North White Plains

North White Plains is actually a part of North Castle, NY although in my mind (as long-time White Plains resident) I’ve always considered it to be a calmer, less trafficked and less developed Northern extension of White Plains where homes are slightly more affordable than in White Plains or nearby wealth-ridden sister hamlet, Armonk. There a few apartments available for rent in private single family homes from time to time. North White Plains has its own library and its own Metro North Train Station.

North White Plains has a few eateries to its name including a Dunkin Donuts, an Italian restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, and a really cool landmark hot dog and hamburger drive-in called the Little Spot. And then, of course, White Plains proper is a good five minutes away with its absolute abundance of varied eateries and its wealth of shopping and entertainmanet possibilities. Valhalla, also minutes away, has a great chicken wings joint called So Dam Hot as well as a terrific pizza place, a great deli and a Dunkin Donuts/ Basksin Robbins combo. A more eccentric and unusual spot is Valhalla Crossing, a restaurant located in the historic Valhalla train station. They have outdoor dining during the warmer months, a tiki bar and even a Victorian dining room, trackside dining room and an old red caboose dining room. Their bar was actually voted as one of the best in Westchester.

Neighboring Armonk does have its small share of great local restaurants including the Beehive Restaurant which serves continental and classic cuisine and has received rave reviews, the sophisticated Moderne Barn which touts itself "urban country chic," Opus 465, Restaurant North with its innovative farm fresh fare, Gavi Restaurant, David Chen Chinese Restaurant, Enzo's Antichi Sapori Restaurant and Route 22, a nostagic throwback to bygone days with whimsical decor and memorabilia.

Cranberry Lake Preserve is a wonderful local resource. It is a 190 acre park which plays safe haven to many birds and small animals. There is a large lake where you can rent boats, cliffs, scrubland, hardwood forests and a swamp. The Nature Center has family-friendly programs on most weekends as well as interesting exhibits. North White Plains is also a two minute drive to the wonderful Kensico Dam in Valhalla, NY which has a large open center field which is great for playing frisbee and watching concerts on summer nights, as well as a great path that surrounds it which is very popular with walkers, bikers and rollerbladers.

North White Plains is pretty safe and the crime rate is relatively low.

Most of North White Plains is part of the White Plains School District and the rest are a part of the Valhalla system which some argue is better. The median SAT score of White Plains High School students is 1518 and it is reported that 93% of its graduates do go on to attend college compared to Valhalla student’s median SAT score of 1567 and their reported 99% rate of graduates who go on to attend college.