Granite Springs

Granite Springs is one of several neighborhoods in Somers, located in northern Westchester County. The entire town has a rural, quiet character, which its residents value. There is little retail in the area, and like many neighborhoods, Granite Springs is almost entirely residential.

The neighborhood sits between the Amawalk Reservoir and the town of Yorktown. Interstate 684 and the Taconic Parkway are the closest highways, but neither is very close. There is no Metro-North service in the area either. The Harlem line stations are probably closer than the Hudson line, but are still 20 minutes away, on top of the hour needed to get to Grand Central.

Granite Spring’s small size means it does not have its own school district, but students who live in the neighborhood attend the Somers schools. Primrose Elementary has a full-day kindergarten, and goes through grade 2. Somers Intermediate has grades 3 through 5. Students at Somers Middle School take standardized exams in math, reading, science and social studies, and the majority of students meet standards. At the high school level, students take Regents exams in several subjects, and nearly all the students earn passing scores.

As residents of the town of Somers, people in Granite Springs can take advantage of Somers’ recreation options. There are no parks in the neighborhood, but a short car ride will lead to several options. One well-known destination is Muscoot Farm, a 19th century farm with a multitude of animals, including horses, cows, chickens, pigs and goats. There are special programs, along with picnic areas and walking trails. Other popular parks include Reis Park, located next to the Somers Library, which has playing fields and courts for basketball and tennis, along with a playground and running trails. The former estate of William and Mildred Lasdon became Lasdon Park, now run by Westchester County. The park has a horticultural library in the main house, along with formal gardens and walking trails.

One of the few businesses in Granite Springs is Stuart’s Fruit Farm, a pick-your-own farm open to the public. It has been in the Stuart family since 1828. Other businesses and retailers are located nearby. These include Somers Commons, which has a Stop and Shop grocery store as its anchor. The Somers Town Shopping Center includes a dry cleaner, nail salon, bagel store along with a few additional shopping and dining choices.

Homes in Granite Springs range from lovely older homes to more recently built ranches and splits. The small size of the neighborhood limits the number of houses for sale at any given time, so house-hunters who want Somers schools will probably need to expand their search to the town’s other neighborhoods, which all have a great deal to offer.

Granite Springs is a hamlet in Somers that sits adjacent to Yorktown and along the perimeter of the Amawalk Reservoir. The hamlet is typical of Westchester in that there are lovely wooded drives and pretty homes.

There is some commercial development in this predominantly residential neighborhood and this includes the lovely Traditions 118 Restaurant. This is a great place for an intimate dinner or a nice get-together. The cheerful ambience here was a nice fit for a fundraiser last year when teachers from a nearby school district volunteered as serving staff.

The other distinctive location in Granite Springs is Stuart’s Farm which is said to be the oldest apple orchard in Westchester County. The farm has been in operation since 1828! It is popular for school field trips and is a great place for family apple picking as well.

Granite Springs is part of the larger Town of Somers and so the children here go to the Somers schools. The park and recreation programs here are considered good and there are also sports leagues to keep the children engaged in structured physical activity. Granite Springs is a nice place to raise a family.

While there in no train station in the immediate area, Goldens Bridge and Croton Falls stations are within 20 minutes drive. Granite Springs’ residents can use Route 202, 35 and 118 for easy access to neighboring communities and to reach major highways like 684 or the Taconic State Parkway.

Granite Springs is a tiny residential hamlet located in the town of Somers. It is pretty and peaceful, but you definitely have to think of it as a place to hang your hat and relax. For shopping and entertainment and the likes, you have to drive elsewhere, namely to parent town Somers or nearby Yorktown Heights or Baldwin Place.

In Somers you will find the Somerstown Shopping Center has several banks, a CVS, a few restaurants, a tanning salon, a nail salon, a dry cleaners and a Verizon store. There is also the Baldwin Place Shopping Center/Somers Commons in nearby Baldwin Place which has a Super Stop and Shop, a NYSC, a Chili’s, a Home Goods, a Q's Garden, a dollar store, a Radio Shack, a card store and a Learning Center. And then of course is the Jefferson Valley, or JV Mall, in Yorktown Heights which has a Macy’s, a Sears and

There are some decent restaurants in Somers including Luce Seafood and Pasta House, Il Forno Trattoria Brick Oven Pizza, Fratelli's Pizza and Pasta and Tazza Cafe Coffee and Espresso Bar as well as the Firehouse Deli, Imperial Wok, the fancier Seasons American Bistro and Lounge and King Kone. In Yorktown Heights, there is Traditions 118, Somers 202 Restaurant and Grill and Gaudio’s Italian Family Restaurant. In Baldwin Place you will find New Bon Buffet and Peppino’s Pizza.

There are lots of wonderful outdoor recreation areas around Granite Springs including family-friendly Muscoot Farm Park which is open year-round and offers tours of the farm, hayrides, varied special events and programs as well as a good seven miles of walking trails that run through fields, forest and wetlands. The 234-acre Lasdon Park is glorious with woods, meadows and manicured formal flower gardens. It also contains several memorials and a museum that honors Westchester County war veterans. In Reis Park, there are playing fields, playgrounds, trails, basketball and tennis courts, a skate park and even a library!

Granite Springs is quite safe and the crime rate is very low.

Granite Springs is part of the Somers Central School District which is pretty good. The median SAT score of Somers Senior High School students is 1669.

The median household income is roughly $148,401. The median home value is $434,000 and the median rental rate is $1,798.00.

The greater area of Somers is approximately 89% White, 5% Hispanic, 3% Asian and 1.5% Black.

The population of parent town Somers is around 20,224 and the median age is 45.

“Valhalla” is said to be the Viking name for heaven or the “paradise of slain warriors.” So, how did this small town in Westchester get a name from Norse mythology? It is said that in the 19th century, when flooding affected the old U.S. Post Office of Kensico, the new name was suggested by a fan of Robert Wagner and his musical opera. The name seems particularly appropriate also because some of the notable landmarks of Valhalla are the Kensico Cemetery and Gate of Heaven, where many famous people are buried.
The Kensico Reservoir and the Kensico Dam Plaza are other noteworthy destinations here. The Plaza is the site of many community events from summer-evening movie screenings to the much bigger fairs and music festivals. It is an open space that invites large gatherings and small picnics.
Valhalla children either go to schools in the Valhalla School District or the Mount Pleasant School District, as Valhalla is officially a part of the larger Mount Pleasant. Both have a good reputation.
This town is also the address for the Westchester Medical Center and the Westchester Community College. Both institutions have earned good reputations in their respective fields! Westchester Medical is one of the bigger hospitals serving the whole county. Valhalla has a train station and is close to Taconic State, Bronx Rivers and Sprain Brook Parkways. This makes it a well-connected town and popular with commuters.
The dam and the cemeteries have earned Valhalla the reputation of being a suburb with some exciting views.