[perm2perm]

Folks,

I might have a job offer in CT. I have never lived in NE. I know everyone is moving from NE to SE, CT to NC or simply from all over the US to NC. Some people may call me crazy to do just the opposite. Nevertheless, I have a few questions :

- I am looking around possibly Shelton CT area. Is that area safe ? I looked at the statistics and I know Bridgeport is not. Would the crime from Bridgeport spill over to Shelton too ? For instance crime index in Fairfield town is 2 whereas it is 262 in Bridgeport and they are only 4 miles apart. That sounds odd to me.

- Are the schools good in Shelton or in general in Fairfield county? Do the property taxes go up consistently ?

- I had just one afternoon to drive around in Shelton. I did not see any malls or shopping centers or even groceries. Are the big box stores, Target etc gathered around certain towns and one has to drive there and other towns are just rural ?

- What is the average heating bill per month and also for winter for a 1800sqft house ? How about water bill ?

- In your personal opinion, would the real estate prices go down, stay flat or go up in that area within the next 2-3 years ? I know this is a tough one but I just need your take.

My preference right now is to turn the job down since living NC is comfortable, don't have the snow/higher taxes etc but my career here in NC is not going anywhere and the job opportunity in CT is good with a better title. So, I am looking for input from the people who are from that area to be convinced to make the move to CT. Would a %40 raise in salary make it worthwhile or is it likely to be eaten up by the higher living cost index ?

I appreciate any input at all.

Thank you,

[Summer77]

Try looking into Huntington I have familt there and it seems like a really nice area.As for the other questions I'm not sure.

[mom2gurls]

Shelton is a lovely area...I am in NYC area but the"Tri-State" (ny, ct and nj ten to overlap on where people live, commute, and work. I used to work in Danbury which is 30 minutes north of shelton. My good friend left and they moved to VA and sold there home for 719k and they bought it for 400k. Not a bad investment.

BUT, like most places that is considered the burbs on NYC....you are correct in that major conviences (the mall, target, local "big") shopping tend to be a hike.

I am from Southern Cal...and moved to NY and it was a HUGE culture shock after marriage....There is NO joke ONE mall for Every county here....and its the same when I worked in CT. Driving to CVS is likea 18 minute drive. Its really annoying. We are considering moving to the carolinas (columbia)---I just have get over the bug issue that I keep reading about.

And the idea of having major things near me is awesome.

In my HONEST opinion...its more thana 40% increase that you need to factor in. IF by chance you lost your job..you would need to keep yourself accessible to the NYC area or at least stamford. Both of which can be accessed by train.

The other issue is that I see no slowing of the market..we are the border of CT and new development (one of many) starts at 659k. And we live 70 miles from NYC where my dh works....

So there is a definate quality of live issue.

And that is the main thing...If If I were in your shoes, I probably would take the position, even thought there is an increase, because everything will have a shock value.....car insurance, mortgage taxes easily run from 10 to 20K PER YEAR..we have friends that have a 1500 dollar TAX payent in addition to their mortgage payment and there house is a typical 4 bedroom 2.5 bath colonial, 2500-2700 square feet in a nice family orientated area where you would send your kids to school. And lets not forget auto insurance. Again...Easily 3000 per year.

I hope that I am not scaring you....but there is this misnomer that NYC salaries are awesome..yet everyone is pretty much doing 6 figures here....you have too...but 100k doesnt get you the 650k house that you would want to get to send your kids to the right school. Just my Opinion..

I was brought up in southern cal where the market and cost of living is pretty much the same here in the tristate..and the only saving grace is, if you managed to buy property before 1998 before the market skyrocketed so you have equity to put down.

Good luck..but honestly....40% increase per year..take that and figure out the "net" that you will be taking home from that...and just see if its worth the mortgage taxes here, the auto insurance, gas, heck grocery bills for a family of 4 run me at least 250 a month.

And that is the main thing...If If I were in your shoes, I probably would take the position,

I meant, that I probably WOULD NOT take the position...sorry too many typos.

[salatheel]

Shelton is safe as is Fairfield and Milford. I would avoid Bridgeport,Ansonia,and Derby. However, no way would I take a job here. The outlook for job growth in this area of Connecticut over the next 5 years is in negative numbers. Taxes and heating expenses are huge. You would probably spend $4-5,000 heating that size house easy. The weather here can't compare to North Carolina. Also the real estate values here I feel have peaked. There are not enough jobs or new people coming in to increase housing values in the long run.

[summertime25]

CT? Are you out of your mind? You are going to freeze to death. Don't do it. I'm originally from NC living in DC and the weather is to drastically different for me. Stay where it's warm.

[winnie]

Stay in NC.

The statement about the 15K in property taxes is not an exaggeration.

Leave So CT to the NYC commuters. I see no draw there as to the quality of life, recreational activities or cost of living.

Houses are wickedly expensive, Bridgeport is indeed a high crime area and I would never recommend it as a place to move to.

[sheisty1]

I will agree with everyone else. Stay in NC. We just move to NC from CT and it is sooo much better. Your cost of living is insane and so not worth it. I will never go back to the NE. I keep trying to get my parents to move down here.

