Thornwood

Thornwood is a quiet residential village located in the charming town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County. Easily reached by 9A and the Sprain Brook Parkway, the town is perfect for middle-class families who like an easy country life that’s not too far from civilization.

The main thing that Thornwood is known for is its Rose Hill Shopping Center, where you can find town staples like the Ro-Mi Deli (homemade food), KFC, St. George Wine & Liquors, and an A&P. Thornwood proper also has a Shop Rite, as well as a Game Stop for all your gaming needs. If you’re n the mood for eating out, I recommend Lucky Buddha for excellent Hibatchi-style steak and world-class sushi, as well as a cozy and romantic dinner atmosphere. Also, don’t forget the Thornwood Coach Diner, where you’ll find the typical American diner food of the highest quality around.

Thornwood is served by the Mount Pleasant School District, which is fair as far as test results go and they profess an outstanding graduation rate. Residents and visitors alike can travel to nearby Pleasantville for hiking, horseback riding and strolling in lovely, historic Rockefeller State Park. Also, while you’re here, you’ll want to treat yourself to a day at Serenities Spa in town, and treat your mouth at Artuso Bakery and Cafe, also in the Rose Hill Shopping Center.

Thornwood is a very safe place to raise a family, that offers great shopping options and wonderful restaurants for quality dining for everyone to enjoy.

From its location in central Westchester, Thornwood combines suburban conveniences with relaxed charm. Its designation as one of Mount Pleasant’s hamlets means there are excellent recreational programs, several parks and a library with 2 branches. The school district is consistently excellent, and Metro-North stations in neighboring towns ensure a decent fifty-minute commute to Grand Central.

Students in Thornwood attend school in the Mount Pleasant School District with children from Hawthorne, Pleasantville and Valhalla. The district enrolls 2,000 students. Columbus Elementary School serves students from Thornwood; there is one additional elementary school in the district. The district operates Westlake Middle School and Westlake High School, both located in Thornwood. State exams are one measure of school and district quality, and students in the Mount Pleasant district tend to perform extremely well, with the vast majority of students meeting or exceeding standards.

Many residents of Westchester find it necessary to travel to adjacent towns to buy groceries, but Thornwood is served by two shopping centers, each with a grocery store. White Plains is a short ride away, offering a larger variety of shopping options. Residents who don’t mind crossing the Hudson and traveling a little further will be pleased with the mega-sized Palisades Center, which is the 8th largest mall in the country. There is a good selection of restaurants to suit a range of tastes and interests.

There is a Metro-North station in Thornwood, but it has not been used since the mid-80s when light ridership and train upgrades made the continued operation of the station impractical. However, there are two nearby stations in Pleasantville and Hawthorne. The town can be reached easily by car via the Taconic and Saw Mill Parkways.

Thornwood may be considered reasonably priced by Westchester standards, but a relatively short commute and nearby amenities come at a price. House-hunters may experience sticker shock when looking at the prices of smaller single family homes, especially if they look at similar properties in Westchester’s more northern towns. However, Thornwood still has a great deal of potential

Thornwood is a relatively quiet and friendly suburban hamlet in the greater town of Mount Pleasant, NY in Westchester County. It is laced with modest to slightly larger scale single family homes on attractive wide suburban tree-lined streets. There is definite wealth here, but it doesn't feel as obvious or as flaunted as it does in some other places.

Thornwood has two decent shopping centers. The Rose HIll Shopping Center is home to a CVS Pharmacy, Radio Shack, Carvel, KFC Chicken, a bank, a deli, a wine shoppe, a jewelry store, a nail salon , a CURVES for women, a vision center, Silvio's Restaurant, an Asian restaurant and a music academy that gives private lessons. The other well visited shopping center in the hamlet is the Town Center on Broadway with a nice Shoprite, another CVS, a Citibank and the popular Finnegan's Restaurant which has good American fare and a few Irish classics like fish n' chips and Shepherds Pie, as well as a late menu available until 2 AM.

