[NYfamily77]

Hello CT residents, my husband and I would love to move to lower CT but because of my job locations in downtown Manhattan, need to find the easiest possible commute to the city. We also seek strong schools for our 2 kids.

Looking at the school rankings and train times, it appears only Darien and Greenwich (Riverside section?) will meet both criteria. We're familiar with the housing prices in the area and think they're very high but we'll manage a 3 bedroom.

Are there any other options I'm missing?
Can I also ask a couple Qs about both towns:

- is it easy to get annual parking pass at the stations
- how the attitudes in these locations compare to Westchester top school districts - are they more similar to down to earth Larchmont/Pelham, or more uptight like Scarsdale?
- are communities friendly to international families? We both hold graduate US degrees & have good standings in our careers but were not born in the US/ these areas of CT tend to be very homogeneous/not international?

Thank you for any inputs!!

[BobNJ1960]

what is your maximum acceptable commuting time (one way), door to door? By downtown, are you within a ten minute walk from Grand Central to work? If not, please state how long it takes you to get from Grand Central to work.

[BobNJ1960]

parking permits are a multi year waiting list

https://suburbs101.com/parking-at-th...train-station/

[kidyankee764]

I agree that door to door max needs to be given. A lot of people look at the 49 minute express train and think it’s an easy commute - but fail to add in time to station, platform waiting, and commute from A to B within Manhattan.

That said, Greenwich and Darien are great towns. Darien more homogenous and uniformly super wealthy, and Greenwich more diverse with everything from apartments to some of the biggest mansions in the world. The schools reflect that.

[BobNJ1960]

Moving walking distance to a Metro North station will be of utmost importance.

15% of FFC works in NYC and MN parking was not built to accommodate that, as just 20-25 years ago, outside of Wall St, Ct residents worked in Ct, and I doubt 5% of FFC residents worked in NYC then..

So forget about parking at a station with a daily pass. Plan on walking, Uber, or taxis to and from the station.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by BobNJ1960

Moving walking distance to a Metro North station will be of utmost importance.

15% of FFC works in NYC and MN parking was not built to accommodate that, as just 20-25 years ago, outside of Wall St, Ct residents worked in Ct, and I doubt 5% of FFC residents worked in NYC then..

So forget about parking at a station with a daily pass. Plan on walking, Uber, or taxis to and from the station.

Do you have a source for your 15%? That seems extremely high for the county. Maybe a town like Greenwich.

That totally depends on the station. You have to contact them to see what the wait is. My friend got her East Norwalk permit in less than 6 months.

[JayCT]

The closest town to New York City is Greenwich. The shortest train ride between Greenwich and Grand Central Terminal is 45 minutes. Most are under an hour. Without knowing where you are commuting to or how long of a commute you will tolerate, it is hard to say if it is too long or not.

Parking passes at Metro North stations can be difficult to obtain. It depends on the town but there are other options for getting to stations including buses, Uber, car pools, etc.

Greenwich is very friendly to international families. There are many living there. Greenwich is a pretty large and diverse town so I do not think it would be as snobby as Scarsdale. Of course like any affluent community there will be some. I hope this helps. Jay

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by NYfamily77

Hello CT residents, my husband and I would love to move to lower CT but because of my job locations in downtown Manhattan, need to find the easiest possible commute to the city. We also seek strong schools for our 2 kids.

Looking at the school rankings and train times, it appears only Darien and Greenwich (Riverside section?) will meet both criteria. We're familiar with the housing prices in the area and think they're very high but we'll manage a 3 bedroom.

Are there any other options I'm missing?
Can I also ask a couple Qs about both towns:

- is it easy to get annual parking pass at the stations
- how the attitudes in these locations compare to Westchester top school districts - are they more similar to down to earth Larchmont/Pelham, or more uptight like Scarsdale?
- are communities friendly to international families? We both hold graduate US degrees & have good standings in our careers but were not born in the US/ these areas of CT tend to be very homogeneous/not international?

Thank you for any inputs!!

I was born and raised in Stamford* but had relatives in Greenwich and still have relatives in Darien. I also attended the Pratt Institute in Manhattan when living in Stamford but would sometimes take the train out of Greenwich and Darien when coming home late at night.

My sister-in-laws are from Greenwich and I had two jobs there. One job was on River Road in Cos Cob at a Marina so I met wealthy people there. The other job in Byram near the Port Chester border. Most of my boyfriends where from Greenwich. I know Greenwich well.

My mom's family is from the Noroton section of Darien and the Glenbrook section of Stamford. Her uncle had a horse farm on the corner of Mansfield and Middlesex Road across from the Ox Ridge Riding Club. I know Darien very well too.

