In search of perfect CT town, where may that be? (New Haven: relocating, estate)

[notjustamom]

I would have to agree with everyone concerning Ridgefield, it sounds like the perfect fit for you and your family.

[roadfish]

Madison --

I posted this for someone who is looking to come here from Colorado but it may be applicable to your situation as well.

Pomfret/Woodstock area is as beautiful as any area in the State, really as nice as most anywhere in New England.

It's in the northeastern corner of Connecticut, known as "The Quiet Corner", a rural area with a combined population (Pomfret, Woodstock, Eastford and Brooklyn) of 20,000. Centrally located between Hartford, Providence RI and Worcester, MA (50-60 minute commute to any of the 3) and only 90 minutes to Boston (longer in rush hour traffic)

A large percentage of residents are college graduates in professional and business careers. Many homes in the area are colonial or farm house style; stonewalls, barns, and trees line the roads and highways. There are no real mountains, but plenty of rolling hills, beautiful farms and the area is steeped in New England history. In the fall the foliage is breathtaking, as good as Vermont.

This area although very rural in nature, is very accesible and fairly easy drive to Southern CT (beaches/boating/seafood) and points north due to I-395 which is a major interstate running South/North and bisecting Eastern Ct.

Restored older homes and farmhouses in that area start at 350-400K. There are some really nice older farms with acreage that come on the market from time to time, these will start at around 500K.

Schools in that area are some of the best in the state, with Woodstock Academy (regional) high school serving the 4 towns mentioned above. This is an excellent high school with highly rated academics and a well funded athletics program.

Other areas in CT to check out --

Litchfield County is the Northwest corner of the state, every bit as beautiful as the Northeast Corner EXCEPT:

1. You will experience more snowfall due to storms that tend to track eastward through the Hudson River Valley in NY, then UP through the Berkshire mountains, then UP through Vermont. These storms typically dump more snow on the Northwestern Corner of CT with smaller deposits in the Eastern half of the state. (Large amounts of snow in Eastern Ct are just not happening like 40-50 years ago, an occaisional nor'easter will hit the area but more times than not it ends up being a "rain event" as opposed to snow).

2. Litchfield County is more densely populated, more "touristy", being in close proximity to New York City many of the tourists are from New York and New Jersey (not that there's anything wrong with that). However the money imported by Wall Street brokers, investement bankers, high powered attorneys and celebrities have driven real estate out of reach for the common man.

3. This is my opinion and my opinion only (I'll no doubt get slammed for it), but the NYC influence is not necessarily a desirable influence, unless you enjoy spending mucho $$ at trendy local breakfast spots with the limousine liberals (and numerous celebrity residents) leisurely feasting on eggs benedict and reading the Sunday [NY] Times. Personally I prefer dining with the "swamp yankees" or more traditional old time New Englanders you find as you travel towards the Northeast corner of CT. Sure they're rude and crude dressed in their manure stained overalls, but they spin a great yarn and never pay more than a couple of bucks for a nice farm fresh Sunday breakdfast. You get the picture.


FInal Recommendation Essex, Deep River, Chester, East Haddam, Old Lyme (Ct River Valley) --

This is another beautiful area of the state and real estate here (it's the area I live in) was out of sight a year or two ago but has returned to earth recently. Lots of older homes and plenty of "fixer-uppers" It's comparable in price to the Pomfret/Woodstock area not quite as rural and hilly, not quite as many farms, but if you want to live close to the water this area is preferable to both the Northwest and Northeast corners.

The CT River is beautiful and it iempties into Long Island Sound, which is a stones throw away from the Atlantic ocean. Some of the best boating and fishing in all of New England is in this area. Good seafood restaurants, plenty of things to do in or around the water.

The school system for Chester, Deep River and Essex is comprised as follows -- Each town has it's own elementary school with John Winthrop Middle School and Valley Regional High School serving the combined student population. If you GOOGLE John Winthrop Middle School you will get plenty of hits including the District 4 websites for all the schools + Ct Ed Websites with ratings, test scores, school demographics, etc.

All in all it's a great area to raise kids.

SUMMARY - Frankly if I didn't care about being close to the water I would prefer to live in the Pomfret/Woodstock area. But I love being near the water, I've got teen aged kids who I would not uproot at this point, and it would add 20-30 minutes to my commute (each way), with the price of gas hovering at 3.10/gallon I'm not moving further away from my office.

[jad2000]

Originally Posted by roadfish

Madison --

I posted this for someone who is looking to come here from Colorado but it may be applicable to your situation as well.

Pomfret/Woodstock area is as beautiful as any area in the State, really as nice as most anywhere in New England.

It's in the northeastern corner of Connecticut, known as "The Quiet Corner", a rural area with a combined population (Pomfret, Woodstock, Eastford and Brooklyn) of 20,000. Centrally located between Hartford, Providence RI and Worcester, MA (50-60 minute commute to any of the 3) and only 90 minutes to Boston (longer in rush hour traffic) ...

