[Stylo]

Originally Posted by JayCT

While Milford is a very nice diverse town/city with many nice neighborhoods, there are some things about it that kind of make it less desirable. First is the way the city was planned and it’s zoning. It is a city and has always wanted to be more urban. As nico7 noted, Route 1 is pretty ugly. It is lined with non descript strip malls surrounded by seas of asphalt. While that does make it one of the best places to shop in the state, it does not add much to the town’s character or appeal.

Beyond that, there are parts of Milford where commercial or industrial buildings have been built in residential areas. This kind of gives Milford an odd feel. Also, many neighborhoods are really tract housing and some of it of questionable quality. I know one of the major builders there and quite frankly the homes were garbage. His homes were widely marketed by one of the largest realtors in town and sold well because they were inexpensive. They were so cheaply built, one had a deck collapse the first week it was used.

Also Milford has a lot of what were formally beach cottages. They were also cheaply built and kind of crammed together. Not long ago some of these neighborhoods were sketchy. Now many have been remodeled and are considered desirable today.

Finally Milford does not have the quantity of affluence more desirable towns have. There are some wealthy areas but there just not as many as towns like Fairfield, Westport or Madison.

All this said, Milford does seem to offer something for everyone and that is a very good thing. Jay

It’s interesting to hear that perspective as an outsider.

Route 1 is what a lot of people see but as a resident we only go there maybe once a week. Mainly stick to back roads, downtown, shoreline areas. Gulf St, downtown, the duck ponds, Woodmont, the beaches, that’s what defines the character for me

Industrial areas are not super prevalent either. I guess near exit 40, and in Devon north of Route 1. The zoning is actually pretty logical

There’s a lot of small cottages but I don’t find it a detriment. I like the economic diversity it brings. Many are being torn down for new construction now.

[Cambium]

Seems like many people aren't aware of the gem.
The more Im in Milford the more I find things to love about it. I drove into another area of it I didnt know about and loved it. felt very New Englandy.

Its got so much...There are beautiful spaced out homes with a suburban feel, the views of the water, the shopping district, places to eat, the Oyster festival which draws 60,000+ people, the long stretch of The sound longest in the state, the bungalows, the cottages, the new homes, what you get for your money, the $25 million golf course rated top 10 best upscale courses, the trails, the history... Its an alternative to Fairfield county and is a gem..boom.

[Mike 75]

Originally Posted by JayCT

While Milford is a very nice diverse town/city with many nice neighborhoods, there are some things about it that kind of make it less desirable. First is the way the city was planned and it’s zoning. It is a city and has always wanted to be more urban. As nico7 noted, Route 1 is pretty ugly. It is lined with non descript strip malls surrounded by seas of asphalt. While that does make it one of the best places to shop in the state, it does not add much to the town’s character or appeal.

Beyond that, there are parts of Milford where commercial or industrial buildings have been built in residential areas. This kind of gives Milford an odd feel. Also, many neighborhoods are really tract housing and some of it of questionable quality. I know one of the major builders there and quite frankly the homes were garbage. His homes were widely marketed by one of the largest realtors in town and sold well because they were inexpensive. They were so cheaply built, one had a deck collapse the first week it was used.

Also Milford has a lot of what were formally beach cottages. They were also cheaply built and kind of crammed together. Not long ago some of these neighborhoods were sketchy. Now many have been remodeled and are considered desirable today.

Finally Milford does not have the quantity of affluence more desirable towns have. There are some wealthy areas but there just not as many as towns like Fairfield, Westport or Madison.

All this said, Milford does seem to offer something for everyone and that is a very good thing. Jay

Jay, I like your summary. IMO, my view of Milford is framed by growing up in the New Haven area 20 to 30 years ago, when the town was more similar to a town like West Haven. Its come a long way since then and is now closer to say Orange than it is to West Haven. But it can be hard to shake those historical perspectives (or biases) to some extent, and I have to remind myself that the Milford of now is not the Milford of old. I'm guessing that someone from out of the area with a fresh set of eyes and without the historical baggage will view Milford more positively than longtime residents of NHC and FFC.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Mike 75

Jay, I like your summary. IMO, my view of Milford is framed by growing up in the New Haven area 20 to 30 years ago, when the town was more similar to a town like West Haven. Its come a long way since then and is now closer to say Orange than it is to West Haven. But it can be hard to shake those historical perspectives (or biases) to some extent, and I have to remind myself that the Milford of now is not the Milford of old. I'm guessing that someone from out of the area with a fresh set of eyes and without the historical baggage will view Milford more positively than longtime residents of NHC and FFC.

