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Name Confusion Has Westchester Leaders Pushing For Change

NEW CASTLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- What's in a name, anyway? Residents in one Westchester County town say the name of their hamlet isn't what most people know it by.

As CBS2's Lou young reports, that name confusion has town leaders pushing for a permanent change.

The only place where Westchester's municipalities are listed in one place is the County Center in White Plains. Some you'll recognize, like Eastchester or Mamaroneck. Others, you may not -- like New Castle.

Elmsford resident Colin Kennan says he's never heard of it.

"I'm sure it exists," Robert DiFeo tells CBS2. "I'm sure there's a lot of great things in New Castle, but I'm not aware of it."

One of those things in New Castle is a famous hamlet, known to all as Chappaqua. It's so famous, in fact, that people ignore the name of the town it sits in.

"Chappaqua has more cache than New Castle," Mahopac resident Susan Krosberg said.

Real estate experts say homeowners admit they want to live somewhere people have heard of.

"I have clients, you know, they want to live in Chappaqua and there's a section that's part of New Castle and it has a different name," real estate agent Brendan Preston said.

The town board is proposing to end confusion by naming the entire area for the hamlet everybody already claims to live in. It could happen as soon as this month. Visitors see the wisdom in the proposal.

"I think it's nice because you think this is Chappaqua but it's actually New Castle," Nutley N.J. resident Anita Montano said. "New Castle Police, everything. It's probably a good idea because it feels like Chappaqua."

One of the reasons the world knows the hamlet is the famous couple who moved there a decade ago.

"They want to name the whole town Chappaqua because it's more famous because of the Clintons and everything else," hamlet resident Pat Whelan said. "If the taxes would go down, whatever."

Name change or no, that seems highly unlikely.

CBS2 reports even if the town board gets overwhelming support for the name change, it would still need state legislature approval.

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