I don't believe most of the towns you mentioned fit what the OP is looking for. None of the towns you mentioned in eastern CT have a walkable town center.

[roadfish]

Not so much the ones in NorthEast part of the state, BUT Chester and Essex do.

[MaddHaus06]

Originally Posted by jad2000

Madison -

The towns you mention are all very different. I will briefly describe each town -

Southbury is a desirable, upscale but modest town between Danbury and Waterbury. Home prices are less expensive than in Fairfield County, but more expensive than most of the state. The downtown area is very suburban and not walkable. It includes some very attractive plazas but Main Street stretches for a few miles. There are plenty of businesses downtown and some good mom & pop breakfast spots. The Region 15 school district (shared with neighboring Middlebury) is excellent.

Oxford is one of the fastest growing towns in the state and while home prices have been dipping elsewhere, prices here are steadily rising. It's a quiet upper-middle class and modest town that has no downtown and very little in the way of shopping. Residents shop in neighboring towns (Seymour, Southbury or Monroe) and dislike big box stores.

Bethel is a nice suburb just east of Danbury with a quaint walkable downtown. There are a few good local diners and proximity to Danbury gives Bethel residents easy access to a large mall and plenty of restaurants. Schools are good and homes are affordable compared to most of Fairfield County.

Ridgefield sounds, to me, exactly what you're looking for. The downtown area looks like a scene from a movie with many mom and pop shops, and there are many affluent and down to earth locals. You have homes ranging from small ranches on little property to multi million dollar estates. Ridgefield schools are also very good. The town is largely rural, but has a Kohls and a few grocery stores hidden in the hills. Ridgefield Playhouse is also in town, which I'm sure you would love due to your interest in theater.

Newtown has an antique village for a downtown consisting of beautiful homes and a very old Edmond Town Hall (now a movie theater showing up to date $2 movies) and some very good restaurants (My Place for pizza to name one). Homes are reasonably priced and many parts of the town are largely rural. Newtown is one of the largest towns in Connecticut in square miles. Newtown schools are good and you will find many local SAHMs in your area.

Monroe is a nice, upper-middle class Fairfield County suburb. Monroe schools perform well-above the state average. Monroe doesn't have a walkable downtown area, rather many suburban strip malls that offer plenty of necessities right in town. You have easy access to the Merritt Parkway, Route 8, I-95 and I-84 so the town is pretty centrally located while still fairly rural.

Weston is a very rural and very wealthy lower Fairfield County and NYC suburb. People here like their privacy as many homes are on a good deal of land (3+ acres). While an average home in Weston is over a million dollars, the Westonites I've met are pretty down to Earth. There is no walkable downtown, and schools are top notch. NYC is about an hour away.

Easton is much like Weston, but without the very high price tag. Easton is still very pricey and the school district (Region 9 shared with neighboring Redding) is one of the best in the state. There is no walkable downtown as the nearest shopping is in Trumbull or Fairfield. Easton (and Redding) have consistently been said to be two of the best places to live in Connecticut.

I don't know much about Litchfield other than it has a beautiful and scenic downtown. Home prices are likely to be lower than the towns you mentioned in Fairfield County and the lifestyle in Litchfield is a bit more laid-back. The schools are very good and most of the town is very rural.

You can't really go wrong with western Connecticut. I wouldn't recommend towns in eastern Connecticut for you because I don't think they are what you are looking for. I would focus on northwestern Connecticut - Sherman is beautiful, as is Washington Depot and Woodbury.

Of the towns you mentioned, Ridgefield is closest to what you're looking for. Good luck in your search and let me know if you have any questions.

WOW! Thanks a million for the detailed description of those towns- I greatly appreciate it!

[MaddHaus06]

Originally Posted by roadfish

Madison --

I posted this for someone who is looking to come here from Colorado but it may be applicable to your situation as well.

Pomfret/Woodstock area is as beautiful as any area in the State, really as nice as most anywhere in New England.

It's in the northeastern corner of Connecticut, known as "The Quiet Corner", a rural area with a combined population (Pomfret, Woodstock, Eastford and Brooklyn) of 20,000. Centrally located between Hartford, Providence RI and Worcester, MA (50-60 minute commute to any of the 3) and only 90 minutes to Boston (longer in rush hour traffic)

A large percentage of residents are college graduates in professional and business careers. Many homes in the area are colonial or farm house style; stonewalls, barns, and trees line the roads and highways. There are no real mountains, but plenty of rolling hills, beautiful farms and the area is steeped in New England history. In the fall the foliage is breathtaking, as good as Vermont.

This area although very rural in nature, is very accesible and fairly easy drive to Southern CT (beaches/boating/seafood) and points north due to I-395 which is a major interstate running South/North and bisecting Eastern Ct.

Restored older homes and farmhouses in that area start at 350-400K. There are some really nice older farms with acreage that come on the market from time to time, these will start at around 500K.

