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We are looking to move to Connecticut and after a lot of research, it looks like the Monroe area (or cities close to it) will be the place we settle. I am just curious of a few things:
1) What can you tell me about Monroe, Shelton, cities in that 10 mile radius?
2) What schools would you recommend (public vs. private)? I have looked on greatschools.org but A LOT of the private schools do not have reviews so it makes it difficult to know anything about the school from a parent's opinion. We haven't had the best experience with public schools so I am less inclined to send my children to public but I have heard Connecticut has some of the best public schools in the nation.
3) Coming from North Carolina - is there anything we should know be aware of (asides for the weather difference)? I have read a lot of posts about being complaining about property tax so I am aware of that (one even recommending saving thousands before you move to help pay for taxes on your car(s)).
4) Has anyone made the commute from this area to NYC? How was it?
Any help would be truly appreciate - especially about the schools - we have a 3 year old and a 6 year old that we trying to place. Our 6 year old is mild (high functioning) autistic so we really want a school that can work with him.
Monroe is a great town; and the schools in Monroe perform a bit better than in Shelton. Generally, you don't need to send your kids to private school because it sounds like you can afford a community with excellent schools. Within a 10 mile radius is Shelton, Trumbull, Easton, Oxford and Newtown. If you have to commute to NYC, though, I'm not sure I'd recommend any of these towns. It's far, and not on the Metro North line.
We are looking to move to Connecticut and after a lot of research, it looks like the Monroe area (or cities close to it) will be the place we settle. I am just curious of a few things:
1) What can you tell me about Monroe, Shelton, cities in that 10 mile radius?
2) What schools would you recommend (public vs. private)? I have looked on greatschools.org but A LOT of the private schools do not have reviews so it makes it difficult to know anything about the school from a parent's opinion. We haven't had the best experience with public schools so I am less inclined to send my children to public but I have heard Connecticut has some of the best public schools in the nation.
3) Coming from North Carolina - is there anything we should know be aware of (asides for the weather difference)? I have read a lot of posts about being complaining about property tax so I am aware of that (one even recommending saving thousands before you move to help pay for taxes on your car(s)).
4) Has anyone made the commute from this area to NYC? How was it?
Any help would be truly appreciate - especially about the schools - we have a 3 year old and a 6 year old that we trying to place. Our 6 year old is mild (high functioning) autistic so we really want a school that can work with him.
Thank you again!
1) Monroe is a nice town with good schools... 10 mile radius is Shelton, Oxford, Easton, Trumbull, Newtown, maybe Fairfield..
2) All the districts have good schools. Shelton's probably rank a little lower because the student population is not as wealthy... but Shelton still has good schools
3) Taxes in CT are high. Monroe has high property taxes and you'll get a property tax bill on your car. I just paid $350 for my Honda last year
4) Commute to NYC is long from Monroe. You'd have to drive to Fairfield or Bridgeport and get on metro north, which can take another 70-80 minutes from there. Probably 1.5 hours each way.. not easy. For a NYC commute, it's much easier if you look at towns south of the area, but you'll pay $1 million for a box...
We are looking to move to Connecticut and after a lot of research, it looks like the Monroe area (or cities close to it) will be the place we settle. I am just curious of a few things:
1) What can you tell me about Monroe, Shelton, cities in that 10 mile radius?
2) What schools would you recommend (public vs. private)? I have looked on greatschools.org but A LOT of the private schools do not have reviews so it makes it difficult to know anything about the school from a parent's opinion. We haven't had the best experience with public schools so I am less inclined to send my children to public but I have heard Connecticut has some of the best public schools in the nation.
3) Coming from North Carolina - is there anything we should know be aware of (asides for the weather difference)? I have read a lot of posts about being complaining about property tax so I am aware of that (one even recommending saving thousands before you move to help pay for taxes on your car(s)).
4) Has anyone made the commute from this area to NYC? How was it?
Any help would be truly appreciate - especially about the schools - we have a 3 year old and a 6 year old that we trying to place. Our 6 year old is mild (high functioning) autistic so we really want a school that can work with him.
Thank you again!
