[JayCT]

I have always found the shoreline towns east of New Haven to be very nice. Branford, Guilford and Madison are very nice towns with much of what the OP is looking for. These are charming towns with good schools and a lot for families. Plus there is access into NYusing Shoreline East trains into New Haven and then onto Manhattan via Metro North. Jay.

[CTartist&musician]

Originally Posted by Paperwhite

Hi all,


My family may be relocating to Connecticut next year due to my husband's job. Having grown up in New England, my husband and I are somewhat familiar with the state from driving through the rt. 95 corridor, but we really don't have much first-hand experience with many of the towns and cities. I was hoping you could make some recommendations for towns or smaller cities that might fit the criteria we're looking for.


Here's our wish list:



--Ideally, we'd need to be within a 2-hour drive to NYC (hubby would have to go there a few times a month), but could live with 2.5 hours if the place really fit our criteria.

--Housing budget is around $600,000; we'd love an old house on several acres of land.
--We have two very young elementary school-aged children, so strong public schools are a must (I'm assuming most of the state fits this bill?).


--We would prefer a town that didn't have a lot of cookie-cutter suburban developments, McMansions, and strip-mall plazas.

--We don't mind rural, but it would be nice if this town had a central downtown area or "main street" with restaurants, hardware store, shops, book store, etc. (If anyone is familiar with downtown Bath or Brunswick, Maine, that's kind of what we have in mind.)

--It would also be ideal if this place were near (i.e., within a 20-minute drive) a good hospital and some shopping areas (e.g., Target, a well-stocked supermarket or Whole Foods).
--We would love a place that has a really strong sense of community; where people care about the public schools and have parades and farmers markets and other events to bring citizens together.

--Proximity to a diverse selection of restaurants is a bonus.


We were initially targeting Litchfield County, but are open to any place that might fit these criteria.

Two concerns we had about Litchfield county include:



(1) seems to be a weekend haven for Manhattan folks who have second or third homes here. Does this affect the feel of the communities there? In other words, because many folks don't live there full-time, is there a sense that there is less investment in schools, community life, etc?



(2) Seems like the nearest destination for shopping or hospitals might be either Milford or Danbury. Do these towns have enough for everyday living (e.g., supermarket, hardware store, etc.), or would you have to travel to Milford for these things?




Thank you all in advance for your feedback and suggestions!

I live in Fairfield County and when I retire I am planning on moving to either Branford, Guilford or Madison so I am doing a lot of research and going to look at properties on a frequent basis. I also want to be able to get into NYC about 2-4X a month. The reason I like that area is you have the option of taking the train. I would not make the drive from that area as NYC to New Haven has some of the worst traffic on the country. And I LOVE the beach so a coastline town is a must for me.

Guilford and Madison from my research would have most of the things on your wish list and both towns have great schools. The zoning is more dense near the coast line but in the northern parts of both towns you will find larger lots.

To have a shorter commute into NYC I would not rule out Easton, the Tashua and Nichols sections of Trumbull (I live in Trumbull), Monroe and Newtown. These town also have very good school systems. You are going to get a smaller house than in Guilford or Madison but it might be a good compromise with the faster commute into NYC and also have the ability to take the train if there is a lot of traffic.

BTW, the Nichols section of Trumbull is on the National Register of Historic Places (no McMasions or cookie cutter houses) so you might really like it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nichols...toric_District

[snowtired14]

I'm kind of surprised not to see more votes for Fairfeild County. If you're looking for strong educational records, towns like New Canaan, Ridgefield, Wilton, Redding, Weston, are all ranked in the top ten for the state. They also have that small community feel to them, they are also among the more affluent towns in the state and home prices and taxes reflect that. As far as proximity to NYC, Fairfield County is the commuter county, I don't know what the percentage of commuters is, but it's a lot. Because of that, most towns have pretty easy access to a train station going to GCT. Prices for housing in FFC is high, the closer to NYC you get, the higher the price, it's going to be tough finding acreage but worth the effort, there's always a hidden gem somewhere. Major hospitals are in Danbury and Norwalk, and most of the towns above fall between them, so you would have to look on a map to see if it meets your criteria.

I've lived in Connecticut my whole life, about half of it in FFC, I can't wait to leave, but I'm ready to retire soon and don't need the high taxes of CT in general. But for young proffesionals, it sounds like it meets what you're looking for. Good Luck!

