Ep #5: Katonah: A Down to Earth and Inclusive Community

Welcome to Your Real Estate Connection in Westchester. A show for people looking to buy or sell homes in the Northern Westchester County area. Join local real estate expert Harriet Libov as she shares her professional advice on the local real estate market, connects you with knowledgeable community residents, and gives you helpful insights behind the home buying and selling process. Now, let’s dive into today’s episode.

Welcome to episode five. I just want to thank my listeners as the downloads thus far have totally exceeded my expectations. Creating this podcast was something that was on my mind for a long time as a way for buyers and sellers to get to know me and what I do rather than reading my various bios, testimonials, and my blog on different sites. I also see the podcast as a way to learn areas I cover without just searching online and reading about them. I’m having fun with it, and I’m truly delighted when my clients tell me that they took the time to listen.

So today will be a personal tour of Katonah and surrounding towns in the Katonah-Lewisboro School District. I didn’t have to look far to find today’s guest. Rebecca Bourla has a background in PR and has been a valuable part of my team for five years. As I’ve said in past episodes, I only sell areas I know as I truly believe it’s the right way for an agent to work in their client’s best interest.

If my buyers want to see a home in lower Westchester or the River Towns for example, I would refer them to other agents in my trust network within Houlihan Lawrence that I have developed quite carefully over time so my clients have an expert showing them houses in the towns that these agents know so well.

Having Rebecca on my team has allowed me to sell in Katonah to young families searching for a home in the School District as Rebecca has three children herself already in the School District. She lives her life there with expertise every day. She knows the skinny and knows how to get answers. If she doesn’t know the answer, she knows where to go to find out. That is such an important resource for me as an agent and for my buyers.

So today, let’s explore Katonah and the surrounding towns that are part of the Katonah-Lewisboro School District. Thanks for being here today. I appreciate you tuning in. Let’s settle in and begin the conversation.

With a super charming and small-town ambiance, Katonah is a hamlet in northern Westchester in the town of Bedford. It covers about 12 square miles and is about 40% of the population in the town of Bedford. A recurring theme on past episodes learning about Armonk and Chappaqua is the sense of community. Katonah has a deep sense of community.

Downtown independent shops like Kelloggs & Lawrence hardware store, Weinstein’s Pharmacy, and Charles department store have strong roots with the residents of Katonah for generations and some well over 100 years. No chain stores. Just eclectic boutiques and family restaurants like the Blue Dolphin, one of my personal favorites. Serving the community since 1987, I love the unique combination of delicious homemade pasta and amazing Italian food while sitting in a diner that’s right in town.

On Saturday’s, the farmers market is held at the John Jay Homestead. The Katonah-Lewisboro School District includes the hamlets of Cross River, Goldens Bridge, South Salem, Waccabuc, Vista, and parts of North Salem and Pound Ridge. Each hamlet has its own personality. The best access driving to Katonah is the Sawmill Parkway and Route 64. Then get on the main drags of Route 35 and 22. The Katonah train station is right in town, and the commute to Grand Central is about an hour and 20 minutes.

The Goldens Bridge train station may be a closer alternative depending on where you live, and it is about five minutes longer on the train. So while your commute is longer, the big tradeoff is that you get significantly more for your money when purchasing a home.

The Katonah area is best described as down to earth and inclusive. You can feel it when you walk through town. Not one bit of attitude. Scenic drives are everywhere with gorgeous reservoir views and natural beauty. For outdoor enthusiasts, there are ball fields, swimming pools, and walking trails in the 45-acre Katonah Memorial Park. The fire department parade and carnival, holiday tree lighting, and Halloween parade are all big events.

The area is rich in cultural and recreational activities like the Katonah Village Library, the Katonah Museum of Art, and nearby Caramoor, which is like a mini Tanglewood. There is a home and place for everyone here. Smaller homes can be found in the six figures throughout the school district on both small parcels of land and larger acreage. Luxury properties in the Mt Holly Estate area can fetch upwards of $4 million. So let’s chat now with Rebecca Bourla who along with her husband Gotti has raised their three children here ages 15, 13, and 9 for the last nine years.

Harriet: Hi Rebecca.

Rebecca: Hi Harriet.

Harriet: This is fun having you as my guest today. You’re the best person to help me speak about the Katonah area. You live in Goldens Bridge, and your kids go to Katonah-Lewisboro schools. You know I always ask people where they grew up in my first phone call with new buyers. So I’m going to ask that of you. Where you and Gotti each grew up because I do believe it has something to do with why you choose an area to live and what makes it feel good. So where did you guys grow up?

Rebecca: I grew up about two hours northwest of Westchester County in Sullivan County in a town called Bethel. It’s the home of the Woodstock Festival with the big field. There’s a great outdoor concert venue there now.

