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We are pondering a move to Bethel, Newtown or Brookfield due to a job offer in Danbury. As I've mentioned in another post, I like being near "stuff" - in our area north of Atlanta we have an outdoor mall 3 miles away, two Targets within 5 miles and several nice grocery stores, among other amenities. It seems just by looking at the area online that there aren't a ton of amenties in those towns I mentioned. I do see that there are more things closer to the coast - towns that we probably cannot afford to live in like Fairfield, Westport, etc. It doesn't look like it's too far from Bethel/Newtown down to those areas but I'm sure the traffic can be bad. How long would it take to get from Bethel, say, to Fairfield during the evening or on the weekend?
Have you considered Ridgefield? It's right next to Danbury, they have a nice Main Street with restaurants and shops, and in Danbury itself there's a ton of shopping - mall, grocery stores (including Trader Joe's), tons of restaurants, stores. Also, there's a large lake in Ridgefield (I forget the name, sorry) where they even have a few outdoor taverns that serve food and really nice. You wouldn't be too far from the CT shoreline, but I don't know a whole lot about the public beaches down there or what the traffic is like.
What exactly is your budget? Because depending on what that is, you might be able to find a house in Fairfield - that is if it's within your price range and it's what you're looking for. If you moved here you'd be MUCH closer to LI sound.
Most of the traffic in Fairfield County is south of the Merritt Parkway. North of that, it's not nearly as bad as Atlanta. From Bethel to Fairfield should take about 30 minutes - however since 58 is a winding two lane road, you tend to get stuck behind slow trucks.
Fairfield county isn't really as congested as people may think, overall. However, the real traffic problem is along the coast, along I-95 and the Merritt Parkway (CT-15). Most of the traffic flows east-west. I never had a traffic issue anywhere north of the Parkway.
Thanks Mike and kidyankee. I would love to live in Ridgefield, from what I've seen of it online, but don't know if we can afford it. Budget is up to about $575K, hoping for 4 Bd/2ba and my husband is handy but doesn't want to move into a home that needs a lot of work.
We are pondering a move to Bethel, Newtown or Brookfield due to a job offer in Danbury. It seems just by looking at the area online that there aren't a ton of amenties in those towns I mentioned. [quote]
No,there are tons of amenities in those towns! Are you working with a realtor yet? They will have the lowdown for you. Brookfield has Home Depot, Costco, Target, Kohls, Michaels, Stew Leonards, plus restaurants, fast food and lots of local stores to shop.
Newtown and Bethel have restaurants, grocery stores and smaller local stores.
Danbury, which has everything, is 15 minutes up the road.
All of those towns you listed are beautiful and great for raising a family. And shopping is very convenient to those towns. You won't have any need to go to the coast...at least not for shopping anyway!
Atlanta is a major city and has what is considered by most to be the worst traffic congestion and sprawl in the country.
Danbury is a small city but it has all of the basic shopping and entertainment most people would need. What is great about it is that it is very livable which means that living there is not a hassle like it is living in a city like Atlanta. You can get most places easily. You will not find hour plus long waits for a table at a good restaurant. There are many nice quiet neighborhoods to live in. It is not a long drive to the country. The mall is very accessable and has most of the major stores you would need and or expect.
The best part though is that you are near one of the world's greatest cities, New York. If you want more excitment, hop on a train and you can be in the heart of Manhattan in 90 minutes or so. And when you are done with the city you are able to jump on a train and leave all that far behind. Jay
I agree with renovating. We made the move to Brookfield from south Florida a year ago. While the area doesn't have the proliferation of chain stores and malls that Florida did, we are more than happy with our choices for shopping and entertainment. Danbury has a nice mall, there's a Target nearby (in Bethel) and Stew Leonard's is great. I'm originally from the NYC area and was worried that Brookfield would be too "rural" for me, but so far, I've been very happy with my choice. The only thing I think the town really lacks is a little walkable center (but that is supposedly in the works).
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