I grew up in northern FFC and had no preconceived notion of it at all.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Mike 75

Jay, I like your summary. IMO, my view of Milford is framed by growing up in the New Haven area 20 to 30 years ago, when the town was more similar to a town like West Haven. Its come a long way since then and is now closer to say Orange than it is to West Haven. But it can be hard to shake those historical perspectives (or biases) to some extent, and I have to remind myself that the Milford of now is not the Milford of old. I'm guessing that someone from out of the area with a fresh set of eyes and without the historical baggage will view Milford more positively than longtime residents of NHC and FFC.

I don’t think Milford has ever been like Weat Haven, at least since I’ve been around in the 80’s.

IMO, Milford has it’s positives. A great restaurant scene, nice coast, great amenities. But, it doesn’t do it for me, and never will. Route 1 is an eyesore, the mall is a detriment and while some could argue its location is very central, it’s smack in between two of CT’s most violent cities so unfortunately Milford gets the spillover. The housing stock is subpar in much of the city and that god darned Costco is the busiest one I’ve ever been to. That said, anytime I needed to shop, Milford is where I’d go. It offers everything and it’s all so close together.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

so unfortunately Milford gets the spillover.

Gonna have to stop you there, because people read stuff like this and become scared to move to a city.

Milford's crime index for 2017 was 94.5, US average 280.6. Somehow even lower than Trumbull and Orange. I can tell you after living there for 9 years, never felt remotely unsafe, and would walk around any part of town any time of day and not feel threatened.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Gonna have to stop you there, because people read stuff like this and become scared to move to a city.

Milford's crime index for 2017 was 94.5, US average 280.6. Somehow even lower than Trumbull and Orange.

Source? Sorry, but anything that says Orange’s crime rate is higher than Milford’s has a flawed methodology.

I’m not suggesting Milford has high crime, but you can’t ignore that a significant percentage of Milford’s crime (theft and other property crime) is perpetrated by residents of the surrounding cities. That’s all I meant, and nowhere did I say Milford was unsafe.

Some people just aren’t a fan of Milford, and I’m one of them. It is what it is.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Source? Sorry, but anything that says Orange’s crime rate is higher than Milford’s has a flawed methodology.

I’m not suggesting Milford has high crime, but you can’t ignore that a significant percentage of Milford’s crime (theft and other property crime) is perpetrated by residents of the surrounding cities. That’s all I meant, and nowhere did I say Milford was unsafe.

It is what it is.

Right here:

http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime...nnecticut.html

The same can be said about Fairfield, Westport (2 towns removed from Bridgeport and next to Norwalk), West Hartford, Trumbull, etc. Just seems like disingenuous fear mongering. You have to consider the audience on this forum, people that know very little of the area and would read what you wrote and be totally turned off by an area when there's nothing to fear.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Right here:

http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime...nnecticut.html

The same can be said about Fairfield, Westport (2 towns removed from Bridgeport and next to Norwalk), West Hartford, Trumbull, etc. Just seems like disingenuous fear mongering. You have to consider the audience on this forum, people that know very little of the area and would read what you wrote and be totally turned off by an area when there's nothing to fear.

You do realize that’s only violent crime, right? Looking at Neighborhood scout, which reports all crime, ranks Milford 38 out of 100, with 100 being zero crime.

Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site

Again, that doesn’t mean Milford is at all unsafe (i’d call it safe), and the majority of crime is property and theft. To say the majority of Milford’s crime isn’t spillover is totally false. You’re right the same can be said for other towns but this thread is about Milford.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Mike 75

Jay, I like your summary. IMO, my view of Milford is framed by growing up in the New Haven area 20 to 30 years ago, when the town was more similar to a town like West Haven. Its come a long way since then and is now closer to say Orange than it is to West Haven. But it can be hard to shake those historical perspectives (or biases) to some extent, and I have to remind myself that the Milford of now is not the Milford of old. I'm guessing that someone from out of the area with a fresh set of eyes and without the historical baggage will view Milford more positively than longtime residents of NHC and FFC.

It was not my intention to give a negative view of Milford. Milford was a small town before World War II and because it is located half way between two of Connecticut's largest cities and had large tracts of developable land, it saw a LOT of post war housing construction. It was a town that young people moved to because it had less expensive housing options including many nice new or newer modest homes. Several family members bought their first homes there back in the 60's because of that.

I agree with Stylo that Milford was not like West Haven. It did not become its own town until 1921 and was not incorporated as a city until 1961 which is kind of late for a municpality in Connecticut. Before 1921 it was part of Orange. After it split, West Haven emanated New Haven with denser housing patterns. Milford has been its own town since its founding in 1639 so its been around a LONG time. Jay