Harriet: Right. Oh, famous.

Rebecca: Yes. Yes. Gotti grew up in Israel and after college moved to the city.

Harriet: Oh okay. So what brought you to Goldens Bridge and the Katonah area, and where were you living before you bought your home? I guess as part of that. Did you look further south and why Katonah?

Rebecca:  Sure. So Gotti and I were living in Yorktown Heights. We had two small children with a third on the way. We knew that we needed a bigger space, and we needed a good school district. That was important to us. We needed to support to needs of our children. We did start looking in Armonk and Chappaqua and realized quickly that with just another ten minutes or so up the road, up north, you get a lot more land and a house for the money. So we found Katonah. We found Katonah-Lewisboro schools, and they checked off the items that were important to us.

Harriet: Got it.

Rebecca: And here we are.

Harriet: Okay. How has it been for your family?

Rebecca: It’s been great. We’ve all made friends with people within the community and our neighbors. They’re wonderful people. We enjoy not only walking through the town of Katonah and shopping there, but we’re also near parks and trails. We love everything about it. It’s great.

Harriet: Have there been any special events that you guys loved?

Rebecca: Yes. Katonah is amazing during I mean all the year. They have an amazing Halloween parade and celebration. Trick or treating there is just a one-of-a-kind experience. It’s just so much fun. What else? They also have a holiday store, which is awesome. Lewisboro has some great events too. Even during the pandemic, they organized drive in movie nights. On New Year’s Day, they have a walk called the First Day Walk. So it’s a hike on New Year’s Day.

Harriet: Oh that’s fun.

Rebecca: Just to name a few.

Harriet: Okay. So I’m guessing both of you were attracted to the outdoors based on where you grew up and the activities that were offered.

Rebecca: Yep. I think so.

Harriet: Okay. I know your family skis throughout the winter. I’m wondering where the closest mountain is that would allow your family to follow their passion for a day trip you know when you’re teaching them how to ski. Then as they get a little better, where you can go to a bigger mountain.

Rebecca: Sure. So about 20 minutes further north on 684 is Thunder Ridge. It’s a small mountain. It’s perfect for teaching your kids or even when they’re a little older and letting them ski with their friends. A lot of the schools will have ski night programs, the local schools where they’ll transport the kids up there and they get to ski as a social event. So that’s great.

Harriet: I actually did that growing up in high school. That’s how I learned how.

Rebecca: Oh wow. That’s great. It’s a great opportunity to learn how to ski in the area. Then I’d say like another 40 minutes in Connecticut there’s a great mountain called Mohawk. That’s a little bit bigger than Thunder Ridge. So it’s definitely…It has more advanced trails. It’s fun. Then within two hours and you continue to go up north you’ve got Jiminy Peak and Butternut and Catamount, which definitely serve families that have skiers of all abilities and make a great day trip.

Harriet: So that’s where you go now.

Rebecca: Yes. That’s where we go now.

Harriet: Right. I know you’ve also been very involved in the schools. You mentioned that that was part of your due diligence and your search. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Rebecca: Sure. Once I realized that my son was flourishing with the support that he was receiving within the Katonah-Lewisboro School District, I wanted to give back and show my appreciation. I became involved in the special education PTOs where I was co-president for four and a half–

Harriet: PTO stands for?

Rebecca: Parent Teacher Organization.

Harriet: Okay.

Rebecca: They host events and supply resources to the teachers and staff. I became heavily involved with them and was their copresident for four and a half years and did a lot of amazing things with the student body there and the whole district. It was a lot of fun.

Harriet: Right. Great. Anything else you want to share with us today that you think might add some value for someone who’s listening and thinking about Katonah?

Rebecca: Sure. If you have Armonk and Chappaqua on your mind just like how my husband and I did when we were looking. And you’re looking to kind of maximize on your dollars and you’re able to travel just a little further north, I would keep Lewisboro and Katonah in mind. They have the charming town. Katonah is a stunning walkable town, and you’ve got the outdoors. Lots of options and varieties and a wonderful community that’s supportive and offers a lot. I wouldn’t scratch it off your list right away.

Harriet: Right. Because the commute is a bit longer. So I think sometimes that does happen. But if you love where you live, you’re willing to sit on the train for a little bit longer. Okay. Well thank you for joining me today.

So here’s the takeaway. Katonah is a down to earth community that’s rich in history with the residents strongly wanting to preserve that community feel. The commute to Grand Central is longer, but you can get more house for the money and a great lifestyle. Thanks for joining me today. I hope you got a good feeling for life in the Katonah area. Stay tuned. The next episode will be about life a few miles south of Katonah in Bedford, New York.

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