[Hackerwill]

Hello there

I am moving with my family (including three small children) from England to Connecticut in the coming months and have been trying to work out the best areas to live.

My office will be in Stamford, so I was thinking of Westport, which I understand is expensive but have very good schools.

Any advice (positive or negative) on Westport as a community would be very welcome.

[Dragondog]

Westport is home to many entertainers, notables, like Paul Newman and others.
The town is very very pleasant. With yes great schools and a lifestyle that is near perfect.

It is however very expensive for housing- a small house will be 500K USD.
The only downside is the 'snooty' or snobby behavior of some of the locals,

[smichboyd]

CelticLion,

What exactly do you mean by snobby bahavior? I'm moving to CT this summer and trying to learn as much as possible.
Thanks,
Michelle

[Dragondog]

Michelle-

Believe me Westport and many parts of Fairfield county can be rather haughty and snooty- of course this is a generalization- and even in these very upscale areas there are very good people. Connecticut is far less snobby then many areas of California, AZ, FL-

CT has gritty working class areas intermingled with professionals- but you will find the state for the most part more reserved then snobby-

[njohnson]

Westport, if you can afford it, would be an ideal place to live if you have a family with children in a suburban atmosphere. It is a small town, very undiverse in ethnicity like much of South Western Connecticut. Being close to towns like Stamford and Fairfield, having a stop on the Metro-North line, and being close to the shore have steadily increased the property values to the average $600,000+ mark. Schools, much like in most cities in Fairfield county, are among the best.

If you can afford the cost of living of Westport, I would also check out some of the surrounding towns just as another option. You have Fairfield, Darien, Southport, etc also along the shoreline. The best bet would be to take a trip down here and drive around the areas, something will hit you.

[dcvactaca]

I have lived in Fairfield, CT for the past 4 years and can attest to the are being snooty or elitist but there seems to be a good mix of the down-to-earth and the wealthy, at least here in Fairfield. Fairfield is more family-oriented than Westport and the housing prices are a bit lower. Fairfield was also recently rated as one of the top 10 places to live in the US. The area seems to just be the average northeast town, with a few more benefits, mainly the proximity to New York City. The traffic can be an issue however, especially on 95 which with the Merritt Parkway are the only 2 useful highways in the area.
Some of my family lives in Wilton (closer to Stamford) which is also nice, a little more "snooty" and a lot more expensive.

[luke995]

I was born and raised in Fairfield County, CT. I currently live in Stamford, but I have lived in both Norwalk and Westport in the past. I have no idea why anyone in their right mind would sign up for the punishment of living in Westport.
Unfortunatly I started a business in the town at a young age. Now I am forced to travel there on a regular basis. Westport is filled with corruption from the town officials to the leftist, ultra-liberal school system to the Orwellian Police Department. There is a staggering amount of pseudo upper class idiots.
Move here only if: you enjoy paying a huge premium for housing; want your children brainwashed by a school system with an agenda; never want to start a business; never intend on getting a zoning permit; want to be harrassed by the police everywhere you go; if you enjoy being cut off by an idiot sipping a latte and talking on their telephone about how horrible global warming is as they drive their SUV into your lane of traffic, and then scold you for getting in their way. I better stop for simplicity's sake.
Basically only move here if you are a massochist. I would prefer to live next to a superfund site in Gary, Indiana. Don't say that you were'nt warned.

[shwee]

Originally Posted by luke995

I was born and raised in Fairfield County, CT. I currently live in Stamford, but I have lived in both Norwalk and Westport in the past. I have no idea why anyone in their right mind would sign up for the punishment of living in Westport.
Unfortunatly I started a business in the town at a young age. Now I am forced to travel there on a regular basis. Westport is filled with corruption from the town officials to the leftist, ultra-liberal school system to the Orwellian Police Department. There is a staggering amount of pseudo upper class idiots.
Move here only if: you enjoy paying a huge premium for housing; want your children brainwashed by a school system with an agenda; never want to start a business; never intend on getting a zoning permit; want to be harrassed by the police everywhere you go; if you enjoy being cut off by an idiot sipping a latte and talking on their telephone about how horrible global warming is as they drive their SUV into your lane of traffic, and then scold you for getting in their way. I better stop for simplicity's sake.
Basically only move here if you are a massochist. I would prefer to live next to a superfund site in Gary, Indiana. Don't say that you were'nt warned.

Aside from that, you love it though, right?

[westguy22]

Originally Posted by luke995

I was born and raised in Fairfield County, CT. I currently live in Stamford, but I have lived in both Norwalk and Westport in the past. I have no idea why anyone in their right mind would sign up for the punishment of living in Westport.
Unfortunatly I started a business in the town at a young age. Now I am forced to travel there on a regular basis. Westport is filled with corruption from the town officials to the leftist, ultra-liberal school system to the Orwellian Police Department. There is a staggering amount of pseudo upper class idiots.
Move here only if: you enjoy paying a huge premium for housing; want your children brainwashed by a school system with an agenda; never want to start a business; never intend on getting a zoning permit; want to be harrassed by the police everywhere you go; if you enjoy being cut off by an idiot sipping a latte and talking on their telephone about how horrible global warming is as they drive their SUV into your lane of traffic, and then scold you for getting in their way. I better stop for simplicity's sake.
Basically only move here if you are a massochist. I would prefer to live next to a superfund site in Gary, Indiana. Don't say that you were'nt warned.

I know many well-rounded and down to earth individuals that went through the Westport school system. I have never heard any of them complain about the schools in town. I think the post I quoted above has an agenda, not the Westport schools. Enjoy Gary, Indiana!

[kd83]

I like to think that I have a lot to offer to this board, so at the risk of sounding like trash I'll still say it. Westport kids are the types of kids that I would beat up in high school (not all but most). Mommy and daddy make 500k+ a year and I get everything I want while your parents make 20K a year and you work for everything (ya I'm a little spiteful). It all depends on how you want your kids to grow up...well off but unable to do for themselves and would move back in with their parents given the chance to do so? or pissed at the world but full of useful skills and able to do everything for themselves and would die before moving back in with their parents? <--again not all of fairfield county kids..just probably 80% after you get rid of the inner stamford/norwalk kids and a select few of the new canaan/westport/darien/greenwich kids. If you drive a 3 series bmw then you must be a 16 year old b/c adults wouldnt be caught dead in anything under 60 grand haha ok rant over..(I just really hate the majority of people down there so I am biased..I will admit it )