Relo from Chicago…Ridgefield vs. Wilton vs. Redding (Fairfield, Newtown: real estate, condo)

[Movin'East]

This information is great...I really appreciate it! Thank you.

[Movin'East]

Does anyone have an opinion regarding Westchester county (Lewisboro / South Salem area)? This is also close to Ridgebury (place of employment) so maybe worth considering....or not?

Thanks,

Dr. R

[JayCT]

You might want to post this question on the New York Boards. I believe there is a separate one for Westchester.

Westchester is very nice with most towns having excellent schools and amenities. I will say that one of the big things that people note between New York and Connecticut is the property taxes. Connecticut's is apparently lower. Also keep in mind that you will need to file tax returns in both states but you should not need to pay any more than the higher one costs. Jay

[yankeemom]

I live on the Lewisborough border. Right after a heavy snow fall a few years ago, someone knocked on my door, and introduced himself, as "your neighbor from the higher tax side of the line." Since Wilton has no retail alcohol sales (it's considered a "damp" town because it is served in restaurants), the biggest difference we have had commented to us, is "you live near Vista, you buy beer even on sundays" lol!

[roastpatoni]

Hi!

I know this thread has been dormant a while, but I thought I would comment, since I live in the Ridgebury area of Ridgefield, about 6 minutes from the Boeringer-Ingelheim entrance.

We moved to Ridgefield 4 years ago, and I constantly think how lucky we are. I love, love, love this town. Now, unfortunately, my husband is looking to move to MA for a job, and the possibility of leaving is really hard.

Of the towns you mentioned, I think that Ridgefield is the most young-kid oriented. I have a 2 yr old, so I can't comment on teenagers and the like, although the ones I know seem very happy here. The highlights for me:
*Very active Newcomers club (which is how i found my little playgroup)
*Additional Mom's club
*free programs for kids of all ages at the library
*free concerts in the park downtown on summer tuesday evenings, including some special ones that are really kid centered
*The Ridgefield Playhouse, which has fabulous concerts/singers/performers for adults, as well as great kids programs throughout the year, and first run movies which are great fun, and often kid/family oriented
*Great schools, although I don't have any first hand experience since my daughter is still too young for school. I haven't specifically heard anything about one grade-school ebing better than another, but I may not be tapped in to that information either.
*Wonderful downtown area. Great for walking (my moms group walks there in nice weather at least a couple times a week)
*Dog park
*Community lake/beach, which is inexpensive and wonderful in the summer, with super lifeguards. There are also several neighborhoods that have community pools
*Great people, who are very down-to-earth and unpretentious, despite living in huge, expensive homes
*Easy shopping - Ridgefield has lots of shopping, and if you're in the Ridgebury area you halso have easy access to all the chain/discount stores in danbury (Costco, Target, Wal-mart, Stew Leonards (which is SUPER with kids)).

In all, it has been the most amazing place to live. If you're still looking for a house, we'll probably be selling ours soon if you're interested in a 3bd/2ba renovated Cape. We thought we'd be living here for 30 years, so we just renovated the kitchen to my dream kitchen, which I am already missing.

Anyway - if you have specific questions about the sub-areas of Ridgefield, please let me know!

[MomOfToo]

I would say Ridgefield all the way! They have a beautiful "walkable" town and alot of stuff going on for kids. Someone mentioned the Ridgebury Road area, very nice. Very close to BoIng too, it is right on the border of Danbury which has alot of shopping! Its just over the NY border as well, exit 1 off of 84. Easy on and easy off vs living more towards Route 7. The schools if i am not mistaken are number 1 in CT (I could be wrong though) but you can't go wrong with Ridgefield.

[jdhall1]

A lot of people do like Ridgefield but it is very expensive with the median listing price for a single family home of about $915,000 and the average listing price of just over $1.2 million (per CMLS 4/14/08). Older homes in the Pleasantview neighborhood in Ridgebury start around $700,000 and homes in the Turner Hill neighborhood, which are newer but on considerbly smaller lots, start around $725,000. Good luck!

[J&A'sMOM]

I would move to Ridgefield!!!! Redding, Weston, and Wilton are too rural for me. Ridgefield is one of my favorite towns in CT. The other 3 would be too rural 4 me - we live in a 2 acre minimum area of Fairfield and it's too isolated for me and my family. We'd much rather be in town or an active neighborhood. Ridgefield schools are excellent no question about it - as are most of CT schools. As far as Westchester County NY - check into taxes before looking - they are astronomical! If you visit Ridgefield you'll fall in love with it no doubt!! It also has a bit of a NY feel to it - people are a bit more colorful than some CT communities.

[Cruikshl]

I believe there is something about taxes if you live in New York and work in CT. You should probably check that out.

[MomOfToo]

MY husband works in Armonk so we have to pay both state taxes which sucks. As for living in Westchester, both areas that you mentioned (Lewisboro and South Salem) have great schools and are wonderful towns but honestly, my family still lives in Westchester and always always always complain about the property taxes. They are constantly going up. I would rather pay more for a house on a fixed rate than be stuck with taxes that just go up. Their taxes are going up something like 10% this year. My parents pay 20K on their home and my sister pays 17K. You can get so much more in Ridgefield (land and house) and probably pay half that. And you don't hear of CT property taxes going up like you do in Westchester. They have one of the highest taxes in the country right behind CA I think. You will be so close that you will be able to visit those towns, but why pay so much for taxes? I am a realtor in Westchester and that is always a factor with my clients when purchasing there. I love Westchester, but I love CT even more. A better quality of life. If I could afford Ridgefield, I would move there too but for my price range, I got more in New Fairfield so that is where I am heading. Good luck to you and I hope I don't seem like I know it all, I don't but I have experienced it first hand and wouldn't want to see anyone make a decision that they would regret later on. Ridgefield is a beautiful place and wonderful schools. When you come to search for a home here, you will come to see that firsthand. Good luck to you!