[Austinites]

I may have opportunity to relocate to New Haven, CT to work on the central Yale campus. My wife and I are diligently searching the web for where to live should this opportunity materialize. Figured this forum might have some insight into the situation.

We currently live on the northwest outskirts of Austin, Texas. We feel detached from the core of Austin, which is good and bad. Home prices out there are affordable (we paid $150K for a ~2200sq/ft 3/2.5/2 in Feb06), but the mystique of the city is a considerable drive away from us ... and at $4/gallon, thats a real pickle.

Im used to a heck of a commute from the NW burbs of Austin to downtown to the utexas.edu central campus for work (~20+ miles one way; 30-60 minutes one way contingent on traffic). 'Used to' doesnt mean I like it, however. It looks like the NH, CT area has quite a few offerings for rail public transportation. Which areas are an easy, quick shot into the city nearby yale.edu?

Another reason we live where we live outside of Austin, Texas is the school district. We are just starting to raise our family, and the schools out here far eclipse that of Austin. That would be a big must-have if we move. Weve read bad things about the NH-proper schools, and locals seem to recommend the burbs for better quality schools. Others seem to indicate that NH schools have gotten a bad wrap, and theyre on the mend. Be that as it may, any shining star districts? Any to avoid like the plague?

Finally, whats the pay like up there? It appears that equivalent homes cost 200% that of down here. Does this mean that salaried professionals reap 2x? I am a higher-ed Unix sysadmin; she is a public school elementary teacher. We are both in our mid-to-late twenties and bring home around ~110K annually. Would we have the same pay scale in the face of the heightened home expenses?

Regarding the coast, is it unrealistic to assume that we can opt for a home at or near the water? Or is that area entirely over-priced and full of condos and non-children-having young professionals and retirees?

Also, whats the deal with single-family versus multi-family? When I see a MF home listed, does that mean its the equivalent of a duplex? Am I paying what I pay for essentially half of the home? Does this mean that the home is currently divided in a way that allows another family to 'rent' from the primary? Is this division un-doable? We have lots of land/space in Texas. As such, we envision living next-to or atop another family as bizarre.

All input welcome. Thanks!

[HelloSam]

Hi, there. Yes, Connecticut is expensive and congested and scary compared to Austin (a place I have visited and loved). There are many options for transport into New Haven by train, but make sure you are clear on the location of the train station relative to the building you would be working in. The station is an easy walk to the outskirts of the Yale campus (they seem to own buildings everywhere) but a bit of a hike to central campus.

Yale pays well for a higher ed job. I'd think you could make six figures on your own in a very short time, if not right out of the gate.

When you see a multi-family home listed, it means you could buy the whole home, live in one unit, rent out the other unit(s). I believe if you own the home, you can "un-do" the division.

Head to the 'burbs for better schools. On or near the rail line, check Milford and Orange (to the south) and Branford, Guilford and Madison (to the north). You may need to move into a smaller home than you are used to, but you might find a home that needs a little TLC in a town with easy access to the beach. Waterfront property is, as you would expect, very expensive.

[JayCT]

Based on the CNN-Money Cost-of-Living calculator, the cost of living in New Haven is about 28% higher than Austin. So to live comparable to your current $110k combined salary you and your wife would need to make about $141k per year here. Of course you need to look closer at this and not fully rely on what this calculator says.

There are many nice towns to live in near New Haven. I agree with the suggestion of Branford, Guilford or Madison. Milford would also be good if you want to commute into New Haven by train. Other nice towns nearby are North Haven, Orange, Bethany and Wallingford. If you give us an idea of they type of community you are looking for we can better direct you. Jay

[CTbeau]

Yes, the cost of living is high in Connecticut, but salaries are higher too. If you are looking into a position at Yale, you must have a good idea of what your starting pay would be, and if you don't, check out Yale.edu for their pay scales. After you find out what your salary might be, you should check with a mortgage broker who will be able to tell you the price range you should be looking at, at no obligation to you. Then, with this information in hand you can start checking out real estate websites such as realtor.com to get an idea of what type(s) of properties are available in your price range. The key to looking is finding out what you can afford first. You don't want to sell yourself short, but at the same time, you don't want to look at things you can't yet afford. In New Haven there are many areas where (Yale) professionals with children live, Westville and East Rock to name two. As for multi-family homes, you would purchase the entire building and live in one unit and rent out the other. This would help with the mortgage payment. Again, this is something you would speak to a mortgage professional about. Another place to look for your home would be Hamden which is next to New Haven and affordable, but not on the shoreline. If you want the shoreline (which New Haven also has, by the way) you can check out West Haven, East Haven, Branford. As you go further east from New Haven (Guilford, Madison), the shoreline home prices go up dramatically. But, again, this all depends on your price range. Find that out first and you'll have a good idea of what relocating to Connecticut would be like for you and your family.

Since I am unable to provide information regarding schools because of Fair Housing Laws, you should check out: nhps.net/magnet/ for New Haven magnet schools and the State of Connecticut Department of Education: Connecticut State Department of Education. You can also look at any town webpage. And, again, Yale.edu is also very helpful with providing information about the Yale community. Good Luck!

