[Kax]

We are considering relocating from Northern NJ to Madison, CT....we have three children ages 9, 7 and 5. I'd appreciate any insight on the town, especially if you live there, what do we need to know????? Opinions on raising a family in the town. We currently live in a NYC suburb similar to New Caanan, CT and are looking for a family oriented community with great schools that is a little more down to earth. Does Madison fit the bill? Will our kids have the opportunities to make new friends? Believe it or not, where we are now, kids enter kindergarten with set "groups" of friends based on their parents social connections, club memberships, etc. What are the schools in Madison like? I'd appreicate any information. Thanks in advance!!!!

[Airam]

Madison is lovely, great schools! But for the 'down to earth people' (and great schools also) I'd look due west to the next town over of Guilford.

I had to edit this because I don't want to sound negative about the people of Madison. I'm sure they are wonderful. I admit to a Guilford bias!

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by Kax

We are considering relocating from Northern NJ to Madison, CT....we have three children ages 9, 7 and 5. I'd appreciate any insight on the town, especially if you live there, what do we need to know????? Opinions on raising a family in the town. We currently live in a NYC suburb similar to New Caanan, CT and are looking for a family oriented community with great schools that is a little more down to earth. Does Madison fit the bill? Will our kids have the opportunities to make new friends? Believe it or not, where we are now, kids enter kindergarten with set "groups" of friends based on their parents social connections, club memberships, etc. What are the schools in Madison like? I'd appreicate any information. Thanks in advance!!!!

I have to admit I never have heard of children of Kindergarten age with social peers based on income, and the 'proper connections' as you have said. But I guess in today's society kids start early in the social stratification game, at least in some demographic circles.

Madison as some elements of what you may be trying to avoid- I suggest Clinton, Guilford or Branford. Do not get me wrong, Madison is a fine town- but the overall atmosphere may be other then what you seem to be seeking. The towns I mentioned are laid back, with kids not so on the fast track of anticipatory socialization in an effort to emulate their parents. Also there is less of an effort to keep up with the Joneses and hob nob with the country club set, or yachting club.

Clinton, Guilford and Branford are very pretty towns, with good schools- good luck.

[celcius]

skytrekker is, as usual, right on the money.

It's interesting that you compare your current town to New Canaan because in many ways, I would compare New Canaan to Madison. The people, the schools (excellent), the community, are all very similar. Madison is close, but not quite as wealthy (but still acts like it), further from NYC and has more of a "summer beach town"-type feel. It is a wonderful town in its own right but I would not describe it as laid back. Many people there are self-aware of their status and show it often.

Look at its neighbors, as skytrekker mentioned. Guilford, Branford, Clinton and Westbrook are probably more what you are looking for. All have good schools systems, the best in Guilford. All are generally less expensive than Madison as well.

[JayCT]

I don't know that I agree that Madison is similar to New Canaan. They really are not in the same league. New Canaan is a very upscale suburb in one of the wealthiest parts of the country and has been for many many years. Madison is a somewhat distant upscale suburb of a small city. I will admit that there are a lot of well off people living there, but there are a lot of very nice down-to-earth people living in Madison as well. Coming from a community like New Canaan, Madison will seem down right humble.

I will agree that Guilford and Branford are also very nice towns. Kax should visit these towns and judge for themselves. JMHO Jay

[kristin1]

Like you, we are moving from North Jersey to the area around Madison. Madison was the front-runner for us for a long time, due to the great schools and what appeared to be a great sense of community. Just check out their web site, madisonct.com, and you will finds tons of activities for families, even a Newcomer's club.

There were several reasons why we decided Madison was not the place for us. The town where you live now sounds very much like the town we live in right now - Ridgewood. It's a lovely, family oriented community, with great schools and resources. However, it has an element that I find extremely distasteful - the whole "keeping up with the Jones" attitude. By no means is it the entire town, but a vocal minority, a very VOCAL minority. It tends to be people with the new money, investment bankers and such, but the talk at the neighborhood park in the spring is all about how well one bonused, and what one is going to do with that extra $100,000. I found in very hard to live in such a community.

That being said, there are probably people like that in every town, I happened to be overwhelmed by it in Ridgewood. I am under no grand illusions that I will not encounter it wherever we wind up.

From all the research I've done, and I've done tons, Madison is a smaller Ridgewood. I had the opportunity to talk to a woman who taught in Madison for 4 years, and she affirmed my fear that there is a similar element there to Ridgewood. She told me that the wealthy parents bullied the school board and administrators, making it very difficult to teach there.

One good thing I discovered about the schools is that they are centralized. All the kindergartners go to one school, and grades 1-2 go to another, 3-4 to another, and so forth. The kids are not segregated by neighborhoods, which I think is great.

Another advantage is the beach! It seems like there are alot of organized activities for kids and check out the info on the Barn in Madison, some kind of sports/activities facility for kids.

Anyway, we have expanded our search to Durham, East Haddam, Higganum, Essex, Chester, and Deep River. If we find the perfect house, we may still wind up in Madison, but that would probably far down on our list. We are soooo excited to get out of Bergen county (and the traffic) and are looking for something more rural.

Hope that helps! Feel free to PM me!

[Kax]

Thanks for all the great info -- I have to agree with JayCT that I can't imagine Madison being anywhere on the level of where we are now without Wall Street $$$ involved. I'm sure after living in Bergen County, NJ it will seem very down to earth. I do have a question about the Madison schools, from the research I have done I believed that there were three elementary schools for grades K-4, an lower middle school for grades 5-6, an upper middle school for grades 7-8 and then high school. Is that correct? The above post makes it sound like all the children in grades 1-2 go to one central school, 3-4 one school, etc. Does anyone reading these posts have kids in the Madison public schools? Any opinions? We are planning to head out there this weekend to check it out. Thanks again for all the help.

[JayCT]

Madison has one school for kindergarten (Jeffery); three schools for 1st to 4th (Jeffery, Ryerson and Island Ave.); one for 5th and 6th (Brown); one for 7th and 8th (Polson) and high school for 9th thru 12th (Hand). Several years ago my cousin lived in Madison and loved it. She thought the schools were excellent and she is a bit fussy. For one year she sent her kids to private schools and then to the parochial school, but once she moved them to the Madison Public Schools, she was very happy. Jay

[Kax]

Thanks JayCT! One other quick question if you know the answer, are all the students bused to school? Or does that depend on how far you live from the school? Believe it or not where I am currently there is no bussing, everyone drives or walks their own children to school.

[JayCT]

The state mandates busing of students who live over a certain distance from the school. I believe it is 1 mile or more for lower school age children. A lot of towns will bus kids even if they live right near a school. In glastonbury, the ypick up a child that lives three houses from the school every morning. I never understood that one. Anyway, contact the board of Education for information on the town you are moving to. Jay