Welcome to Connecticut. You do NOT need to send your kids to private schools. Connecticut has one of the best public school systems in the country so you only need to send your kids to private if you have religious or prestige concerns. Pretty much any of the towns around Monroe (including Monroe) have good to excellent schools. I would say Monroe schools are very good. Shelton are good. You could also consider Trumbull, Easton and Newtown as well. The link below will give you information on schools here in Connecticut. Look for schools that perform at or above the state averages on the Connecticut Mastery and Connecticut Academic Performance Tests. The towns listed above are all at or above that average.
Taxes are higher here, but keep in mind that you do not need to send your children to private schools or live in an HOA community to get services and amenities like a pool, parks or community center. Most of the towns offer these to their residents. You also don't have to worry about private security or that your neighbor will be letting their house get rundown of littered with garbage. Towns here generally have very good local police services and tough zoning to deal with these issues.
Another thing to note is that you will NOT be paying taxes on grocery items here. Our state does not believe in taxing necessities like food so you can save a bit there. We also do not have a county level of government here so all you will pay for taxes is your local property tax on home and cars and your state income and sales taxes. I hope this helps. Jay
We also do not have a county level of government here so all you will pay for taxes is your local property tax on home and cars and your state income and sales taxes. I hope this helps. Jay
You are making it sound cheaper in CT by using terminology like "all you will pay"..... it's not.... the OP should get ready for EVERYTHING to be more expensive here... even if they don't have an HOA (which plenty of places in NC do not have...)
We are looking to move to Connecticut and after a lot of research, it looks like the Monroe area (or cities close to it) will be the place we settle. I am just curious of a few things:
1) What can you tell me about Monroe, Shelton, cities in that 10 mile radius?
2) What schools would you recommend (public vs. private)? I have looked on greatschools.org but A LOT of the private schools do not have reviews so it makes it difficult to know anything about the school from a parent's opinion. We haven't had the best experience with public schools so I am less inclined to send my children to public but I have heard Connecticut has some of the best public schools in the nation.
3) Coming from North Carolina - is there anything we should know be aware of (asides for the weather difference)? I have read a lot of posts about being complaining about property tax so I am aware of that (one even recommending saving thousands before you move to help pay for taxes on your car(s)).
4) Has anyone made the commute from this area to NYC? How was it?
Any help would be truly appreciate - especially about the schools - we have a 3 year old and a 6 year old that we trying to place. Our 6 year old is mild (high functioning) autistic so we really want a school that can work with him.
Thank you again!
I live in Trumbull but my mom, dad and many cousins live in Monroe. Monroe and the surrounding towns are very nice and Monroe itself is a very safe community. The schools are very good in Monroe also. Monroe has a great recreational area with a lake and pool called Wolf Park. Even though I live in Trumbull I get a pass to Wolf Park every year because the lake area is so nice and "zen" there. My mom and dad had retired to NC for about 5 years before they came back home. They missed us kids and the family.
And yes, the taxes are quite a shock compared to NC but it is not just Monroe. All the house taxes in Fairfield County are very high compared with NC.
Services for kids with special needs is very good in Trumbull & Faifield (the town) schools and I believe that Monroe schools are on par with special needs also. I don't think Shelton schools are the greatest for special needs. My neighbor lived in Shelton and has a son with special needs. She moved to Trumbull for the services she could get for her son in the schools.
Commuting into NYC on a daily basis from Monroe or Shelton would be very difficult. Trumbull would be a little better but still is a difficult daily commute into NYC. I don't personally know of anyone who commutes into NYC from Monroe or Shelton. Fairfield (the town) would be the best commute into NYC.
I live in Trumbull but my mom, dad and many cousins live in Monroe. Monroe and the surrounding towns are very nice and Monroe itself is a very safe community. The schools are very good in Monroe also. Monroe has a great recreational area with a lake and pool called Wolf Park. Even though I live in Trumbull I get a pass to Wolf Park every year because the lake area is so nice and "zen" there. My mom and dad had retired to NC for about 5 years before they came back home. They missed us kids and the family.
And yes, the taxes are quite a shock compared to NC but it is not just Monroe. All the house taxes in Fairfield County are very high compared with NC.
