[babybluepumpkin]

We just relocated to a Boston suburb about 6 weeks ago from Los Angeles. My husband is now thinking of a new job in Chelsea in Manhattan. I could kill him! But, it is an excellent opportunity, so...

How do I decide between a family-friendly town with great schools in either NY, NJ or CT?

We have a 3-year-old and 1-year-old. We want great public schools, a family-friendly place with a walkable downtown and a newcomer's club. We'd like to keep the commute down to 45 minutes if possible.

I know taxes are a big issue here. Which areas can people suggest for a 4 BR / 2.5 BA house under $1.4M? I don't want a huge yard so that my neighbors are nowhere nearby. 1/2 acre is MORE than enough.

Please help!

[WallStreetWarrior]

Well...I think you have more options than you could shake a stick at.

Let's have a look.

You mentioned great public schools, so CT is where you want to be out of the 3, IMO. However, the 45 minute commute will be a bit tricky. It limits you to the deep south, haha. I'm talking about Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Westport, etc. Be sure that you're comfortable taking public transportation to work. I was a long time resident of CT in a few different areas, Darien being my most recent until my recent move about a month ago to my current residence in NY.

Lucky for you, 1.4mil should get you what you're looking for in these towns, especially becuase you're not looking for any good amount of land. You see, houses are expensive down here, and houses with land are outrageous. That being said, stay away from Wilton, Eason, Weston, and Redding, because that's where the land is. I personally think Darien would be a great choice. I lived there when I was 19-24, and didn't like it all that much, simply because I felt more comfortable driving my car into Manhattan, and that could take 2 hours at rush hour. It's also a strange place when you're 20 years old because it seems like everyone else is either 5 years old, or 35 years old. Great stuff here though; parks and the open sea. Very nice views from more than half the town. The reason I suggest it for you is becuase the commute should be alright with public transportation, it is small which makes it family-friendly, the schools are great (although I should say I never attended, so I can vouch too much), and the downtown is very quaint and cute, for lack of a better word, for a town with this much money.

I should note that many people find a certain amount of high-falutin'ness with Darien, but working in Manhattan, and living in a million dollar home, you'll fit in like white in rice. Nothing really to worry about. New Canaan is very very similar to Darien. The homes may be a bit pricier here, and there's really no benefit if you're trying to catch the rails to Manhattan.

Other than this, keep active in the NY and NJ boards as they may offer something comparable. Like I said, I have just recently moved to NY/North Jersey so I am not yet a big time poster on their boards.

Hope I could help, and wait for skytrekker, JayCT, and JimInCT to fill in the blanks.

Matthew

[JayCT]

Hi babybluepumpkin - It depends what you mean when you say your husband will be working on Chelsea. Chelsea is a big neighborhood that generally stretches from 39th Street on the north to 15th Street on the sout between Fifth Avenue and the Hudson River. Commuter trains from Connecticut and Westchester come into Grand Central which is located at 42nd and Park Avenue. So if your husband's job will be on 39th Street and Fifth Avenue, the walk from Grand Central wouldn't be too bad. But if his job is at 15th and Ninth Avenue, it would be a pretty long trip for him.

Generally though Chelsea's office areas are around Penn Station. If this is where his job is, then I would consider Northern New Jersey. Despite what people say or think, northern New Jersey has a LOT of beautiful towns to live in. They, like Connecticut's suburbs, are some of the most beautiful and desirable towns in the country. I would consider towns along the Morristown line of New Jersey Transit. Chatham and Madison are two very nice communities that have direct commuter train service to Penn Station. I believe the train ride is about 45 to 50 minutes. Another option would be towns along the Bergen Line. Ridgewood is a truly wonderful town in Bergen County with excellent schools and a lot of wonderful neighborhoods. The only thing is the trip into Penn Station would require a transfer at Secaucus. I am sure the New Jersey Boards can direct you on where would be best to live.

If you do want to stay in Connecticut, as WallStreetWarrior said, consider Greenwich, Darien or New Canaan. The commute from these towns would be shortest with Greenwich being the closest and thus the most expensive. All three are great towns with so much to offer. In Greenwich though it will be hard to find the home you describe for $1.4 million. You will be able to find it in Darien and New Canaan. Good luck, Jay

[pminct]

Well, Fairfield, CT, has some of the best schools around, but you won't get your 45 minute commute time - it would all depend upon Metro North/Gran Central.

But if you have 1.45 million to spend, you can find an absolutely lovely home in Fairfield, home to fabulous schools.

You could probably also find something in Darien, which would be a 10 or so minute shorter ride via train to NY, but much more expensive to start with.

I believe Fairfield is your best bet, but also know it takes a long time to get a parking permit for the train station.

Patty in Fairfield

[skytrekker]

I would agree with what everyone has said thus far. Darien and New Canaan would be your best bets. If recently from California, you might like Westport, which has some added glamor and mystique with many media and film personalities (whom live in town) seen regularly 'trying to appear incognito' in the towns center- which adds some pizazz to the local scene. The other towns are very pleasant but a wee conservative and Wall Street or corporate. Also consider Southport which is the 'liberal' answer to stodgy Darien. Fairfield is also less stuffy.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

I would agree with what everyone has said thus far. Darien and New Canaan would be your best bets. If recently from California, you might like Westport, which has some added glamor and mystique with many media and film personalities (whom live in town) seen regularly 'trying to appear incognito' in the towns center- which adds some pizazz to the local scene. The other towns are very pleasant but a wee conservative and Wall Street or corporate. Also consider Southport which is the 'liberal' answer to stodgy Darien. Fairfield is also less stuffy.

This reminded me of the time I saw Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward shopping in Barker's Discount Department Store on the Post Road in Westport. I believe he was looking at stationary there and I as a kid could not believe that they shopped in such a store, but they did. Jay