[ComingtoCT]

We googled Oakville and it is much further than we would like. We wanted to stay closer to Norwalk. We looked at Trumbull and did not like the feel with the Mall and part of the town seemed sketchy near Bridgeport. Also we are looking for something more rural. I have never been to Newtown. Is there a closer drive to a station, other than the 15 minutes mapquest says it would take to get to Danbury center? Our friends said stay away from Newtown due to lots of drugs (heroin?). I understand the issue can be anywhere, but is it particularly bad in Newtown? I see I would have to travel on 84 into Danbury coming from Newtown. Lots of traffic going west? How is Seymour vs Oxford and Monroe? Housing seems a little more affordable but are they on smaller lots?

We scratched out Southbury and put Monroe in its place. Southbury seems too removed from trains.

Other than making simple suggestions (which I appreciate BTW), can anyone give me details on what life is like in these towns? We will take a Sunday drive through the towns tomorrow. Anyone know of routes to take through Monroe and Oxford to get the feel of the towns? Thanks!

[ComingtoCT]

Originally Posted by MetsNY

Monroe, Trumbull, Newtown perhaps?

We will look into Monroe, thanks!

[skytrekker]

Since you want to be as close to Woodbury as possible- the towns of Middlebury, Oxford, and Watertown would be a good bet- also Thomaston- a wee further away but a nice little town.

[MetsNY]

We googled Oakville and it is much further than we would like. We wanted to stay closer to Norwalk. We looked at Trumbull and did not like the feel with the Mall and part of the town seemed sketchy near Bridgeport. Also we are looking for something more rural. I have never been to Newtown. Is there a closer drive to a station, other than the 15 minutes mapquest says it would take to get to Danbury center? Our friends said stay away from Newtown due to lots of drugs (heroin?). I understand the issue can be anywhere, but is it particularly bad in Newtown? I see I would have to travel on 84 into Danbury coming from Newtown. Lots of traffic going west? How is Seymour vs Oxford and Monroe? Housing seems a little more affordable but are they on smaller lots?

We scratched out Southbury and put Monroe in its place. Southbury seems too removed from trains.

Other than making simple suggestions (which I appreciate BTW), can anyone give me details on what life is like in these towns? We will take a Sunday drive through the towns tomorrow. Anyone know of routes to take through Monroe and Oxford to get the feel of the towns? Thanks!


Newtown does not have a drug problem. Do people use drugs, yes. Is it a major problem, not really. Newtown is actually becoming a very desirable place to live by the way. Sort of strict zoning laws and some of the houses are amazing.

Trumbull is great, people seem to be turned off by its proximity to Bridgeport. There is no need to fear, it's very safe and the schools are amazing. Metro North is not that far depending on where you live.

Monroe is somewhat rural, somewhat suburban depending on how you look at it. Monroe is a great town, very good schools close to everything you need, malls are about 10-20 min away in Trumbull and Danbury depending where you live. You can take the train from Bridgeport or Fairfield and that is about 20 min away with no traffic. Its removed from alot of the hustle of Fairfield County, but is still really close to lower Fairfield County, Westchester and NYC. Housing prices are in the area of the median being about 450 I believe, it may be a little higher. Only problem with Monroe, overbuilding on Route 25. To many strip malls which to some is a turn off. The good thing about that though is, it does not affect the rest of the town because it is limited to that one street.

[andthentherewere3]

Monroe is a wonderful family-oriented town with great schools, parks, and recreational activities for kids. Most of the homes are on 1+ acre lots. I wouldn't recommend driving Rt. 111 or Rt. 25 through town and thinking that is the town though, those busy roads are where the shopping is, especially Rt. 25 all the way into Newtown. The rest of the town is residential. If you would like to see the two town parks with pools/beach/playgrounds/tennis/basketball, try Great Hollow Lake on Purdy Hill Road, and Wolfe Park on Cutlers Farm Road. The two are actually connected by trails (the parks total 379 acres combined) but you can drive to both areas. You could also check out Webb Mountain Park, which is offers hiking and camping:
Webb Mountain Park

I was just googling to get the exact acreage for Wolfe Park (they acquired several more acres a few years ago) and came across this article for Monroe. It's a few years old so the home prices are a little off, but it does give some info about Monroe:

If You're Thinking of Living In/Monroe, Conn.; Fairfield County Life, at a Slower Pace - New York Times

To get to Oxford from Monroe, you can drive down Rt. 111 in Monroe, hit Rt. 34 and turn right, cross the Lake Zoar dam, and bear right. A half mile or so up the road and a left turn will get you into the back roads of Oxford. That is the only way I have ever been to Oxford, when taking my kids to friend's houses there. Hopefully someone will be able to give you better info on Oxford. Oxford is another great town with large lots, and more rural than Monroe.

