Briarcliff Manor

Briarcliff is a hidden gem as a small village surrounded by larger towns and cities. The "downtown" is well maintained with some great food and shopping where you'll soon become known as a regular customer. But if you want large chain stores instead of family owned & run, you can travel to nearby communities of Ossining, Millwood, Croton, Chappaqua, Pleasantville, Thornwood, Hawthorne, and Tarrytown in 10 minutes or less. As a Briarcliff resident you get the advantage of small, friendly neighborhoods and strong local "small-town" pride with easy access to shopping & commercial centers just outside the village.

Briarcliff Manor is a village of 8,000 situated immediately south of Ossining. In the late 1800s a small parcel of land was developed as a farm, owned by Walter W. Law, a friend of Andrew Carnegie. Briarcliff Farm grew and grew, as Mr. Law acquired additional land, until it was providing dairy products to area hotels, restaurants and residences. In 1902, the area was incorporated as a village.

Two school districts serve Briarcliff Manor. Most of the children attend schools in the Briarcliff Manor district, with some children attending Ossining schools. Homes with a Briarcliff Manor address in the Ossining school district tend to be less expensive, as the Briarcliff schools have a better reputation. State exam results, considered an important measure of district quality, are excellent in the Briarcliff Manor district. However, Ossining’s schools have definite strengths and more diversity, a quality people have been valuing more in recent years.

Recreational opportunities are plentiful. The village operates a large recreation department, providing year-round opportunities for residents of both the village and the Briarcliff Manor school district. The department operates a pool, open during the summer months, and a day camp for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Programs include fitness and athletics for adults and children. The Summercliff Players is an organization for teens interested in musical theater. The public library, housed in the village’s original train station, offers computer classes and book discussion groups and programs for kids and teens. There are also two golf courses: Sleepy Hollow and Trump National.

Large, sprawling homes characterize the village, but smaller, less expensive ranches and capes are available in limited numbers. There are several condominium complexes as well.

Briarcliff Manor offers many amenities and a great community spirit, with the added bonus of being only 45 minutes from Manhattan on Metro North.

Briarcliff Manor is split between the two towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining. It’s got lots of housing options, from apartments to condos to houses, but the cost of living is very high (buying a home here could cost over a million, and renting is between 3,000 to 12,000 a month). That being said, Briarcliff Manor offers a lot of amenities that make your stay here worth the money. The schools are way above average, ranked as #94 on the nation’s best list, and Briarcliff High School was given the Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence.

There’s some excellent restaurants (mainly Italian, though there’s also the Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant as well). All the Italian restaurants in Briarcliff offer great dining experiences. Try Orfino’s for great wines and authentic dishes, or Briar’s, if you’re looking for a place with great food and a romantic atmosphere (check out the great big stone fireplace) and a private room for parties and business meetings. Amalfi on Pleasantville Road offers an impressive menu, as it makes its own bread and pasta, and you can be sure the wine is great too.

If you like being outdoors, try Pocantico Lake County Park which has a beautiful lake, hiking trails for birdwatching and 164 acres to explore and enjoy.

There are a total of nine neighborhoods in Briarcliff Manor, including Scarsborough (which has a train station) and Chilmark, a residential area that has a great shopping center (located on Pleasantville Road), including an A &P, a Carvel and a Radio Shack. Both Scarsborough and Chilmark are shared between Ossining and Mount Pleasant. Scarborough also has a train station which can take you to NYC in less than an hour.

The crime rate here is one of the lowest in the area, so you can rest well knowing you’re in a good part of Westchester County. It’s very upscale and predominantly white, so unfortunately it’s lacking diversity. The train station has a very small parking lot, but there is daily parking and annual parking permits available. Briarcliff Manor is a very quiet town and you’ll need a car to get around. Teens, visit the library to have a movie night with friends or play the Library Murder Mystery Game. There’s a bit of something for everyone here and, while it’s pricey, you won’t be disappointed!

Briarcliff Manor is a hamlet in the town of Ossining which is primarily a rustic and pridefully well-maintained residential area with gorgeous homes, some worth well into the millions, some slighly more modest, modern condos and a few rental apartments every now and again. Mostly, it is big money, but luckily, it doesn't exude the same uptight and stuffy pretention of some other places in Westchester County. There is a cheerful charm to the area with its brick sidewalks, old-fashioned light posts and adorable tree-lined commerical district.

And speaking of, the village does have some great gift shops, a consignmentt store, several women's fashion boutiques, , a home accessory and furniture store, a couple of galleries, a frame shop, a laundoromat, a Dress Barn, a jewelers, an optician A Radio Shack, a tailors, a toy shop and a few nice florists. For more extensive needs, White Plains is only an easy twenty minute drive away.

