[yenes85]

Hi everyone,
seeking advice on where to live. Husband works for VA, possible placement in Westhaven, Conn. I am an Occupational Therapist Assistant. Weve been married 20 years, interracial couple, African American and Caucasian. Mid 40's, looking for Peaceful neighbors, accesssible shopping and opportunities to serve in the community. We are currently living in California in a city of about 200, 000.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

What is your budget?

[JayCT]

Welcome to Connecticut. I owuld first ask what type of community you would like to live in (rural, suburban, urban, how much you can spend and what you expect to get for your money. Also do you have children and want/need a town with good schools. This basic information will help us help you.

That said, West Haven itself is a mature somewhat densely developed suburb of New haven. House are mostly older and on smaller lots. Parts of it are nice and a few are not so nice. The schools are not great but the town does have a wonderful waterfront with a long walk and nice stretches of beaches on Long Island Sound.

Neighborhing Milford is a very nice suburb with decent schools and a lot of very nice neighborhoods. There is a nice downtown with some shops and restaurants. There is also the areas regional mall and just about every major stopre you would want or need along Route 1. Milford also has a station on the Metro-North rail line into New York City which is very nice if you like to visit there.

If you want a more upscale suburban community consider Orange. The schools are excellent and it is sort of wedged between Milford and West Haven. homes tend to be on decent sized lots and the schools are excellent.

For more rural feel consider Bethany or Woodbridge. Woodbridge is very expensive while Bethany is more middle class. These towns have nice homes on large lots (over an acre) but offer no shopping. People here drive to New Haven, West Haven, OPrange or Milford to shop.

All of these towns are nice and very close to West haven. Your commute would not be long and would most likely not involve getting on a highway. If you would like a different type of community, there are many other choices that would be slightly further. Jay

[Stylo]

I am not a fan of West Haven. I'd recommend Milford or Orange. Milford especially if you're coming from a more populated place and want shopping, dining, things to do, community events, etc. There's no shortage of that.

Example: Downtown Milford Connecticut | Facebook

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by Stylo

I am not a fan of West Haven. I'd recommend Milford or Orange. Milford especially if you're coming from a more populated place.

There's hardly a difference between West Haven and Milford in total population numbers. Perhaps you meant to suggest New Haven???

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

There's hardly a difference between West Haven and Milford in total population numbers. Perhaps you meant to suggest New Haven???

Actually, the difference is larger than i expected. The 2010 census says that West Haven has 4000 more residents than Milford:
2010 Census Interactive Population Search (http://2010.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=09 - broken link)

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

There's hardly a difference between West Haven and Milford in total population numbers. Perhaps you meant to suggest New Haven???

No, I meant Milford over Orange. I don't recommend West Haven at all because it's a dumpy town for the most part.

[JayCT]

I do not know that I would call West Haven dumpy. It is an older working-class town that has some nice areas and some not so nice areas. The waterfront is beautiful. A new train station is being constructed there so it may improve as it gets discovered. Jay

[mels]

I used to live in West Haven in a very nice area, however I would say a good 75% of WH is dumpy. It is known locally as Waste Haven with good reason. Taxes are also high (separate fire district taxes). I would agree with recommendations for Milford or Orange.

[Stylo]

Yup. Ocean Ave is nice if you need inexpensive water views/waterfront and don't have kids to send to public schools. The town as a whole though, eh. And yes I learned that taxes are on the high side as I was tempted to buy a place with waterviews that seemed like a bargain, but the taxes were just about double what I now pay in Milford.