Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi Everyone,
I begin with a huge thank you to all for helping me to get this far on my town & house hunt. I think we found a house to bid on today but coming from Greenwich (Byram) ct, I have no idea of the area and schools. I have googled it to death but still unsure. The street is Lockwood Rd in Fairfield CT (Brooklawn Area) and the schools are STRATFIELD, LUDLOWE and WARDE. My husband will be commuting to Nyc by train and I will be home with my 20 month old and 3 1/2 year old. I have also begun the preschool search. Hope I am not too late
Any commuting suggestions, parking suggestions or idea how long it will take to get to the train?
Any opinions on the schools would be so helpful.
Anyone know how the neighborhood is and what is Brooklawns reputation is? White collar, blue collar, family oriented.
I also am in walking distance to the school and am told that that is GREAT! Being a new Mom to the schools I was looking to find walk to town. Is walk to school better or important?
Final question, the house desperately needs trees. Any suggestions where to buy less expensive trees?
I know a lot of these questions are probably silly... However, boy will you ever put my mind at ease by giving them a shot. Uggggggghhhhhh First time buyer fears!!!!
As far as schools go I attended Stratfield school a long time ago (a little over 10 years ago) and having had moved a lot in my childhood (I attended 3 elementary schools) it was my favorite by far. It is a great school and all the parents seemed really involved in their children (they have a carnival every spring I think and parents help out and participate) and there are a lot of great activites to get involved in like music the music programs and Odyssey of the Mind. With you being within walking distance is great because you can just walk over to pick your children up instead of having to drive and park. As far as middle school though I attended Fairfield Woods not Ludlowe so I can't really give you any input. And high school I actually moved my senior year before the high schools split so I can't give you an honest opinion of one over the other since I attended the only Fairfield High School at the time but I think Fairfield Warde High School is the same building as the original high school. Supposedly it's a great school as far as diversity in subjects and does very well in academics. The teachers I had (I assume most of them are still there since I graduated in 2004), were really passionate about the subjects they taught and were for the most part good teachers. Of course you'll find some incompetent ones but they seem to be weeded through quickly. It's not very diverse culture wise though (I was one of the few minorities in the school) so I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing in your eyes. But all in all Fairfield education is usually deemed as very high both state and country. As far as reputation of Brooklawn you're on the "lesser" side of the town, meaning you don't live in the million dollar houses but honestly the majority of the people don't and I find the general population in that area are a lot more friendly than on the "rich" side of town. Some people in this forum might disagree or whatever, but this isn't coming from a middle-aged person who has lived in the area all their lives, this is coming from someone who moved here as a kid and left as a teenager, so it's from a teenager's point of view. As far as high school goes it's pretty mixed in terms of people being friends with rich or "poor" kids but you have your definite cliques within the school. If you have any questions just PM me. Hope this helped somewhat.
I'll try to touch on the points that I am familiar with..
All the elementary schools in Fairfield are great. Two of my daughters best friends go to Stratfield and love it there. Regarding being a walker, I think whether you like it or not is your personal preference. We were in Holland Hill School before and were walkers and loved that everyone walked. I enjoyed seeing all the families every morning and it was a great way to meet the moms at school. Now we are at Burr Elementary and my kids take the bus, which I love too. We'll eventually funnel into Warde HS too and that is just fine with me.
Regarding the train. The parking pass situation is that there is an extensive waiting list. We are currently on it ourselves. However, once the new train station opens, it will open up more spaces for those on the list. Currently, without a pass you can park at the American Legion for I think $3 per day or there is also a lot on Mill Plain right past the train station entrance for I think $6 per day, but they offer transportation to the station itself and a covered waiting area. For the American Legion, you need to get there early (before the 6:40 train). I think for the other one, you can get there a little bit later and still get a spot.
I am not sure how long it is going to take you to get there (maybe 10-15 minutes?)
In terms of places being the "better side of town" it is all personal preference. Some people prefer to be by the beach, others in the University area and some in Greenfield Hill. It's all about what you want and can afford. I have friends in all areas of town and it really doesn't seem to matter much. My friends who live in Stratfield moved to that area because they could get a nicer house for a more reasonable price in a nice neighborhood.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to PM me. I have 3 little ones myself so I have quite a bit of experience in regards to what is available for them!
