[untuchableface]

Hi there..
My fiance and I currently live in Chicago and are looking to move in the next year or two. Our families are on the east coast so we want to be closer and, to be honest, we are tired of the high levels of traffic, even during off-rush hour peaks, the commuting, the high standards of living, etc...

I am ready to have a driveway! And to not have to take public transportation everywhere... but to actually drive to and from work.

We want to move to a place that has the city feel, but in a much smaller sense. We're in our 20's so having a night life is essential, however we are looking to have a family in a few years so we don't want the area to be overrun by college students.

I am ideally looking for a place with culture (the ballet is my favorite), great restaurants/bars, and plenty of shopping.

We would like to buy when we move... can we get a relatively new 3-4 bedroom home for around 250k in New Haven?

Also, is New Haven even the right place for us to be looking? With our families in PA, we will have a much shorter commute from the 14 hr one we have now... and I would really love to live by the ocean.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

[JayCT]

Most of Connecticut offers a much quieter comfortable and more affordable life than you will find in a big city like Chicago. New Haven is a great small city with a lot to offer like restaurants, theater, clubs etc. but if you were looking for family friendly you might need to consider one of its suburbs instead (North Haven, Branford, Guilford, Madison, Milford, Wallingford). Schools in the city are not known to be good. It is unlikely that you will find a newer single family home for $250k anywhere in CT. You could find an small older home for that price though and possibly a condo. Good luck and let us know if you have any questions. Jay

[mels]

Milford sounds like an ideal fit for you, has a lively downtown with restaurants and bars and the scene is geared towards the 20s and 30s crowd, also has good schools and is family friendly if your family evolves to that point. However, you need 300K to look at a 3BR home on a small lot (which will probably get you a 3BR cape cod style house on a 0.25 acre lot). Unfortunately $250 doesn't go very far in these parts.

[untuchableface]

Could you give me a little more info on Milford? Is it a safe area?

How cold is the ocean during the summer months?

[mels]

Milford is safe. I grew up there (and still have family there), there are no bad (as in unsafe) areas. I don't know exact water temperatures, but it is swimmable and not freezing all summer long. Remember the ocean there is from the Atlantic but is blocked from the open waters by Long Island, forming Long Island Sound. You will not have big crashing ocean waves except in rare storms. It looks like a big lake most of the time since you can see Long Island on clear days just 20 miles across.

The downtown area has many restaurants and bars, and Rt. 1 has a big mall and all of the usual big box stores you could ever want. Metro North Railroad runs from Milford into NYC (90 minute ride). If you search this forum there has been much Milford talk on it. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask!

[JViello]

Would a short commute to the ocean 30-40 minutes tops with a lovely drive on the way work for you? That would open up a lot of doable opportunities for what you are looking for.

[untuchableface]

I would be interested in hearing about some neighborhoods that may be a short distance from the ocean.

We are young and are most likely not able to afford a house that is practically on top of the water just yet.. so we would definitely like to find a place that is right for us for the time being.

I have noticed it to be hard to find a place with a younger vibe, yet not frat party-related and somewhere that still has culture. I hope that I do not have to resort to staying in Chicago to be able to have the best of both worlds. CT seems like it has so much to offer - I am bound to find the right place there!

[untuchableface]

Also, what is a cape cod style home? I have not heard that term here in the midwest for obvious reasons

[mels]

Sorry, I didn't even take that into consideration! Here are some links:

Cape Cod (house - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Cape Cod House Style - House Style Picture Dictionary

Generally there is a living room, kitchen, dining room and 1 bedroom downstairs, with 2 additional bedrooms upstairs. Cape Cods vary as many have different additions and configurations, and I have seen some with 4 bedrooms.

[untuchableface]

Oh, thank you! Are these disliked by people or are they cheaper or something? I have not seen too many like these.

Also, what is employment like in Milford? I am in the marketing field and the soon to be hubby is in IT. Would we have to travel out for work?

Lots of traffic?