Pound Ridge is Westchester's blossomed wallflower. Well-dressed and eloquent, it carries a more Type B personality than its trendier neighbors, exuding its elegance without the slightest ostentation. Nestled into the Connecticut borderlands between Bedford and South Salem, it has no highway exit and no train station, and is reached only by two-lane country roads. Yet despite being 15+ minutes from the nearest interstate in any direction, it lies within a convenient access to every amenity, and moreover boasts eclectic shopping and dining that collectively form one of Westchester's most interesting main streets. It's not hard to see why so many have chosen to call this charming community home.
For a place that had already reached a thousand residents shortly after the American Revolution, Pound Ridge has miraculously retained its unspoiled rural splendor, owed largely to the fact it was always a bit off the beaten path throughout its entire 250+ year history. The railroads bypassed Pound Ridge, and ergo, so did industry; the closest answer to it is Marshall Oil Company, a family-owned fuel business of 70+ years whose modest tank farm on 124 looks more of the agrarian variety—concealed within a discrete collections of yellow barns and perfectly cut grass.
The town's dwindling agrarian roots gave way to a residential renaissance beginning in the 1930s, when an entrepreneurial local, Hiram Halle, revitalized the community to attract bohemian residents—a contingent continuing to reside there today. Home parcels in Pound Ridge are generously sized with deep setbacks, a perk providing popular for celebrities and others who place a high value on privacy. The long list of notable talent to reside in town spans across generations, from Benny Goodman and Tallulah Bankhead to the likes of Tom Brokaw, Richard Gere, Eartha Kitt, Susan Sarandon and Mike Myers.
The town of Pound Ridge today has just under 5,000 residents, scattered in the vast surrounds of lush open space. It has its own police department, a beautifully-landscaped town park and an elementary school, which is part of Bedford Central School District. Middle and high school students are split between Fox Lane and John Jay (Katonah-Lewisboro).
Scott's Corners, the central business district, is the beating heart of town. Here you'll find everything from quirky antiques to the sophisticated avantgarden, a chic purveyor of sophisticated furniture and fittings earning nods from such likes as Elle Decor and Architectural Digest. On a warm Sunday, you'll see locals sitting outside Blind Charlie's, a charming sidewalk cafe, hoping to catch the convoys of vintage cars frequently found cruising the back roads to Caffeine & Carburators meets. The "downtown" dining cluster also includes DiNardo's, for family-style Italian, and North Star, a Zagat-rated New American eatery with live music. For oenophiles, The Wine Connection and Pound Ridge Wines provide world-class selections to pair with offerings from plum plums cheese shop. Another much-lauded recent addition to Westchester Avenue strip was Booksy Galore, an independent bookshop started by a local resident who pressed pause on her Ph.D much loved by local creative types. There's also old-fashioned Chubby's Hardware, a pizza place, an Asian restaurant and Scott's Corner Market—and for everything else, the New Canaan town line is a stone's throw to the south.
Follow the trademark "pointing hand" street signs to the fork of routes 172 and 137 to Pound Ridge Proper, which consists mainly of a deli, the museum, a library, and perhaps the hottest destination as of late, The Inn at Pound Ridge—the town's longstanding (and long-closed) eatery recently revived by legendary New York City chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Also nearby is Poundridge Nurseries, a green-thumbed nirvana known throughout the area.
If you're looking to live somewhere with innate integrity, strong community values and an independent, free spirit, stop in our Pound Ridge office and start exploring. An active country lifestyle commutable to New York City awaits you in this truly special place.