Mount Vernon’s slogan used to be “The City of Happy Homes.” Fleetwood could be nicknamed “The Enclave of Happy Commuters.” This busy, diverse, North Mount Vernon neighborhood has thousands of co-ops in pre- and post-war buildings as well as large, handsome homes with vintage pedigrees. The business district on north Gramatan Avenue offers everything from sushi to bagels to bridal gowns. Maggie Spillane’s Ale House, a sister to the popular Spillane’s bars in Mamaroneck and Eastchester, opened in 2011.
But easy commuting is downtown Fleetwood’s main draw. It’s right off Exit 8 on the Cross County and a mile from the Hutch. The Metro-North station is blocks away—steps, if you live in a co-op by the tracks.
Darryl Selsey, broker/owner of Four Seasons Real Estate Center, says that Fleetwood attracts singles who work in the City; seniors, who can walk to everything, including their doctors; young couples looking for their first homes; and down-sizing older couples. “People will empty-nest from Bronxville and Pelham, where the taxes are higher.”
Susan Granata, a divorced mother of two school-age kids, owns a 5,000-square-foot, 1910 Dutch Colonial with stained-glass windows and a chauffeur’s quarters above the garage. She considers Fleetwood a great place to live “because you get away from the hustle and bustle of the City without being so far away that you lose that urban edge.”