Considering to move to Litchfield or New Milford area (Stamford: real estate, house)
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Considering to move to Litchfield or New Milford area
We live in upper Westchester and are looking at some homes in the Litchfield New Milford areas. We are mainly moving due to the needed space from a growing family and the astronomical taxes here. The taxes in CT (in this area) are currently averaging 35% - 40% less than where were located, as this opens up the opportunity to buy a much larger house based on the square footage we need. I own my own business and work from home, although I may at some point will need access to Stamford or possibly NYC. I don't care about commuting as I have done this in the past from far locations.
I have lived in Wilton and East Norwalk during my earlier years, although these are more expensive areas.
Any advice from a long time Connecticut resident would be desirable.
When you say Litchfield are you talking about the Town of Litchfield or a town in Litchfield County? New Milford would allow you access to more amenities and to Stamford and New York. It has more shopping and would not be far from Danbury which has just about everything you would need. That said New Milford is a big town area wise so it is possible to live in apretty remote area where you would still have to travel to get places. It is all a matter of what you want and like. Also don't forget to factor in Connecticut's taxes on vehicles. While not a lot it is something most forget when comparing taxes. Jay
I grew up in Northfield, a small "village" of Litchfield, and went to Litchfield kindergarden through 12.
It is a really beautiful area, Litchfield is known for a great school system, very safe area, lots to do outdoors, and it's pretty close to restaurants, shopping, movie theaters, etc.
Litchfield is a gorgeous area. I am not a huge fan of New Milford personally. A few people I know have lived there and were so-so on the schools. I really like the towns of Kent, Roxbury, Washington, Bridgewater, Woodbury, Southbury, Litchfield. What kind of budget and house are you looking for?
Do you want a more rural/isolated existence? Given your needs, there are also towns east of Stamford vs. north that would be appropriate and about the same or even less expensive than some of the Litchfield towns. And may give better access to Stamford/NYC. Some are more expensive, but it depends on your budget/needs/wants. Monroe, Shelton, Seymour, Oxford, Stratford, Milford, Orange, Woodbridge, Bethany are all worth considering and in a similar price range.
Ok folks...thanks for quick replies. Just returned from an all day trip starting from the north - route 7 in New Milford area and traveling south east through Roxbury (route 67) down to Southbury, Woodbury, then to Southford for dinner. There is definatle lots to consider.
New Milford: nice Big Box shopping on route 7. Nice small village after the bridge, although felt like the boonies a bit. The homes and town seemed really nice and manacured, yet a bit too colonial for my taste.
Roxbury: super nice mountainous area, although I felt civilization was a few light years away! Not sure if I missed the village or shopping area while traveling on rte 67. Does one exist in Roxbury? Great scenic views!
Woodbury: Definately more civilized and refined and great shops - old and new. I really like the feel and pace of this area. Plus it's very close to 84.
Southbury: Same as above. Taxes seem to be a wee bit higher here vs. Woodbury. Schools according to a few notible websites are very good.
Southford: this isn't as far from the other side of 84 and the vibe feels nice and clean, and not so isloated.
I missed Oxford during my travels today, although noticed "William Raveis" signs everywhere for me to follow up on some nice homes.
I plan to see Monroe, Shelton, Seymour and other areas north of 95 (@ rte 8) areas this week...Redding seems high priced according to a few real estate websites, yet nice. I think to be closer to the major highways into NYC is optimal, yet not totaly necessary.
JayCT - Litchfield county.
Meg31816: I was in Litchfield a couple of years back. Does Northfield look similiar in geography and/or demographics? What are the taxes like? I'm looking to pay @7-8k max.
New Milford: nice Big Box shopping on route 7. Nice small village after the bridge, although felt like the boonies a bit. The homes and town seemed really nice and manacured, yet a bit too colonial for my taste.
All the towns you mentioned are very old and the vast majority of nice homes are colonial or at least colonial-inspired. That's just New England for you.. New Milford has the most diverse housing stock of the bunch, as well as by far the most shopping. None of the other towns have big box shopping. If New Milford felt like the boonies, the whole area may not be for you - it is one of the more developed in the county!
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Roxbury: super nice mountainous area, although I felt civilization was a few light years away! Not sure if I missed the village or shopping area while traveling on rte 67. Does one exist in Roxbury? Great scenic views!
There's very (and I do mean VERY) little commercial development in Roxbury - you didn't miss it! There's a couple stores total, for necessities and a couple eateries. People move there to get away from the typical trappings of suburban life. It is very very rural and very expensive. Doesn't sound like a great fit for what you're looking for, but it is indeed very beautiful. Taxes are low, but so are services.
