Rent in Greenwich or Stamford? (Danbury: apartments, rental, lofts)
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Really appreciated everyone's feedback on my earlier post re Danbury v. Stamford. We decided to look a little closer to where we'll be working and are debating between renting a brand new apt in Harbor Point (for all the convience I described earlier) vs renting a similarly priced place in Greenwich to take advantage of slightly shorter commutes and everything the town has to offer.
My questions are
1) is the SouthEnd still an unsafe place? should we just stay away or has it improved? We're not really night owls, but occasionally will be walking back from a late night train. Does anyone live in the Lofts or 101 Park Place that can provide some insight?
2) can we find apartments in Greenwich w/ modern amenities (must haves are W/D, dishwasher and central air) and is there a community for 20somethings (mostly i'm thinking running/triathlon clubs rather than bars)
Our budget is between $1700 - $2000 if that helps.
I am not sure if the South End is completely safe to be walking from the train station to Harbor Point late at night. Note though that there are cabs available and the cost would be minimal since it is not a great distance. That said I think that Stamford is more suitable for young singles than Greenwich. Greenwich is more of a family oriented town and I am not sure if you will find what you are looking for in your price range. Can't hurt to look though. Jay
Agree with Jay. One of my female co-workers was pretty badly beaten up at the Stamford train station last year by strangers; you won't want to walk home from the train station late at night. Even though the area around the station is bad most of the downtown areas of Stamford (from UConn up) are pretty safe. Nightlife is big in Stamford and you'll meet 20-somethings that are everything from bar flies to professionals.
The "20-something community" in Greenwich is small. Most of the 20-somethings here are professional and already have kids. However, if you're interested in running, there is a HUGE running community in Greenwich and you would easily be able to find friends interested in health/exercise. You could contact the Greenwich Running Co. at the top of Greenwich Ave. for more info about events/groups. Your budget will easily get you an apartment with modern amenities in Greenwich. This is the most recently renovated complex in Greenwich: http://www.greenwichplace-apartments.com/ and you can get a completely brand new place for $1800-2000/mo. I used to live there and it was nice but left when they did the renovations and upped the rental costs.
Am I right in thinking that Greenwich might be a bit more 'outdoorsy' than Stamford? That is it's walkable and there are things worth walking to? So far my experience with the town is limited to Greenwich Ave, where we bought our road bikes, and driving around by the sound.
After visiting Stamford many times, both day visits and to check out the nightlife everyone talks about, we really are only considering the three new apartments in Harbor Point. Stamford does not appeal to us beyond its proxmity to work & the trains but it seems to be the only place in fairfield county with new construction apartments like our last place in Dallas.
Harbor Point is kind of isolated from downtown by 95. Downtown is plenty walkable. If you got an apartment north of 95, you might feel differently. Check Realtor.com, there are plenty of recently renovated and newer apartments above 95.
Greenwich Ave. is no more walkable than Bedford Street and the surrounding area in Stamford. Greenwich is less urban, if you're looking for that.
Really appreciated everyone's feedback on my earlier post re Danbury v. Stamford. We decided to look a little closer to where we'll be working and are debating between renting a brand new apt in Harbor Point (for all the convience I described earlier) vs renting a similarly priced place in Greenwich to take advantage of slightly shorter commutes and everything the town has to offer.
My questions are
1) is the SouthEnd still an unsafe place? should we just stay away or has it improved? We're not really night owls, but occasionally will be walking back from a late night train. Does anyone live in the Lofts or 101 Park Place that can provide some insight?
2) can we find apartments in Greenwich w/ modern amenities (must haves are W/D, dishwasher and central air) and is there a community for 20somethings (mostly i'm thinking running/triathlon clubs rather than bars)
Our budget is between $1700 - $2000 if that helps.
I pay a few hundred dollars below the OP's budget for rent and have a W/D, dishwasher, and central air in an apartment renovated within the last 5 years in Greenwich. Inexpensive places do exist even in the richest towns-you just have to talk to a ton of people before finding a deal.
As for the OP's question about Greenwich being "outdoorsy", yes, it is incredibly outdoorsy. Greenwich Point is even shut down to cars beyond the main parking lot on Sunday to accommodate runners/bikers/power walkers. The Montgomery Pinetum is the best free place to go in town to immerse yourself in nature while running. You will be hard pressed to drive around most residential areas of Greenwich and not see runners, even in the winter. Stamford doesn't have this vibe until you get to the northern part of town. All of that being said, Greenwich is NOT a walkable town. You will generally not be able to walk down the street for groceries or to entertainment unless you're in the heart of downtown Greenwich or Old Greenwich.
I pay a few hundred dollars below the OP's budget for rent and have a W/D, dishwasher, and central air in an apartment renovated within the last 5 years in Greenwich. Inexpensive places do exist even in the richest towns-you just have to talk to a ton of people before finding a deal.
As for the OP's question about Greenwich being "outdoorsy", yes, it is incredibly outdoorsy. Greenwich Point is even shut down to cars beyond the main parking lot on Sunday to accommodate runners/bikers/power walkers. The Montgomery Pinetum is the best free place to go in town to immerse yourself in nature while running. You will be hard pressed to drive around most residential areas of Greenwich and not see runners, even in the winter. Stamford doesn't have this vibe until you get to the northern part of town. All of that being said, Greenwich is NOT a walkable town. You will generally not be able to walk down the street for groceries or to entertainment unless you're in the heart of downtown Greenwich or Old Greenwich.
WoW
What searching skills am I lacking in?
I hunted months and nothing under 1500. I did find them, but they were too whacked. Maybe the winter made them look whacked. I don't know.
I hunted months and nothing under 1500. I did find them, but they were too whacked. Maybe the winter made them look whacked. I don't know.
I worked with a realtor for 2 months before settling on a place. A tenant had to break her lease and I was able to snatch it up. A friend from college lives in Greenwich and also offered me a $1200 apartment (half of a multi-family) if I wanted to put in the work to fix the shower plumbing and help with landscaping. (The yard had no grass, all weeds.) I didn't want to do the work, so I passed. I don't know if you can really find deals without knowing people personally and asking around.
Sometimes if the deal is good enough, it's worth renting a "whack" apartment and hiring some professionals to fix it up. I would have taken my friend's apartment but didn't have savings at the time to make repairs.
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