Katonah is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) within the town of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

Westchester County Westchester County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous cou ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. The Katonah CDP had a population of 1,603 at the 2020 census.

History

Katonah is named for

Chief Katonah Katonah was a Lenape sachem who led parts of two bands of Wappinger in what is today the far southeastern part of mainland New York State and southwestern Connecticut: the Wiechquaeskeck in the Greenwich, Stamford areas of Connecticut, and the ...

, a

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Alg ...

from whom the land of Bedford was purchased by a group of English colonists. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

most local men supported the Continental side, with some joining the New York 4th Regiment of the Line and the majority the local Militia. Though Bedford Township lay in what was called "Neutral Ground", supposedly unmolested by military forces of either side, its inhabitants were preyed on by the lawless of both. The area suffered less from such 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. Originally known as Whitlockville, the settlement changed its name, then moved south to its present site in 1897, when what is known by some as "Old Katonah" was flooded by the construction of the

New Croton Dam The New Croton Dam is a masonry gravity dam forming the New Croton Reservoir, both parts of the New York City water supply system. It stretches across the Croton River near Croton-on-Hudson, New York, about north of New York City. Construction ...

. This raised the water level behind it enough to submerge the existing Muscoot Dam, the waters it empounded, and the village, under the resultantly expanded

Muscoot Reservoir The Muscoot Reservoir is a reservoir in the New York City water supply system in northern Westchester County, New York, located directly north of the village of Katonah. Part of the system's Croton Watershed, it is north of the City. History ...

. 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 this by almost three years. Evidently not all of the moved houses were within the affected area, leaving empty foundations where new houses would eventually be built upon. An eleven-year-old child named B. Robertson wrote the following to a children's magazine on March 2, 1897: Katonah was just one of a great number of settlements in northern Westchester and Putnam counties to be eradicated - variously moved, demolished, or burnt to the ground - during the creation of the

Croton Watershed The Croton Watershed is the New York City water supply system's name for its southernmost watershed and its infrastructure, an organized entity rather than a mere hydrological feature. Spanning large swaths of Putnam and Westchester counties ...

as part of New York City's drinking water supply.

Trademark attempt

In early 2007, groups representing the hamlet came out in opposition to a trademark filed by homemaking mogul

Martha Stewart Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail business woman, writer, and television personality. As the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, focusing on home and hospitality, she gained success through a variety ...

for a new furniture line called the "Katonah Collection". Stewart purchased a 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 th
Katonah Village Improvement Society
an
Katonah Architectural Hardware
along with support from the

Ramapough Mountain Indians The Ramapough Mountain Indians (also spelled Ramapo), known also as the Ramapough Lenape Nation or Ramapough Lunaape Munsee Delaware Nation or Ramapo Mountain people, are a New Jersey state-recognized tribe based in Mahwah. They have approximat ...

who foresaw legal conflict should Stewart succeed in trademarking the name for her furniture line. (View current appeals at th
U.S. Trademark Office
)

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 589 households, and 445 families residing at the 2010 census. The population density was . There were 619 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2%

, 2.6% Asian, 5.4% some other race, and 2.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 $166,296, and the median income for a family was $146,923. Male full-time workers had a median income of $104,250 versus $94,674 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $60,408. About 4.7% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Community

The hamlet of Katonah includes two National Historic Landmarks:

Stepping Stones Stepping stones or stepstones are sets of stones arranged to form an improvised causeway that allows a pedestrian to cross a natural watercourse such as a creek, a small river; or a water feature in a garden where water is allowed to flow betwe ...

- Historic Home of Bill & Lois Wilson, where the respective cofounders of

Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...

and Al-Anon Family Groups lived from 1941 until their deaths in 1971 and 1988, and the

John Jay Homestead The John Jay Homestead State Historic Site is located at 400 Jay Street in Katonah, New York. The site preserves the 1787 home of Founding Father and statesman John Jay (1745–1829), one of the three authors of ''The Federalist Papers'' and th ...

, the former home of

John Jay John Jay (, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, diplomat, signatory of the Treaty of Paris (1783), Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served from 1789 to 1795 as the first chief justice of the United ...

, the first Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

. Nearby is

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, 125-acre campus and has an annual tuition (2024) of $52,680. History The Harvey School ...

, a private day school founded in the 19th century which offers five-day boarding, and which counts among its alumni ''

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, ...

'' cartoonist

Garry Trudeau Garretson Beekman Trudeau (born July 21, 1948) is an American cartoonist best known for creating the ''Doonesbury'' comic strip. Trudeau won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1975, making him the first comic strip artist to win a ...

