[YouCanGoHomeAgain]

Hello,

My wife and I are kicking the tires in and around communities of East Norwalk, Fairfield, Stratford, and Trumbull (but not limited to).

Does anyone want to plug or comment on their town?!

We are married and planning a family. Goal is to be within one hour from Hartford (her parents), and 60-90 minutes from NYC (work).

Initial budget $300-350K.

Thanks!

[kidyankee784]

Originally Posted by YouCanGoHomeAgain

Hello,

My wife and I are kicking the tires in and around communities of East Norwalk, Fairfield, Stratford, and Trumbull (but not limited to).

Does anyone want to plug or comment on their town?!

We are married and planning a family. Goal is to be within one hour from Hartford (her parents), and 60-90 minutes from NYC (work).

Initial budget $300-350K.

Thanks!

I'd strongly advise against Fairfield County if you don't mind being over 60 minutes from NYC. Prices are very high and become much lower once you get past Bridgeport and the Valley (Ansonia, Derby, Shelton).

With a budget of 350k, you should look at the following towns:

Milford - A small city on the shoreline with plenty to do. There is any store you can think of on Route 1 (Boston Post Rd) and you can get a starter home around $300-350k. Schools are diverse and very good. 1 hour, 10 mins to NYC, 1 hour to Hartford.

Shelton- Also a small city but a bit inland from Milford. It's in Fairfield County so prices can be high, but for your price range you should find a decent home. The schools are diverse, there are plenty of corporations and businesses on Bridgeport Ave. 1 hour to NYC, 1 hour to Hartford.

Oxford - An attractive leafy town with a New England flavor. Schools are very good and the quality of life is excellent (if you don't mind traveling to neighboring towns for shopping). The town is not very diverse (98% white). 50 minutes to Hartford, 1 hour, 10 mins to NYC) $350k will get you a nice starter home in town, possibly more.

Stratford - A decent Fairfield County town with average schools. Prices here will be much cheaper than Milford, Oxford and Shelton, but you're close to NYC (1 hour) and Hartford (1 hour).

While Norwalk, Fairfield and Trumbull are very nice places to live, they are also very, very expensive. If you can afford it, I say go for a condo in Fairfield or Norwalk because the commute to NYC can be horrible, but if you want a house, then check out the towns I mentioned.

All travel times are without traffic.

[jdhall1]

Try looking north up in the Danbury area. You can get a decent starter home or smaller newer townhome in your price range. Good luck!

[kidyankee784]

Originally Posted by jdhall1

Try looking north up in the Danbury area. You can get a decent starter home or smaller newer townhome in your price range. Good luck!

Great suggestion...Danbury, Bethel, Brookfield, Newtown and New Fairfield are all convenient to both Hartford and NYC. It's about halfway between both.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

If you are looking to jump into a house, you will see listings in trumbull and fairfield, but they're likely going to need work, be on the bridgeport border, and not have great expansion potential. I'd say that stratford is going to be the only realistic choice(of the 4 mentioned) in your price range. Furthermore, if you're interested in expanding the home as your family grows, North Stratford offers many capes/ranches that are easily expandable for a reasonable amount of money.

[YouCanGoHomeAgain]

Thank you for the feedback. We have looked in the easternmost areas of Fairfield, and didnt like what we saw for the costs. East Norwalk was nice with its beach & rec areas, and great train access, but still too pricey. Trumbull felt a bit removed for 10 year city dwellers, and Stratford is next on the list. We both want to go 'home again' in the sense of a New England community, but desire commuter train access. One foot in, one foot out so to speak.

I was raised in Sherman (New Milford area) and she Windsor (Hartford) so we're both used to smaller towns. But NYC jobs & commuting options beckon.

Danbury etc seems far for a daily commute, but perhaps just psychologically?

[Aibutiej]

Originally Posted by kidyankee784

Milford - 1 hour, 10 mins to NYC, 1 hour to Hartford.

Shelton- 1 hour to NYC, 1 hour to Hartford.

Oxford - 50 minutes to Hartford, 1 hour, 10 mins to NYC

Stratford - NYC (1 hour) and Hartford (1 hour).

All travel times are without traffic.

Are you sure about those commute times? The train from Norwalk takes 1 hour so I don't see how it could take only 1 hour (or 1 hour 10 min.) from places further north. And if you meant by car, well then traffic is usually very bad and, depending on the time, can easily take twice as long. (That is why many people don't drive to NYC.) East Norwalk is the most expensive place mentioned, but it is also the closest to NYC. Factoring time spent going from your house to the train station and you are already spending more than 1 hour commuting. The further north you go, the more time it will take. It's a trade-off, of course: more house or less commute time.

[reason180]

Originally Posted by YouCanGoHomeAgain

Thank you for the feedback. We have looked in the easternmost areas of Fairfield, and didnt like what we saw for the costs. East Norwalk was nice with its beach & rec areas, and great train access, but still too pricey. Trumbull felt a bit removed for 10 year city dwellers, and Stratford is next on the list. We both want to go 'home again' in the sense of a New England community, but desire commuter train access. One foot in, one foot out so to speak.

I was raised in Sherman (New Milford area) and she Windsor (Hartford) so we're both used to smaller towns. But NYC jobs & commuting options beckon.

Danbury etc seems far for a daily commute, but perhaps just psychologically?

HART - Housatonic Area Regional Transit

There is a shuttle bus that runs between Danbury and the Metro-North train station in Brewster. There is also a shuttle that runs from Ridgefield to Katonah. I believe there is talk of creating shuttle service between New Fairfield and the train station in Southeast.


You might also want to take a look at the New Haven metro. Metro-North will be building a new train station in West Haven. Commuter train service between Hartford and New Haven will begin in a few years and North Haven and Wallingford will both get train stations.


Shore Line East is the commuter train that runs from New Haven to New London. If you can work from home one or two days a week you might be able to deal with the commute from here to NYC.

Shore Line East is Connecituct's Commuter Rail Service Between New Haven and New London


I’m bullish that Bridgeport, Derby, and Ansonia are going to find their populations increasing due to their location in the next 10 years.

[kidyankee784]

Originally Posted by Aibutiej

Are you sure about those commute times? The train from Norwalk takes 1 hour so I don't see how it could take only 1 hour (or 1 hour 10 min.) from places further north. And if you meant by car, well then traffic is usually very bad and, depending on the time, can easily take twice as long. (That is why many people don't drive to NYC.) East Norwalk is the most expensive place mentioned, but it is also the closest to NYC. Factoring time spent going from your house to the train station and you are already spending more than 1 hour commuting. The further north you go, the more time it will take. It's a trade-off, of course: more house or less commute time.

The times I mentioned are driving, without traffic. Train times will be much longer.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by YouCanGoHomeAgain

Hello,

My wife and I are kicking the tires in and around communities of East Norwalk, Fairfield, Stratford, and Trumbull (but not limited to).

Does anyone want to plug or comment on their town?!

We are married and planning a family. Goal is to be within one hour from Hartford (her parents), and 60-90 minutes from NYC (work).

Initial budget $300-350K.

Thanks!

It depends on what you expect for this price and how long you plan on living there. You will not get a lot for this price but in Fairfield you could get a nice but modest home in a good neighborhood. The schools in Fairfield are excellent and there is just about everything you would need nearby. Plus the commute into New York is just over an hour by train. Fairfield has great parks and beaches and there is a wonderful downtown. Your money will go further in Stratford or Trumbull but your commute time will be more. JMHO Jay