[New Englander]

Originally Posted by Stylo

I find it hard to recommend Stratford from an investment surety standpoint. I’ve heard the town is not well managed, taxes are high (mill rate has gone higher), crime has not reduced like in other nearby towns, etc. Especially when you contrast against neighbors like Milford and Shelton.

https://patch.com/connecticut/milfor...ayor-ben-blake

Sure, I understand what you are saying about Stratford. Unless things have changed drastically, I am not seeing the negatives you mentioned impacting the property values in Lordship. Although, I will say that Lordship is the weakest link in the string of communities that I mentioned.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

I find it hard to recommend Stratford from an investment surety standpoint. I’ve heard the town is not well managed, taxes are high (mill rate has gone higher), crime has not reduced like in other nearby towns, etc. Especially when you contrast against neighbors like Milford and Shelton.

https://patch.com/connecticut/milfor...ayor-ben-blake

Stratford is a million times better than the previously recommended West Haven. Neither are in a “beach house” area though.

[Henry10]

Originally Posted by Stylo

I find it hard to recommend Stratford from an investment surety standpoint. I’ve heard the town is not well managed, taxes are high (mill rate has gone higher), crime has not reduced like in other nearby towns, etc. Especially when you contrast against neighbors like Milford and Shelton.

https://patch.com/connecticut/milfor...ayor-ben-blake

I like Milford a lot too. But I see a big difference between Shoreline East towns and Milford. If I lived in Milford, I would feel locked in. You can’t get away without getting into some crazy traffic, whether it’s the highway or the shopping zoos.

I imagine Saturday mid-day - got home late on Friday, woke up late on Saturday, had a lazy breakfast and coffee, chatted with family, and it’s about noon. Now wanna go to some nice and easy place 10-20 miles away, maybe a park, maybe some hiking, maybe a bike ride. If I was in Milford I would need to go thru those two bands of brown roads on Google Maps. Not very appealing.

But you can absolutely do that from the Shoreline East towns.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Henry10

I like Milford a lot too. But I see a big difference between Shoreline East towns and Milford. If I lived in Milford, I would feel locked in. You can’t get away without getting into some crazy traffic, whether it’s the highway or the shopping zoos.

I imagine Saturday mid-day - got home late on Friday, woke up late on Saturday, had a lazy breakfast and coffee, chatted with family, and it’s about noon. Now wanna go to some nice and easy place 10-20 miles away, maybe a park, maybe some hiking, maybe a bike ride. If I was in Milford I would need to go thru those two bands of brown roads on Google Maps. Not very appealing.

But you can absolutely do that from the Shoreline East towns.

Shoreline East area is totally less densely populated, more relaxed, but that's an exaggeration on the Milford area traffic. I've lived here 8 years and I constantly leave the town to explore parts of the state and don't feel confined by traffic at all. Shopping traffic is greatly exaggerated on this forum. Outside the holiday period it is really not bad, and if you live in town you know where to take back roads to avoid any minor slowdowns. It is no worse than busy areas of Route 1 in the summer east of New Haven from my experience. There are more lanes to keep things moving.

In the winter, I go to VT to ski every weekend. Barely have any issue with traffic Saturdays and Sundays. In the summer I often go for a nice drive up north, either via 34 or 8. Easy peasy. The only times I really encounter traffic is trying to get to the Shoreline East area in the summer, it's variable and can be annoying, but it's mostly a Friday evening or Sunday evening issue. That summer traffic is not limited to southwest CT, it extends from Greenwich to Stonington.

There's also hiking and biking in town. Eisenhower, Mondo Ponds, etc. Can get to rural parks in Orange/Woodbridge/Bethany easily via backroads. I have never seen any significant traffic on 15 to Sleeping Giant/West Rock outside accidents or construction on Saturday/Sunday.

I think what you're describing more applies to Norwalk/Stamford area. That's totally in a perpetual state of gridlock it seems.

