[gesso]

Hello,

My family and I are considering relocating from Cambridge, England to New Haven area for job at Yale.

I've been researching towns around New Haven -- Woodbridge gets almost universal thumbs up, but it is soooo expensive. Does anyone have suggestions for the next best thing? My most biggest consideration (after not blowing all of our money on a house) is good, safe schools for my kids, age 4 and 6, and not too arduous commute to Yale.

I'd appreciate any help or comments.

Best wishes,
Kathy

[glxyman21]

Look at the town of North Haven. It borders New Haven so the commute would be very short. The schools are good and crime is very low. There is also a lot of shopping in North Haven so you wouldn't have to travel out of town (unlike Woodbridge). Housing will be cheaper than Woodbridge, but then again it depends on how much house you are looking for for the money.

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by glxyman21

Look at the town of North Haven. It borders New Haven so the commute would be very short. The schools are good and crime is very low. There is also a lot of shopping in North Haven so you wouldn't have to travel out of town (unlike Woodbridge). Housing will be cheaper than Woodbridge, but then again it depends on how much house you are looking for for the money.

This is correct-North Haven was recently voted as one of the 100 best small towns in America. It is close to New Haven- a very short commute; shopping close by; good schools, low crime, and housing prices lower then Woodbridge.

[JayCT]

An alternative to expensive Woodbridge would be Orange and Bethany. Both excellent towns and share middle and high schools with Woodbridge. Both are very nice family oriented towns and should be a bit less expensive than Woodbridge. Bethany is a little more rural in character while Orange is a bit more developed and offers a lot more shopping, restaurants and entertainment (Woodbridge and Behtany do not really have much at all).

You could also consider the shoreline towns east of New Haven as well. Branford, Guilford and Madison are all excellent towns with very good to excellent schools and a lot of family oriented activities. All of these have nice parks, good shopping and restaurants and nice beaches.

Madison is the most upscale of the three, has the highest rated schools and is probably the most expensive. Guilford is a little less expensive (but very very nice) and Branford is the closest to New Haven, but has a lot of apartments and condominiums.

I agree with skytrekker that North Haven is very nice and its commute into New Haven is a bit easier than the shoreline towns east of New Haven. Another town to consider is Milford. Actually a small city to the west, Milford offers a diverse housing mix and great shopping, restaurants, parks and beaches. The schools are very good. Jay

[dlrow]

I am in a similar position as the original poster.

I visited a few weeks ago, and I think that if a too arduous commute rules a place out, you probably shouldn't even consider Madison and Guilford. Under the best of all traffic circumstances it's probably about 40 mins to Yale; but there will be road construction going on for the next dozen years, and in rush hour, it can take 1.5hr+.

A realtor who told me not to consider it just posed this question: If the school called you at work to tell you that Junior was running a fever and needed to be at home, how would you feel if you couldn't make it for 2 hrs? That was enough for me to cross Madison and Guilford off the lists.

As for Milford, its schools are not terrific.

It's a tough decision.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by dlrow

I am in a similar position as the original poster.

I visited a few weeks ago, and I think that if a too arduous commute rules a place out, you probably shouldn't even consider Madison and Guilford. Under the best of all traffic circumstances it's probably about 40 mins to Yale; but there will be road construction going on for the next dozen years, and in rush hour, it can take 1.5hr+.

A realtor who told me not to consider it just posed this question: If the school called you at work to tell you that Junior was running a fever and needed to be at home, how would you feel if you couldn't make it for 2 hrs? That was enough for me to cross Madison and Guilford off the lists.

As for Milford, its schools are not terrific.

It's a tough decision.

dlrow - You are right that the commute to/from Madison and Guilford can be difficult, but it really only is a problem during rush hours and only occurs on I-95 southbound in the morning and north bound in the evening. If you had to get to Guilford or Madison outside these times, it shouldn't take you more than 15 to 20 minutes.

Also note that the Q Bridge project is schedule to be completed in 2014 and during that time, the number of lanes of traffic will not be reduced.

Let me ask you, did you consider Orange, Bethany or North Haven? What are your thoughts on these towns? We would love to hear your thoughts on these as well. Jay

[gesso]

Thanks for these replies -- extremely helpful!

I'm going to research more on Orange, Bethany, and North Haven. Anyone have comments about the ethnic mix in these areas? Both of my children were adopted from China and I'm concerned that they have a good mix of kids around them.

Best,
Kathy

[skytrekker]

gesso

North Haven would have perhaps the most diverse school age population, followed by Orange, and lastly Bethany.

[dlrow]

Orange, near the shopping area, seems like a real possibility to us. Very convenient drive into New Haven. Lots are biggish, but not like Woodbridge.

Basically, coming from Cambridge, England, I think Gesso should certainly go on a fairly long reconnaissance mission to the area. Our trip was probably still too short to get a real sense of what it would be like to live in one of these towns.

[glxyman21]

how diverse are you looking for? Bethany, Orange, and North Haven have populations that are above 90% white if not more likely around 95%...but this can be said for many suburban communities in Connecticut