I think you would be OK in both towns but given your criteria of a short commute and you want an international feel I would say Greenwich might suite you better. Greenwich is defiantly more international. Both towns have great school systems but Darien I believe has the edge on schools. But it is kind of like the difference between a Ferrari and a Lamborghini.

Having said the above about Greenwich I still think you should take a look at the Noroton section of Darien. Noroton is the "middle class" section of Darien. I still have relatives there. Over the years quite a few of my cousins would move to Noroton from Stamford to get better educations for their children. Don't discount Noroton even though the commute is a bit longer. To me personally Noroton near the water/train is more serene than the parts of Greenwich near the water/train.

Here is another thing I have observed. I believe Noroton and places like Cos Cob, Old Greenwich and Riverside in Greenwich might have the same amount of wealth but in Greenwich you might "see it more" and Noroton is more understated. But that doesn't mean the people in all the areas of Greenwich and Noroton are not equally as nice. But that is my perception.

I would spend some time in all the areas of Darien and Greenwich you can afford and see which one you like better.

Just one more observation about Noroton and the whole of Darien. If you live in Noroton you will probably have more interactions, shopping etc. with the people in Glenbrook/Springdale Stamford than the very wealthy in the northern parts of Darien. So even though you are in Darien you would probably feel like you have a more down to earth lifestyle if you lived in Noroton.

* I live in Trumbull CT now.

[BobNJ1960]

It all comes down to door-door time, and what is acceptable to OP. In most cases, due to distance both at home and NYC, its likely going to add anywhere from 30-45 minutes each way, best case scenario.

I have a short 11 minute walk to station, 5 minutes by cab, but realistically anyone sane arrives 5 minutes early to walk to platform. So on the Ct side, 2x my commute plus early arrival time consumes 15-27 minutes. MN you can bank on 5-10 minutes late each rush hour at night as an ongoing thing. Most of the bottleneck near Harlem and in Bronx Then add in your Manhattan walk, uber, subway, etc. (MN stats btw consider up to 5 minutes late "on time", per MTA)

I can't imagine your door-door at less than 2.5 hours daily unless you work in an office adjacent to Grand Central Terminal. (MN run time, plus minutes late, plus 2 commutes in CT to/from home, plus early arrival at platform, plus 2 commutes in NYC to/from office, plus lengthy GCT terminal walks. Having done it 2 plus years-its a grueling part of commute often not mentioned.)

I would advise you, if you look at Ct homes, take a day off work, and walk from it to train or get Uber, do same in Grand Central to office, and do the same at rush hour that night in reverse. Time it. That is your door-door which is what matters. Then ask "Can I do this, day in, day out, 240 times, year after year".? It's a personal decision. I would NEVER choose it again. I DREAD my commute.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by BobNJ1960

It all comes down to door-door time, and what is acceptable to OP. In most cases, due to distance both at home and NYC, its likely going to add anywhere from 30-45 minutes each way, best case scenario.

I have a short 11 minute walk to station, 5 minutes by cab, but realistically anyone sane arrives 5 minutes early to walk to platform. So on the Ct side, 2x my commute plus early arrival time consumes 15-27 minutes. MN you can bank on 5-10 minutes late each rush hour at night as an ongoing thing. Most of the bottleneck near Harlem and in Bronx Then add in your Manhattan walk, uber, subway, etc. (MN stats btw consider up to 5 minutes late "on time", per MTA)

I can't imagine your door-door at less than 2.5 hours daily unless you work in an office adjacent to Grand Central Terminal. (MN run time, plus minutes late, plus 2 commutes in CT to/from home, plus early arrival at platform, plus 2 commutes in NYC to/from office, plus lengthy GCT terminal walks. Having done it 2 plus years-its a grueling part of commute often not mentioned.)

I would advise you, if you look at Ct homes, take a day off work, and walk from it to train or get Uber, do same in Grand Central to office, and do the same at rush hour that night in reverse. Time it. That is your door-door which is what matters. Then ask "Can I do this, day in, day out, 240 times, year after year".? It's a personal decision. I would NEVER choose it again. I DREAD my commute.

I do it 3-4 times a week and will only consider jobs in walking distance of GCT. I like our office is north of the station because I use the 47/Madison exit and it’s a pretty short walk from the back of the train to the exit. I don’t dread it at all. I get work/movies/shows/reading done on train and it goes pretty fast. My biggest problem is the train reliability lately. They are longer and on time performance has been horrible lately. If that’s the new reality I may be less keen in a year.

Aren’t you using the Milford station? It only took 2 years to get my permit. Once they added Lot 5 I understand it's a lot easier now. My drive is 4-5 minutes and I usually arrive in the parking lot right on time. I only stand on the platform more than a few minutes if the train is late. But my drive never has traffic so I’ve timed it to a science. Have you applied for a permit?