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Woodbury: Definately more civilized and refined and great shops - old and new. I really like the feel and pace of this area. Plus it's very close to 84.
Woodbury is a beautiful town and has not fallen prey to suburban bloat and sprawl in any way, shape, or form due to one of the most antagonistic zoning boards in the state. It is convenient to I-84 as you say, however depending on the exact part of the town you live in, it can still be aways to get on the highway.
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Southbury: Same as above. Taxes seem to be a wee bit higher here vs. Woodbury. Schools according to a few notible websites are very good.
The high school (Pomperaug H.S.) especially is very, very good. The lower schools are all significantly above average, though the elementary schools are not outstanding.
Southbury is a fine location for commuting to Danbury and Waterbury and some points over the border in NY, however it's not great for commuting to lower Fairfield County or NYC. From your original post, it sounds like you don't need to commute everyday. In that case, it might be fine. I-84 to Rt.7 is a very long, very slow commute - at least, the part on 7 is slow. Most posters on the site have not recommended living as far north as Southbury because of this. Most consider Oxford to be the limit of a reasonable commute to FFC. You say you're used to commuting from 'very far' so perhaps you're already mentally equipped for this!
As far as shopping goes, your usual/basic needs are taken care of in Southbury including a significant amount of upscale shopping. Again, it is not a big-box area though.
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Southford: this isn't as far from the other side of 84 and the vibe feels nice and clean, and not so isloated.
Southford is really not a distinct town, it is just the part of Southbury near Oxford - it doesn't even have its own zip code. It really just includes the southern part of CT-67 and some of CT-188 (both heading toward Oxford). It has some of the more modest homes in the town (along 67) as well as some 18th century homes and farms and a nice state park (Southford Falls).
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I missed Oxford during my travels today, although noticed "William Raveis" signs everywhere for me to follow up on some nice homes.
I plan to see Monroe, Shelton, Seymour and other areas north of 95 (@ rte 8) areas this week...Redding seems high priced according to a few real estate websites, yet nice. I think to be closer to the major highways into NYC is optimal, yet not totaly necessary.
I think you'll find these last towns you mentioned more appropriate for what you need - reasonable for commuting to lower FFC and reasonable taxes. Shelton and Monroe are common choices for someone in your situation. Redding is extremely expensive and probably more like a woodsy westchester town that you might be used to (except for lower taxes). Newtown is another possibility but it's not much closer to lower FFC/NYC than Southbury would be, and more expensive.
Litchfield itself and points north of where you visited (Washington, Kent, etc..) would really start to make a commute unreasonable, unless it was something like once a week.. If the commute REALLY doesn't matter as it would be rare, you might want to take a look up there which has some of the most beautiful real estate in Connecticut. The downside is you get even further away from civilization and shopping.
Like I said, it sounds like Monroe/Shelton might be up your alley. If you have a lot of money to spend, Ridgefield/Redding may be a good choice. I assume you have looked at sites like realtor.com and might have gone away from that area due to cost though.
I know Litchfield County well, as do many of us, so if you have any other questions, feel free..
Last edited by basehead617; 01-16-2012 at 10:06 PM..
If you felt New Milford and Roxbury were too isolated/boonies, don't bother going north/northeast of there. It only gets more isolated.
I agree on Woodbury. Fantastic little town. You should consider Brookfield, Newtown and Oxford in that area as well.
Redding IS expensive, and unless you do a lower FFC commute every day - not worth it.
Definitely check out Monroe, Shelton, Seymour, Milford and Orange. They may be more your speed as you sound like you want less boonies and more conveniences and things to do, restaurants, etc.
I missed Oxford during my travels today, although noticed "William Raveis" signs everywhere for me to follow up on some nice homes.
The little shopping area in Southford is feet away from the Oxford border. It's considered Oxford's little downtown, even though it's technically in Southbury.
I know Litchfield County well, as do many of us, so if you have any other questions, feel free..
Litchfield is really nice, I like it a lot, although I think the Vibe further south (Woodbury, Oxford) is slightly faster paced. I know Danbury is another world due to the population mainly and vast township, perhaps city like attitude, yet very expensive. I'm visiting Shelton and Monroe over the weekend with the hopes I can find a comparable balance between the two neighborhoods - Woodbury vs. Shelton or Monroe.
I lived in the Danbury area most of my life. Danbury is not that expensive, nor is it very city-like despite its population. I'd say it's generally in line with towns like Monroe and Milford price wise. Layout wise, it's fairly suburban with a denser core, but lacks a city feel IMO and has kind of a languishing downtown. I never found it to have an "active" feeling like coastal towns such as Norwalk, Fairfield, Milford, etc.
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