Katonah, New York

Katonah, New York
CDP
Looking north along Katonah Avenue
Katonah Location within the state of New York
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Westchester
Town	Bedford
Area
• Total	0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2)
• Land	0.7 sq mi (1.9 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	235 ft (72 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,679
• Density	2,289/sq mi (883.7/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	10536
Area code(s)	914
FIPS code	36-38946
GNIS feature ID	0954396
Website	www.katonahny.com

Katonah is one of four hamlets and census-designated places (CDP) within the town of Bedford, Westchester County, New York, specifically northern Westchester. The Katonah CDP had a population of 1,679 at the 2010 census.

History

Moving from Old Katonah to New

Katonah is named for Chief Katonah, an American Indian from whom the land of Bedford was purchased by a group of English colonists. Founded with the name Whitlockville, the town changed its name, and later was moved to its present site in 1897, when its former site (Old Katonah) was flooded by the construction of the Cross River Reservoir. More than 50 buildings were moved from the old site to New Katonah, rolled on logs pulled by horses. The move was originally ordered to start in 1894, but litigation delayed the process by almost three years.

Eleven year old child named B. Robertson wrote the following to a children magazine on March 2nd, 1897:

The people of Katonah do not want to have it thought that New York city has made them move because they are careless about their drainage. It is because the city is going to make a new reservoir where the old village of Katonah now stands. Katonah has three churches, a public library and reading-room, a village improvement association, and a graded school, and was proud of itself.

— eleven year old B. Robertson, in a letter to a children magazine

Katonah was not the only village affected by New York City's growing demand for water. The villages of Kirbyville and New Castle Corners were also condemned by the city but were never moved.

During the American Revolution military battles or skirmishes did not take place in the area that is now the Village of Katonah. However, most local men joined the Continental side, with some joining the New York 4th Regiment of the Line and most joining the local Militia. Though the Bedford Township lay in what was called "Neutral Ground", supposedly not molested by military of either side, its inhabitants were preyed on by the lawless of both sides. Actually, this area suffered less from lawless depredations than other areas in the Neutral Ground, because of the proximity of the Croton River and the "Westchester Lines", a sparse string of outposts defended by units of the Continental Army.

The Katonah Village Historic District, and St. Luke's Episcopal Church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The John Jay Homestead and Stepping Stones, home of Bill and Lois Wilson, received the designation of National Historic Landmark.

Demographics

Katonah is classified as a hamlet, with no legal status as an administrative jurisdiction. The Katonah post office serves portions of the towns of Bedford, Lewisboro and Somers. Katonah was identified as a census-designated place (CDP) for the first time in 2010.

According to the 2010 United States census, the CDP of Katonah had a total population of 1,679 people, compared to 10,739 residents of the Katonah ZIP code, 10536. In 2010, half (5,391, or 50.2%) of the Katonah ZIP code's population resided in the town of Bedford, 36.9% in Somers and 12.9% in Lewisboro.

Within the Katonah CDP, there were 1,679 people, 589 households, and 445 families residing at the 2010 census. The population density was 2,398.6 per square mile (883.7/km²). There were 619 housing units at an average density of 884.3/sq mi (325.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.1% White, 2.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 5.4% some other race, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.9% of the population.

There were 589 households, out of which 46.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were headed by married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83, and the average family size was 3.24.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 29.5% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 31.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.6 years. For every 100 females there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

For the period 2007-11, the estimated median annual income for a household in the CDP was $146,296, and the median income for a family was $146,923. Male full-time workers had a median income of $94,250 versus $84,674 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $60,408. About 4.7% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Community

The surrounding countryside includes the John Jay Homestead, the former home of John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Nearby is The Harvey School, a private day school founded in the 19th century which offers five-day boarding, and which counts among its alumni Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau. Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren live in the Katonah area, just down the road from the John Jay Homestead. Stanley Tucci, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds live very close to the Katonah area as well.

By its residents, Katonah is often styled as a "village". For example, its library is called the Katonah Village Library and other commercial functions and public works incorporate similar terminology. Katonah generally has a concentration of population and businesses which may include portions of several towns. Katonah does have its own ZIP code, 10536, and a Metro-North station. As a result of the town's close proximity to New York City and its immediate connection to the aforementioned railroad station and the interstate, a sizable portion of the town consists of commuters. The area is part of the Katonah-Lewisboro school district.