I'm looking at Google Maps live traffic estimation for a typical summer Saturday at noon per your example. All the highways in the surrounding area of Milford are green. Stamford is the only consistently jammed up "crazy traffic" with orange and red.

I can't argue there's more "nature" options east of New Haven, but there's no lack of easily accessible options west of New Haven either.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Henry10

I like Milford a lot too. But I see a big difference between Shoreline East towns and Milford. If I lived in Milford, I would feel locked in. You can’t get away without getting into some crazy traffic, whether it’s the highway or the shopping zoos.

I imagine Saturday mid-day - got home late on Friday, woke up late on Saturday, had a lazy breakfast and coffee, chatted with family, and it’s about noon. Now wanna go to some nice and easy place 10-20 miles away, maybe a park, maybe some hiking, maybe a bike ride. If I was in Milford I would need to go thru those two bands of brown roads on Google Maps. Not very appealing.

But you can absolutely do that from the Shoreline East towns.

I have the same thoughts on Milford. It’s not at all a quaint, laid back, beach community. It’s a fast paced, crowded suburb of southwestern CT.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

I have the same thoughts on Milford. It’s not at all a quaint, laid back, beach community. It’s a fast paced, crowded suburb of southwestern CT.

I have to disagree. There are many beach neighborhoods in Milford so you can’t say “not at all”. It is no less beachy feeling than Branford, Guilford or Madison. There are a lot of second homes along Milford’s shoreline and it is at least a half hour closer to Westchester which should count for something. Plus Milford will offer the OP a lot of great shopping and entertainment options that you don’t find east of New Haven. Heck, the OP could even use Metro North trains to get there. Jay

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I have to disagree. There are many beach neighborhoods in Milford so you can’t say “not at all”. It is no less beachy feeling than Branford, Guilford or Madison. There are a lot of second homes along Milford’s shoreline and it is at least a half hour closer to Westchester which should count for something. Plus Milford will offer the OP a lot of great shopping and entertainment options that you don’t find east of New Haven. Heck, the OP could even use Metro North trains to get there. Jay

To each their own. Milford is nowhere as beachy and relaxed as Guilford and Madison. JMO.

[Henry10]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I have to disagree. There are many beach neighborhoods in Milford so you can’t say “not at all”. It is no less beachy feeling than Branford, Guilford or Madison. There are a lot of second homes along Milford’s shoreline and it is at least a half hour closer to Westchester which should count for something. Plus Milford will offer the OP a lot of great shopping and entertainment options that you don’t find east of New Haven. Heck, the OP could even use Metro North trains to get there. Jay

"Great shopping and entertainment options" means a lot of people and traffic. That's what I would try to get away from. If OP wants crowd and congestion NY area has plenty to offer.

[BlackRocker]

I really do not understand these Milford comments. I lived right next to the Harbor for 4 years and still go back regularly. Some of these comments read as if all of Milford is Post Road from the connector to Orange.

It is not difficult to get out and stating 95 as a problem is strange because commuting to Madison takes you through this 95 traffic anyway.


I love Madison too. Madison vs Milford, all else equal, I go with Madison but considering how much further away it is, I don’t think it’s that much better.

Buy a house walking distance to the train in Milford and you never have to see The busy part of RTE1.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by BlackRocker

I really do not understand these Milford comments. I lived right next to the Harbor for 4 years and still go back regularly. Some of these comments read as if all of Milford is Post Road from the connector to Orange.

It is not difficult to get out and stating 95 as a problem is strange because commuting to Madison takes you through this 95 traffic anyway.


I love Madison too. Madison vs Milford, all else equal, I go with Madison but considering how much further away it is, I don’t think it’s that much better.

Buy a house walking distance to the train in Milford and you never have to see The busy part of RTE1.

The OP is not looking for a house “walking distance to the train”. The OP is looking for a beach house, on the water, in a relaxing, pleasant, beachy atmosphere. While Milford has some beachy neighborhoods, the city itself (yes, Milford is technically a small city) is not the second home, Hamptons-alternative utopia some here suggest.

Towns like Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Old Lyme, etc are.