[sunflowers 66]

We are looking at places to live in the Waterbury area. We are active young newlyweds with a dog and a baby on the way. Husband will be working in Bristol but we would like to be close to friends that live in Trumbull, but still close to Interstate 84 so we are venturing south to Oxford. Oxford seems ideal and what we read about the town seems nice. We would like to spend no more than $550k and would like 3 beds with 2 or more acres in a nice neighborhood. Looks like this is doable in Oxford. How are the taxes and schools? We would also like to know if Oxford is really as pristine as we keep reading? We both love the outdoors.

We are coming from FL so any good recommendations for snow plows in the area would be nice too, for next winter!!

How is the commute from Oxford to Bristol? I would assume most traffic goes to NYC but I know there are some satellite cities like Waterbury so I don't know if traffic moves (or does NOT move!!) eastbound too.

Many thanks, this site is so cool and loaded with information!

[JayCT]

The commute through Waterbury (which is a major city) can make the trip difficult. There are traffic issues on I-84 through this area. Normally the commute would be about 40 minutes but with traffic it would be nearly an hour.

That seems kind of far to me. Have you considered towns closer to Bristol? Take a look at Southington or Cheshire. Maybe even Prospect or Bethany. Jay

[KH02]

I agree that oxford is further than most would want to drive if they are commuting to bristol.

[sunflowers 66]

JayCT I was hoping you'd respond. We have to be as close to Trumbull as possible so commute time doen't matter all that much. An hour is okay, since here in FL he was commuting 90 mins.

How are schools and taxes in Oxford? Are there trains between Oxford and Bristol?

[aroundthecorner059]

I just moved to Oxford recently from Atlanta so I can relate. The commute from here to Bristol is far but not impossible. We are about halfway between Bristol and lower Fairfield Cty so you have access to both. Trumbull is not a far drive ... maybe 12 miles away depending on exact addresses.

Oxford used to be a rural town with lots of horse farms. Recently mcmansions have popped up all over the place (and continue to do so) but almost all homes are on at least an acre per the planning and zoning commission. Schools are excellent ... much better than the top Atlanta suburb we moved from. The curriculum is extremely progressive and we are happy with that although we are conservative.

If you don't have kids yet, you may get lonely in Oxford. There are approximately 12000 people in town but it is the type of community where parents drive their car into the garage and shut the door to call it a night. People are very reserved and worry about being too bothersome to their neighbors ... that has good and bad effects. People here are friendly but do not expect a block party when you arrive.

As for parks, we live near Southford Falls. A great place for picnicing, hiking, dog walking or people watching on a nice day. You can walk to downtown Southford from there for a deli sandwich, slice of pizza or the local coffee shop (so quaint that regular customers hang their own mugs on the wall). The diner, Yvonne's) has a horsefarm theme.

In your price range you can get a newer colonial on an acre in a nice neighborhood.

We really enjoy living here and I'm sure you will too.

[aroundthecorner059]

Originally Posted by JayCT

The commute through Waterbury (which is a major city) can make the trip difficult. There are traffic issues on I-84 through this area. Normally the commute would be about 40 minutes but with traffic it would be nearly an hour.

That seems kind of far to me. Have you considered towns closer to Bristol? Take a look at Southington or Cheshire. Maybe even Prospect or Bethany. Jay

Bethany is at least 40 min from Bristol, and the commute times from Cheshire and Prospect are still about 30. Plus the commute from these towns are on side roads with lots of stop lights.

[KH02]

We drive from Cheshire to Bristol all the time, it's FAR from 30 minutes.

Pick up 84 right over the southington line and hop on the highway and get off west street. That would only take about 20 minutes...if not a few less

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by sunflowers 66

We are looking at places to live in the Waterbury area. We are active young newlyweds with a dog and a baby on the way. Husband will be working in Bristol but we would like to be close to friends that live in Trumbull, but still close to Interstate 84 so we are venturing south to Oxford. Oxford seems ideal and what we read about the town seems nice. We would like to spend no more than $550k and would like 3 beds with 2 or more acres in a nice neighborhood. Looks like this is doable in Oxford. How are the taxes and schools? We would also like to know if Oxford is really as pristine as we keep reading? We both love the outdoors.

We are coming from FL so any good recommendations for snow plows in the area would be nice too, for next winter!!

How is the commute from Oxford to Bristol? I would assume most traffic goes to NYC but I know there are some satellite cities like Waterbury so I don't know if traffic moves (or does NOT move!!) eastbound too.

Many thanks, this site is so cool and loaded with information!

Oxford is a hike from Bristol and I think most new people in town are Fairfield County commuters. That said, the commute isn't impossible. Traffic along 84 could be difficult in Waterbury near where it intersects with Rt 8 but I don't think it would add an additional 20 minutes onto your commute. Maybe 5. From Oxford you can even take Route 8 north from Seymour into Waterbury which could be much easier than getting on I-84 in Southbury. Traffic on Route 8 generally goes South toward Bridgeport in the morning.

Oxford is a nice town. Lately it has been growing into an upscale suburb and I'm not a fan of the attitudes that come with it. The town IS friendly but there are a lot of 50 cent millionaires around - people that live in mcmansions who think they're super wealthy. There are a lot of stay at home moms in those new developments they're building (not that this is a bad thing) so you probably wouldn't have a hard time finding friends.

Shopping is in nearby Seymour and Southbury. Malls are in Danbury, Waterbury, Trumbull and Milford (all about the same distance away...~20 minutes).

Taxes aren't horrible compared to other area towns, but they are rising with the construction of a new high school.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by sunflowers 66

JayCT I was hoping you'd respond. We have to be as close to Trumbull as possible so commute time doen't matter all that much. An hour is okay, since here in FL he was commuting 90 mins.

How are schools and taxes in Oxford? Are there trains between Oxford and Bristol?

Sunflowers - There are no trains between Oxford and Bristol. In fact there is no train service to either of these communities. Most of the trains in CT run along the coast from New Haven to New York City with feeder lines to New Canaan, Danbury, Waterbury and the shoreline towns east of New Haven. Amtrak provides service between New Haven and Hartford which then goes up to Springfield, MA and southern Vermont.

Oxford schools are very good with students performing well above state averages on the Connecticut Mastery Tests. Class sizes though do appear to be a bit large with most being well over 20 students per class. To check on taxes, I would look at real estate listings for homes in your price range and see what they look like. Most real estate company web sites will give you this information. Be aware though, taxes in Connecticut are not cheap like they are in other states and know that you will be taxed on your cars as well. Jay

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by aroundthecorner059

Bethany is at least 40 min from Bristol, and the commute times from Cheshire and Prospect are still about 30. Plus the commute from these towns are on side roads with lots of stop lights.

I agree that Bethany is about 40 minutes to Bristol, but Cheshire is 15 miles away which would take about 30 minutes. This is still a lot better than an hour on I-84 in traffic. Of course, these travel times would depend where you live and where you are commuting to. I suspect the OP's fiance is going to work at ESPN (so many people do now) which is on the Southington line so they would not have to travel quite as far into Bristol off I-84. Jay