[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

The social culture may be tied to New York - but the visual look is still New England!

I'm sorry, but I don't see it. Fairfield and New Haven Counties are very similar to lower Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester Counties.

[skytrekker]

Well Rich I strongly disagree- and any trained geographer will as well.
The physical topography is very New England- not lower Hudson Valley, the New England coast on LI sound in lower Fairfield county is typically New England-

[Lizzie007]

mtb....what is your price range on a house if you don't mind me asking? i have had my eye on the market in North Haven for the last 6 or so months so I am just curious.
also, do you have children? i ask this because north haven is a great area for a family - an excellent children's library, great schools and so much more. Being next door to Hamden has great advantages - Hamden has great parks, linear trail, tons of retail that you could take advantage of as well.

[jad2000]

Originally Posted by Rich Lee

In my 20 years of living in Connecticut, I would say that the culture of Fairfield and New Haven Counties is closer to that of Westchester-Putnam-Dutchess Counties than it is to Tolland-Windham-New London-Middlesex Counties.

I agree with this 100%.

I drive daily from the New Canaan area to Danbury and when traffic is bad on Route 7, I detour through towns in Westchester County. The home styles are exactly the same as in western Connecticut (colonials, raised ranches, ranches, capes) and many of these towns actually do have a town green and those white clapboard churches. Taking a tour through the back winding roads of Westchester will show you this. What I think way too many folks do is drive through on the highways, look out the side window and make a judgement as to what the area is like. Any exit off of 684 or the Hutch will take you to the same winding, country and leafy roads that you will see in Ridgefield, Fairfield, Bethel, Orange, Milford and Trumbull. The only difference is the pavement and road signs.

Take the back roads from the Merritt Parkway to the Westchester County airport via Round Hill Road - you will have no idea when you cross into New York.

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by jad2000

I agree with this 100%.

I drive daily from the New Canaan area to Danbury and when traffic is bad on Route 7, I detour through towns in Westchester County. The home styles are exactly the same as in western Connecticut (colonials, raised ranches, ranches, capes) and many of these towns actually do have a town green and those white clapboard churches. Taking a tour through the back winding roads of Westchester will show you this. What I think way too many folks do is drive through on the highways, look out the side window and make a judgement as to what the area is like. Any exit off of 684 or the Hutch will take you to the same winding, country and leafy roads that you will see in Ridgefield, Fairfield, Bethel, Orange, Milford and Trumbull. The only difference is the pavement and road signs.

Take the back roads from the Merritt Parkway to the Westchester County airport via Round Hill Road - you will have no idea when you cross into New York.

The population density is higher in Connecticut- it is less dense in NY state-.

Also the design of the town centers and street patterns, and overall population settlement is still uniquely New England.

If it all possible courses in rural and urban geography as well as historical settlement patterns comparing New England/ Connecticut and that of NY state and the mid Atlantic- are very helpful; it may begin to show you there are are large differences right over the state line, between NY and CT- Geography (Rural and urban), as well as cartography (map makers) will see this -others MAY not. Simple visual parameters do not show the more subtle differences. Population density for one is the largest difference seen visually- and again that somewhat strange term to non geographers 'House form and culture' is quiet different.

And again if one is looking for purely a quick visual difference- drive south on NY route 22 just over the state line, and US Route 7 in CT- the differences are in fact quite profound. As a fellow geographer said to me- 'NY and CT are very different' within a mere few miles apart on the state lines.

Geography 101 (intro to Geography) Geography 439 (urban geography), Geography 276 (Elementary cartography) and Geography 440 (Rural and urban land use) are available at Central CT State University if anyone is interested. Connecticut Geography (Geo. 315) is currently available only at Southern CT State Univ. currently. All these courses are also available at the University of Connecticut at Storrs (although their course numbering and titles may be slightly different.)

Additionally for those wanting an objective evaluation of the differences between western CT and NY state and if it is 'New England or mid Atlantic' you may want to contact the Geography departments at Central Connecticut State University, as well as UCONN for more information about 'house form and culture' and the geographic/social comparisons between Connecticut/New England and NY and the mid Atlantic region.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

The population density is higher in Connecticut- it is less dense in NY state-.

...and the population density of New Jersey is more dense. Does that mean New Jersey (OML, their ZIP codes start with a "0", too) is now part of New England?

Population densities for certain states:
1138.0 New Jersey
1003.2 Rhode Island
809.8 Massachusetts
702.9 Connecticut
541.9 Maryland
401.9 New York
401.1 Delaware
274.0 Pennsylvania
137.8 New Hampshire
88.6 Washington
65.8 Vermont
41.3 Maine
35.6 Oregon

Looking at this list, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine have extremely low population densities. Again, maybe they should be considered part of another region, perhaps the Pacific Northwest?

[mtb2008]

We are not able to visit CT before we move and are left to make the decision about the community we will live in "site unseen". So, we really appreciate everyone's thoughts and opinions. It is very helpful.

Lizzie, we don't have children yet and our plan is to rent for the first few months while we look at houses in the $200-220K (I have a feeling that may limit us to condos/ townhomes).

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by mtb2008

We are not able to visit CT before we move and are left to make the decision about the community we will live in "site unseen." So, we really appreciate everyone's thoughts and opinions. It is very helpful.

Lizzie, we don't have children yet and our plan is to rent for the first few months while we look at houses in the $200-220K (I have a feeling that may limit us to condos/ townhomes).

mtb2008,

There are 114 single-family properties currently on the market in North Haven. For the price range $200,000 - $220,000, there are four (4). Two are on SHOW status (an offer's been accepted, but not all contingencies have been met), and the remaining two have no offers. But, the listings describe one as "great rehab property" and the other as "needs complete rehab."

Rich

[jad2000]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

The population density is higher in Connecticut- it is less dense in NY state-.

Also the design of the town centers and street patterns, and overall population settlement is still uniquely New England.

If it all possible courses in rural and urban geography as well as historical settlement patterns comparing New England/ Connecticut and that of NY state and the mid Atlantic- are very helpful; it may begin to show you there are are large differences right over the state line, between NY and CT- Geography (Rural and urban), as well as cartography (map makers) will see this -others MAY not. Simple visual parameters do not show the more subtle differences. Population density for one is the largest difference seen visually- and again that somewhat strange term to non geographers 'House form and culture' is quiet different.

And again if one is looking for purely a quick visual difference- drive south on NY route 22 just over the state line, and US Route 7 in CT- the differences are in fact quite profound. As a fellow geographer said to me- 'NY and CT are very different' within a mere few miles apart on the state lines.

Geography 101 (intro to Geography) Geography 439 (urban geography), Geography 276 (Elementary cartography) and Geography 440 (Rural and urban land use) are available at Central CT State University if anyone is interested. Connecticut Geography (Geo. 315) is currently available only at Southern CT State Univ. currently. All these courses are also available at the University of Connecticut at Storrs (although their course numbering and titles may be slightly different.)

Additionally for those wanting an objective evaluation of the differences between western CT and NY state and if it is 'New England or mid Atlantic' you may want to contact the Geography departments at Central Connecticut State University, as well as UCONN for more information about 'house form and culture' and the geographic/social comparisons between Connecticut/New England and NY and the mid Atlantic region.

If I have to take a class to notice the visual differences between Westchester County and Connecticut (even though I drive this way daily), then the differences must not be too obvious.

Please, don't throw education at me as that is rather insulting, I'm sorry. I've done my time in college and grad school.

The visual differences in Westchester County and Fairfield County are NOT very obvious - maybe once you go 40 miles away from the border of Connecticut, but near the line, hardly. Again, the only very obvious difference is the pavement and road signs.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

Well Rich I strongly disagree- and any trained geographer will as well.
The physical topography is very New England- not lower Hudson Valley, the New England coast on LI sound in lower Fairfield county is typically New England-

I would agree with you also.

IMHO the change REALLY starts at Stamford and *slightly* at Norwalk.

With family from Sheepshead Bay NY to Manchester CT I too have spent much time along the corridor.

Culturewise it may be different, but the topograhy is distinctly New England.

Remember these towns were established when it took 1-2 hours to travel 10 miles.