As for Newtown, I've not heard of a big heroin issue in the high school there. I know I have heard of it in towns such as Easton from people we know living there, but only a small number of kids are involved. My oldest son just graduated Masuk high in Monroe, and I also have a daughter who will be a senior there. I haven't heard of heroin here either, although I'm sure it's here, I imagine it's pretty much everywhere. But only a very small number of students would be involved in it. But the big drug that has people talking around here right now seems to be steroids, some of the male athletes in the schools seem to feel the need to take them. But at any rate, Newtown is a beautiful semi-rural town, and it's worth it to take a drive-through. You can take a drive north on Rt. 25 and it will take you straight to the "downtown" area of Newtown, the flagpole. There are some beautiful old homes in that area, with quaint shopping areas. Of course once you get away from Rt. 25 and that downtown area, Newtown is much more rural.

[ComingtoCT]

Thank you andthentherewere3. Monroe seems beautiful. Does the shopping on the 25 create a lot of congestion?

Skytrekker thank you as well. Thomaston seems very far howevre. We don't need to be as close as possible to Woodbury. Close enough to visit during the day since my wife will be at home.

Does anyone know the best route to see Oxford? Can't wait to see both towns.

Cheers

[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by ComingtoCT

Thank you andthentherewere3. Monroe seems beautiful. Does the shopping on the 25 create a lot of congestion?

Not really, although the traffic does get heavy during rush hour. It is a two lane road, but unless there is an accident, traffic keeps moving. I think the people who are most affected are those commuting to and from work and driving through Monroe, instead of Monroe's residents. People who live in Monroe don't generally need to travel the whole length of Rt. 25, they just use back roads to reach a particular destination. I go weeks without ever driving on Rt. 25.

[JayCT]

ComingtoCT - You are looking for some very specific things (close to Norwalk and Woodbury, not too expensive, not too suburban) that may not exist. This is one of the most expensive areas in the country and is also pretty well developed. The good thing is the area is not densely developed because most of the towns have large lot zoning unlike other parts of the country. If you think towns like Bethel are too developed with chains stores then I am not sure what you would think of other parts of the country where this is all they have.

Commuting into Norwalk will be your biggest problem because of the expensive towns that immediately surround it and the density of those towns. Some of the towns suggested that are further out will give you a difficult commute. You may want to check out the Huntington section of Shelton which is very nice. It is rural in character and has a charming green with some small stores for necessities. Also Monroe (as suggested).

I am not sure why you ruled out Trumbull just because it borders Bridgeport and has a mall. It is a large town with some absolutely beautiful neighborhoods. It is considered to be a very desirable town. Also check into neighboring Easton which is more rural. Good luck, Jay

[andthentherewere3]

Hopefully the OP was able to take a little tour around Oxford today. It might be a good fit for them. I'm hoping for an update.

[ComingtoCT]

We took a nice drive yesterday through Easton, Monroe and Oxford. Very nice towns! Looking at real estate in Easton it looks to have higher prices. We are still focusing on Monroe and Oxford. My wife likes Quaker Farms (is that Oxford or Seymour?) and I really liked a neighborhood in Monroe near 25. We also drove into Seymour and liked that very much too but a local said a 20 story high rise was to be built downtown and we don't want any part of that. So now it is just a matter of finding the right house.

JayCT,
We did not rule out Trumbull only because it has a large shopping mall and its proximity to Bridgeport. It isn't our type of town with homes a little closer together and suburbanized. Given that, we are just looking for a rural area and cannot find that in Trumbull. We did look up statistics on Bridgeport and it does not seem like a very safe town. I work with someone who is from Trumbull and she just transferred her kids to a different district because she said the public schools have a heavy Bridgeoprt influence. She said many Bridgeport kids use a Trumbull address but still live in Bridgeport, and attend Trumbull's schools. So we decided there was too much going against Trumbull (for us) to want to live there. We are the ones with the issue though, not the town!

Also JayCT, how difficult will my commute be from that area? My understanding is that I can get the early train on Waterbury branch, switch in Bridgeport and continue to Norwalk. I can walk from the South Norwalk station to my office and can do work on the train. Will this be tough? Will there be available seats on the Bridgeoprt-Norwalk train or will I have to stand?

And not for nothing but this car tax is taking a little getting used to!!