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The others here have pretty much summed it up. Southbury is a bit more rural and away from urban areas while a Orange is more suburban and closer to major cities so it depends on you and your family's preference. Orange is a little more upscale and affluent, is closer to the coast and has schools that are among the top performing in the state. That is not to say the schools are not good in Southbury though.
Another thing to consider is that Southbury is home to the state's largest retirement community, Heritage Village. It has over 2,500 units, so you should expect to run into more elderly people there. I am not sure if you plan to use military retirement services but Orange would give you better access to the US submarine base in Groton where some services are available. Finally Orange is right next to West Haven where there is a large veterans hospital which may also be of interest. Hope this helps. Jay
I say Southbury if you want a quieter life and Orange if you want to be close to places. Southbury is building a movie theater, but lacks the big box stores like Orange. School systems are great in both. Both towns are very community oriented. Orange can have more traffic per se than Southbury.
As for as Healthcare you have access to Yale, Griffin, and Milford in Orange. In Southbury Western CT Health Network reigns supreme. Think there is a Yale partner urgent care center in Southbury. Few private health offices. Think about 3 assisted/skill living facilities. There also may be a VNA service in Southbury.
Also as mentioned above the VA hospital is in West Haven. Not sure if WH or Newington is of the bigger facilities, but do believe WH is.
OP, of your original two towns, IMHO, Orange would be hands down the best for raising kids. Pretty sure Orange is part of the Amity (along with Bethany and Woodbridge) school system. (each of these three towns may have their own grammar school but come together for the Amity high school)
Orange is more in the middle of things, less isolated geographically. You would have very easy access to NH for culture and world class health care, the shoreline and NYC via train. I think others here will agree with me that the worst traffic (I think you mentioned that as a concern) is rush hours on highways to and from areas closer to NYC.
Forgot to add - West Haven VA is the only in-patient VA facility in CT. Newington is out-patient only. West Haven VA is not only a possible source of health care for your husband, but a potential employer. GL
OP, of your original two towns, IMHO, Orange would be hands down the best for raising kids. Pretty sure Orange is part of the Amity (along with Bethany and Woodbridge) school system. (each of these three towns may have their own grammar school but come together for the Amity high school)
Orange is more in the middle of things, less isolated geographically. You would have very easy access to NH for culture and world class health care, the shoreline and NYC via train. I think others here will agree with me that the worst traffic (I think you mentioned that as a concern) is rush hours on highways to and from areas closer to NYC.
Good luck.
Traffic in Orange itself is minor. Side streets are lightly trafficked and even the Orange section of 1 isn't that bad.
Thank you all so much for your insights! We've always been stationed in small towns and don't mind quiet areas. It seems like all three towns are nearby bodies of water and that's a plus for us. Great to know about mill rates, VA/military base, school systems, and what's around. I guess, my next step is to apply in those different facilities and see where I get accepted ��
Traffic in Orange itself is minor. Side streets are lightly trafficked and even the Orange section of 1 isn't that bad.
While Orange doesn't have heavy traffic in town, a significant amount of side roads are cut-throughs for people trying to avoid busier routes. I've heard this from numerous people who live in town. It's my only hang-up with Orange. Well, that and the tasteless way many 50s ranch owners added onto their homes. Small home + monstrous addition = ugly. Orange has a lot of that.
While Orange doesn't have heavy traffic in town, a significant amount of side roads are cut-throughs for people trying to avoid busier routes. I've heard this from numerous people who live in town. It's my only hang-up with Orange. Well, that and the tasteless way many 50s ranch owners added onto their homes. Small home + monstrous addition = ugly. Orange has a lot of that.
Yeah, there's some strange looking homes there and Woodbridge as well. There's this one wide A-frame ranch on the corner of Milan rd, where one side of the house comes so low toward the ground, you can literally step on and start walking on the roof. Easy gutter cleaning I guess.
While Orange doesn't have heavy traffic in town, a significant amount of side roads are cut-throughs for people trying to avoid busier routes. I've heard this from numerous people who live in town. It's my only hang-up with Orange. Well, that and the tasteless way many 50s ranch owners added onto their homes. Small home + monstrous addition = ugly. Orange has a lot of that.
I drive through Orange quite often and have not experienced that. That includes Indian River, Peck, Orange Center, Racebrook, Lambert, and others. Never seen a lick of traffic on those roads in my 7 years in the area. Route 1 closer to the Milford border can get busy, but it's tolerable. Traffic hasn't even been an issue for me in Milford, because if I'm going to Costco, I'm cutting through to the quickest way in and maybe in a 1/4 mile slowdown.
The one place in Orange that can get a little jammed is 34 at rush hour, but it's by far not the worst part of 34.
Southbury, of course, has very little traffic.
I don't disagree on the weird additions. There's a lot of that in north Milford too.
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