[westchester]

in Conneticut...........Schools. Crime . Taxes' Community...etc

[sliver203]

Originally Posted by westchester

in Conneticut...........Schools. Crime . Taxes' Community...etc

It all depends on what you're looking for in a town. Rural, suburban, close to NYC, close to mountains, close to the beach?

If you'd like a rural town in western CT closer to NYC, you can check out the upscale towns of Easton, Ridgefield, Weston or Redding. All 3 towns have excellent school districts and a high parent involvement within the schools (this is especially true in Weston). If you want more suburban near NYC, check out Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Stamford, Westport and Fairfield. All of these towns (both rural and suburban) will be very expensive even for a starter home or condo but coming from Westchester, you shouldn't be too shocked.

To the north you have the less expensive Danbury area with very desirable suburbs. Brookfield, Bethel, Newtown and New Fairfield are all towns with solid education that offer an excellent quality of life. Danbury itself isn't bad either, though the schools aren't top notch.

If you're interested in the New Haven area (about 1.5 hours from NYC) the towns of Woodbridge, Guilford, Madison, Milford, Orange and North Haven have a wonderful quality of life with very much in the way of shopping and culture. It's also convenient that you're a 90 minute train ride from Grand Central.

If you're looking for country living in Connecticut's northewestern Litchfield Hills, consider Kent, Sherman, parts of New Milford, Roxbury, Washington, Bridgewater or Woodbury. These towns, though pricey, are beautiful and offer a pastoral environment. You would get the most for your money in New Milford, the least for your money in Washington. All have great education.

Lately Southbury and Oxford have become successful alternatives to the expensive and pretentious lower Fairfield County towns, thus exploding the populations in these former farming towns. Both have great schools and easy access to New Haven, Danbury, Bridgeport and Waterbury. Very centrally located as the commute to both Hartford and NYC are doable, though can be a stretch.

Lastly the Hartford area has many great towns to live. West Hartford, Avon, Simsbury, Glastonbury, Canton, parts of Bloomfield (though schools here are rated lower), Vernon, East Windsor and Farmington are all among the most desirable up there. Cost of living is lower (about 1/2 the cost of many towns in Fairfield County) and the quality of life is very high. Hartford is a city on the upswing and I'm sure you would enjoy it.

If you can give us a better description of what you desire, we can better help you choose a community to call home.

Merry Christmas

[skytrekker]

As Sliver203 alluded to above, Connecticut although a small state has a great deal of differences in economics, social perceptions, house form & culture as well as town to town differences.

The southwestern part of the state is the most costly due to its proximity to New York, there are many fine upscale charming 'toney' towns that offer a first class style of living- though housing prices can be high.

The Hartford area offers many fine towns as well, with housing and cost of living that is much less then Fairfield county.

Eastern Connecticut is currently the fastest growing part of the state- although the term 'fast growing' does not been lots of sprawl and cookie cutter subdivisions. Its a mostly rural landscape of small towns and farms, with the lowest housing costs in the state.

Connecticut's shoreline east of New Haven is very pleasant, with charming small to medium sized towns, nice beaches and less traffic and congestion then west of NH. to the Rhode Island border.

Connecticut's western hills offer many fine towns as well, in a hilly rural landscape that is most pleasing.

[CTMOMOF3]

Connecticut Magazine recently published it's "Rate the Towns" annual article. You can access it online. In each population category, they compare things such as cost of living, education, quality of life, etc....

I think they do a good job covering the state.

[westchester]

insight from some nutmegers........MERRY CHRISTMAS.......

[sliver203]

Originally Posted by CTMOMOF3

Connecticut Magazine recently published it's "Rate the Towns" annual article. You can access it online. In each population category, they compare things such as cost of living, education, quality of life, etc....

I think they do a good job covering the state.

Regarding the "Rate the Towns" I really have never agreed with their rankings. For some reason, they always find it necessary to overlook certain [good] aspects of some communities while consistently focusing on the positives of their favorite towns. They rank Beacon Falls in the Naugatuck Valley among the lowest in the 3500-6500 population category, while for no reason at all mention that Seymour and Naugatuck are neighboring communities. Neither Seymour or Naugatuck are in this population category.

