[trogon]

Hi all,

I am moving from Phx, AZ to Norwalk on June 1st - and commuting by car to Stamford four days/week (hours 7 am - 5:30 pm). Will someone give me an idea of what to expect for commute time and also, does the S. Norwalk station have parking for a bicycle should I decide to ride 3 1/2 miles from home to the train station to save on gas and mileage on the car? Also, I've seen varied reports about increase in cost of living. Can someone give me a realistic idea of what to expect? I will be renting - so property tax is not a factor. What about the CT car tax - what's that all about? I'm also looking for comparisons in culture, weather (I hate the intense summer heat we have in Phx), or any useful information that will help with this transition. I will be traveling the 2500 miles with three cats in the car as well - HELP! Btw - any bird watchers out there?

trogon

P.S. any advice for someone with little exposure to cold winters - and driving in snow?

[skytrekker]

The cats are real troopers--should be wild! Make sure you get pet friendly lodging.

Norwalk to Stamford via I 95 is under 8 miles- but the traffic during normal rush hours can be brutal. An alternative would be US 1-the Boston Post road- traffic will still be heavy, with lights- but might be less jammed. You also might travel on metro north-and leave the car parked.

Commute time each way for a mere 8 miles on I 95 or US 1 would depend on accidents, weather, and construction- but under 'normal conditions' about a half hour at least.

Not sure if there is parking for bicycles at the train station- perhaps they do.

There is a car tax in the state- taxes paid to the town you live in -Norwalk. Larger vehicles, luxury etc will average about $ 700 a year- if late model. Smaller and or older vehicles will be less.

Fairfield county Connecticut is a high cost part of the county- among the highest in the nation. Cost of rents and living will be higher then Phoenix by a fair amount.

CT has a 6 percent sales tax (groceries and drugs not taxed) There is a state income tax of around 4.5%. No county taxes- towns tax real estate and motor vehicles. Air conditioning costs here will be much less then AZ- but heating in the winter will be much more- avoid rents using oil or electric as a heating source if at all possible.

Electricity costs can be high- minus the heating.

Weather is moderate year round- Norwalk has a moderate mid latitude continental climate- winters are relatively mild, due to the proximity to LI Sound and the ocean, summers can be warm to hot on occasion with higher humidity then Phoenix. I have been to Phoenix and Tucson in May- and while warm here- I found the heat there far more intense. Late summer through late Autumn (August- November is sublime) Winters along the CT shore line average 20-25" of snow from December-March. Temps below 5 degrees are not common. Temps of 100 degree about 1 day a year.

Good luck to you and the kitties....

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

Commute time each way for a mere 8 miles on I 95 or US 1 would depend on accidents, weather, and construction- but under 'normal conditions' about a half hour at least.

The 7a.m. start time will have her in moderate traffic when she leaves Norwalk. Coming home at 5:30, she will encounter heavy traffic.
If the OP is traveling from Exit 6 to Exit 16 i would say there's a moderate possibility that it would take a half hour in the p.m.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

Norwalk to Stamford via I 95 is under 8 miles- but the traffic during normal rush hours can be brutal. An alternative would be US 1-the Boston Post road- traffic will still be heavy, with lights- but might be less jammed. You also might travel on metro north-and leave the car parked.

I wouldn't take US 1 as an alternative to 95 unless the highway was closed due to an accident. It will be stop and go the whole time and will end up taking a very long time.

A friend of mine just relocated to Greenwich from Phoenix and while she loves it, she often makes note of the difference in culture. She finds CT to be less pretentious (even though there is more money here than in Phoenix), people here to be more genuine but private, and the drivers here to be much better than AZ (I wouldn't count on that though!).

As for the cost of living, you may experience sticker shock. It's very expensive to live in Fairfield County due to the proximity to NYC. You will find that your money won't go too far, so I hope the pay difference at your new job is worth the move.

South Norwalk can be sketchy in parts, so be careful if you're riding your bike. I wouldn't suggest riding alone at night and if you ride during the day, well the drivers in Norwalk can be nuts so again, be careful!

That said, southwestern Connecticut has some of the most desirable towns in the nation, and among the most expensive. You will enjoy it here, I'm sure. Stamford is a great city, as is Norwalk. There is a very professional atmosphere in both cities, as well as young people from all over the country just starting out at one of the many Fortune 500 companies based here. Happy Hour in both Stamford and Norwalk is exciting even if you don't socially drink. I'm in my mid-20's and my girlfriend and I love to meet new people, so we often go to Ginger Man or Black Bear in Norwalk. Great crowd.

Good luck with your trip. Hopefully you have a car that's good on gas. Drive safe!

[Aibutiej]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

Weather is moderate year round- Norwalk has a moderate mid latitude continental climate- winters are relatively mild, due to the proximity to LI Sound and the ocean, summers can be warm to hot on occasion with higher humidity then Phoenix. I have been to Phoenix and Tucson in May- and while warm here- I found the heat there far more intense. Late summer through late Autumn (August- November is sublime) Winters along the CT shore line average 20-25" of snow from December-March. Temps below 5 degrees are not common. Temps of 100 degree about 1 day a year.