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by snowtired14

I'm kind of surprised not to see more votes for Fairfeild County. If you're looking for strong educational records, towns like New Canaan, Ridgefield, Wilton, Redding, Weston, are all ranked in the top ten for the state. They also have that small community feel to them, they are also among the more affluent towns in the state and home prices and taxes reflect that. As far as proximity to NYC, Fairfield County is the commuter county, I don't know what the percentage of commuters is, but it's a lot. Because of that, most towns have pretty easy access to a train station going to GCT. Prices for housing in FFC is high, the closer to NYC you get, the higher the price, it's going to be tough finding acreage but worth the effort, there's always a hidden gem somewhere. Major hospitals are in Danbury and Norwalk, and most of the towns above fall between them, so you would have to look on a map to see if it meets your criteria.

I've lived in Connecticut my whole life, about half of it in FFC, I can't wait to leave, but I'm ready to retire soon and don't need the high taxes of CT in general. But for young proffesionals, it sounds like it meets what you're looking for. Good Luck!

The OP indicated that they could be as much as 2.5 hours from New York. Why recommend living closer when the OP could get a lot more home in a nice town in the outer reaches of this distance? Fairfield a County is very nice but pricey. That is why people are recommending for the OP to live in other areas. Jay.

[snowtired14]

Originally Posted by JayCT

The OP indicated that they could be as much as 2.5 hours from New York. Why recommend living closer when the OP could get a lot more home in a nice town in the outer reaches of this distance? Fairfield a County is very nice but pricey. That is why people are recommending for the OP to live in other areas. Jay.

I don't know that they are familiar with the area and FFC is an option, besides, >600K will get you a house there and good schools. Just offering an opinion same as you. What's your problem?

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by snowtired14

I don't know that they are familiar with the area and FFC is an option, besides, >600K will get you a house there and good schools. Just offering an opinion same as you. What's your problem?

Oh I have no problem and I am sorry you think I do. I was just answering your question. Like I said I would not hesitate to recommend Fairfield County towns if the OP needed to live closer but since they don't I would stand by my and others recommendations. Jay.

[NewJeffCT]

Originally Posted by snowtired14

I don't know that they are familiar with the area and FFC is an option, besides, >600K will get you a house there and good schools. Just offering an opinion same as you. What's your problem?

There are very few nice homes on several acres of land available for $600,000 in New Canaan, Darien, Westport, etc. All excellent towns with excellent schools, but also pricey - a quick search on Zillow has two homes in New Canaan under $600,000, one on about 1/3 of an acre, the other on 1/5 of an acre. There are several small two bedroom homes in Darien on about 1/3 of an acre for under $600,000, but they have two children, and also want acreage.

[snowtired14]

Originally Posted by NewJeffCT

There are very few nice homes on several acres of land available for $600,000 in New Canaan, Darien, Westport, etc. All excellent towns with excellent schools, but also pricey - a quick search on Zillow has two homes in New Canaan under $600,000, one on about 1/3 of an acre, the other on 1/5 of an acre. There are several small two bedroom homes in Darien on about 1/3 of an acre for under $600,000, but they have two children, and also want acreage.

So New Canaan is too close to NY, didn't I say the closer to the city you go, the greater the price? Check out Ridgefield, Wilton, Redding, Weston, you'll find nice homes with 1- 2 acres in their price range. Once again, I'm not a realtor and have no motivation to steer the OP to those towns, just a genuine interest to offer possibilities to people looking for a family freindly community.

[Raider111]

Originally Posted by snowtired14

So New Canaan is too close to NY, didn't I say the closer to the city you go, the greater the price? Check out Ridgefield, Wilton, Redding, Weston, you'll find nice homes with 1- 2 acres in their price range. Once again, I'm not a realtor and have no motivation to steer the OP to those towns, just a genuine interest to offer possibilities to people looking for a family freindly community.

1 to 2 acres in Wilton or Weston for 600k?? Where show me , I'll buy tommorrow.

[snowtired14]

Originally Posted by Raider111

1 to 2 acres in Wilton or Weston for 600k?? Where show me , I'll buy tommorrow.

58 Cobbs Mill Road, Wilton CT For Sale | Trulia.com

14 Valley Forge Lane, Weston CT For Sale | Trulia.com

Let me know when you're ready to move.