[mhogan10010]

Take this job only if you think that after a couple of years, with the better job title and experience to go with it, you can go back home. I lived in NC for 12 years and Now in NYC for 7. I personally would not go back to NC, but that is just my preference. I like big cities, really big cities and I don't have kids.
Most people I meet here from Down South, tend to go back when they have children.
Good luck and pray about it.

[lund]

I'm going to give the same suggestion I gave to the person who was thinking of moving to Waterbury. Shelton is a bit south of Waterbury. Naugatuck is inbetween.Here it is:
You say you're thinking of moving back to Waterbury, CT. after a 20 years in another State? No, I wouldn't suggest it. Since you're bringing your parents, please do a TREMENDOUS amount of research on how probate courts WORK in CT. I don't mean the internet PR PAGE that has been put on the net by the CT. Gov., but how it REALLY works.
A legal/valid Will MUST GO THROUGH PROBATE. Check newspaper archives for some probate horror stories, read what law professors say ( Yale law professors on the Net would be a good start), Univ. of CT. professors, Read articles in the Hartford Courant archives, The New York Times. The Waterbury Republican American newspaper has not covered a recent horror story, Probate here is very political. They're voted in.
Believe me, you don't want ANYONE CLOSE TO YOU TO DIE IN CT. I hope to move from CT. as CT. HAS NOT adopted the UNIFORM PROBATE CODE. Since Gov., Jodi Rell signed a new bill last year that refined estate taxes she also raised probate court fees making it even more expensive to die here. As to Waterbury, Wolcott and Middlebury those three cities are handled by the same "judge." In Ct. a probate judge doesn't have to be an attorney. All they have to do is live in the community. Could be a waitress, a trash hauler or an attorney with political connections, And we know that Waterbury has had a lot of corruption scandals.
Aside from the cold weather, high heating costs, the highest gas prices in the country, and humungous, back breaking Waterbury taxes, that area has to deal with what happens to their assets after they die. Anyone with property in CT. has to be concerned.
Other than the above, I guess it's O.K.

If you'd like to email me you may.

[designkelly]

I'm so glad I saw this. I am from Shelton connecticut, and lived there
until i was 23. I still only live about 30 min away now, and I still visit
almost every weekend. Its always funny to see peoples comments about the area, as most have no idea what they are talking about and or have not lived here long enough to have a good idea of things.

Shelton is a great place to live "relative to the rest of CT". I don't mean relative to NC or where you are now, as I cannot make that determination, having never been there. There are maybe a few better areas in CT, but I think it is one of the better places to live in CT. Fairfield County is the best county handsdown in CT. The crime from Bridgeport does not come into Shelton at all. Shelton is an extremely safe place. Its too far from Bridgeport and its alot less crowded then the nicer communities around Bridgeport. Fairfield is more crowded.

Most all of the schools in Fairfield County are excellent. Shelton is
probably pretty good. But obviously the extremely expensive towns are better. Shelton is just one of the least expensive communities in Fairfield County, so that is partly why.

There are 2 grocery stores in Shelton, and a couple small ones all
around the town. Where you would shop depends on where you live in Shelton. If you live closer to any town, you can shop in their grocery stores.
Target is in the next town. Most stores are sporadically placed in Shelton and in this area in general. it could be close 5 min or far 25 min, depending on where you live in Shelton. because you need to backroads to get anywhere in Shelton, but its not like there crowded. For example, Shelton has a Staples and a Bed Bath and Beyond, but no Costco. So, you would to travel to the Milford, Orange, CT area for everything in one spot.

Someone said the taxes were $15,000??? i don't know where they got that from. Shelton has one of the lowest tax rates in Fairfield CT. The rate probably goes up every 5-6 years. Just look on houses at Realtor.com. I think it says the rate...

As far as weather, I don't know what to say, as I have never lived in NC. If you have never lived in NE, i can imagine it would be a nasty shock. So, i don't know what to say regarding that.

Where is the job? I have to say, I am not in favor of commuting at all, especially from Shelton. Shelton is a good 15 min away from the highway 95 which is main highway. The highways are 2 lanes, 3 in certain spots. If you ok with that, then definitely by all means, I guess you could make some decent money. If you needed to take the train, the Shelton station is too small,so you have to drive to Bridgeport to get it. And that is about a good 15-20 min drive.

My house is 1900 sq ft and I have natural gas heat, and it was around $1700 for gas this season. Oct-March. If you have oil, it could possibly be more.

Basically the main issue is housing.

I don't think you are going to be paying more for anything else up here. It is all relatively the same. The difference is neglible, a few extra dollars here and there. My opinion though.

Oh, you have to pay a yearly tax on your car too.

I think there is a huge misconception about how it might be easy or desirable to commute to NYC from CT. Thats where your quality of life goes downhill. Living in CT, is not an easy commute to NYC at all. NO matter how long the train ride is, you are still going to have to drive home from there, as none of the train stations are in desirable areas.

Email me if you need more info, or have questions, I would be glad to answer.