Christine Pasqueralle

Located on a quiet cul-de-sac, Joan Drive is a wonderful street to raise a family. It was one of the original postwar developments of Stuart L. Bradley who also created Bradley Farms and Quaker Village.

Joan Drive is home to the Seltzer family. Emily, who works in talent acquisition, Eric, an attorney and their children Dylan, age 8 and Olivia, age 5 moved to Joan Drive from New York City in August 2016. After many years of city living, the Seltzers were looking for more space for the kids to play. They settled in Chappaqua for a myriad of reasons including its excellent schools and strong sense of community. Emily grew up in town, so coming back made sense. “I had a very positive experience so it felt easy to come back.”

It was also easy for the family to fall in love with the neighborhood. “I remember driving down Joan Drive to see the house. I was struck by how open, bright and spacious the street was – it really has a neighborhood feel,” says Emily. The fact that Joan Drive is a cul-de-sac with no real through-traffic makes it a very quiet and safe place, especially for neighborhood kids looking to ride their bikes and scooters.

The Seltzer family enjoys everything the area has to offer, always seeking out local events and activities such as the Chappaqua Farmers Market, Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival and the open house at the Chappaqua Firehouse. The family also recently discovered the Pruyn Sanctuary, a bucolic, hidden gem right across from Joan Drive.

“Families on our block trade off on hosting parties for different holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s, as well as many impromptu BBQs and pool parties,” says Emily. Joan Drive is also fun for trick-or-treating, with many of the elementary school children going together. There is a close-knit feel to the community, with childhood peers raising their own families in the area now as well. As Emily says, “I feel lucky to have such great neighbors.”

The Patel family has called Chappaqua Ridge home since 1982. The family consists of Rohit, an endodontist, Kalindi, a retired child psychologist and their children Amrita, a dentist who works with her father Rohit, Kavita, who holds a Masters in Public Health and Ved, a biomedical engineer with Topcon in New Jersey. The close-knit family originally moved to Chappaqua Ridge for its excellent school system, proximity to the city, local culture and the great outdoor spaces Chappaqua has to offer. Gedney Park, in particular is one of Amrita’s favorites, having grown up playing there with childhood friends.

Chappaqua Ridge was originally developed on land previously owned by the Haviland family, and has become an ideal neighborhood for families to raise children, enjoy close proximity to downtown and take advantage of everything Chappaqua has to offer. The neighborhood is big on holiday celebrations – neighbors put pumpkins out in front of their homes for Halloween so that trick-or-treaters know which houses to stop for candy, and many even coordinate decorations for other holidays throughout the year.

The Patels love Chappaqua Ridge because they have generations of family members in the area and everyone has continued to stay close. As Amrita says, “I’ve had friends I grew up with live here and then move away, and new families come and go, but the same warm atmosphere hasn’t changed since the community welcomed my parents here in the 80’s! I would love to stay in Chappaqua and especially in the Ridge. I want my children to grow up with that same warmth that I did.” This is truly a testament to the close, neighborly atmosphere Chappaqua Ridge offers to its residents.

As a Chappaqua native, Amrita has many favorite “hot spots” in town but one of her favorites is Lange’s, which according to her, “Makes the best egg and cheese breakfast sandwich around.” Certainly a ringing endorsement!

Recent transplants to the New Castle area, the Kline family has lived in the Hidden Hollow section of Millwood since January 2019. Kevin, a VP of Digital Marketing at Mastercard and Janice, a Manager of Campaign Operations at salesforce.com live with their children Emerson, 5 and Fiona, 2.5 as well as with their Tibetan Terrier, Madison.

The Klines both hail from other areas–Kevin from Iowa and Janice from New Jersey. While living and working in Manhattan, they knew they needed more space for their growing family. After stints in Nyack and Thornwood, the family searched all over Northern Westchester and fell in love with their Hidden Hollow home. “We love the quiet street, the access to the lake, the proximity to DeCiccos and other stores and convenience to the Taconic,” says Janice.

There is a real sense of community in Hidden Hollow. As Janice says, “The neighbors are all wonderful and friendly, there are lots of little kids, and also high school kids who babysit.” The neighbors come together during the year for fun traditions such as the end-of-summer BBQ at the lake and an annual Halloween parade. Families gather before the parade for pizza and snacks and then go trick-or-treating together.

The lake at Hidden Hollow is a real gathering spot for the community. “The lake is so pretty and in the summer, is such a fun place to hang out,” says Janice. Many families go there to meet up and swim. There is also a lifeguard on duty six days a week from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend and there are also boats, kayaks, a volleyball net and fresh sand, which is brought in every year.

In October 2018, a tornado hit the area, damaging part of the lake and causing trees to fall. Although the Klines moved in after the tornado hit, they participated along with the rest of the community in the clean-up efforts of the lake in Spring 2019. Neighbors uniting and helping one another is what truly makes Hidden Hollow a special place to live.

The Random Farms community is a wonderful place for families to call home. With its quiet streets and park-like feel, it is an ideal neighborhood. Random Farms was originally subdivided from the former Millwood Road estate of Lady Gabriel, a benefactor of Chappaqua schools, Northern Westchester Hospital and various other organizations. It has its own homeowners association and many amenities, including a pool, tennis and basketball courts and a clubhouse. One family that calls it home since 2015 is the Agarwala family.

The family of four consists of Sandip, who works in finance, Monica, who works in product management for Mastercard, Kiran, age 9 and Kayla, age 7. Monica grew up in Chappaqua while Sandip hails from Dutchess County. Monica always thought of Chappaqua as a great place to raise a family and when it was time to settle, the Agarwalas chose Chappaqua for its proximity to family, great schools and its strong sense of community.

“There are so many things we love about Random Farms,” says Monica. “We have a pool, tennis courts and a basketball court, which we use throughout the summer. The North County Trail is also within walking distance of us and we love going for walks, and bike rides there, practically year-round.”

Speaking with Monica, you get a sense of what makes the Random Farms neighborhood so close-knit. “When we moved here, we immediately met a half dozen families with kids about the same age as our children. We were able to make friends easily and our children met many of their classmates before they started school. Since the houses are close together, we often make impromptu playdates and the kids spend snow days sledding in our yards.”

Random Farms boasts activities year-round including an annual block party at the end of summer and Halloween festivities in which many homes are transformed into haunted houses. Families also gather together for pizza before trick-or-treating begins. As Monica says, “For families with young kids, there is so much to do and you can always count on bumping into your friends and neighbors.”