About the arden
The arden is an area of a village or town that includes both the land a family owns and the land that they rent from others. A typical arden is surrounded by woodlands, so that the families that live there are mostly isolated from the world. A ‘woodland’ may also be used to describe the land where a person works, such as a tree nursery or farm.
The ‘arden’ was used in Shakespeare’s time to mean the forest on which the merry wives of Windsor and Henley rambled, but it may have been a general description of a rural landscape in England, particularly the West Midlands, that in antiquity and the Early Modern Period included parts of Warwickshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire. It was also the name of a body of forestry officials in England, the Woodmen of Arden.
In 1900, the Village of Arden was founded as a Single Tax village based on the economic philosophy of Henry George, the Arts and Crafts movement of William Morris, and the Garden City movement of Ebenezer Howard. It is still noted for its arts, crafts, music and theater, with a 73% tree canopy. It is also a popular location for vacations and second homes. It is considered to be a walker’s paradise, and it is easy to get to by public transportation, including the 86 Street (4,5,6 Line) and the Hudson River Ferry. The Village is also a bicycle-friendly community.