[Parsec]

I was driving through CT yesterday and stopped off I-84 for some Dunkin (also a McDonald's off that exit) in Southbury. My wife couldn't stop commenting how beautifully everything was landscaped! Even the Stop & Shop strip mall was hidden from view w/a stone retaining wall. Is the whole town like this, or is that area a specially designated historic district or something?

[Sri]

Parsec,

The whole town of southbury is well landscaped (you should see some of the gas stations) and the farther you get from the shopping area the more beatiful it get- rolling hills (lower berkshires) big houses mixed with average ones in both farmlands and extremely wooded areas. The housatonic river and lake zoar split it from newtown and the views are amazing! The only place I did not like was Fish Rock rd, but the rest of the town is well spaced out (houses have multi acre lots).

Southbury also has top ranked schools and you get a decent sized (2300 sf) house that is 10 yrs old for less than $450,000!

Southbury is definitely a great town (lots of shopping but rural feel) the modern style mixed with old farming areas is unique. Oh yeah... the whole shopping area (town center) is like the stop&shop plaza you saw

Sincerely,
SRI

[JayCT]

A lot of towns in Connecticut are very careful about their landscapes and how things look. There are usually multiple layers of reviews of landscaping and architecture as well as strict rules on minimizing building coverages. It is pretty common. I am glad you and your wife noticed. Jay

[JayCT]

I should add that Stop & Shop makes a significant effort to provide a nice store. Thye know the stores are large and try to make them fit in or improve their surroundings. You should some of their stores in towns like Glastonbury, Meriden and Madison. The store they are constructing in the Unionville section of Farmington will be the anchor for a redevelopment of the whole village to turn it back into the charming small New England village it once was. Jay

[glxyman21]

The new Stop & Shop in Berlin came out really nice with stone walls/facade and fancy lamp posts and everything...Some of their old stores are nothing to look at style wise (Old Saybrook, Southington, Fairfield)...but the landscaping is still nice

[TimNJtoCT]

Southbury was one of the towns recommended to me in another post. How does it compare to Newtown or Bethel? Which is the most rural? Also, how do the taxes compare between the three?

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by TimNJtoCT

Southbury was one of the towns recommended to me in another post. How does it compare to Newtown or Bethel? Which is the most rural? Also, how do the taxes compare between the three?

I believe Newtown and Southbury are similar in character. They are more rural than Bethel, but none are really ccompletely rural. Jay

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by glxyman21

The new Stop & Shop in Berlin came out really nice with stone walls/facade and fancy lamp posts and everything...Some of their old stores are nothing to look at style wise (Old Saybrook, Southington, Fairfield)...but the landscaping is still nice

I jsut wanted to add a response to this. Stop & Shop designs its stores to fit into its surroundings. They will not spend a lot of money on a fancy store if it is located in a plain strip mall. Why should they, it would be completely out of character? Their newer stores, including the Tunxis Hill store in Fairfiled, is a significant improvement over what was there previously. They also spent a lot of extra money improving the entire center to make it look as nice as the store they built. I do give them a lot of credit for that. Jay

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I believe Newtown and Southbury are similar in character. They are more rural than Bethel, but none are really ccompletely rural. Jay

Newtown and Southbury look rural, but are really (mostly) suburban towns with a little space between houses.

[TimNJtoCT]

I sounds like Newtown, Bethel, and southbury will be the initial focus of my house hunt. It will depend on how "rural" each is.