Lewisboro

Situated in the northeastern part of Westchester County, Lewisboro is a town composed of 6 hamlets: Goldens Bridge, Cross River, Waccabuc, South Salem, Lewisboro Hamlet and Vista. Lewisboro is located about 18 miles north of White Plains, 40 miles north of mid-town Manhattan. It is bordered by Ridgefield and New Canaan, CT to the east, Somers to the west, North Salem to the north and Bedford to the South. The town was first formed in 1747 and named Salem. Later the town was named Lewsiboro after John Lewis, a prominent financier who game monies for the school district.

CHARACTER

The town is distinguished by its scenic country sides dappled with rambling stone walls, open meadows, farms, horse properties and many lakes (Lake Katonah, Lake Waccabuc, Lake Rippowam, Lake Oscaleta, Truesdale Lake and Lake Kitchawan). The scenic country setting offer a New England beauty close to Manhattan. Drawn to Lewisboro by its quality of life, a wide variety of people, professions and interests blend their talents and tastes to create a civic minded community proud of its "hometown" flavor. Rich in natural areas, Lewisboro is bordered by two Westchester County parks and boasts town parks with pools, tennis courts, ball fields, hiking trails and many nature preserves for walking, hiking and cross country skiing.

KATONAH-LEWISBORO SCHOOL DISTRICT

The town is served by the Katonah-Lewisboro School District with 4 elementary schools (Lewisboro, Meadow Pond, Increase Miller, & Katonah), John Jay Middle School and John Jay High School. Together, they provide instruction for more than 3,600 students. 99% of the high school students moved onto higher education. The average SAT scores in 2011 was 1461.

Lewisboro is a northern Westchester town which includes the hamlets of Waccabuc, Golden’s Bridge, South Salem and Cross River. The town is oddly shaped as a result of a land dispute between New York and Connecticut. In 1840, Wall Street financier John Lewis established a fund for the town, and in turn asked for the town to be named in his honor.

A small section of the town by Golden’s Bridge is bordered by Interstate 684, but much of Lewisboro is crisscrossed by rural roads and many people live a good distance from the highway. The roads can become pretty congested during the morning and evening rush hous. However, newcomers to the town appreciate the rural character and lack of development; the school district is also a major draw.

Students attend school in the Katonah-Lewisboro School District, which has about 4,000 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is held in high regard; most recently John Jay High School was ranked 239 out of 22,000 nationally by U.S. News and World Report. There is one middle school and four elementary schools in the district. Lewisboro Elementary School is located in South Salem.

Lewisboro, the hamlet and Lewisboro, the town, are not havens for big-box stores, a fact most residents probably appreciate. There are no commercial areas in the hamlet at all. However, there are shopping centers in Golden’s Bridge, Cross River and South Salem. Katonah, which is nearby, has a lovely small shopping district with a great mix of retailers and restaurants. Ridgefield, Connecticut is just a short ride away, as is Danbury, both offering additional retail choices.

The lack of development in the town means there are many opportunities for outdoor recreation. The Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, Westchester County’s largest park, has some of its 4,500 acres in Lewisboro. There are trails and camping areas, along with a small nature museum. The town’s recreation department has organized team sports for adults and children, including football, softball, lacrosse, basketball, soccer and baseball. There are four town parks with assorted amenities, and the Recreation Department has also published a “Walking Wild Lewisboro” guide with information on walking trails and assorted landmarks.

There are many options for house hunters in Lewisboro at large. There are condominiums and co-ops, and single family homes at all price points, from small starter homes to larger estates.

Lewisboro is about as countrified as it gets in Westchester, with the kind of fields, woods, and nature preserves you find in Putnam, but for more money. It’s all relative, though: compared to the rest of Westchester, Lewisboro is really a bargain. It’s quiet, beautiful, and parts of it are quite horsey. It actually feels like some of the well-off but low-key southern Connecticut towns it borders.

Lewisboro has an excellent public school system, and an active Recreation Department. There are organized seasonal celebrations and community events, summer camps, and activities for all age groups. There are sports clinics and community-sponsored teams for kids’ baseball, soccer, lacrosse, and football, men’s softball and basketball, and women’s softball. There’s even a horseman’s association.

There are four natural glacial lakes, surrounded by woodland and harboring all sorts of native wildlife. There are two county parks: Mountain Lakes Park, located at the north end of town, and the 4,700-acre Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, the largest park in Westchester, located at the south end, where you can camp and wander through a museum. There are three town parks with all kinds of sports facilities.

Nature lovers will be delighted by Lewisboro’s preserves: the Nature Conservancy’s Indian Brook Assemblage, Mt. Holly Sanctuary and Long Pond Preserve; the Westchester Land Trust’s Frederick P. Rose, Love, Old Church Lane, and Pine Croft Meadow Preserves; the North Salem Open Land Foundation’s Marx and Five Ponds Preserves; and Audubon’s Hunt-Parker Sanctuary.