There are quite a few excellent restuarants in the area including the family-owned Orfino's Italina Restaurant which is cheerful by day and romantic by night, Amalfi with their famous Osso Bucco, The Tuscan Grille, a wonderful family-friendly eatery, Flames Steak House and Grill and Italian Cuisine whic has been hailed by critics, The Briar's Restaurant with its handsome wooden interior and fireplace, Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant with its big portions and tasty Margaritas and The Patio, a restaurant in the center of town that was once the town hall and firehouse in 1914. It serves big portions of breakfast, lunch and dinner at affordable prices and even has an old-fashiioned ice cream parlor with outdoor benches, perfect for lapping at dessert under the summer stars.

The village also has a well-developed parks and recreation department, ten tennis courts, two paddle tennis courts and a nice pool usable for a fee. The area is also privvy to two attractive golf courses, Sleepy Hollow and Trump National. While it doesn't have a train station (the neartest one is in the Scarbourough section of Ossining, the manor is easily accessible via many routes and highways including Route 9A, Route 100, Saw Mill River Parkway and Taconic State Parkway.

The Briarcliff Manor School District ias considered top-notch. The middle school won a blue ribbon for its academic excellence and the mean SAT score for its high school students is 1806 with a reported and impressive 100% of its graduates going on to attend college.

Briarcilff is very safe and the crime rate is low.

The median household income is about $133,272. The median home value is around $652,558 and the median rental rate, when rentals are available, is roughly $1,860.00 .

Briarcliff is approximately 83% White, 5.3% Hispanic, 7% Asian and 3% Black.

The population is 7,867 and the median age is 40.

Briarcliff Manor is all that is quintessential Westchester County. With gorgeous homes and access to good schools, the families who call Briarcliff Manor are people who appreciate quality living and have the resources to pay for it.

The demographic can be described as primarily White with a small mix of Asians and African Americans. Mostly white collar professionals with college degrees live in the area and that defines the neighborhood. There’s the sense of community pride and a commitment to keeping this smooth and calm.
The Briarcliff school district is highly regarded and the middle school here won the blue ribbon distinction in 2005. This town is also home to Pace University. It is a place where education is valued and encouraged.
Briarcliff is technically split between Mount Pleasant and Ossining; and there is also an unincorporated section called Scarborough. This Scarborough was once the site of the Rockefeller and Vanderbilt country estates and a place where they entertained extensively. The views of the Hudson from some parts are breath-taking.
While the town does not have a train station, it has access to the Metro North railroad through neighboring towns and is well located in relation to the Taconic and the Saw Mill. It is a car dependent community like many other towns in the area. There is not much by way of extensive shopping, but there are some great restaurants in town such as Patio and Guadalajara.
Briarcliff Manor can seem like a dream come true for those seeking a quiet, reflective environment. The natural beauty and limited traffic are conducive for artists and writers.

Located in Westchester, in Ossining and Mount Pleasant, Briarcliff Manor is a quiet and beautifully maintained town with an affluent community of homeowners who have included the Queen of England. Today, the population of Briarcliff Manor is almost entirely white, with a small percentage of Asians and a tiny percentage of African Americans. The town is less than twenty minutes from White Plains and has access to two railroad stations. Briarcliff Manor has a tightly knit community of homeowners who take care to maintain their properties as well as the town’s peacefulness. There are amazing private homes, modern condominiums, and a very small percentage of rental properties. Both of the school districts that serve Briarcliff Manor are highly regarded and the students in both districts consistently perform well. However, the people seem to have a preference for the Briarcliff schools. There are some shops and restaurants but Briarcliff Manor is almost entirely residential. There is plenty to do for recreation, if you are into tennis, golf, or horseback riding. There is the village pool, which isn’t free, but offers reduced membership prices to Briarcliff Manor residents. Besides, most of this town’s residents can afford to pay pool fees.

Briarcliff Manor is a beautifully maintained village. There's lots of open space and green grass which really enhances the feel of the community. There's also an excellent pool and lots of programs hosted by the recreation department. The ski club is a big hit.

The school system is stellar, there's really no room for complaint. The quality of education is phenomenal and students are constantly being challenged. I suppose that's common among most schools in upper class neighborhoods but the big difference here is that students aren't pushed further than they can go. There's not that same paralyzing fear of failing because the environment is very nurturing. For children too young for school Young Wonders is an excellent day care, it fosters a love of learning before they enter the "real" school system.

There is virtually no crime. Last year there were maybe five petty thefts throughout the entire year. When you compare that to a lot of other safe neighborhoods it's astoundingly low.

There are some great restaurants. The Patio Restaurant isn't just the center of town, it's also the former town hall and fire house. It's definitely a great local spot to meet people and very affordable.

The inhabitants of Briarcliff are normally pretty wealthy, they'd have to be to afford the million dollar houses, and I sometimes find it a little stuffy. Of course, most people are very nice.