[Ramblin'Rose]

I'm looking at possibly moving to Southbury or Ridgefield.
My husband and I have a 2 year-old daughter and currently live in NYC.
He will soon be working from home, so we are no longer limited to the immediate NYC area, but don't want to be too far either. Both of these towns look like they have great schools and a slightly rural yet still suburban feel. I've driven around both and think they're beautiful.
Can anyone tell me any major differences between the two? Do you like one better than the other, and if so, why? Our price range would be in the mid 600's..... looks like you can get a little more for your money in Southbury. Why?
Thanks for any help you can offer.

[JayCT]

You will get a lot more in Southbury for $600k than you will in Ridgefield. But you will also be a bit further from New York City. Both are excellent towns with excellent schools though Ridgefield is considered to be among the best in the state. See the link below for information on the schools in either town. I hope this helps. Jay

Strategic School Profiles by District

Strategic School Profiles by School

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Ramblin'Rose

I'm looking at possibly moving to Southbury or Ridgefield.
My husband and I have a 2 year-old daughter and currently live in NYC.
He will soon be working from home, so we are no longer limited to the immediate NYC area, but don't want to be too far either. Both of these towns look like they have great schools and a slightly rural yet still suburban feel. I've driven around both and think they're beautiful.
Can anyone tell me any major differences between the two? Do you like one better than the other, and if so, why? Our price range would be in the mid 600's..... looks like you can get a little more for your money in Southbury. Why?
Thanks for any help you can offer.

The towns are actually pretty similar, but Ridgefield prices are nearly double that of Southbury prices. Why? Proximity to NYC and Metro North. Ridgefield has a nice quaint downtown, while Southbury's is more spread out where you'd need a car to go from store to store. They are both rural, both affluent, and both near highways. Southbury is close to Danbury and Waterbury, where Ridgefield is close to Danbury and Norwalk. Also Ridgefield has always seemed busier than Southbury.

Southbury does have a large 55+ neighborhood that takes up much of the town (Heritage Village) so Southbury's median age will be higher. It also makes driving down Main St in Southbury interesting.

Schools in both towns are good. Southbury regionalizes with nearby (and more affluent) Middlebury to form Region 15. Ridgefield has their own high school.

Also take a look at Monroe, Oxford, Newtown and Brookfield. All are similarly priced to Southbury but more direct to lower Fairfield County and NYC if you will still be travelling there every so often. Oxford has their own brand new high school that local newspapers have been raving about, and Monroe's Masuk is very good too. These towns are relatively rural/suburbanish too but have plenty of neighborhoods with friendly families.

[Ramblin'Rose]

Kidyankee--thanks for all of the information!
I drove around Monroe/Oxford/Newtown, and while they're all equally pretty, none seem to have a town center. Am I wrong about this? Monroe's commercial strip didn't appeal to me as much as the shopping area of Southbury or Ridgefield's downtown. Did I miss something?
Also, there don't seem to be clear neighborhoods in those towns--or am I wrong about that?
Does anyone commute to NYC from Southbury? If so, how? My husband will probably need to go a few times a month.
And one more thing. I read on a forum that Ridgefield can be "snobby." Is this true, in your opinion? How about Southbury?
thanks so much for your help!

[Ramblin'Rose]

Originally Posted by JayCT

You will get a lot more in Southbury for $600k than you will in Ridgefield. But you will also be a bit further from New York City. Both are excellent towns with excellent schools though Ridgefield is considered to be among the best in the state. See the link below for information on the schools in either town. I hope this helps. Jay

Strategic School Profiles by District

Strategic School Profiles by School

Thanks--this is very helpful! Do you happen to know if fewer NYers tend to settle in Southbury than Ridgefield? Just wondering.

[JayCT]

I would say that there are more New Yorkers in Ridgefield because of its proximity to New York. If your husband still does need access to the city, then you might be better off in Ridgefield. You also might want to check other towns like Redding, Easton or Weston. These are more commutable to the city and you might be able to find a nice home there in your price range. Jay

[Ramblin'Rose]

Thks! Does Redding have a town center at all? And what are Weston/Easton like? I know nothing about them...

Originally Posted by JayCT

I would say that there are more New Yorkers in Ridgefield because of its proximity to New York. If your husband still does need access to the city, then you might be better off in Ridgefield. You also might want to check other towns like Redding, Easton or Weston. These are more commutable to the city and you might be able to find a nice home there in your price range. Jay

[HelloSam]

Ridgefield is Fairfield County. Southbury is (interestingly) New Haven county, bordering upper Fairfield County as well as Litchfield County.

Jay, I think Ridgefield is going to be more affordable than Redding, Weston, or Easton. Redding has a town center (blink and you'll miss it). Same with Weston. Easton not so much. But they are easy to Fairfield and Westport, which have great town centers.

Southbury's come a long way, with lots of new homes and new people settling in. It's become rather desirable.

Fairfield County will always have cache and better proximity to NYC.

[jdhall1]

Bethel does have a town center. It is a little further of a commute than Ridgefield but a lot closer than Southbury. Good luck!

Jon

[kidyankee764]

Easton, Redding and Weston are all very expensive where $600k may not get you what you want. Same goes for Ridgefield. If you don't mind a more modest home then Ridgefield and lower Fairfield County is great, but if you want a larger home (say $2500 square feet) then you may be better off in Southbury or one of those towns.

The best towns for a town center in northern Fairfield and Western NH County would be Ridgefield, Southbury (not a traditional CT downtown though) and Bethel (check it out, great downtown with Metro North access). The closest shopping area to Oxford is a section called Southford on the Oxford/Southbury line (where routes 188 and 67 intersect) with some small shops, a breakfast stop, a few restaurants and a Dunkin Donuts. It's very New Englandly and quaint, but nothing like Ridgefields. I read on this board that Southford is a part of Oxford, but I think students in Southford still attend Region 15 (Southbury/Middlebury). I am not sure though. Otherwise Oxford residents travel to Monroe or Seymour.

For 600k I might suggest you go up the shoreline a little and check out Madison and Guilford. Both are suburban with a rural feel, nice centers with a town green, excellent schools and nice beaches. Guilford is one of my favorite towns in CT.