Schools in that area are some of the best in the state, with Woodstock Academy (regional) high school serving the 4 towns mentioned above. This is an excellent high school with highly rated academics and a well funded athletics program.

Other areas in CT to check out --

Litchfield County is the Northwest corner of the state, every bit as beautiful as the Northeast Corner EXCEPT:

1. You will experience more snowfall due to storms that tend to track eastward through the Hudson River Valley in NY, then UP through the Berkshire mountains, then UP through Vermont. These storms typically dump more snow on the Northwestern Corner of CT with smaller deposits in the Eastern half of the state. (Large amounts of snow in Eastern Ct are just not happening like 40-50 years ago, an occaisional nor'easter will hit the area but more times than not it ends up being a "rain event" as opposed to snow).

2. Litchfield County is more densely populated, more "touristy", being in close proximity to New York City many of the tourists are from New York and New Jersey (not that there's anything wrong with that). However the money imported by Wall Street brokers, investement bankers, high powered attorneys and celebrities have driven real estate out of reach for the common man.

3. This is my opinion and my opinion only (I'll no doubt get slammed for it), but the NYC influence is not necessarily a desirable influence, unless you enjoy spending mucho $$ at trendy local breakfast spots with the limousine liberals (and numerous celebrity residents) leisurely feasting on eggs benedict and reading the Sunday [NY] Times. Personally I prefer dining with the "swamp yankees" or more traditional old time New Englanders you find as you travel towards the Northeast corner of CT. Sure they're rude and crude dressed in their manure stained overalls, but they spin a great yarn and never pay more than a couple of bucks for a nice farm fresh Sunday breakdfast. You get the picture.


FInal Recommendation Essex, Deep River, Chester, East Haddam, Old Lyme (Ct River Valley) --

This is another beautiful area of the state and real estate here (it's the area I live in) was out of sight a year or two ago but has returned to earth recently. Lots of older homes and plenty of "fixer-uppers" It's comparable in price to the Pomfret/Woodstock area not quite as rural and hilly, not quite as many farms, but if you want to live close to the water this area is preferable to both the Northwest and Northeast corners.

The CT River is beautiful and it iempties into Long Island Sound, which is a stones throw away from the Atlantic ocean. Some of the best boating and fishing in all of New England is in this area. Good seafood restaurants, plenty of things to do in or around the water.

The school system for Chester, Deep River and Essex is comprised as follows -- Each town has it's own elementary school with John Winthrop Middle School and Valley Regional High School serving the combined student population. If you GOOGLE John Winthrop Middle School you will get plenty of hits including the District 4 websites for all the schools + Ct Ed Websites with ratings, test scores, school demographics, etc.

All in all it's a great area to raise kids.

SUMMARY - Frankly if I didn't care about being close to the water I would prefer to live in the Pomfret/Woodstock area. But I love being near the water, I've got teen aged kids who I would not uproot at this point, and it would add 20-30 minutes to my commute (each way), with the price of gas hovering at 3.10/gallon I'm not moving further away from my office.

Thanks a million for the response I did do a quick search on Essex and also came across a town called Mystic and all I can say is ohhhhh my gosh, that is EXACTLY what we are looking for!!! Of course all we have to rely on at this point is what's posted on their websites, but it embodies all that we're looking for. Visiting may be another story but I hope not because I think we've found THE spot for us! My hubby and I just LOVE the downtown areas and for such small towns, they have a lot of activities that's sure to keep everyone entertained. And the homes, goodness, I LOVE 'em! Anywho, thanks again for those awesome suggestions

[MaddHaus06]

notjustamom & yankeemom, thank you so much for your responses regarding Ridgefield- I greatly appreciate the time you took to do so

[MaddHaus06]

OK, so I think we've finally found our "it" spots and I'm wondering if any of you could provide any insight. I was given the suggestion of Essex so I took a look at the town website. I also came across Mystic and by far, these two towns embody everything that we are looking for (a downtown area with plenty of boutique shops, restaraunts, and with plenty of outdoor amenities for the kiddos). While I love everything I've seen, it doesn't describe the folks who live there. Do any of you live, work, often frequent these areas and if so, what is the overall feel/vibe of the town/people? Any comments (good or bad) would be greatly appreciated, thanks a million

Sincerely,
Madison

[TheseGoTo11]

Mystic is actually part of the towns of Groton and Stonington.

I looked at your criteria, and think you might like the shoreline towns of Guilford and Madison, they're next to each other on the eastern edge of New Haven County. Both have quaint greens with local retailers, and they're far enough from NYC, about 90 miles, to be fairly normal, definitely not 90210. Madison's got a cool, little independent book store where national authors will often come and speak.

They also attract a lot of Yale professors, and have excellent school systems. The beaches are great in the summer, and housing is a bargain, at least compared to where I live in DC. For about 700-800k, you can get a very nice 4-5 bedroom colonial on an acre+.

[mspond1]

Litchfield is beautiful. As far as the school system is concerned, there are numerous excellent private schools nearby.