"At the bottom of the rankings this time around is Beacon Falls, one of the towns in the Naugatuck Valley (along with Seymour and Naugatuck) lately discovered by workers from Fairfield County fed up with sky-high house prices."

In my opinion, this shows that Conn Mag has a bit of a 'snooty' vibe to it which I don't care for at all. They forget that for its location, the region straddling Fairfield and New Haven counties (Shelton, Ansonia, Derby, Seymour,...) has home prices that are a steal compared to even outlying neighborhoods in the valley (Huntington, Oxford, Southbury, Orange) and unheard of in lower Fairfield. It's one of the only areas in southwestern Connecticut that has retained its middle-class flavor and hometown pride. I grew up in lower Fairfield County and find quality of life up in the Valley to be very good - people there don't struggle to live (contrary to what many believe) because things here are reasonably priced, from housing to groceries to gas. The schools are not as horrible as Connecticut Magazine wants you to believe - they are solid, middle class districts and if these schools were moved from their foundation to a small town in the south or Heartland, they would be top notch.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that rating the towns in a state such as Connecticut isn't fair. We have excellent education in this state along with amenities and a quality of life that is nearly unheard of in many parts of the country. This is the exact reason why my former high school in New Canaan doesn't rank the students anymore.

I'm interested to see how others feel about it.

[TiZZ]

as per usual, the town of windsor is ignored.

i take exception that a moderator cut like east windsor moderator cut-inappropriate language- would be recommended before windsor. And if Bloomfield is to be mentioned, its only natural to include Windsor, a similar community.

I believe Windsor to be one of Connecticut's gems.

Windsor is moderately sized at roughly 30,000 residents. The minority population of windsor is approx. 40% with sizeable jamaican and puerto rican communities. Windsor is conveniently located off I-91 and is only minutes from downtown Hartford. Windsor is also only minutes from Bradley International Airport. All the metropolitan amenities are within easy reach.

Windsor Public Schools are very solid, with the high school being named one of the top 200 in the nation in a recent magazine survey.

Windsor has several distinct areas, each with its own flavor...ranging from rural Rainbow to suburban Poquonock to the historical Windsor Center to more urban Wilson.

Windsor does see it's share of crime, however at rates far below the national average. Your chances of becoming a victim of crime in Windsor are slim as long as you excercise common sense and street smarts.

And in terms of community...Windsor is one of only six communities in the entire county to feature a truly "diverse" population. Windsor features large Irish, German, Italian, Eastern European, African American, West Indian, Jamaican, Puerto Rican, South American, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indian populations. Like i mentioned before, the minority population of Windsor is roughly 40%, ensuring there is truly something for everybody in this town.

Don't discount Windsor simply because it's close to hartford and has a bunch of scary black people. Disregard the media and the gossip and the suburban fear and actually get to know a little something about one of the most colorful and thriving communities in Connecticut, my home, Windsor.

[notjustamom]

I do like hillbillies, I think I will look into that town, thanks very much. I prefer Dr. Pepper, though.

[chazct]

oxford has no starbucks but there is one nearby in seymour. the town people fight constantly and taxes are so high due to the new school and retirement community always voting down the budget and parents dont vote. last month the town voted to split town and education budgets which will make it harder for the schools to get money.

[jad2000]

Originally Posted by chazct

oxford has no starbucks but there is one nearby in seymour. the town people fight constantly and taxes are so high due to the new school and retirement community always voting down the budget and parents dont vote. last month the town voted to split town and education budgets which will make it harder for the schools to get money.

I don't think it's that the parents don't vote, I just think they're outnumbered. Oxford's problem is the amount of stingy (yet wealthy) seniors living in town...and they're still moving in at an alarming rate. They constantly vote down the budget because they don't want their taxes to go up. These same people vote down the chance for the town to have a grocery store.

I think that's changing though. On the northern side of town near Southbury and the Oxford Airport, the industrial park is being flooded with corporations moving from lower Fairfield County (Stamford/Norwalk) tired of the high cost of doing business down there.