[MetsNY]

I've been reading this forum for sometime but have never posted before. However, I now have a couple of questions that I think might be able to be answered here. I'm comparing the Newtown, Monroe, Trumbull area to the Farmington Valley. Both areas seem fairly nice, but what are the differences if there happen to be any. I'm wondering which towns are nicer, have better schools, etc. etc. Also are these two areas similar in housing prices or do they vary? Thanks.

[Aerialifts]

I would say Trumbull has the higher resale compared to Monroe or Newtown. Trumbull has city water and city sewer and good schools . Good for resale.

Do not know the Farmington area.

[andthentherewere3]

Trumbull, Monroe, and Newtown all have high resale values. And many homes in Trumbull do have septic systems. I think many homes in Trumbull have well water, too. Much of Monroe has city water, we do and our home is 40 years old. I think the same can be said of Newtown. All three towns have exceptional, schools, parks, swimming pools, lake beaches, and recreational activities for families. However, the same things could be said of the Farmington Valley area. I think the one big advantage of the Newtown/Trumbull/Monroe area is it's closer proximity to NYC. Where you choose to live would largely depend on your daily commute.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by andthentherewere3

Trumbull, Monroe, and Newtown all have high resale values. And many homes in Trumbull do have septic systems. I think many homes in Trumbull have well water, too. Much of Monroe has city water, we do and our home is 40 years old. I think the same can be said of Newtown. All three towns have exceptional, schools, parks, swimming pools, lake beaches, and recreational activities for families. However, the same things could be said of the Farmington Valley area. I think the one big advantage of the Newtown/Trumbull/Monroe area is it's closer proximity to NYC. Where you choose to live would largely depend on your daily commute.

I am not sure you are correct. Much of Trumbull has city water and parts have sewers. I do not think that a lot of Monroe has city water and none have sewers. Newtown is mostly wells and septics.

I do agree that Newtown/Trumbull/Monroe is more accessible to New York, but it is also more expensive. Farmington Valley is a bit isolated from the rest of the world (there are no highways into the valley) but that is part of its charm. There is a feeling that the Valley is more relaxed once you get there. It is very pretty.

As for schools, all of these towns have excellent schools. You can compare the schools systems using the link below:

Strategic School Profiles by District

I hope this helps. Jay

[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I am not sure you are correct. Much of Trumbull has city water and parts have sewers. I do not think that a lot of Monroe has city water and none have sewers. Newtown is mostly wells and septics.

I do agree that Newtown/Trumbull/Monroe is more accessible to New York, but it is also more expensive. Farmington Valley is a bit isolated from the rest of the world (there are no highways into the valley) but that is part of its charm. There is a feeling that the Valley is more relaxed once you get there. It is very pretty.

As for schools, all of these towns have excellent schools. You can compare the schools systems using the link below:

Strategic School Profiles by District

I hope this helps. Jay

Jay, I have lived in Monroe for 12 years, and I know many people who have city water. It wouldn't be fair to say that it wasn't available at all here.

And we have electricity, too.

[JayCT]

I will take your word for that. I should not have made it sound like none of Monroe had city water, but I did not think that it was the majority of the town either. Jay

[andthentherewere3]

I didn't say the majority of the town, I said "much of the town". I'm sorry if I was misleading. While the majority of the town doesn't have city water, it is still available in many neighborhoods. When we were searching for a house that was one of our criteria, that we have city water.

[MetsNY]

Thanks for the replies. It seems that Monroe, Trumbull and Newtown are desirable areas to live. What makes them better then the towns in the Farmington Valley, such as Farmington, Avon, etc.

How much more expensive is it to live in the Newtown area compared to the Valley? I understand that Newtown, Monroe, Trumbull are closer to NYC which makes it more expensive, but do people actually work in the NYC area? I understand that it can be done, but there really isn't Metro-North access unless you go into Bridgeport, Fairfield, or Danbury.

[andthentherewere3]

I can't in all honesty say that Newtown, Trumbull, or Monroe is better than Farmington or Avon. In fact, given a choice I probably would prefer living in Avon. As Jay said there is a more relaxed feeling about that area, and you have less of the "rat race" feeling that you get in lower Fairfield county. To me, lower Fairfield county is also over-developed, and I don't get that same sense in the Farmington area. I think that area would be an excellent choice for a family to live.

We personally don't commute to NYC (we actually don't even like NYC and do our best to avoid it), but we know a few who do from Newtown/Trumbull/Monroe. It is a long, rough commute. Many people who live in the area actually commute to the Stamford area. But they choose to live in the Newtown area instead, because the closest neighboring towns to Stamford (such as New Canaan/Darien) are out of their price range. And also the Newtown area is not as densely developed as the Stamford area, you get more of a "rural" feel. The Newtown area is less expensive than the Stamford area, but still with great schools and recreational activities. For us, the Newtown area was the best option for commuting to the Stamford area.

But many people in this area like the proximity to NYC simply for recreational purposes, such as the theater, museums, baseball games, shopping etc. It's just a relatively short train ride away on weekends.

As for home prices comparing the Newtown area to the Farmington area, here are the differences. In 2005 the average home value in Monroe was $422,300.00, and for Farmington was $295,700.00. Avon was $383,600.00. Trumbull was $428,600.00 and Newtown was $404,400.00

http://www.city-data.com/city/Avon-Connecticut.html

[jdhall1]

According the Greater Fairfield Multiple Listing Service, the average listing price (as of 8/6/08) in Newtown is $641,179 ,in Monroe is $527,033 and $538,493 in Trumbull for single family homes. Good luck!