[jmhawn]

I am thinking about taking a job in Shelton, CT. I am from Philly and don't know much about CT as far as where the best place to move to for a single guy in his mid 20's. I am looking to rent for now and the location also needs to be a reasonable distance from Shelton. I am social so I was hoping to find a town with a good night life/single crowd with a lot of people my age. Maybe an area with good public transportation (taxi, train, bus) or walking distance to bars and restaurants. Any ideas? thanks

[Rich Lee]

I commute to Shelton from Cheshire. If your start time is 8:00 am, seriously weigh living north of Shelton (Seymour, Beacon Falls, Naugatuck) due to the traffic on the Commodore-Hull Bridge.

Derby and Ansonia, both north of Shelton but south of the other three towns, wouldn't be bad because there are local roads that bypass that bridge.

Towns to the southeast or east would be Orange, Milford, Stratford, and West Haven.

Towns to the south and west would all be in Fairfield County which is somewhat pricey. You could try Shelton which isn't too bad price-wise even though it's in Fairfield County.

You don't indicate if you're considering buying or renting. If you don't know how long you'll be in Connecticut, then rent.

[JayCT]

Shelton is a pretty suburban area. There is a small older downtown that has some housing options but the singles scene is pretty quiet.

If you want more nightlife, you should consider moving to New Haven. It has more options for restaurants, clubs and bars. It is about 10 miles from Shelton and would take about 30 minutes depending on traffic. Be aware though that New Haven is a small city that does have typical urban issues.

Some singles live in nearby Milford and then go into New Haven for the nightlife. Milford is a very nice town with a lot of shopping and restaurants and has a wide range of housing options. It would be a little closer to Shelton than New Haven. I hope this helps. Jay

[aroundthecorner059]

Connecticut suburbs are quiet and are more for comfortable families who seek good schools. That is why I would suggest New Haven, which has many colleges and universities and from what I can gather, a nightlife geared toward people such as yourself. I especially enjoyed walking around downtown New Haven and East Rock is beautiful too. The area near Wooster Street and near SCSU was a little sketchy however! There is the commuter Metro North train to New York City and it seemed there were cabs around New Haven. Get ready for some amazing pizza pies! We stood in line for an hour to get into Pepe's pizza and it was worth every minute.

The great thing about CT is when or if you meet a gal and have kids, the public school system is the best in the country. I moved here from Atlanta and am delighted with the schools here.

I wish you luck with your move!

[kidyankee764]

I'd have to third New Haven.

I just moved to Shelton and while it's a good town to raise a family, I don't think I'd enjoy living in the 'burbs as a single guy in my early 20s. I'm 26 and just "settled down." I had my good times in and just after college, and if I were to do it all over again, I'd live in downtown New Haven or Stamford. Westville and East Rock in New Haven are also nice - Westville being more suburban and East Rock a little more compact with many college students (Yale, SCSU, Quinnipiac, etc) living in apartments. Downtown New Haven has a decent nightlife and is a mixture of locals and college kids. You also have access to Metro North into Grand Central/Manhattan. It's like a smaller scale Philly, almost.

If you're working in the Bridgeport Avenue area of Shelton, your ride to work would probably be the Merritt Pkwy (15) to Route 8. You can also go the Merritt to 34 to 8. It's not too bad of a ride. There are many good places for lunch in that area of Shelton too.

Other areas I would suggest are Milford which also has good nightlife, especially in the summer. Milford is more suburban but has a lot of city amenities, e.g. Metro North, shopping, beaches.

Don't forget you're just a train ride from the city for really good nightlife.

[njohnson]

New Haven is the perfect scene for a guy in his mid 20's. Lots of bars, lounges, restaurants, retail stores, other people your age, some of the best pizza in the US, and great access to transportation. While the traffic at the 91/95 interchange is a nightmare most of it can be bypassed with some creative planning.

Another big plus is not just the access to Fairfield county but also has easy access to the Eastern shoreline of CT and RI which has some great small towns like Mystic, Clinton, Westbrook, Old Lyme, Essex, etc.

The only thing I would caution is do research on the areas you rent, most of the downtown areas are safe but you have to pick and choose some of the outskirts neighborhoods.