Arthur L. Scinta

Pelham is Westchester’s smallest town and conveys every bit of a small-town feel. It is a tightly-knit place with a strong sense of community. With a population of 12,000 (which has not changed in number since 1940), most of Pelham was built pre-WWII in a variety of historic architectural styles, including Victorian, Colonial and Tudor Revival, which are assembled into distinct, pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods within the town’s two villages, Pelham and Pelham Manor.

Pelham is the first town in Westchester along the Long Island Sound. Located just 18 miles from Grand Central Station, it offers a faster and easier commute than nearly any other place in the New York metropolitan suburbs. The historic Pelham Train Station is situated in the center of town, not more than two miles from any Pelham home. MetroNorth commuter rail trains depart as frequently as every 10 minutes during rush hour. Pelham is also just 20 minutes by train or driving to Greenwich, Connecticut or 30 minutes to Stamford, Connecticut, which makes it a perfect mid-way point between these areas and Manhattan.

Pelham's award-winning schools provide education in a small and nurturing environment. As a small community, Pelham students walk to school, including to four neighborhood elementary schools: Colonial School, Hutchinson School, Prospect Hill School and Siwanoy School. Pelham Memorial High School is located in the center of town and has graduating classes of about 200. Immediately adjoining it is the Pelham Middle School, built in 2006, for grades six through eight.

Pelham’s downtown, like many in lower Westchester, struggles against the competition of Manhattan, where, because of its close proximity, many residents shop and dine. Big improvements have been made in the last decade and the community boasts the recently-restored “Pelham Picture House,” the last single-screen movie theater in Westchester. The community saved the historic building through a not-for-profit that has transformed the building into a fine arts film center that features classic, independent and foreign films and offers a film education program. There are also a range of excellent restaurants, a neighborhood hardware store, a family-run grocer, a connoisseur wine shop, child-friendly ice cream store, a full-service appliance store and other tidy shops and establishments.
The Town of Pelham offers an endless array of recreation programs, ranging from chess and piano to virtually every sport. Over 1000 Pelham children participated in the soccer recreation program last fall. Many sports are run by community volunteer organizations, such as the Pelham Hockey Association, Pelham Little League and the Pelham Community Rowing Association. The town has no community pool of its own, but there are two private clubs, the New York Athletic Club and the Pelham Country Club, both with swimming pools

The taxes in Pelham have a reputation of being high, but home prices are lower than some other comparable communities in lower Westchester, making taxes appear high as a percentage of home sale prices. With the taxes, comes a high level of municipal services provided by the Villages of Pelham and Pelham Manor, including 24/7 paid professional firefighters, more than 50 police officers for two square miles and back-yard garbage collection.

Folks in Pelham seem to like it there. Many have lived there for multiple generations, and most stay well beyond the point of kids graduating from the schools. All share in common a commitment to the town and appreciation for living in a small town nestled up against the greatest city in the world.