The Riverdale Community

Villanova Heights is located in the peaceful and wonderfully convenient enclave of Riverdale on Hudson, in New York City, Bronx County only a short drive from Downtown Manhattan and Westchester. Riverdale begins just above Manhattan's northern tip and is bordered on the west by the high ground along the majestic Hudson River, on the south by the Harlem River Ship Canal, on the east by Van Cortlandt Park, and on the north by the city of Yonkers in Westchester.

Riverdale, referred to as the "country in the city," exudes a strong sense of Westchester-like suburbia. Numerous parks dot the landscape, including Brust, Ewen, Henry Hudson, Seton, and the 97-acre Riverdale Park. The Wave Hill mansion, with breathtaking views of the Hudson, offers twenty-eight magnificent acres of exotic botanical gardens, a museum, concerts, and festivals. Wave Hill's new Perkins Visitor Center, designed by Robert A.M. Stern, was opened to the public in July 2004.

Riverdale is accessed by car via the Henry Hudson Parkway or Broadway. Midtown Manhattan is a 12 mile trip. The Metro North train (Riverdale or Spuyten Duyvil stations) is only a 23-minute ride to Grand Central. The IRT subway, #1 line, starts at 242nd Street and Broadway. MTA Express Buses also connect with Manhattan.

Prestigious Schools

Riverdale is home to three prestigious private schools:

Horace Mann, Riverdale Country School, and Ethical Culture Fieldston School. 

Public elementary, middle, and high schools in the neighborhood include P.S. 24, P.S. 81, M.S. /H.S. 141. Many Riverdale residents also attend the Bronx High School of Science and the High School for Environmental Studies.

Riverdale also boasts numerous excellent Jewish and Roman Catholic parochial schools. For yeshivas there are Gan Miriam Early Childhood Center, Riverdale Temple and The Riverdale YM-YWHA preschools, Kinneret Day School and Junior High, SAR Academy for grades 1-8, SAR High School, Yeshiva of Telshe Alumni, and the Yeshivas Ohavei Torah of Riverdale. The Catholic elementary schools in the area are St. Margaret of Cortona and St. Gabriel's Roman Catholic Church; the two Roman Catholic colleges are Manhattan College and the College of Mount Saint Vincent.

Houses of Worship

The Jewish community has grown since 1947, when the Riverdale Temple (Reform) held its first service. Now the area includes five Orthodox synagogues, the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale, and Chabad Lubavitch of Riverdale.

There are several Christian houses of worship in Riverdale. These include St. Margaret of Cortona (Roman Catholic), St. Gabriel's (Roman Catholic), St. Petros The Apostle Greek Orthodox Church, Riverdale Presbyterian Church, St. Stephen's Methodist Church, Christ Church Riverdale (Episcopalian), and Carolina Baptist Church. Other religious centers in Riverdale include the Riverdale Islamic Center, the Buddhist Temple of Enlightenment, and the Riverdale-Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture.