[allanny13]

Originally Posted by nep321

Having had the experience of working in the downtown Stamford area for two years while living in Norwalk, honestly, if I were to do it all over again, I would have focused solely on living in the surrounding towns, such as Greenwich, New Canaan, Darien and maybe Norwalk or Wilton. But anything beyond Norwalk/Wilton is going to suck in terms of traffic/commute. Believe me. I would also look in Westchester County, NY in adjacent cities/towns/villages such as Rye, White Plains, Bedford, North Castle, Harrison, Rye Brook, Valhalla, etc., which have more favorable traffic patterns commuting toward Stamford.

As for Monroe, HELL NO. It's just way too far and will take up 1+ hours each way.

But even while living in Norwalk, although mornings weren't TOO bad, going back home was horriffic. What would normally take about 10 mins without traffic ended up taking up to 40 mins with traffic. It was painful, stop and go traffic for the whole 7-mile stretch on I-95, but at least as soon as I entered Norwalk, home was right around the corner. I feel bad for anyone who has to continue going all the way to Westport, Fairfield, etc.

If we are talking about $325k I don't think any town you listed is even a remote option for them. Maybe some areas of Norwalk? Not familiar with Monroe either.

[nep321]

Originally Posted by allanny13

If we are talking about $325k I don't think any town you listed is even a remote option for them. Maybe some areas of Norwalk? Not familiar with Monroe either.

I thought they were looking to rent for no more than $2,200 a month. Almost any city/town in FFC will have that.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by nep321

I thought they were looking to rent for no more than $2,200 a month. Almost any city/town in FFC will have that.

Wrong thread. This guy can't spend anymore than $325k.

[SmalltownguyCT]

Originally Posted by nep321

I thought they were looking to rent for no more than $2,200 a month. Almost any city/town in FFC will have that.

We are looking to buy a house. There is a decent selection of 3 bedroom houses in Monroe between $275K and $325K. None of them are extravagant but they aren't dumps either. Some are surprisingly quite nice. we are 30 in February and this would be our first property.

[SeaDoo342]

Originally Posted by SmalltownguyCT

We are looking to buy a house. There is a decent selection of 3 bedroom houses in Monroe between $275K and $325K. None of them are extravagant but they aren't dumps either. Some are surprisingly quite nice. we are 30 in February and this would be our first property.

Monroe is a good town, just get ready for an hour commute.... as Kidyankee said, you probably want to focus on the western side of Monroe so you can take back roads through Easton... Like along 25 or even better, Hattertown Rd... If you look up toward Sandy Hook or Oxford/RT 34, you're adding at least 10-15 mins onto your commute...

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by SeaDoo342

Monroe is a good town, just get ready for an hour commute.... as Kidyankee said, you probably want to focus on the western side of Monroe so you can take back roads through Easton... Like along 25 or even better, Hattertown Rd... If you look up toward Sandy Hook or Oxford/RT 34, you're adding at least 10-15 mins onto your commute...

Or even the southwest part of town is alright - I just wouldn't go north of Route 110 or east of 111 for a Stamford commute.

[BeyondtheHorizon]

You really need a job that can support the COL near the area where you working. It's absurd trying to commute from monroe to stamford. A few months ok, but going and buying a house long term makes no sense. This is why we have traffic problems people. Insane col driving people away from employment centers like stamford.

If you're going to live far away you are better off going north up 684. THe median home price in lake carmel is 192k versus 354k in monroe. You'll get WAY more house for your money. The traffic, while tough, is no comparison to fairfield area. The monroe to stamford commute is one of the worst in the U.S.. It can be as long as 2 hours. Go on google maps and type arrive by 9am into the bar and you'll see it can be as long as 2 hours and 10 minutes

[SmalltownguyCT]

Originally Posted by BeyondtheHorizon

You really need a job that can support the COL near the area where you working. It's absurd trying to commute from monroe to stamford. A few months ok, but going and buying a house long term makes no sense. This is why we have traffic problems people. Insane col driving people away from employment centers like stamford.

If you're going to live far away you are better off going north up 684. THe median home price in lake carmel is 192k versus 354k in monroe. You'll get WAY more house for your money. The traffic, while tough, is no comparison to fairfield area. The monroe to stamford commute is one of the worst in the U.S.. It can be as long as 2 hours. Go on google maps and type arrive by 9am into the bar and you'll see it can be as long as 2 hours and 10 minutes

The reason we don't want to buy a place in Stamford is because we prefer super low crime rates, super nice schools, and we prefer to live in an overwhelmingly European American town with European American values. We do not want to live in a city. If we can't afford Darien or New Canaan then we live in Wilton or Redding. If we can't afford Wilton or Redding then we live in Bethel or Monroe. Monroe has the advantage of being the most conservative town in Fairfield County too (It voted Trump 54.5 - Hillary 41.5). All of these things together make it far more attractive to me. I don't think it's fair to blame the traffic on us Peons who can't afford to buy in New Canaan and Old Greenwich. I'll gladly pay up for high speed rail, increased gas tax, or taxes for a wider road but CT refuses to focus on the traffic in Fairfield County probably because the only people calling for that are people who actually work and we know how CT treats people like that

Monroe to Fairfield train station is consistently not bad at all. Train to Stamford is frequent and reliable. Door to Door 1hr is not that bad. After reading this thread I am definitely against driving the whole way.

[Raider111]

Originally Posted by SmalltownguyCT

The reason we don't want to buy a place in Stamford is because we prefer super low crime rates, super nice schools, and we prefer to live in an overwhelmingly European American town with European American values. We do not want to live in a city. If we can't afford Darien or New Canaan then we live in Wilton or Redding. If we can't afford Wilton or Redding then we live in Bethel or Monroe. Monroe has the advantage of being the most conservative town in Fairfield County too (It voted Trump 54.5 - Hillary 41.5). All of these things together make it far more attractive to me. I don't think it's fair to blame the traffic on us Peons who can't afford to buy in New Canaan and Old Greenwich. I'll gladly pay up for high speed rail, increased gas tax, or taxes for a wider road but CT refuses to focus on the traffic in Fairfield County probably because the only people calling for that are people who actually work and we know how CT treats people like that

Monroe to Fairfield train station is consistently not bad at all. Train to Stamford is frequent and reliable. Door to Door 1hr is not that bad. After reading this thread I am definitely against driving the whole way.

Door to door Monroe to Stamford in an hour is a pipe dream, drive or train, not happening.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by SmalltownguyCT

We are looking into buying a house somewhere within a commuting distance of Stamford CT. We have ruled out living in NYC.

We have a few places in mind but we want a 3BR+ with excellent schools. Our budget is about 275k-325K.

We have come to the conclusion that it would be lucky to find something like this in Redding but not impossible.

We could definitely find something in this range in Bethel but the schools are not as good as our other options. Bethel is still a possibility and it is nice that it has a train station.

We have looked into Monroe which is perfect for what we want and need but it does not have a train which means probably 45 minutes on a good day and an hour and more likely over an hour and possibly much worse. We really like the look of the schools, the community, and everything that this place has to offer.

We have also considered looking into a place like Madison or Guilford, both of which have express train service to Stamford which is just about 90 minutes. We have done the 90 minute commute from Wilton to Grand Central and it was tiring certainly, but it may be better than driving for an hour. Excellent schools, much more quiet and laid back as oppose to Fairfield County - this is a big plus which I am not sure can be overstated.

We have thought about Milford, Orange, and Fairfield but we want to have a big buffer space between ourselves and the crime.

What's better? The drive 8am / 5pm drive from Stamford to Monroe (ive heard this can be a nightmare) or the express train from Stamford to Madison (seemingly reliable and you can actually read a book or work on a laptop)? I have seen that both places are great for families with young children and I can't help but think the winters in Madison would be more forgiving and that beach breeze would be so nice...

First, why do you think Bethel has subpar schools? They are as good as Monroe IMHO and I would not hesitate to send my kids to them. So you know though, trains from Bethel to Stamford are limited so check Metro North's schedule to be sure it would work for you.

I am also not sure what you mean by wanting a "big buffer" from crime. If you mean not bordering a city that has typical urban issues, you would then be eliminating some of the most beautiful and desirable communities in the country. Keep in mind that highly desirable and very safe towns like Greenwich, New Canaan, Darien, Westport, Wilton and Weston all border cities and I do not see people with a lot bigger budgets than yours shying away from them. My family has lived in Fairfield for 100 years and except for a bicycle being taken from the garage, they have NEVER had a problem with crime. Also, what town with high crime are you trying to avoid in Milford? IT does not border New Haven or Bridgeport so I am confused about your concerns.

I do agree with the others that with your budget, you are going to have to compromise. IT is your choice what is more important, commuting distance or the perception of issues (crime, schools) that are not exactly real. Jay