I disagree that weather is moderate year round. It all depends on what you compare it to, I guess. To me the weather in San Francisco is moderate; in Norwalk it is not. In fact, I am ready to get away from the cold winters here. Temperatures drop to freezing or below by November. Yes, it doesn't get below 5 degrees often (although it has gotten below 0) but there are many days below 20--and to me that is cold. Also, the cold to cool weather drags on. March is always colder than I want it to be (in the 30s and 40s). And while there have been some really beautiful days recently (in the 70s!), yesterday it was in the mid-30s in the morning and in the mid-50s in the afternoon. Not what I want in May. Spring is usually short here. Temps will soon be in the upper 70s - 80s. July and August get hotter. While not as hot as Phoenix, the humidity gets quite high. For people who can't stand humidity it gets uncomfortable. I've never been to Phoenix, but I believe the climate is quite different here.

[trogon]

Wow - thanks to everyone...the info really helps! Any and all thoughts are welcome. What about taking the Merrit 7 from Norwalk to Stamford?

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by trogon

Wow - thanks to everyone...the info really helps! Any and all thoughts are welcome. What about taking the Merrit 7 from Norwalk to Stamford?

The Merritt Parkway will be congested as well, and it will bring you to northern Stamford instead of downtown, so if you are working closer to 95 it might be an inconvenience. I'd suggest try both commutes when you get here before you start work (if this is possible) and see which one works better.

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by Aibutiej

I disagree that weather is moderate year round. It all depends on what you compare it to, I guess. To me the weather in San Francisco is moderate; in Norwalk it is not. In fact, I am ready to get away from the cold winters here. Temperatures drop to freezing or below by November. Yes, it doesn't get below 5 degrees often (although it has gotten below 0) but there are many days below 20--and to me that is cold. Also, the cold to cool weather drags on. March is always colder than I want it to be (in the 30s and 40s). And while there have been some really beautiful days recently (in the 70s!), yesterday it was in the mid-30s in the morning and in the mid-50s in the afternoon. Not what I want in May. Spring is usually short here. Temps will soon be in the upper 70s - 80s. July and August get hotter. While not as hot as Phoenix, the humidity gets quite high. For people who can't stand humidity it gets uncomfortable. I've never been to Phoenix, but I believe the climate is quite different here.

The climate in Norwalk is 'moderate' for its far northerly location- and I made that very clear in my earlier post.

San Francisco is a dry subtropical Mediterranean cool water coast- that is perhaps unique globally.
It is 'temperate'. Coastal CT is considered mild for its location- I have no desire to compare the two locations- they are very different.

I said Norwalk was moderate- not temperate

Norwalk nonetheless has a climate that is considered a mid latitude continental climate that does not suffer from climatic extremes at locations further inland at the same latitude, therefore it is 'moderate'. Coastal California from the Mexican border to well north of San Francisco is very temperate-

Norwalk does not suffer from climatic extremes at the same latitude further inland to the west.

As aside note I am able to grow Asiatic fan palms here----

[Aibutiej]

Skytrekker,

I am sorry if I misunderstood the use of the term "moderate". Perhaps others don't know the exact definition either, of "moderate" or "temparate." I guess I don't. But I did want to make the point that it is cold here in the winter. Not as cold as other places in the country, I'll admit, but nevertheless cold. At least for me. I've heard other people say that winters here aren't bad, but that becomes a subjective thing, depending on what you are used to and how you handle the cold. So I was trying to give more information.

To the OP, I guess the question is, "how are winters in Phoenix?" We'd be able to give a better comparison then.

[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by Aibutiej

I disagree that weather is moderate year round. It all depends on what you compare it to, I guess. To me the weather in San Francisco is moderate; in Norwalk it is not. In fact, I am ready to get away from the cold winters here. Temperatures drop to freezing or below by November. Yes, it doesn't get below 5 degrees often (although it has gotten below 0) but there are many days below 20--and to me that is cold. Also, the cold to cool weather drags on. March is always colder than I want it to be (in the 30s and 40s). And while there have been some really beautiful days recently (in the 70s!), yesterday it was in the mid-30s in the morning and in the mid-50s in the afternoon. Not what I want in May. Spring is usually short here. Temps will soon be in the upper 70s - 80s. July and August get hotter. While not as hot as Phoenix, the humidity gets quite high. For people who can't stand humidity it gets uncomfortable. I've never been to Phoenix, but I believe the climate is quite different here.

ITA! I used to live in Norwalk, and whatever words you want to use to describe it, it was still colder than I would have liked it to be. It was slightly "warmer" than many places in inland Ct., but still colder in the spring and fall than I was comfortable with. I find Connecticut overall to be colder than many states to the south of us.

I went to Phoenix one February, it was a balmy 82 degrees. I do think the heat in Arizona during the summer can be quite intense.