Andrew Saul, Chairman of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, George Soros, hedge fund manager and the 7th richest man in the United States, jazz legend John Scofield, and former Congresswoman Sue Kelly are other notable residents of the Katonah area. Author David Barr Kirtley and Apollo Sunshine drummer Jeremy Black grew up in Katonah. Apollo Sunshine's first album was also recorded in and named after the town.

Katonah is home to Stepping Stones, the historic home of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill W. and his wife Lois Wilson. The house at 62 Oak Road is on the State and National Register of Historic Places.

From 1921 to 1937, Katonah was home to the Brookwood Labor College, the nation's first residential labor college.

The average house price in Katonah, as of 2006, was US$912,000.

Attractions

The Katonah Museum of Art

The Katonah Museum of Art is located in Katonah. The Caramoor International Music Festival, which hosts the Orchestra of St. Luke's, is held annually at Caramoor, 2 miles (3 km) east of the hamlet. John Jay High School holds its annual commencement ceremony at Caramoor as well. John Jay Homestead, the former home of US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay is a state historic site and museum located down the road from Caramoor. The Katonah Poetry Series led by former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins holds readings at Katonah Village Library. Katonah is also home to the historic Charles Department Store, now running in its third generation. Katonah's history is kept alive as the Katonah Historical Museum intrigues its local residents to keep the history alive for current and future residents. The Katonah Historical Museum opened in 1984, it is in the lower level of the Katonah Village Library. There are plenty of exhibits regarding the moving of houses from Old Katonah to New Katonah, there is even a mini-model of a house in the process of being moved, that house is also right in town a couple of blocks away. Another attraction is Muscoot Farm. During the 1920s-1930s farming activity on Muscoot Farm was peaking, the farm land coming from the Hopkin's family has been taken care of by Westchester County thus far since 1967 due to high labor costs. The farm has many animals, camps, workshops for youth and adult, hayrides, opportunities for field trips and even birthday events. Another attraction is the Katonah Art Center, it has two large painting studios, a children’s studio, a pottery studio, a multi-arts studio, a darkroom and a Mac computer lab. They also offer pottery, photography, painting and drawing classes, and summer camps.

Martha Stewart trademark

In early 2007, groups representing the hamlet came out in opposition to a trademark filed by homemaking mogul Martha Stewart for a new furniture line called the "Katonah Collection". Stewart purchased a 152-acre (0.62 km²) estate in Katonah in 2000, and it is there that she spent her five months of house arrest following her prison term resulting from charges of "lying to investigators". Representatives stated that Stewart was seeking to "honor the town" and the new furniture line was "...paying homage to this beautiful region." The pending trademark was contested by the Katonah Village Improvement Society and Katonah Architectural Hardware, along with support from the Ramapough Mountain Indians who foresaw legal conflict should Stewart succeed in trademarking the name for her furniture line. (View current appeals at the U.S. Trademark Office.)

Schools and emergency services

Katonah is a part of the Katonah-Lewisboro School District. It contains Katonah Elementary School, although some residents go to the neighboring Increase Miller Elementary School in Goldens Bridge. Recently the school district has voted to get rid of one of the Lewisboro Elementary school, moving elementary students around. Both schools feed into John Jay Middle School and John Jay High School. Katonah is also home to two private schools, The Montfort Academy,although Monfort Academy has recently moved to Mt.Vernon New York, and The Harvey School.

The hamlet is served by the Katonah Volunteer Fire Department, which also hosts the annual Katonah carnival, parade, and "chili night". Emergency medical services are provided by the Katonah-Bedford Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps. The Bedford police department provides police and traffic enforcement to the town of Bedford, including Katonah, Bedford Hills and Bedford Village.

Local media

• All About Bedford, a local news website
• The Record-Review, a weekly newspaper covering Katonah, Bedford, Bedford Hills, and Pound Ridge. The newspaper began publishing in 1995.
• The Lewisboro Ledger, which includes local news
• The Beford-Katonah Patch, a blog and news website

Gallery

• 

  Downtown Katonah near The Blue Dolphin

• 

  Katonah Metro-North station

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  Muscoot Reservoir

• 

  Bridge over Muscoot Reservoir

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  Katonah Hardware

See also

• Brookwood Labor College

External links

• Katonah community website
• Katonah timeline
• The Record-Review newspaper