Katonah, New York
Encyclopedia
Katonah, New York is one of three unincorporated hamlets within the town of Bedford
, Westchester County
, New York, United States.
, 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, were rolled on logs pulled by horses. The move was originally ordered to start in 1894, but litigation delayed the process by almost three years. 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.
The Katonah Village Historic District
was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1983.
According to the 2010 united states census, the CDP, the 'hamlet' of Katonah, in Bedford, had a total population of 4,605 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.
With regard to the Katonah CDP, 87% is white, 1% is black, 8% is Hispanic and 2% identify as Asian.
, 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 which offers 5 day boarding founded in the 19th century, which counts among its alumni "Doonesbury
" cartoonist Garry Trudeau
. Martha Stewart
and Ralph Lauren
also live in Katonah, just down the road from the John Jay Homestead
.
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 Katonah. Author David Barr Kirtley
and Apollo Sunshine
drummer Jeremy Black both 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
.
The average house price in Katonah, as of 2006, is US$ 912,000.
, which hosts the Orchestra of St. Luke's
, is held annually at Caramoor, within the hamlet's limits.http://www.caramoor.com/ John Jay High School holds its annual commencement ceremony at Caramoor as well. 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
for a new furniture line called the “Katonah Collection”. Stewart purchased a 152 acre (0.61512272 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 U.S. Trademark Office)
and John Jay High School
.
Katonah is also home to two private schools, The Montfort Academy
, which is affiliated with the Catholic Church, and The Harvey School
.
Bedford (town), New York
Bedford is a town in Westchester County, New York, USA. The population was 17,335 at the 2010 census.The Town of Bedford is located in the northeastern part of Westchester County, and contains the three hamlets of Bedford Hills, Bedford Village, and Katonah...
, Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, New York, United States.
History
Katonah is named for Chief KatonahChief Katonah
Chief Katonah was a Native American Munsee sachem for all Wiechquaeskeck in the Greenwich, Stamford, and Bedford area, from whom the land of the town of Bedford, New York was purchased. The hamlet of Katonah, New York, located within Bedford, is named for him. He was Sachem of Ramapoo...
, an American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
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
Cross River Reservoir
The Cross River Reservoir is a reservoir located in northern Westchester County, New York and is part of New York City's water supply system. It is situated within the towns of Bedford, Lewisboro, and Pound Ridge, about 1 mile east of the village of Katonah, and over 25 miles north of New York City...
. More than 50 buildings were moved from the old site to New Katonah, were rolled on logs pulled by horses. The move was originally ordered to start in 1894, but litigation delayed the process by almost three years. 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.
The Katonah Village Historic District
Katonah Village Historic District
Katonah Village Historic District is a national historic district located at Katonah, Westchester County, New York. The district contains 38 contributing buildings developed between 1895 and 1928 in "New Katonah." It is primarily residential, but also includes three churches and two combination...
was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1983.
Demographics
Despite often being referred to as a village, Katonah has no legal status as an administrative jurisdiction. While the Katonah post office serves portions of the towns of Bedford, Lewisboro and Somers, the "hamlet" of Katonah, as a subdivision of the Town of Bedford, was identified as a Census Designated Place (CDP) for the first time in 2010.According to the 2010 united states census, the CDP, the 'hamlet' of Katonah, in Bedford, had a total population of 4,605 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.
With regard to the Katonah CDP, 87% is white, 1% is black, 8% is Hispanic and 2% identify as Asian.
Community
The surrounding countryside includes the John Jay HomesteadJohn Jay Homestead State Historic Site
John Jay Homestead State Historic Site is a site in Katonah, New York. The homestead is also known as Bedford House or as John Jay House...
, the former home of John Jay
John Jay
John Jay was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat, a Founding Father of the United States, and the first Chief Justice of the United States ....
, the first Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
. Nearby is The Harvey School
The Harvey School
The Harvey School is a co-educational, college preparatory school near Katonah, New York, for students in grades 6 through 12. It is located on a wooded, 100-acre campus and has an annual budget of $10.9M. AP courses in biology, American history, calculus, chemistry, computer science, English,...
, a private day school which offers 5 day boarding founded in the 19th century, which counts among its alumni "Doonesbury
Doonesbury
Doonesbury is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau, that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury, who has progressed from a college...
" cartoonist Garry Trudeau
Garry Trudeau
Garretson Beekman "Garry" Trudeau is an American cartoonist, best known for the Doonesbury comic strip.-Background and education:...
. Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
and Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
also live in Katonah, just down the road from the John Jay Homestead
John Jay Homestead State Historic Site
John Jay Homestead State Historic Site is a site in Katonah, New York. The homestead is also known as Bedford House or as John Jay House...
.
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
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
, 10536, and a Metro-North station
Katonah (Metro-North station)
The Katonah Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of the Westchester County village of Katonah, New York, via the Harlem Line. It is 41.2 miles from Grand Central Terminal and the average travel time to Grand Central is one hour, six minutes.This station is located in the Zone 6...