[tstetinin]

Again, the key for you is to determine how much house you can afford and then take it from there. There are many options along the shoreline including Milford, Branford, Guilford, Madison and Clinton. Branford has many condo communities where families with children do live. Also, many Yale employees live in the Branford/Guilford areas. Hamden is also an alternative but you will not be close to the water. Another untapped but lovely area for families is Killingworth.
Bottom line -- The best way for you to proceed is to (1) discuss the affordability issue with a mortgage broker, then (2) find a realtor that speciallizes in the area, discuss with him/her and then explore the different towns and homes available in your price range.

Untill you experience the area first hand it will be difficult for you to make sense of any of this -- You want this to be as comfortable, stress free, and easy for your family as possible. This is a big move and life change, so I would rely on area experts to assist you along the way. Good Luck, Tania

[kidyankee764]

Stay away from New Haven and West Haven if you're concerned about public schools.

[Eldnim]

Originally Posted by Austinites

I may have opportunity to relocate to New Haven, CT to work on the central Yale campus. My wife and I are diligently searching the web for where to live should this opportunity materialize. Figured this forum might have some insight into the situation.

We currently live on the northwest outskirts of Austin, Texas. We feel detached from the core of Austin, which is good and bad. Home prices out there are affordable (we paid $150K for a ~2200sq/ft 3/2.5/2 in Feb06), but the mystique of the city is a considerable drive away from us ... and at $4/gallon, thats a real pickle.

Im used to a heck of a commute from the NW burbs of Austin to downtown to the utexas.edu central campus for work (~20+ miles one way; 30-60 minutes one way contingent on traffic). 'Used to' doesnt mean I like it, however. It looks like the NH, CT area has quite a few offerings for rail public transportation. Which areas are an easy, quick shot into the city nearby yale.edu?

Another reason we live where we live outside of Austin, Texas is the school district. We are just starting to raise our family, and the schools out here far eclipse that of Austin. That would be a big must-have if we move. Weve read bad things about the NH-proper schools, and locals seem to recommend the burbs for better quality schools. Others seem to indicate that NH schools have gotten a bad wrap, and theyre on the mend. Be that as it may, any shining star districts? Any to avoid like the plague?

Finally, whats the pay like up there? It appears that equivalent homes cost 200% that of down here. Does this mean that salaried professionals reap 2x? I am a higher-ed Unix sysadmin; she is a public school elementary teacher. We are both in our mid-to-late twenties and bring home around ~110K annually. Would we have the same pay scale in the face of the heightened home expenses?

Regarding the coast, is it unrealistic to assume that we can opt for a home at or near the water? Or is that area entirely over-priced and full of condos and non-children-having young professionals and retirees?

Also, whats the deal with single-family versus multi-family? When I see a MF home listed, does that mean its the equivalent of a duplex? Am I paying what I pay for essentially half of the home? Does this mean that the home is currently divided in a way that allows another family to 'rent' from the primary? Is this division un-doable? We have lots of land/space in Texas. As such, we envision living next-to or atop another family as bizarre.

All input welcome. Thanks!

We are parting with our family home that is a 1 mile safe walk to the beach and boardwalk. It's also only 3 miles from Yale, plus 2 blocks from the supermarket, library, dunkin donuts, green, churches. The yard is large and fenced with well-maintained gardens surrounding the front and back. The area around Yale isn't that safe to walk around and living close to Yale would be more expensive. I can't tell you anything about the school system. Go to newhaven.craigslist and do a search on "Yale, Beach, West Haven" -- Good Luck

[TheseGoTo11]

If schools are important, then I'd stick to Guilford or Madison. You'll wind up moving to one of them if you experiment with one of the "Havens".

There is commuter rail along the shore line to both towns, which are 10-20 miles from downtown NH.

[hoppybunn]

Connecticut is a HUGE change from the south, don't expect people up there to be as warm and friendly as I have found the majority of the people down South to be. Not to say you can't find nice people, my mom worked at Yale Cancer Center for a while and I would accompany her to work and the people in the office were friendly and all, but you have to be cautious on the streets (which I'm sure you'll get in any city). Anyhow good luck if you choose to move to New Haven!

[seymourct]

There other towns as options when working in New Haven. Most people on these forums point you to either going east or west on I95 and staying on the shoreline; those options will be more pricey if you want one with good schools too.

However, you could go a bit north of NH and check out Woodbridge, or Bethany. These towns have a nice woodsy feel to many of the neighborhoods. The commute would be a direct shot into NH down Rt 63 or 69. I can tell you from experience that we spent a lot of time going to YNHH from Seymour a couple years ago, our drive was 25 mins.
Then there is also Derby; short commute to NH down Rte 34.

Multi Families in CT are sometimes duplex side by side, but often it means an older style home 2-3 floors, with apartments on each floor. Older homes might mean *needs work*

For data on any given school district check out GREATSCHOOLS.NET

Lastly - Hamden = high tax rate my parents are getting socked each year.