[NotAnotherTourist]

We are interested in moving to CT but no NOTHING about Connecticut. Help!

We are a young married couple in our early 30's who have always enjoyed a mix of the City & Small Town life. No plans for kids, we love to go out to eat and mingle and we have 2 small dogs.

My husband is starting a new job in Tarrytown (New York). We have not had much luck finding a safe & fun town in Weschester that has enough going on for us and that allows PETS.

Here is our deal.... I don't drive and he does. He enjoys the suburb life, I love the city. He drives everywhere, I take public transportation. We are trying to find a town that would fit for both of us. Somewhere I can safely walk everywhere (stores, restaurant, pharmacy, coffee) and get to Manhattan on my own (train/bus), as well as somewhere he can commute to Tarrytown from (no more than 40 min drive).

Any suggestions of towns/neighborhoods for us in CT?!


Where are you coming from? Philadelphia
Why are you moving? Husbands Job
Where will you be working? I work part time from home and 3 days a week in Manhattan. My husband will be driving to Tarrytown NY every day for work.

Will you buy or rent? Rent
What is your budget ? $1500-$2000 a month
What kind of place are you looking for? 1 Bedroom Apartment, semi updated/renovated, washer/dryer in unit or building, dishwasher. Parking on street or Lot/Garage Space.

Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you? Just us and our 2 small dogs
Do you need/want good public schools? No

Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
(examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc): Since I do not drive it is important that I live somewhere that is a "walkable" town with local transportation (trains/bus to Manhattan). Something that has a town/village feel with restaurants, shops, coffee...etc all on a main street. We are a young (early 30's) couple without children, we love being around families/singles & artistic/creative types.

List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc) 1) An hour or less commute to NYC by train , 2) Downtown Area & 3) Safe Neighborhood (for me to be walking at night)

[kidyankee764]

Your requirements pretty much limit you to downtown Stamford. I'd start your search there.

[NotAnotherTourist]

Downtown Stamford will be on the list for sure then. I have never been there, is it pretty safe (for a young female like myself to walk around at night with my dog or home from the train?) and pet friendly?

We are also open to any small towns/villages with a local train station in CT.

[Stylo]

Stamford or Greenwich are really your only choices given your commute needs. Both are nice places to live, but Stamford has more going on as a city. Greenwich is a bit more low key from a congestion standpoint, and a quicker commute. Living near downtown Greenwich in walking distance to the train station would be really smart from a commute standpoint. I would research and visit both.

[RogerAnthony]

Stamford seems to be your only option although I'd look at White Plains, New York first, if you haven't yet.

[7 Wishes]

I'm curious why you would rule out Westchester (and White Plains in particular)? It would be a much closer commute for your dh and is not much different than Stamford for what you're looking for (though Stamford is bigger). Only thing I can think of is lower property taxes in CT if you're buying instead of renting (though somewhat made up by an annual property tax on your car.....technically NY has one as well but it's much less in cost and "hidden" in that it only shows up as a minor line on your once every 2 years car registration bill as a "use tax").

Only other place in CT besides Stamford that would fit your bill without being too much on your dh commute requirements is downtown Greenwich. If you do plan to give White Plains a 2nd look you might want to cross-post on the Westchester forum. Good luck!

[Stylo]

Also, the pet policy will be no different in CT. I also wonder why White Plains doesn't work. Seems pretty ideal. Stamford is not that great of a city to make it worth it over White Plains with a longer commute.

[NotAnotherTourist]

Thanks for the tips!

7 Wishes - We have not completely ruled out Westchester yet, I guess after spending a few weeks checking out all the river towns and finding out many of the places we liked would not accept pets I was feeling a bit defeated. I thought it was time we starting thinking about other options such as CT. My husband and I have never been to CT so was trying to get an idea of what towns we should consider.

Stylo - So CT has a pretty strict pet policy as well? I was finding a few craigslist ads for many buildings that allow pets in downtown Stamford, that is why I started to think about CT as an option. As far as the "river towns" in Westchester just about all of them have a no pet (dog) policy, we currently have 3 real estate agents trying to help us find places along the husdon that allow pets and just about every town doesn't (so strange).

As far as WHITE PLAINS goes...we have visited twice now and really have no idea what we are doing when we do. It's extremely busy and the "downtown" area by the train seems like it's only business and not much residences. The only residences we were able to find were on the other side of town. We also went through White plains at night one day and it seemed very sketchy by the train and dead. Maybe we are not looking in the right parts? Main concern was to be walking distance to train and it looks like Stamford and Downtown Greenwich might be a better and safer option for that. Or am I wrong?

We plan to visit Stamford and Greenwich this weekend.

[NotAnotherTourist]

I just noticed that in my first post I wrote... " I no nothing about CT". I meant KNOW. I must sound pretty stupid, sorry I have been low on sleep lately and typing way too fast.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by NotAnotherTourist

Stylo - So CT has a pretty strict pet policy as well? I was finding a few craigslist ads for many buildings that allow pets in downtown Stamford, that is why I started to think about CT as an option. As far as the "river towns" in Westchester just about all of them have a no pet (dog) policy, we currently have 3 real estate agents trying to help us find places along the husdon that allow pets and just about every town doesn't (so strange).

It's not a state or municipal policy, it's completely up to the apartment/property owner and will vary widely everywhere. Generally it's more challenging to get a pet in a large apartment complex vs. a single family home, for instance.