[Michelle4]

Hi, we are an Italian couple with 4 children under the age of 9. My husband has a potential job offer in CT (exact location unknown). Since his commute is not a crucial factor, we are looking for a nice middle to upper class area with larger homes, good schools and very family oriented. I am a stay-at-home mom and very social. I have many friends (which I would be leaving behind) and would therefore be looking to meet other mothers and families alike. We have alot of family members in Brooklyn and Staten Island, so I'd like to remain as close as I possibly can to NY. Any suggestions would be most helpful...and appreciated.

[heather121]

I'll ask the first question....what's your budget?

That will be the determining factor for what areas are recommended.

[Michelle4]

800,000-900,000 or so....

[usmcfamily]

Westport, Ridgefield, Weston, Wilton, New Canaan and Darien ($$ won't go quite as far in the last two towns). All have great schools, great places to raise kids. Westport gets my vote because its on the water and has Staples High School.

[Michelle4]

Thank you so much. This gives me a starting point.

[brasscitybluenwhite]

North Haven, Watertown, and Wolcott are far but they have some of the largest Italian communities in the country. btw.

[Michelle4]

Thank you....that is helpful to know.

[mlassoff]

I'd recommend you take a look at Trumbull. While it doesn't have the status or cache of the other towns mentioned (I've lived in Westport and Trumbull) it does meet all of your requirements. I don't know if you could find a home with enough bedrooms to meet your needs in Westport in your price range... You would likely find a midsized four bedroom. In Trumbull you could definitely find a very large house on a nice piece of land for your price. I also think Trumbull might be ideal because:

1) Lots of other Italian families. You identified yourself as Italian in your OP, so I am guessing this is important to you.
2) Good to excellent schools.
3) Lots of family oriented actives and youth sports and other activities. One of the largest little league and youth soccer programs around. (Trumbull won the Little League World Championship in 1989).
4) Low traffic neighborhoods where kids can actually play outside. (My experience was in the pre-internet days, but neighborhood kickball games and sledding in winter were the rule).
5) Lots of opportunities to meet friends and families with kids.

Good luck with your choice and welcome to Connecticut!

[Lizzie007]

Originally Posted by brasscitybluenwhite

North Haven, Watertown, and Wolcott are far but they have some of the largest Italian communities in the country. btw.

I was going to mention North Haven and say the same thing. Very good schools, huge house for your budget (as opposed to the towns like Darien, Greenwich etc) , higher than average Italian population.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by mlassoff

In Trumbull you could definitely find a very large house on a nice piece of land for your price. I also think Trumbull might be ideal because:
1) Lots of other Italian families. You identified yourself as Italian in your OP, so I am guessing this is important to you.

I'm not a statistician, but i think the dynamics have changed a bit from when you lived there. While Italians are still represented in Trumbull, they're older and their numbers are diminishing. Back when you and I were kids, the common reason for the high # was because "our" parents started out in Bridgeport, and then moved on to Trumbull/Fairfield/Stratford/Etc. The Italian migration("white-flight", actually) from Bridgeport ended quite a while ago. The migration of good young families out of Bridgeport still occurs, but they're predominantly non-italian.