesses.

Students in the town of Bedford attend either the Bedford Central Schools or the Katonah-Lewsisboro School District. Bedford Hills is served by two elementary schools, West Patent Elementary and Bedford Hills Elementary. Each school enrolls about 300 students. The Bedford Central Schools are known locally nationally for their excellence. The district’s middle school and high school are recognized for outstanding academic results and their wide selection of academic and extracurricular programs.

Bedford Hills has an active neighborhood association, which provides financial support for many of the hamlet’s organizations, including the Bedford Hills Free Library and the Katonah-Bedford Hills Ambulance Corp. The association sponsors community clean-up days, 5k races, an annual Christmas tree lighting, and other fundraising events.

In addition to the neighborhood association’s events, the town has an active recreation department with year-round activities. There is a pool for residents, open between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and a summer camp for preschool and elementary school-aged children.
There are two women’s prisons: the maximum-security Bedford Hills and the medium-security Taconic Correctional Facility. However, their presence has not had a negative impact on real estate or made the town less desirable. Inventory in Bedford Hills can be found for many budgets. There are some moderately priced single-family homes and condominiums, as well as large multi-million dollar estates.

Bedford Hills has a great deal to offer to homebuyers- excellent schools, a close-knit community, shopping and dining in good commuting distance to the city.

Bedford Hills is a charming little hamlet nestled within the larger town of Bedford, which is bordered by other towns like Mount Kisco and Katonah, NY. The town is famous for its celebrities, as well as its well-regarded school systems and beautiful landscapes.

The housing here is not cheap, as most will go for around $500,000 to anywhere in the thousands or millions range. There is however some affordable housing at units like Bedford Park South condominiums or Woodcrest Village Condominiums, which is also a senior housing community. (This wasn’t always the case, as the town has just recently made these accommodations to supplement low-income families.) You can buy a beautiful colonial home for one family costing as low as $400,000, but this of course depends on how many rooms you may need; you will find that the amenities that the town provides is well worth the cost.

Bedford Hills provides great shopping opportunities as well as wonderful restaurant choices. Go for some soup in a bread bowl (made right on the premesis) at the family-friendly Panera Bread (located in the Bedford Hills Shopping Center). Also in the Center is a Shop Rite and a Marshall’s. Want to find some well-crafted antiques? Bedford Hills has lots of choices here too: visit Marks Time at 1 Depot Plaza, or Ruby’s Antiques and Things at 575 Bedford Road, to name a few. Also on Bedford Road you’ll find Bueti’s Delicatessan, famous for their wonderful subs and heros (if you’re in the mood for a party, this place makes great 3-foot long subs).

Bedford Hills has great parks, complete with its own reservoir and gorgeous Byram Lake, where you can go fishing or take out a licensed rowboat or canoe (there’s also a place to store these boats as well). The lake has great views and is the perfect place to meditate and watch the fish leap for dinner (either theirs or your own). Don’t forget to visit the Philis Ward gardens, a 7-acre property that hosts a field of wildflowers, hiking trails and cool marshland.

Hungry for some fine dining? Stop at the Blue Hills at Stone Barns, an award-winning restaurant built on a live working farm. Hungry for pizza? Take the whole family to Gianfranco’s, also on Bedford Road. Bedford is also famous for The Barn, another fantastic fine-quality restaurant that’s owned by none other than actor Richard Gere, and try their wonderful muffins, fine french toast and a popular favorite, their applewood-smoked bacon for breakfast.

Bedford Hills kids and teens have a choice of either the Bedford Hills School District or the Katonah-Lewisboro School District, both of which are very highly regarded; most students will go on to receive a higher education, and there’s lots of extra-curricular activities.

If you need to get to the city, Bedford Hills has its own train station that can get you there in under an hour.

Bedford Hills is one of the three picturesque hamlets that make up Bedford, NY. The area is filled with wealth and prestige and many big name celebs call it home. Even with its star-studded place on the map, Bedford Hills has a small town vibe and sensibility. The region is pridefully and painstakingly well -maintained, has beautifully appointed homes and mansions with attractive land parcelage and handsome horse farms.

In immediate Bedford Hills there is Kohl’s Department Store, a Marshall’s Shoe megastore, Bedford House and Country Willow, which are both lovely home furnishing stores, a gift shop called James, Kitch n’ Kaffe, which is a housewares and kitchen supply store, Pedigree Ski Shop, a cool consignment shop called Penny Pincher, several fashion boutiques, a golf store and the ever-interesting Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop. And then there is Nino’s, a popular family-friendly Italian restaurant where you just might rub elbows with local A-list elite while savoring the kitchen's excellent pasta dishes and sumptuous veal. There is also a nice ShopRite for your grocery needs with a nearby Panera Bread.

Bedford Hills also has Gianfranco’s Pizza, Kicho Japanese Bistro, Bedford Diner and Restaurant, Salsa Fresco and McDonalds.

For even more dining options, be sure to check out the acclaimed Bedford Post Inn in Bedford with its eight-room luxury inn featuring a yoga studio, daily classes, cool workshops and special events. Richard Gere and his wife have their farm to table restaurant, The Farmhouse, there, with its excellent a la carte dinner and tasting menu which has received numerous accolades. The Barn is on the premises, as well, with its rustic beams and more casual vibe and more affordable prices. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings. Other great restaurants in the area include The Meeting House Restaurant, La Cremaillere, Ristorante Lucia, Bistro Twenty-Two and Bedford Gourmet.

Bedford Hills has a great Parks and Recreation Department. Rosaforte Park has playing fields and a picnic area. Beaver Dam Sanctuary Park has walking trails and a designated dog park called Canine Commons, open to town of Bedford residents only. Bedford Hills Park and Bedford Memorial Park both have swimming pools and tennis courts. Bedford Hills is also home to the GlenArbor Golf Club, considered one of the finest and most beautiful courses in the world. Bedford Village has a country club.

Bedford Hills is pretty safe and there is very little crime.

The Bedford Central School District is quite good and the median SAT score of Fox Lane High School students is 1631.

The median household income is $150,000. The median home value is $725,434 and the median rental rate is $2,000.

Bedford is 79% White, 12% Hispanic, 5% Black and 3% Asian.

The population of greater Bedford is 18,133.