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By Drew Limsky
The secret of Pound Ridge’s appeal lies partly in what it lacks: The town has no commuter train station despite the fact that Manhattan is just 45 miles away (a little more than an hour’s drive). As a result, this Westchester County haven has long been a favorite of those who crave privacy, including a number of celebrities.
In truth, Pound Ridge is something of a star magnet, drawing the likes of Richard Gere (who bought a home in 1986), Ryan Murphy (who bought Gere’s home in 2022 for $24 million), Vera Wang (a longtime resident whose brother Kenneth Wang built the Pound Ridge Golf Club), and Jean-Georges Vongerichten (who snapped up a building dating from 1833 for his restaurant the Inn at Pound Ridge).
But the town existed for centuries before the A list showed up. It was founded in 1788, and the original hamlet of Pound Ridge—the Pound Ridge Historic District, including 46 buildings dating from the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries—was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
The town is also beloved for the picturesque country roads and wooded areas that surround it. The Pound Ridge Land Conservancy maintains 20 preserves, three conservation easements, and more than 12 miles of hiking trails—550 acres of undeveloped land in all.
Interior designer Jenny Wolf, whose home decor boutique The Huntress New York is housed in a landmark building in Pound Ridge, praises the tight- knit community, “rich with actors, artists, writers, and celebrities.” You’ll find many of them lining up
on weekends for croissants at BreadsNBakes on Westchester Avenue, she says. “It’s the best bakery I’ve ever been to. It’s kind of a best-kept secret that’s not so secret anymore—it’s a huge draw.”
Wolf ’s boutique caters to an upscale clientele that favors a homey farmhouse aesthetic with a contemporary twist. “They want reclaimed-wood dining tables and more historical paint colors,” she says. That is perhaps no surprise in an enclave distinguished by its rural charm.
Pound Ridge has a “magical jewel-box vibe,” says business consultant and event producer Cristina Civetta, who bought a home here with her husband, hospitality executive Ed Sheetz, in 2013. The couple decided to relocate from Manhattan full-time during the pandemic. Since 2020, Civetta says she has seen an influx of younger, more social creatives.
“In the last five years, Pound Ridge has gotten such a pulse,” says Civetta, who serves on the board of the Wolf Conservation Center in nearby South Salem. “It’s great to be in a place where you have such wonderful people who are supporting arts and conservation.”
Editor’s Note: Those looking to commute to Manhattan can catch Metro-North trains in Bedford Hills and Katonah, both about 10 miles away.
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