[Steve_]

Live in suburbs and now work in Boston. Taking a job in downtown Manhatten and need to figure out where I should be looking. Relevant info:

- Buy a house
- Suburbanite, would like a friendly (not snobby) town
- 3 kids, aged 8-13. Schools and sports are important (esp soccer)
- Consider house up to $1.5mm, but would like to keep it under $1mm
- Want a reasonable commute to downtown NYC
- Lots of air travel, so airport proximity a secondary factor

Am I better off looking in NJ? Prefer to be in CT as closer to relatives in Mass and RI.

THANKS!

[ambarstone]

You have several choices but I'll throw in the Town of Fairfield. It is a nicely economically diverse town where you can find a nice house in your price range that is near the train station for easier travel to your job. People here are OK (a bit reserved), but I don't feel them to be snobby at all. The soccer program is great and inexpensive, here is the link for that:
Town of Fairfield | Fairfield Parks and Recreation

Airports are not so close but doable- some 45 minutes to the Westchester county airport, and I'd say 1 1/2 hour to LGA, maybe a bit less if no traffic.

Commute to NYC will be by Metro North, some 70 minutes to midtown (and then the subway if your job is Downtown).

Another town is Westport. It is closer to NYC but I am not sure about the snobby part.

Best luck in your search!

[skytrekker]

New Haven Tweed Airport is about 20 miles away, but only has US Air as a carrier.

[brattpowered]

I would say Stamford. It's a lot less snobby than the surrounding towns, and 1 mil will get you a lot more than in Greenwich, Darien or New Canaan. It is also much closer to the City than points east (e.g. Fairfield).

Some people may put down Stamford's schools, but the lower average test scores have more to do with a diverse student body and achievement gap between upper and lower class students than the teachers or curricula. However, there are several private school options should you choose to take that route.

[JayCT]

Steve - If your job will be downtown, you might be better off in New Jersey. there are many nice towns where you could buy a great house for $1 million and not have a long commute. Check on the New Jersey boards for recommendations. Don't get me wrong, there are many people that work downtown that live in Connecticut, but the trip can be a long one. you would need to take the Metro-North train into Grand Central and then get a subway or bus downtown.

I should caution you that New Jersey is not New England and there may be some differences. If you want Connecticut, there are many towns to consider which you could get a nice home for around $1 million. Greenwich would be the closest to New York and the most expensive. Great town with a lot of great shopping, restaurants, schools, entertainment and family-activities. But be aware $1 million will only buy you a modest home.

The next town up the line is Stamford which is really a small city. You will ge tmore home there but be aware that it is a city and it doeshave some but not a lot of urban issues. Many people in Stamford send their kids to private schools. Hope this helps, Jay

[Steve_]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Steve - If your job will be downtown, you might be better off in New Jersey. there are many nice towns where you could buy a great house for $1 million and not have a long commute. Check on the New Jersey boards for recommendations. Don't get me wrong, there are many people that work downtown that live in Connecticut, but the trip can be a long one. you would need to take the Metro-North train into Grand Central and then get a subway or bus downtown.

I should caution you that New Jersey is not New England and there may be some differences. If you want Connecticut, there are many towns to consider which you could get a nice home for around $1 million. Greenwich would be the closest to New York and the most expensive. Great town with a lot of great shopping, restaurants, schools, entertainment and family-activities. But be aware $1 million will only buy you a modest home.

The next town up the line is Stamford which is really a small city. You will ge tmore home there but be aware that it is a city and it doeshave some but not a lot of urban issues. Many people in Stamford send their kids to private schools. Hope this helps, Jay

Jay,

Thanks. I'd like CT because of proximity to friends and relatives in RI and MA, but from what I'm gathering, NJ is the sensible option if I don't want to spend 4hrs a day commuting. Your one of many that have told me that.

I once considered Darien, can anyone tell me how long of a commute to downtown near the WTC site area?

[flavorPacket]

Your commute will be long, but then again, you won't have to say you live in NJ. Plus, the schools (and soccer programs) in Fairfield County blow Bergen County NJ out of the water.

I think from Darien to WTC area would be roughly 90 min minimum.

[toddb]

Originally Posted by Steve_

Jay,

Thanks. I'd like CT because of proximity to friends and relatives in RI and MA, but from what I'm gathering, NJ is the sensible option if I don't want to spend 4hrs a day commuting. Your one of many that have told me that.

I once considered Darien, can anyone tell me how long of a commute to downtown near the WTC site area?

If you're going to be working downtown, I would recommend staying away from anything farther away from NYC than Stamford. My wife has been commuting from Fairfield to Tribeca (a hair north of WTC/World Financial) for about 6 months, and it is a horrible drain on her. It's a minimum of 1h45m each way.

When checking train times, make sure to note that express trains only run at certain times. If you need to be in the office by about 7 (like most of the financial world) then you might have some problems. Once you figure out the amount of time to get to Grand Central, add another 40+ minutes to your commute to take the 2 subways you need to get downtown.

As for the airports, there is White Plains (HPN) or Hartford, JFK/LGA, and from Fairfield, Newark is only about 1h20m with no traffic.

I grew up in NJ and just moved from there to CT about 6 months ago. With a budget of $1m-1.5m, you will have your pick of a lot of nice towns. I would check on the towns along the Midtown Direct train line -- towns like Chatham, Maplewood (be careful of the neighborhood's here), Short Hills, even Livingston (15+ mins to the train though). They have express trains to Penn Station, or you have the option of going into Hoboken and taking the ferry across. The ferry runs every 6-8 minutes directly to World Financial Ctr, and it takes under 10 minutes to cross. I have friends who do this from Chatham, and the commute is (I think) not much over an hour.

Feel free to send me a msg if you have any more questions...

[kmbrewer2]

I live in Darien and the commute is a snap to midtown.Dowtown is another matter.You need to take the subway when you arrive at Grand Central.NJ is an option for someone in the WTC area altho a great many people commute to downtown from here.(like practically the whole town).Youre in the right ball park in terms of pricing. I am a broker here and prices havent been better since the late 90's. Under $1M will get you three to four small bedrms on .33 acres,maybe 1800 square feet. Over a $1m will serve a family with three children much better.Contact me if you need help figuring out neighborhoods or house locations.

[jjbradleynyc]

I'd recommend Stamford also. But, as some have said, Darien is not that much further than Stamford--just a few mins more. With Darien, you have a smaller town that is adjacent to the much-bigger Stamford. Plus, the many "chain stores" are located in Norwalk--which is about 5-10 mins away. Darien is super wealthy and very, very upper-crust in terms of mindset and culture. It has a beautiful downtown with many cool restaurants, boutiques, and a couple of bars. Homes there are pricey. If you chose Stamford, you'd get much more house for your money, with better location, and less attitude. JMHO... Good luck.