Citycat - Hi and welcome to Fairfield. I am sure you will love it there. Lockwood Road is a beautiful street with a lot of wonderful homes and as others indicate, Stratfield School is excellent. The area is considered middle-class with a lot of middle sized homes. Lockwood Road though is not in the Brooklawn section of town. It is really in the Fairfield Woods part of town, though some may consider it Stratfield. Anyway the location is great because you could also walk to the small enclave of stores at the intersection of Fairfield Woods and Stratfield Roads and nearby Owen Fish Park. There is also a wonderufl library up the street and the shopping along Black Rock Turenpike is nearby and very convenient. Plus you will not be far from the mall in Trumbull. I would not worry about it because there is nothing wrong with the area and it is considered desirable. Good luck, Jay
Here's my two cents. Despite how living in Greenwich for many years can brainwash one into thinking Greenwich is the center of the universe (speaking with my tongue in cheek, from experience here), I think you will find Lockwood Road and the area around it and Fairfield itself much much nicer than living in Byram. The one inconvenience (and it is minor) will be commuting distance to NYC. Fairfield has lots to offer moms of young children. You will love it.
Hi Everyone,
I begin with a huge thank you to all for helping me to get this far on my town & house hunt. I think we found a house to bid on today but coming from Greenwich (Byram) ct, I have no idea of the area and schools. I have googled it to death but still unsure. The street is Lockwood Rd in Fairfield CT (Brooklawn Area) and the schools are STRATFIELD, LUDLOWE and WARDE. My husband will be commuting to Nyc by train and I will be home with my 20 month old and 3 1/2 year old. I have also begun the preschool search. Hope I am not too late
Any commuting suggestions, parking suggestions or idea how long it will take to get to the train?
Any opinions on the schools would be so helpful.
Anyone know how the neighborhood is and what is Brooklawns reputation is? White collar, blue collar, family oriented.
I also am in walking distance to the school and am told that that is GREAT! Being a new Mom to the schools I was looking to find walk to town. Is walk to school better or important?
Final question, the house desperately needs trees. Any suggestions where to buy less expensive trees?
I know a lot of these questions are probably silly... However, boy will you ever put my mind at ease by giving them a shot. Uggggggghhhhhh First time buyer fears!!!!
A million thanks-
Katie
Welcome to the neighborhood! I live right down Fairfield Woods -- off of Shelter Rock Rd. (probably 1/2 mile from you). We moved here last year, and so far the area is really nice. Most weekends and warm evenings you will see people walking the streets. The people that we've met are really nice and very friendly.
As far as commuting to the Fairfield train - I drop my wife off and pick her up every day. I work out of the house, so it's nice to be flexible. The trip averages 10 minutes -- give or take a few minutes. I've made the trip in 8 minutes (catching all the lights), or as long as 15 minutes (if you get stuck behind a schoolbus trying to catch the 7:24 express). There may be a little traffic in the evenings, but not much that it'll slow you down more than 2-3 minutes. You're a little farther than I am -- maybe add 1-2 minutes to that drive. Just to add my 2 cents -- if your husband is more than a short walk from Grand Central, he may find himself getting unhappy with the overall length of the commute. My wife works in Tribeca, and it's 1h45m door to door, after she takes the train and 2 subways.
I don't know anything about the schools yet (our first is due in October), but I'm sure I'll find out soon. From what I've heard and read, all of the schools in Fairfield are really good.
For inexpensive trees -- maybe try the CT Post for some classified ad's for landscapers. Also, things like ValuPak might have some things for you. And if all else fails, ask your neighbors if they use a landscaping service.
Let me know if you have any more questions, and again - welcome!!
You could check Home Depot for trees. Also Ganim's Nursery on Kings Highway Cutoff (Route 1) has been there forever. My family goes there. Treeland in Bridgeport use to be good too. And there are a couple of places up in Monroe that are good. If you don't mind getting up early and traveling a bit, there is a Farmer's Market in Hartford every weekend that has some great buys. Jay
Thank you all for your help, the distance to the train ended up the deal breaker. I just posted about Taunton Street in the University area. Maybe that will work!
Buy trees at a great price from www.arborfoundation (broken link) .org They will sell the best trees suitable for the zone you live in and will ship at the appropriate time for planting. Good Luck
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
