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We're looking to buy in New Canaan but we're not overly familiar with the different areas and neighborhoods and their pros and cons. We've seen a couple of houses that were nice in the mariomi/cheese spring road area, but we're wondering if this is considered too far out? We have two young kids that will be going to schools...im coming from a place where the town is smaller and its typical to be walking distance to everything, just not sure if we're looking way out there or if being 10 minutes from schools or town is more the norm around here.
Any info on the various neighborhoods would be great. Surprisingly tough to find much on the internet.
We're looking to buy in New Canaan but we're not overly familiar with the different areas and neighborhoods and their pros and cons. We've seen a couple of houses that were nice in the mariomi/cheese spring road area, but we're wondering if this is considered too far out? We have two young kids that will be going to schools...im coming from a place where the town is smaller and its typical to be walking distance to everything, just not sure if we're looking way out there or if being 10 minutes from schools or town is more the norm around here.
Any info on the various neighborhoods would be great. Surprisingly tough to find much on the internet.
The school population lives throughout town. 10 minutes is a slightly further than average but I know people who go to school from those areas. It's the normal, don't worry.
No one can tell you if living further out from town is right for your family or not. That’s kind of a personal choice. Living further out can mean more privacy though which is important to some people.
I will say that even though we live in a walkable part of town with lots of kids our kid’s ages, we still found ourselves driving them places. All of their sports activities required driving and many of their friends lived outside our immediate neighborhood. They could ride their bikes to the friends houses but that meant they would have to cross a busy street and we were uncomfortable with that when they were younger.
We also have friends that live within walking distance of stores, restaurants and entertainment but they also drive places instead of walk. When they go shopping they usually have to buy too much to carry home. When going out for dinner they don’t like to walk because they get dirty and sweaty going and are uncomfortable walking late at night even though it’s a very safe area. Again it’s your choice. Jay
I agree with Jay, it's all about personal preference. I live 2 miles outside of central/town of New Canaan. It's not really walkable, but it's a quick drive. From those east side locations you mentioned, you will likely find yourself doing much of your shopping in Norwalk along the route 7/Main Avenue corridor. I prefer the east side of New Canaan for that reason. The west side, there isn't much in North Stamford, so you're looking at going to more southern Stamford, or Darien for certain things. As one who does little shopping in New Canaan proper to avoid the 06840 prices, I think it's best to focus on your needs as a family and decide from there. Do you need to be close to shopping, town, highways, train stations? Do you work in Manhattan where every minute of commute time matters? Or do you work in Danbury where being closer to route 7 is nice? People in New Canaan live all over the place and there really isn't any one defining reason as to why.
New Canaan doesn't have clearly defined "neighborhoods." There's very little tract housing, if any at all. Most of the homes were built individually as custom or spec homes. There are a number of antique homes throughout the town as well from its days as a rural farming community.
If you really want to be in town, you can find plenty of homes there, however they come at a premium. The farther out and north you go, the more bang for your buck. A lot of the large estates are outside of town and their values have fallen dramatically over the past few years shifting a large amount of the property tax burden to those homes in town as their values have held better. So keep that in mind. Some people in NC may argue about which elementary school is better, but that's like arguing which Harlem Globetrotter can do better tricks. South School has more students walking to it due to its location compared to West and East.
You'll get more for your dollar in the Northeastern area along Cheese Spring as it's more woodsy and borders Wilton...read as not close to much shopping or anything. The roads up there can be kind of winding and you're just that much farther away from the train stations, Merritt, 95, etc. You get plowed out a little later, may lose power more, see more wildlife, etc. But it's not the wild west. The farther out you go, the zoning laws change so you won't have any industry, and you'll have larger lot sizes. Much of the area outside of town is 2-acre zoning, and farther north is 4-acre zoning. Do you value privacy or big lots to maintain? There isn't a whole lot of suburban or town life north toward the NY line. New Canaan has some distinctly "suburban" sections (down by the YMCA) and more woodsy sections as you go north that tried to blend suburban type housing in a rural setting. Keep in mind that some areas of New Canaan still DO NOT have cell phone service, especially as you go north.
I don't know what your budget is or what your needs are in terms of house size are, so I can't say you should definitely look at certain areas. But in many ways it may not matter as New Canaan is interesting compared to some other areas in that you can have $3-4 million homes next to $1 million homes (which is really the lowest it gets for something livable in NC). There are a few condo/multi-family sections, and there is some government assisted housing along Millport/East Avenue. There is a cluster of 2-family homes along 123 before it's called Smith Ridge Road. I'm not going to say you should avoid those areas, but you may find a higher concentration of renters and transient residents there.
I personally like the aesthetics of the northern more woodsy areas of New Canaan, but for my family, the extra 10-15 minute drive to go everywhere would get annoying after a while. But as others have said, it's up to you and your needs. I'm happy to provide any other details you'd like regarding New Canaan. Send me a PM if you'd like.
Another thing to note, some people have the perception that the west side is "better" for some reason. I haven't quite figured out why yet. You may see a little bit of a difference in real estate values west vs. east. But I think that gap is closing. The scenery is basically the same on both sides of New Canaan if comparing those two. But I remember when we were looking at houses, our realtor was very set on steering us to a west side location...even pushing us to a $2 million house she thought was perfect, however it wound up being purchased by someone and torn down because it was so crappy. I find some locations on the west side to be more inaccessible to things, but that is mainly my personal opinion.
Yes, those streets are a drive from most of where you are going to be going- East School, churches, stores, activities, restaurants, parks, the train. And the roads can be brutal in bad weather- snow, ice, or the dreaded Nor'easter. You will be spending a lot of time in the car. Riding bikes is not an option on those twisty, narrow roads.
Years ago West School was perceived to be the top elementary school, but all three schools are excellent.
One advantage to the upper west quadrant is proximity to Scott's Corners in Pound Ridge for shopping.
Yes, those streets are a drive from most of where you are going to be going- East School, churches, stores, activities, restaurants, parks, the train. And the roads can be brutal in bad weather- snow, ice, or the dreaded Nor'easter. You will be spending a lot of time in the car. Riding bikes is not an option on those twisty, narrow roads.
Years ago West School was perceived to be the top elementary school, but all three schools are excellent.
One advantage to the upper west quadrant is proximity to Scott's Corners in Pound Ridge for shopping.
I've cycled all over New Canaan. Not really any problem with the twisty roads at all. Roads in snow are completely doable for any car with a 4WD or AWD system, or even RWD if you know what you are doing and have a good tyre set on.
I was referring to young children on bikes.
I've seen plenty of times when roads were icy or impassable because of falling trees, branches and power lines downed. The further you are from town, the less convenient. And if the OP is used to a walkable community, living in the four-acre-zone is going to be very different from what she/he is used to.
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