. 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
Andrew Saul
Andrew Marshall Saul is an American millionaire businessman from Katonah, New York who serves as the Chairman of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board and Vice Chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City, United States...
, Chairman of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board was established as an independent agency of the United States government by the Federal Employees Retirement System Act of 1986. It is one of the smaller executive branch agencies, with just over 80 employees...
, George Soros
George Soros
George Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, philosopher, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. Soros supports progressive-liberal causes...
, hedge fund manager and the 7th richest man in the United States, jazz legend John Scofield
John Scofield
John Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...
, and former Congresswoman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Sue Kelly are other notable residents of Katonah. Author David Barr Kirtley
David Barr Kirtley
David Barr Kirtley is an American short story writer and the co-host of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. His short fiction appears in magazines such as Realms of Fantasy and Weird Tales, in online magazines such as Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show and Lightspeed, and on...
and Apollo Sunshine
Apollo Sunshine
Apollo Sunshine is a 21st-century alternative rock band which originated in Boston, Massachusetts.-History:Sam Cohen, Jesse Gallagher, and Jeremy Black originally met in 1997 in Boston,...
drummer Jeremy Black both grew up in Katonah. Apollo Sunshine
Apollo Sunshine
Apollo Sunshine is a 21st-century alternative rock band which originated in Boston, Massachusetts.-History:Sam Cohen, Jesse Gallagher, and Jeremy Black originally met in 1997 in Boston,...
's first album was also recorded in and named after the town.
Katonah is home to Stepping Stones
Stepping Stones (home)
Stepping Stones is the historic home of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill W. and his wife Lois Burnham Wilson, founder of Al-Anon/Alateen, in Bedford Hills, New York. It is a Colonial Revival structure built in 1920....
, the historic home of Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
co-founder Bill W. and his wife Lois Wilson
Lois Wilson (activist)
Lois Wilson was the co-founder of Al-Anon, a support group for the friends and family of alcoholics. She was the wife of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill W....
. The house at 62 Oak Road is on the State and National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The average house price in Katonah, as of 2006, is US$ 912,000.
Attractions
The Katonah Museum of Art is located in Katonah. The Caramoor International Music FestivalCaramoor International Music Festival
The Caramoor International Music Festival is a summer music festival founded in 1945 that is held on the estate of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts Inc., which includes a Mediterranean-style stucco villa and is located about north of New York City in Katonah, New York.The Caramoor...
, which hosts the Orchestra of St. Luke's
Orchestra of St. Luke's
The Orchestra of St. Luke's is an American chamber orchestra based in New York City.It was founded in the summer of 1979 at the Caramoor International Music Festival in Katonah, New York....
, is held annually at Caramoor, within the hamlet's limits.http://www.caramoor.com/ John Jay High School holds its annual commencement ceremony at Caramoor as well. The former home
John Jay Homestead State Historic Site
John Jay Homestead State Historic Site is a site in Katonah, New York. The homestead is also known as Bedford House or as John Jay House...
of US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay
John Jay
John Jay was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat, a Founding Father of the United States, and the first Chief Justice of the United States ....
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
Billy Collins
Billy Collins is an American poet, appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He is a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York and is the Senior Distinguished Fellow of the Winter Park Institute, Florida...
holds readings at Katonah Village Library
Martha Stewart trademark
In early 2007, groups representing the hamlet came out in opposition to a trademark filed by homemaking mogul Martha StewartMartha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
for a new furniture line called the “Katonah Collection”. Stewart purchased a 152 acre (0.61512272 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
Ramapough Mountain Indians
The Ramapough Mountain Indians, also known as Ramapo Mountain Indians or the Ramapough Lenape Nation, are a group of approximately 5,000 people living around the Ramapo Mountains of northern New Jersey and southern New York. Their tribal office is located on Stag Hill Road on Houvenkopf Mountain in...
who foresaw legal conflict should Stewart succeed in trademarking the name for her furniture line. (View current appeals at U.S. Trademark Office)
Schools
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. Both schools feed into John Jay Middle SchoolJohn Jay Middle School
John Jay Middle School is a public school located in Cross River, New York. It is the only middle school in the Katonah-Lewisboro School District. The school includes three grades, from grade six to grade eight...
and John Jay High School
John Jay High School (Cross River, New York)
John Jay High School is a public high school located in Cross River, New York. It is the only high school in the Katonah-Lewisboro School District...
.
Katonah is also home to two private schools, The Montfort Academy
The Montfort Academy
The Montfort Academy is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Katonah, New York. It is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.-Background:Formerly all-boys, the Academy added a girl's program in 2007.It is now a co-ed institution....
, which is affiliated with the Catholic Church, and The Harvey School
The Harvey School
The Harvey School is a co-educational, college preparatory school near Katonah, New York, for students in grades 6 through 12. It is located on a wooded, 100-acre campus and has an annual budget of $10.9M. AP courses in biology, American history, calculus, chemistry, computer science, English,...
.