[KissnRain]

My husband is considering a position in Westport, moving us from the Seattle area. I ranch horses and need a few acres. We are having difficulting finding a county website or an accessor's site with property zoning information. If you can refer us to any information we'd appreciate it.

How are the commutes into Westport from Easton or Stamford?

Do you have any location suggestions?

Thanks in advance for any information you can share.

[skytrekker]

Westport is a fairly highly urban to suburban area along the I 95 corridor. There are homes that allow horses with acres- at a price that you may not like-unless you have been a very large shareholder from Microsoft since 1985.

Wilton or Weston to the north about 10 miles may suit your needs, with more land- at prices that are not cheap.

[MikefromCT]

Hi there,

The aforementioned towns - Westport, Wilton, Easton - are all likely to have areas where you can raise horses but it will not be cheap. We're talking about Fairfield County, one of the priciest areas in the country. I mean, if you can afford it, great. But it is something to take into consideration if you're not familiar with the area. But yes, Westport should suit your needs. Lovely town, but astoundingly pricy.

Stamford is technically a city, and even though the north side of town has more of a rural feel with detached houses, I can't say for sure they would have this. (Again, it's a city.) Fairfield may be an option. It's been years since I've been there but I think they'd have a few areas zoned for this. Or maybe not. Really, the best thing to do would be to visit the town website and look up the town's zoning commission phone #.

[JayCT]

You can't find information on a county web site because Connecticut has no county governments. They were abolished almost 50 years ago because we are a small state with no unincoprorated areas. The entire state is divided into different towns. If you are looking for property for horses, Westport does have some but they will be very pricey. Weston, Easton, Fairfield and Redding do too but again they are pricey. You might even consider Newtown and Monroe. they are futher out but are a bit more affordable. What you can afford will help us narrow down your choices. Jay

[KissnRain]

Thank you for your replies. You've given me enough information to continue my research.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by JayCT

You can't find information on a county web site because Connecticut has no county governments. They were abolished almost 50 years ago because we are a small state with no unincoprorated areas. The entire state is divided into different towns. If you are looking for property for horses, Westport does have some but they will be very pricey. Weston, Easton, Fairfield and Redding do too but again they are pricey. You might even consider Newtown and Monroe. they are futher out but are a bit more affordable. What you can afford will help us narrow down your choices. Jay

As Jay indicates, it won't be simple to find out where property is zoned for horses. My first suggestion would be Newtown, then Easton and Redding. I'd bypass Monroe, strictly because it seems(IMHO) that the newer residents are attempting to distance the town from its farming/equine/country aspects.

[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

I'd bypass Monroe, strictly because it seems(IMHO) that the newer residents are attempting to distance the town from its farming/equine/country aspects.

I remember you saying this before, I wouldn't blame it on the newer residents. It is the town government who is working on re-writing the zoning laws of Monroe since our once farming-community has changed dramatically over the years, and is now more suburban than it previously was. They are trying to bring in new businesses in an effort to control taxes, and encourage responsible development, and it's not going over well with residents old and new, at all. The town's original draft was shot down by residents as being too restrictive. No final decisions have been made.

There are indeed farms and stables here, my dd rides regularly at one of them, and I used to as well. But a lot of new neighborhoods have been built over the years, which limits the trail rides that used to be in Monroe. I do know people who have moved to Newtown which is more "horse friendly" for trail riding, as more residents there are willing to allow people to cut across their property on their horses, following trails many years old. Monroe's horse farms are still alive and well though, the biggest change that may happen might be a limit of how many horses are allowed on the farms. The proposed change would limit 4 horses per acre, which some stables find too restrictive. I *think* existing horse farms would be exempt from the new rules, but if the OP found the perfect property in Monroe they should look into it. Here are the details:

Planning & Zoning
http://www.monroect.org/resources/14...019%202007.pdf

I would agree with looking into Easton, Redding, and Newtown, but wouldn't rule out Monroe entirely. Available property for horse farms are not easy to find in Fairfield County, so the OP may need to look in several towns.

[Jett456]

Newtown is a great place for horses. I actually know of someone who just sold a home there with horses, stables, etc.