Services for kids with special needs is very good in Trumbull & Faifield (the town) schools and I believe that Monroe schools are on par with special needs also. I don't think Shelton schools are the greatest for special needs. My neighbor lived in Shelton and has a son with special needs. She moved to Trumbull for the services she could get for her son in the schools.
Commuting into NYC on a daily basis from Monroe or Shelton would be very difficult. Trumbull would be a little better but still is a difficult daily commute into NYC. I don't personally know of anyone who commutes into NYC from Monroe or Shelton. Fairfield (the town) would be the best commute into NYC.
Welcome to CT and Good Luck in you house search.
This is amazing! Thank you so much! This is why I wanted to ask people who live in CT because you can research until you are blue in the face but personal experiences are worth their weight in gold.
Thank you again and thank you to everyone who has answered or who will answer! This information is invaluable!
Welcome to Connecticut. You do NOT need to send your kids to private schools. Connecticut has one of the best public school systems in the country so you only need to send your kids to private if you have religious or prestige concerns. Pretty much any of the towns around Monroe (including Monroe) have good to excellent schools. I would say Monroe schools are very good. Shelton are good. You could also consider Trumbull, Easton and Newtown as well. The link below will give you information on schools here in Connecticut. Look for schools that perform at or above the state averages on the Connecticut Mastery and Connecticut Academic Performance Tests. The towns listed above are all at or above that average.
Taxes are higher here, but keep in mind that you do not need to send your children to private schools or live in an HOA community to get services and amenities like a pool, parks or community center. Most of the towns offer these to their residents. You also don't have to worry about private security or that your neighbor will be letting their house get rundown of littered with garbage. Towns here generally have very good local police services and tough zoning to deal with these issues.
Another thing to note is that you will NOT be paying taxes on grocery items here. Our state does not believe in taxing necessities like food so you can save a bit there. We also do not have a county level of government here so all you will pay for taxes is your local property tax on home and cars and your state income and sales taxes. I hope this helps. Jay
Thank you JayCT - I was wondering about county tax this morning so thank you for reading my mind and answering that for me. Thank you again for the public school information, I will start looking harder at that. Do they have to live in certain zones to go to certain schools?
Welcome to Connecticut. You do NOT need to send your kids to private schools. Connecticut has one of the best public school systems in the country so you only need to send your kids to private if you have religious or prestige concerns. Pretty much any of the towns around Monroe (including Monroe) have good to excellent schools. I would say Monroe schools are very good. Shelton are good. You could also consider Trumbull, Easton and Newtown as well. The link below will give you information on schools here in Connecticut. Look for schools that perform at or above the state averages on the Connecticut Mastery and Connecticut Academic Performance Tests. The towns listed above are all at or above that average.
Taxes are higher here, but keep in mind that you do not need to send your children to private schools or live in an HOA community to get services and amenities like a pool, parks or community center. Most of the towns offer these to their residents. You also don't have to worry about private security or that your neighbor will be letting their house get rundown of littered with garbage. Towns here generally have very good local police services and tough zoning to deal with these issues.
Another thing to note is that you will NOT be paying taxes on grocery items here. Our state does not believe in taxing necessities like food so you can save a bit there. We also do not have a county level of government here so all you will pay for taxes is your local property tax on home and cars and your state income and sales taxes. I hope this helps. Jay
Thank you JayCT - I was wondering about county tax this morning so thank you for reading my mind and answering that for me. Thank you again for the public school information, I will start looking harder at that. Do they have to live in certain zones to go to certain schools?
You are making it sound cheaper in CT by using terminology like "all you will pay"..... it's not.... the OP should get ready for EVERYTHING to be more expensive here... even if they don't have an HOA (which plenty of places in NC do not have...)
I never said it was cheaper and my words do not imply that. I just noted a couple of differences that a person may not consider when relocating here. We have no county level of government here and do not pay taxes on grocery items. Also, many of the nicer neighborhoods in North Carolina's suburbs have HOA's. Here in Connecticut, HOA's are mostly for condo complexes and most towns provide the things that an HOA does there. I stand by what I stated. Jay
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