Living in Westchester County, NY
New York in 1683 by the English Crown colony, and named after the city of Chester in Northwest England. By the mid 1800s, Westchester’s popularity was on the rise. Prominent financiers and industrial magnates including John D. Rockefeller, James Boorman Colgate, and Jay Gould chose the county as the site for their grand Gilded Age mansions, while in 1871, a new addition to the Harlem Railroad, connecting New York City to Westchester, resulted in a rapid growth in population as New York City residents sought a better quality of life in the suburbs. Today, the county comprises 48 municipalities and a population of nearly one million.
Westchester’s history is on display at a host of attractions, such as the village of Sleepy Hollow, which was made famous by The Legend of Sleepy Hollow short story byWashington Irvington; the Thomas Paine Cottage and Museum, the home of the father of the American Revolution; the 1838 Lyndhurst mansion, a Gothic Revival–style country house; and the Bedford 1787 Court House and Museum, the county’s oldest government building.
Spanning Long Island Sound to the Hudson River, Westchester's towns and villages are among the most affluent in the nation. The most highly sought-after communities in Southern Westchester include the prized waterfront towns of Rye, Larchmont, New Rochelle, and Mamaroneck on Long Island Sound; the picturesque river towns of Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Croton-on-Hudson, Tarrytown, and Scarborough on the banks of the Hudson; and the upscale communities of Harrison, Scarsdale, Bronxville, and Purchase. Property options range from elegant Colonial townhouses, regal Victorian mansions, and sprawling waterfront estates.
Northern Westchester offers a host of scenic towns and villages surrounded by a verdant pastoral landscape. Its exclusive enclaves include Bedford, which incorporates the peaceful hamlets of Bedford Village, Bedford Hills, and Katonah; Chappaqua; Armonk; Pound Ridge; and North and South Salem. Real estate offerings include magnificent equestrian estates and grand country manors. Whether a primary or weekend residence, Westchester’s exceptional range of luxury properties are the epitome of refined country living.
GETTING HERE:
Westchester ranks as one of the nation's premier suburbs due to its easy commute to New York City via the Metro-North rail link to Grand Central Station. Each of the county's six cities and many of its 42 towns and villages have their own train station with a commute ranging from just 30 to 90 minutes. Air transportation options include the convenient Westchester County Airport in White Plains, offering both commercial and private air services; and the major international airports of LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark Liberty International, which are within a one to two hour drive.