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting (TV series), Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and has appeared in over one hundred films, gaining ...

Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for founding the brand Ralph Lauren (brand), Ralph Lauren, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He stepped do ...

, and a number of other notables live in Katonah.

Stanley Tucci Stanley Tucci Jr. ( ; born November 11, 1960) is an American actor. Known as a character actor, he has played a wide variety of roles ranging from menacing to sophisticated, earning numerous accolades, including six Emmy Awards and two Golden ...

Blake Lively Blake Ellender Brown (born August 25, 1987), known professionally as Blake Lively, is an American actress. A daughter of actor Ernie Lively, she made her professional debut in his directorial project ''Sandman'' (1998). She had her breakthrou ...

, and

Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, producer and businessman. Known for starring in comedic and superhero films, he was the List of highest-paid film actors, world's second-highest-paid actor in 202 ...

live near Katonah as well. By its residents, Katonah is often styled as a "village". The Katonah Village Improvement Society is a group that promotes community engagement, the arts, and business activity in the hamlet. The local library is called the Katonah Village Library and some other commercial functions and public works incorporate similar "village" terminology. Katonah generally has a concentration of population and businesses which may include portions of several towns. Katonah has its own Metro-North station. As a result of the hamlet'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. From 1921 to 1937, Katonah was home to the

Brookwood Labor College Brookwood Labor College (1921 to 1937) was a labor college located at 109 Cedar Road in Katonah, New York, United States. Founded as Brookwood School in 1919 and established as a college in 1921, it was the first residential labor college in the co ...

, the nation's first residential labor college. The average house price in Katonah, as of 2006, was US$912,000.

Notable sites

The Katonah Village Historic District, and St. Luke's Episcopal Church are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The

, the former home of US Supreme Court Chief Justice

, is a

New York State Historic Site The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP) is a state agency within the New York State Executive Department Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law § 3.03. "The office of parks, recreation and h ...

and

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

, home of

founders

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pl ...

and Lois Wilson, is also a National Historic Landmark. The

Katonah Museum of Art The Katonah Museum of Art is a non-collecting institution geared towards visual arts, located in Katonah, New York. It does not have a permanent collection, but holds temporary exhibitions. The museum was founded in 1953, in one room at the loc ...

is a non-collecting institution presenting three to four visual arts exhibitions annually that examine a variety of disciplines, cultures, and historical periods. The

Caramoor International Music Festival The Caramoor Summer Music Festival is a music festival founded in 1945 that is held on the estate of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, which includes a Mediterranean-style stucco villa and is located about north of New York City in K ...

, which hosts the Orchestra of St. Luke's, is held annually at Caramoor, east of the hamlet. John Jay High School holds its annual commencement ceremony at Caramoor as well. The Katonah Poetry Series led by former US Poet Laureate

Billy Collins William James Collins (born March 22, 1941) is an American poet who served as the Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He was a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York, retiring in 2016. Co ...

holds readings at Katonah Village Library. Katonah Historical Museum opened in 1984 and is in the lower level of the library. Another attraction is Muscoot Farm. During the 1920s-1930s farming activity there was peaking, the farmland 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 adults, hayrides, opportunities for field trips, and even birthday events. Another attraction is the Katonah Art Center, which 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. Katonah was home to the

, the first labor college in the United States, providing adult education and training in

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

and

activism Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from ...

. It was located on Cedar Road from 1919 until its closure in 1937.

Schools and emergency services

Katonah is a part of the Katonah-Lewisboro School District. It contains Katonah Elementary School, although some students attend Increase Miller Elementary School in neighboring Goldens Bridge. Some students in Katonah also attended Lewisboro Elementary School until its closure in 2014, which was highly controversial. All middle and high school students in the Katonah-Lewisboro School District attend John Jay Middle School and John Jay High School. Katonah is also home to the private co-educational, college preparatory school

, and formerly The Montfort Academy, a private, Roman Catholic high school that recently moved to

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Moun ...

. The hamlet is served by th
Katonah Volunteer Fire Department
which also hosts the annual Katonah carnival, parade, and "chili night."

Emergency medical services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to d ...

are provided by the Katonah-Bedford Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps. The Bedford

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

department provides police and traffic enforcement to the town of Bedford, including Katonah, Bedford Hills and Bedford Village.

Local media

* The ''Record-Review'', a weekly newspaper covering Katonah, Bedford, Bedford Hills, and

Pound Ridge Pound Ridge is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 5,082 at the 2020 census. The town is located toward the eastern end of the county, bordered to the north and east by the town of Lewisboro, by Stamford, C ...

