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Hi- We used to live in Guilford and now are moving back to shoreline. Husband will be commuting to Plainfield and Branford or Guilford is a bit too far. He would love to live on the water, and I would too, in theory, but never knew much about old saybrook, niantic, etc. in terms of personality of towns. We're interested in good schools, we're both in our 40's, and we would love some sense of artsyness/stuff to do (although i realize these are small towns). But for me, as i work part time, i would like to be able to meet and find other parents with young kids and not feel isolated or that there is nothing "going on" for parents with kids (again, i realize these are not bustling places). Can someone please give me a sense of these different towns? Thanks so much!!!
It does get a little isolated by design in those towns. That's part of the appeal. Old Saybrook has a nice town center. I am not as familiar with Niantic, but Essex has a charming feel.
Madison might be worth considering. Real nice town center, excellent schools. But it's also more expensive than the towns you are asking about. That said, it's still a lot cheaper than southwest CT. Bit of a haul to Plainfield though.
I'd consider Stonington and the Mystic area too. You're close to New London and the Westerly/Misquamicut area, which gives you lots of stuff to do in the warmer months. Also not too far of a drive to Newport and Providence.
Hi- We used to live in Guilford and now are moving back to shoreline. Husband will be commuting to Plainfield and Branford or Guilford is a bit too far. He would love to live on the water, and I would too, in theory, but never knew much about old saybrook, niantic, etc. in terms of personality of towns. We're interested in good schools, we're both in our 40's, and we would love some sense of artsyness/stuff to do (although i realize these are small towns). But for me, as i work part time, i would like to be able to meet and find other parents with young kids and not feel isolated or that there is nothing "going on" for parents with kids (again, i realize these are not bustling places). Can someone please give me a sense of these different towns? Thanks so much!!!
East Lyme (Niantic) was more "blue collar" but they have really REALLY been working on the downtown RT1 strip and it's looking nice. It's not all swank like Madison but it's nice. New brick sidewalks, gas lamp lights, an oceanfront park, the new boardwalk along the ocean (Still being worked on) and there are a lot of shops opening up DT and a nice new Irish Pub etc.
You should also be looking at Waterford, Mystic, and Stonington IMO. I like Stonington the best for living as Mystic while great can be a little touristy.
O.S. has better schools. Go look at greatschools.org Lyme does too.
The only problem with Old Saybrook and Lyme is that there isn't "much going on" as the OP specified that she wanted. Old Saybrook is a notoriously quiet town with a population that grows in the summer. There is a small art community in town, but I wouldn't characterize it as bustling. Essex is also very nice, but you'll have to drive a few towns away for a variety of restaurant/shopping options. If your top priority is finding a nice coastal suburb with quite a few kids and some things to do, your best bets are Madison and Mystic.
The only problem with Old Saybrook and Lyme is that there isn't "much going on" as the OP specified that she wanted. Old Saybrook is a notoriously quiet town with a population that grows in the summer. There is a small art community in town, but I wouldn't characterize it as bustling. Essex is also very nice, but you'll have to drive a few towns away for a variety of restaurant/shopping options. If your top priority is finding a nice coastal suburb with quite a few kids and some things to do, your best bets are Madison and Mystic.
Obviously you don’t spend much time on the Connecticut coast;
Old Saybrook and East Lyme are close to the largest shopping area between Milford, CT and Providence, RI (at exit 82 on I-95). If one seeks proximity to restaurants (both indoor and outdoor), shopping, book stores, clothing stores, etc they would want to be closer to either Milford or Waterford. Madison, while a nice beach town, is stuck right in the middle on a shopping void: It’s 25 miles (and the traffic of the Q Bridge) to get to a mall in Milford….and it’s 25 – miles to get to the big shopping area at exit 82 in Waterford. Even locally - Madison has fewer restaurants and downtown shops than both East Lyme and Old Saybrook.
If one seeks the convenience of malls, food, big box stores, ...etc Madison is not the best choice along the central and eastern Connecticut coast.
Obviously you don’t spend much time on the Connecticut coast;
Old Saybrook and East Lyme are close to the largest shopping area between Milford, CT and Providence, RI (at exit 82 on I-95). If one seeks proximity to restaurants (both indoor and outdoor), shopping, book stores, clothing stores, etc they would want to be closer to either Milford or Waterford. Madison, while a nice beach town, is stuck right in the middle on a shopping void: It’s 25 miles (and the traffic of the Q Bridge) to get to a mall in Milford….and it’s 25 – miles to get to the big shopping area at exit 82 in Waterford. Even locally - Madison has fewer restaurants and downtown shops than both East Lyme and Old Saybrook.
If one seeks the convenience of malls, food, big box stores, ...etc Madison is not the best choice along the central and eastern Connecticut coast.
I agree. If the OP thinks Guilford is too far, then Madison will most likely be too far also. It is only the next town over from Guilford. Madison is a nice town but it is a suburb of New Haven and not close to Plainfield. Also it is not near any large scale shopping and will be more expensive than towns closer to Plainfield. Jay
Old Saybrook has the Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center. Niantic has cinema downtown that plays some artsy movies at times. I personally love Niantic.
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