[Movingsoonfromnyc]

CT friends - Professional, working near Grand Central, currently living in NY, married with a 4 year old son. We have narrowed our neighborhood search to the following towns: Greenwich, Darien and Westport (which is the furthest I would consider to commute from). We plan to avail ourselves of the public school system for our son. Can you provide positives/negatives about these towns and your experiences living there? All information and advice would be GREATLY appreciated. We don't know anyone in lower Fairfield we can turn to for advice. We have done some extensive research online on each area, but would love to hear some personal experiences in an effort to further hone in on one area. Thanks in advance!

[Stylo]

I like Greenwich a lot. It has a good mix of neighborhoods (both "normal" and grand estates), a great downtown, quick train to NYC, etc. Also, and this may be a wrong impression, but it seems like there is less "new money" in Greenwich - or at least that new money attitude - vs. Darien and Westport.

Darien I was never a fan of. I don't care for the congested, unimpressive (IMO) downtown and it's got a reputation for being awfully snobby.

Westport has a beautiful downtown and beaches, but it is a fairly decent extra commute vs. Greenwich. Real estate prices are a tad lower too. That said, you can't go wrong with Westport and the schools have the best test scores. However, I do know a few people that went to the high school and felt it was too pressure cooker and cliquey. YMMV.

Depending on budget, I'd probably go Greenwich personally.

[Kristin85]

I live in Greenwich. It's a nice town but it is extremely expensive. $1M will get you a home on 1/6-1/8 of an acre of land in Old Greenwich or central Greenwich, 1/4+ acre in some areas of central Greenwich, Riverside, and northern (backwoods) area. Many people accept the relatively small lot sizes for the neighborhood feeling, good schools, and amenities. Old Greenwich is the tightest knit community in town with the most children. It is not uncommon to see lemonade stands, teens selling hand car washes to benefit their school teams, kids running in packs, firefighters with "the boot" for charity, runners, cyclists, or even a guy in a horse drawn carriage.

As for amenities, there are a number of them. There are 2 public town beaches in mainland Greenwich, a town pool, 2 relatively large parks without beach/pool (Binney and Bruce), a town golf course, a ferry to 2 town owned islands, the Montgomery Pinetum (91 acres of trails with a pond and a picnic area), marinas, an ice skating rink, a 285 acre Audobon sanctuary with 7 miles of trails, tennis courts (scattered around town), a YMCA with an Olympic sized pool, and an avenue with very high end shopping. In addition to all of this, there are town parades, 2 different showings of fireworks on the 4th of July (one at Greenwich Point, one at Binney Park), and a summer concert series.

My primary negatives for the town are small lot size for the cost, traffic congestion, & police everywhere (usually sitting and talking in parking lots.) I live here because I enjoy the amenities and it's quick/easy to get to work in Stamford. If I didn't mind a longer commute (and I would) I would prefer to live in Weston for more privacy, more gardening, and less congestion.

[Tubulus]

Just remember that commute distance will depends a lot on where in each town you live and what the parking situation is. I live in Westport and like it a lot, but the extra hour a day of commute vs Greenwich is nothing to sneeze at. The local stops in Greenwich (cos cob, riverside, and OG) might be decent compromises between commute and quiet neighborhoods.

[mlassoff]

I live in Westport as well. I highly recommend it. The commute is tough-- No doubt. However, I think the town is friendly, with excellent schools and a wide range of dining and entertainment options. The beach is a town gathering place and you will find a plethora of enrichment activities for the kids in and out of school.