And best of all, there's the Wolf Conservation Center (please see my review of South Salem.)

There is a wonderful library, with programs for children, teens, and adults, and free eBooks and Audiobooks available for download. Library cardholders can also download three free music tracks per week from the Sony Music catalogue.

An hour from New York City on Metro-North, Lewisboro is Westchester’s version of Philipstown – quiet, charming, woodsy, but just a little bit less bohemian.

Lewisboro is a town in Westchester County comprised of the pretty little hamlets of Cross River, Golden's Bridge, South Salem and Waccabuc. It is chock full of hills and dales and winding roads and has an idylic country get away from it all charm that is appealing to nature lovers and those wishing to seek a more simple, noise-free existence. Another plus is its relative affordability, at least in comparison to many other wildly expensive county towns. But it is still, by no means, cheap.

In its hamlets you will find a wide range of cuisines to suit everyone's taste or craving. In South Salem, you will discover the wonderful Le Chateau, One Twenty Three, The Horse and Hound Inn, Nino's Restaurant and Panda Garden. In Cross RIver, you can choose from Bacio Trattoria, Haiku Asian Bistro and Sushi Bar, Cameron's Deli, Bagel Boy's Cafe and Treat Frozen Yogurt.

There is no real downtown area in Lewisboro, which some may find unappealing, but really, a short drive (thus you really should own a vehicle of some sort) will get you to proper shopping and services in mamy different directions. A lot of folks take the short trek to nearby Danbury, CT to the well endowed Danbury Fair Mall and surrounds. One can run to the A & P in Golden's Bridge to fulfill any and all grocery shopping lists.

But what Lewisboro may lack in commericalism, it more than makes up for with its gorgeous abundance of natural resources. This is a nature lover's and fitness guru's paradise with parks a-plenty. The Lewisboro Town Park has a nice community pool, tennis courts, playing fields, basketball courts, and when permitted, even ice-skating. The Ward Pound Ridge Reservation is a lovely 4,700 acre park with a Trailside Museum, trails, and camp grounds. Onatru Farm has top-notch tennis facilities, playing fields and walking trails. Mountain Lakes Camp has pretty ponds and walking trails. And finally, Bronwell Preserve has 118 acres of forests as well as a two-mile trail with a pretty overlook of Lake Katonah. Lewisboro is actually home to seven lovely lakes in total!

The Lewisboro-Katonah School District is considered to be fantastic. The median SAT score of John Jay High School students is 1702.

The median household income is about $157,412. The median home value is roughly $600, 000 and the median rental rate is around $1,200. .

Lewisboro is approximately 90% White, 4.5% Hispanic, 2.5 % Asian and 1% African American.

The population of Lewisboro is 12,411 with a median age of 38. .

Lewisboro, in my opinion, is one of the best towns in all of Westchester County. While a little pricey (prices range between $460,000 and $915,000, depending on which hamlet you choose), the convenience of high-quality shopping, restaurants, and transportation make the hefty price and cost of living here well-worth it.

Take the quaint and picturesque hamlet of Katonah, for instance: with its lovely tree-lined streets that bloom cherry blossoms in the spring, and the unforgettable Victorian homes and church buildings that greet you upon arrival, it's no wonder that people are willing to pay a hefty coin to live here. Katonah alone has its own village library, a beautiful old building that has cozy couches and an excellent book, DVD and music selection. There's also events held at the library like Open Mics on occasion and local authors (like award poet, Billy Collins).

Katonah has a very cool metaphysical community, regarding the store Awakenings and psychic healer Sara Rubin's practice “The Phoenix and the Rose” which is held at one of the old Victorian homes on one of the main streets in town. She is a very warm and down-to-earth person and has helped many individuals during their lifetimes in many different ways. She also holds a couples' counseling practice as well. Also in Katonah is the Katonah Art Museum with its shifting exhibits, and Caramoor Center for the Performing Arts, where you can stroll Victorian-style grounds and enjoy concerts outside amongst the flowers and statues that might leave you feeling as though you just walked straight into a Shakespearean play. Willy Nicks is a favorite restaurant in town, located directly across from the train station. Katonah also has an adorable little thrift store that's right near the fire station (check the sign for store hours).

Also a part of Lewisboro, Cross River has the Yellow Monkey Antique Village, with Yellow Monkey Antiques and O2Living Raw Food Bar, with healthy drinks and wonderful vegetarian food. Lewisboro is about forty minutes away from NYC by train, and there's lots of different train stations (aside from Katonah) to choose from. The Croton and Cross River Reservoirs offer beautiful points of natural beauty and there are plenty of parks in the area, like Pound Ridge Reservation in Cross River, where you can hike and camp to your heart's content.

Lewisboro is a wonderful place to raise a family with an awesome school district and a great community.