. The newspaper began publishing in 1995. * The Lewisboro Ledger, which includes local news * The Bedford-Katonah Patch, a blog and news website * The Journal News (lohud), news coverage of both Westchester and Rockland County * Katonah-Lewisboro Times, local newspaper by Halston Media

Notable people

* George Randolph Barse Jr. (1861–1938), artist *

William Griffith Wilson William Griffith Wilson (November 26, 1895 – January 24, 1971), also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) with Bob Smith. AA is an international mutual aid fellowship with about two million member ...

(aka

Bill W. William Griffith Wilson (November 26, 1895 – January 24, 1971), also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) with Bob Smith. AA is an international mutual aid fellowship with about two million member ...

Bill Wilson William Griffith Wilson (November 26, 1895 – January 24, 1971), also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was an American businessman who conceived and co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), with fellow co-founder Bob Smith. AA is an internation ...

) (1895–1971), cofounder of

and writer *

Mollie Parnis Mollie Parnis (born Sarah Rosen Parnis; March 18, 1899 – July 18, 1992), later Livingston, was an American fashion designer. She belongs to the first generation of American designers to be known to the public by name rather than by affiliation t ...

(1899–1992), fashion designer * Richard L. Feigen (1930–2021), gallery owner *

George Soros George Soros (born György Schwartz; August 12, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist. , he has a net worth of US$7.2 billion, Note that this site is updated daily. having donated more than $32 billion to the Open Society Foundat ...

(born 1930), investor * Bold, hardcore punk band *

(born 1941), television personality *

Douglas Durst Douglas Durst (born December 19, 1944) is an American real estate investor and developer. He has been the president of The Durst Organization since 1992. Early life and education Durst was born in New York City in 1944 to a Jewish family, the ...

(born 1944), real estate developer *

Michel Camilo Michel Camilo (born April 4, 1954) is a Dominican pianist and composer. He specializes in jazz, Latin and classical piano work. Background and career Camilo was born into a musical family and as a young child showed aptitude for the accordion ...

(born 1954), pianist and composer *

Joan Slonczewski Joan Lyn Slonczewski (born August 14, 1956) is an American microbiologist at Kenyon College and a science fiction writer who explores biology and space travel. Her books have twice earned the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Ficti ...

(born 1956), microbiologist and science fiction writer *

(born 1960), actor *

Sam Register Sam Register (born 1969) is an American film and television producer and businessman. He is currently the president of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. Career Formerly Vice President of Cartoon N ...

(born 1969), President of Warner Brothers Animation and Cartoon Network Studios *

Andrew Yang Andrew Yang (born January 13, 1975) is an American businessman, attorney, lobbyist, political commentator, and author. He founded the political party and action committee Forward Party (United States), Forward Party in 2021, for which he serves ...

, (born 1975) entrepreneur, philanthropist, founder of Venture for America (VFA) and former candidate in the

2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention to determine the party's nominee for president in the 2020 election. The primaries and caucuses took p ...

Andy Milonakis Andrew Michael Milonakis (; born January 30, 1976) is an American comedian, actor, rapper, and internet personality. He is best known for his work on '' The Andy Milonakis Show'', a sketch comedy series that aired on MTV and MTV2 from 2005 to 2 ...

(born 1976), actor and comedian *

Noah Galvin Noah Egidi Galvin (born May 6, 1994) is an American actor and singer. He portrayed Kenny O'Neal in the ABC sitcom '' The Real O'Neals'' and was the second person to perform the title role in the Broadway musical ''Dear Evan Hansen''. He also pl ...

(born 1994), actor *

Mitchell Robinson Mitchell Robinson III (born April 1, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the 36th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. Before beginning hi ...

(born 1998), center for the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

Gallery

Image:Downtown Katonah.jpg, Downtown Katonah near The Blue Dolphin Image:Katonah train station.jpg, Katonah

Metro-North The Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company , also branded as MTA Metro-North Railroad and commonly called simply Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a public authority of ...

station Image:Muscoot_reservoir.JPG,

Image:Bridge over muscoot reservoir.JPG, Bridge over Muscoot Reservoir Image:katonah hardware.JPG, Katonah Hardware

References

External links

Katonah community websiteThe ''Record-Review'' newspaper
{{authority control Hamlets in New York (state) Census-designated places in New York (state) Populated places established in 1897 Census-designated places in Westchester County, New York Hamlets in Westchester County, New York