There are other decent to excellent eateries in the area including Casa Rina, Lucky Buddha, Risotto Restaurant, Swaddee House of Thai Food, Thornwood Pizza and Pasta and the Coach DIner. As for bars and nightlife, one need only go to neighboring Pleasantville which has the highly touted Lucy's Lounge with its fantastic live local music. The Hawthorne Multiplex is also nearby and a short drive into more metropolitan White Plains gives you ample choices for entertainment.

Recreational options include the community pool in Mount Pleasant and Caroll Park, aka "Duck Pond."

Thornwood is a very safe area, where people look out for one another, and the crime rate index is only 2!

The school system in Thornwood is excellent. The median SAT score is 1606 and it is reported that an impressive 100% of Westlake High School graduates go on to attend college.

The median household income is $122,086. The median home value is $542,781 and the median rental rate in the area is $1,697.00

Thornwood is roughly 88% White, 6% Hispanic, 5% Asian and 2% Black.

The total population of Thornwood is an estimated 5,840 people with the median age being 39.

Thornwood is part of the town of Mount Pleasant and is fairly similar to neighboring towns such as Pleasantville and Hawthorne. It offers some variety in housing with a few apartments amid the mostly single-family homes. The schools are well-regarded and the neighborhoods feel friendly and inviting. Thornwood has a predominantly White population with some Hispanics, Asians and African-Americans.
Thornwood had a cost of living index of 156.9 in 2011 when the U.S Average is 100. Needless to say, much like the rest of this part of Westchester, this is a town of wealthy people. Those who can afford homes here are the folks who are able to take on the higher cost of living. The Dutch Colonials set in large lots are the draw for Thornwood homeowners. The sense of being in a wooded haven is an added bonus.
There isn’t much by way of a downtown and the stores are in strip malls although the town center offers a mix of architecture that adds to the character of Thornwood. As an interesting historical note, what is the Town Center shopping plaza today was once a marble quarry! It was filled in and became a shopping center in the 1980s.
There are many nice restaurants in Thornwood. You get everything from casual to fine dining. Khan’s Indian Kitchen offers good take-out; Swadee House of Thai and the Asian fusion restaurant Lucky Buddha also provide interesting variety for Westchester foodies. Finnegan’s Grill is popular with sports fans.

Located in central Westchester, Thornwood is a laid back and quiet town with friendly neighbors and just about all of the amenities you could need. Thornwood is a great town for families; there are great schools and has a thriving arts/cultural community. Many of the residents here are lifelong residents, so a lot of the people here know each other very well. Houses here are well maintained and relatively affordable. Taxes are also competitively low in Thornwood. The hamlet is also very conveniently located; residents enjoy very convenient access to Manhattan (via the MetroNorth) and major Westchester cities like White Plains. The school district in Thornwood is also fantastic; the students perform well on standardized tests year after year and the schools offer diverse award-winning programs. While it is very quiet here, there are also lots of fun recreational activities that residents can participate in. There are fun programs offered by the town, and there are also wonderfully equipped and well maintained parks such as Carroll Park. A lot of the town's families make use of Mount Pleasant's town pool, which is available for use by residents for a small yearly fee. Overall, this is a great place for families to live.

Thornwood has some great amenities right in town. First of all the Rose Hill Shopping Center is here. You couldn't do any serious clothes shopping but it has all the the necessities like a supermarket, pharmacy, laundromat, and bank among other things. I think there is also another shopping center here called Town Center. You can always take the trip into Pleasantville if you'd prefer the traditional small town shopping scene.

There is a community pool right in Thornwood as well. It's a good size with a water park theme for kids. It's a great asset during the summer.

The houses are very affordable with New York City a short commute away and White Plains about a 10 minute drive. It should be easy to find work in either of those cities and still maintain a house in Thornwood.

There are a bunch of restaurants in town including a delicious Thai place. Pizzerias, chinese food, and sushi are also pretty standard.

Tennis, baseball, basketball and soccer courts are in various parks throughout Thornwood in addition to a pond in Carrol Park that's used for fishing and ice skating.

The community center is located in Mount Pleasant, which is a little confusing because Thornwood is actually part of Mount Pleasant, and is a great place to get kids involved in extracurricular activities or sign yourself up for some classes.