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My wife and I are starting to look for real estate at this time. We will be moving up to CT within the next few months and will be working in New Haven and Madison respectively. We have two young children (3 and 1) and we are approaching 40. We have a descent size budget and are looking to move to either Branford, Madison or Guilford. We visited all three a few weeks back and loved them all. Any advice on what place is the best when it comes to schools, safety, housing, people, etc? Again, we are coming from NOLA, where crime is high, schools are bad, but there are lots of things to do. Ready to slow down a bit and raise our kids. We loved being by the water, but realize you get a lot more for your money and newer construction further north.
Madison is considered to have the best schools, with Guilford close behind. Branford schools are fine just a bit behind the others. People in this area virtually all send their kids to public school as there is no reason to avoid them.
You're perfectly safe in any of these towns. Crime is basically limited to occasional property crimes so if you lock your house & car, you're OK. In general, your personal safety is something you don't have to worry about.
Branford probably has the highest range of housing, with lots of condos in a variety of price ranges in addition to single family homes. Madison & Guilford also have some condos but many are in over 55 communities and some are very upscale. Branford also has a wider range in values of single family homes. Guilford & Madison are little more upscale, with Madison probably the priciest of the three.
Look up on the internet the Park & Rec departments for all three towns and you can get an idea of the vast number of organized things to do.
There is plenty to do in the area. The towns are just minutes from each other so there is lots of overlap.
The area is water oriented so beaches, marinas, lakes are all nearby. Huge swatches of land in all three towns are kept as open space/ forests so tons of hiking and other outdoor activities.
Mostly it depends on what you are looking for in the way of housing. Madison & Guilford stretch far inland and homes on very large lots are in the more northern sections of those towns. However, the schools are southerly so running kids back and forth to activities is something to be considered.
All three towns are excellent and all are very safe. The major difference is more in character than anything. Madison is the most affluent of the three. It has a lot to offer families including a wonderful park on the water, a nice small downtown with a great local bookstore and a very well regarded schools system. But if you do not want to be in a town with very obvious affluence, it may not be right for you.
On the other end is Branford which is a more diverse town with many condos and rentals. It has a very nice downtown, some good parks and activities for families and schools that perform well. It is located a bit closer to New Haven so it is a bit easier to get to all the things that New Haven has to offer.
In between Madison and Branford is Guilford. A little more affluent than Branford, it too offers a lot of what the others do. There is a great town green with some shops, very good schools and some nice parks and beaches. It is not as affluent as Madison but does not have as many lower cost homes and apartments as Branford. It is sort of the middle ground between the two. Guilford also has a great arts community. It is your choice which would be best for your family. Jay
500-800K, We are looking for a single family home around good schools and not too far off the beaten path. Would love to be close to the water front, but we know we will get more for our money further inland.
There's really nothing very far off the beaten path. I don't think you could go wrong in any part of those towns as far as accessibility. There are great little town festivals everywhere. Slower pace. Very enjoyable. Just got here in June.
Madison is the most upscale of the towns, but Guilford is not far behind. Both towns have excellent school systems and you'll see about 95% of high school seniors going on to college, and many to top universities. In terms of test scores, Madison typically scores slightly higher, but both towns are excellent. Branford is more of a middle class town, but also has some nice upscale areas, but also a lot of apartments and condos.
Branford schools are good and students can do well there, but the number of kids going to college is about 85% and the high school offers fewer advanced/AP type classes than Madison or Guilford.
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