[rbeale98]

Hello,

I am moving to Stamford in Jan. to start a new job in Stratford. My girlfriend will be starting a job in NYC. I have a few questions:

1. What are the safety issues concerning a young female walking from the Stamford station to the town center region at night? (we are very much accustomed to typical city life)

2. What is a typical commute time from Stamford to Stratford, assuming I am already close to the 95, and work right off the Merritt.

3. Eventually we will be buying a condo somewhere in Stamford, what will roughly 300k get us?

4. From reading reviews, the Avalon's sound pretty crappy. Is this the general consensus, or is it that people only write reviews when they are pissed?

5. How much snow falls, and does it affect commute times? (I'm from Buffalo)

Thanks for your advice!

[skytrekker]

Stamford for a city of over 100,000 people has one of the lowest crime rates in the nation, and overall is one of the safest cities nationally- I would not be worried about this issue too much.

If commuting from Stamford north, to Stratford, you will encounter a fair amount of traffic north bound on both I 95 and the Merritt PKWY- but it will be less then driving south into NYC.

Coming home in the afternoon the true can be said. However accidents, traffic tie ups and weather conditions can make the commute longer.

Avalon is a national chain of apartments- we have some here in the greater Hartford area.They are considered upscale- with nice amenities. If some have beefs or complaints it may be for issues that are personal, and not necessarily the quality of the units.

300K for a condo in Stamford will vary depending on age, vicinity, square footage etc.
On average you will be able to get a 2 bedroom 1 bath 850-1100 square foot unit in a low to mid rise building. The unit may include central air, wood floors and more.

Stamford receives on average about 25" of snow a winter. Winter weather that 'stops' traffic is uncommon, and may occur a few times during the winter.

[JayCT]

rbeale98 - Welcome to Connecticut. I am sure you will like it here. Like any urban (or even suburban) areas, you must be careful and completely aware of your surroundings when walking around. Downtown Stamford is very safe and there are usually other people walking around during the evenings. It is about 30 miles from Stamford to Stratford which will take you about 30 minutes without traffic; with traffic about 45 minutes. The good thing is you are generally going against traffic.

$300k in Stamford will buy you a modest condo but not much else. Stamford is a desirable and expensive place to live. My take on Avalon is that they are decent places to live, otherwise they wouldn't be so popular. You are right that most people just write reveiws when they do not like something. Snow falls a several times over the winter but it is rarely more than an inch or two and impacts commuting times because of poor driving. Allow extra time on these days and watch the local news channel (Channel 12) for traffic updates or listen to the radio. Jay

[kristinalinda]

Hello,
I am looking for someone to take over my lease in a 2 bedroom apt i am currently renting in a very nice complex in Stamford called The Fairfield. I was living with my sister when she decided to move in with her bf and now i need to break my lease and move into a one bed asap since paying for the 2bed by myself right now is painful. My email is kristinajohanson@yahoo.com if you want to contact me.
Good luck and thanks,

[carlutz]

I grew up in the Bflo area and have been in Stamford for 6 years. As long as you are South of the Merritt Parkway (which downtown is), snow is definitely not a major issue (the last storm that I weathered in Bflo was back in 2000 or 2001 when 24" fell in 2 hrs - or something like that).

I have AWD and there have only been maybe 2 or 3 instances where travel was impossible (no LES here). The snow removal efforts is not what you would see in Bflo, but they get the job done.