[sandy 25]

Hi,

We’re thinking of buying a house in Clinton, Ct. It seems more affordable than Madison. I’d like to know more about that area and the town of Clinton itself. Is there a big difference between Clinton, Madison and Guilford. We'd like to be near the beach. How are the schools, crime, etc. Thanks.

[skytrekker]

sandy25

The CT shore east of New Haven is generally a peaceful place.
Clinton is a nice coastal New England town.
Your question? Is there a difference between Clinton, Madison and Guilford?
On the broad view-not really- on micro issues perhaps.
There is a state park/beach very close 'Hammonasset state beach'
Crime is very low- Schools- not enough objective data.

[sandy 25]

Thanks for your feedback. Do you know if the property taxes are higher or different bet these towns?

[skytrekker]

Sandy25

In Connecticut local taxes can vary by town- it might be best to contact the local assessor's office- in each town hall for information on property taxes.

I know it is confusing for newcomers to the state to fully understand the local tax laws- which are confusing and somewhat archaic.

[JViello]

Crud - How does the saying go?

Guilford for the History, Madison for the Money, Branford for the Culture...something like that - Anyhow.

My inlaws have a beach house in Clinton. Very nice town. You really can't go wrong there.

[Friendship-Properties]

Trulia comparisons ..

Clinton: http://www.trulia.com/real_estate/Clinton-Connecticut/
Madison: http://www.trulia.com/real_estate/Madison-Connecticut/
Guilford: http://www.trulia.com/real_estate/Guilford-Connecticut/

[kellride]

Clinton IS more affordable than Madison or Guilford. I have been a resident of Clinton since I was born (I'm 20) and although I will not live there when I finish college I would definately reccommend it. My parents own a gymnastics school in Guilford, which relocated from Madison in 2000 so I also know a lot about those towns. Personally, Madison is full of rich people that are snooty about their money, and the kids are pretty spoiled. CT has the highest car per household (*legal drivers) ratio, and a lot of this is because of Madison and Guilford. Derek Jeter has a house in Guilford along with a few other celebrities. Madison is home to the Garrity's (Garrity Flashlights) as well as quite a few other multi-millionaires. Homes there are extremely expensive just because it is Madison, and Guilford is similar. Lot's of lawyers, doctors, and other high paying jobs. Also all these shoreline towns in the summer get flooded with rich people from northern CT retreating to their beach houses (even in Clinton, so watch out for bad traffic on rt. 1 in the summer). Taxes from what I understand are higher in Madison, espcially property taxes but I am not sure about Clinton vs Guilford.

Clinton has a nice quaint town beach, I dont think a pass is that expensive, in fact I have never paid to go there. You could even just park somewhere on Rt. 1 and walk to the beach. Hammonasset State Park is just about 5 or 10 minutes from anywhere in Clinton (its just over the Madison line) but the parking and season passes there are outrageously expensive. There is also a nice beach about 5-10 minutes in the other direction in the town of Westbrook. Its at the Waters Edge, a really nice resort, and the other good thing is there is some entertainment there in the summer like free reggae concerts every wednesday night on the terrace with a full bar and what not. The other plus of Clinton is there are plenty of places to shop. In town there is a large premium factory outlet mall (off saxs fifth ave, gap, quicksilver, bass, calvin klein, coach, barneys, izod, kenneth coal, polo ralph lauren, delias, pacsun...the list goes on), two supermarkets (super stop & shop, shaws) like 5 dunkin donuts (no joke, they open them for like every square mile of town), tj maxx, and plenty of other shops and places to go.

The crime rates are very low, in my whole time of residency I don't recall any murders. Sirens are pretty uncommon except for fires and accidents, but all I mean to say, is there isn't very much crime at all. As a child growing up there it was never a thought. When I was about 13 I was allowed to ride my bike anywhere in town. There was never a concern for crime or being outside at night or anything like that.

And lastly the schools. For the most part, they are pretty good. Joel School (K-3) has expanded enormously and now can handle well over 1200 students. Pierson (4-5) is small but a unique experience because it sets the 9 and 10 year olds apart from the younger kids. It's nice because you feel like a "big kid" but you aren't around the negative influences of the middle schoolers and teenagers just yet. It is a nice transition school and was very helpful with the transition to middle school. The other cool thing about those two schools is they offer intergrated day programs. If you don't know what that is, it is when the classes are made up of students in two grades (K&1, 2&3, 4&5) so you have the same teacher for two consecutive years (which in my mind was highly beneficial). The class sizes remain small in I-day, and if you don't like that then single grade classes are also an option (its about 50%-50%). Then there is Eliot Middle School. This school isn't bad and since I have been there they cracked down on rules a lot. No pajama pants, one earring per ear, silly rules like that, however, they also have some good rules like parental permission for basketball games, ect. The quality of the education is pretty good. Like any public schools, it is what you make of it. As far as academic assistance, Clinton schools have one of the best resource as well as special ed programs in the state. And then there is Morgan High School. Like most high schools it offers options for classes, and many different activities. They have most varsity sports offered, and if they are not the principal will most likely approve any other sports to be individual teams (I did that for gymnastics with two other girls). The class sizes are good, no more than 20 per teacher and some are as small as 3 or 5. They are on a rotating schedule and school day is from 7:35-2:10. Heath and PE are required of students for all four years and they are seperate classes with different teachers. I can answer any other questions you have about the school just let me know. Also it is right across from the library, as well as the outlets so there are options for after school activities. They also have a GREAT theatre department.

If you want to know more about the area the house you are looking at is in, just tell me the street name and I can totally let you know. If you have any more ??'s feel free to ask. I'll be more than happy to share....

[sandy 25]

THANKS! That was really helpful. I appreciate the offer and I do have a few more questions.

Are passes required for all beaches in Clinton and Madison or are some beaches free to residents? Also, is there a train station in Clinton or Madison that would take me to NYC?

[kellride]

Unfortunately I think almost all the beaches need a pass. The westbrook town beach MIGHT not (in fact I dont recall ever seeing a booth or anything there I think it is free, but it is small and there is no playground or anything) and then also the waters edge resort beach you might be able to go to for free. I know it is free to park there (its a resort/hotel/shopping center), and you just walk down the hill to the beach. I know they require a membership to the resort to use the indoor and outdoor pools, but I can't remember about the beach. I know the few nights I went to reggae night we went down on the beach for a while and we didn't need a pass, but it was around 4 in the afternoon so I don't know about all day long. Also there are lots of private beach areas that basically if you know someone and can park at or in front of their house, you can use the beach (those are more on the westbrook/old saybrook side - madison is all like gated off and everything costs money). Along with Hammonasset, Madison has another beach which is really nice called the surf club. It is their town beach but like almost everything else about Madison, they put a lot of money into it. Not only is it a beach but it is also their recreational fields for town sports (soccer, football, ect). They have a boardwalk, and private banquet rooms, a bunch on on beach playgrounds, outdoor grill stations in the shade and picnic tables. I would say Hammonasset is more for nature lovers (more hiking, camping, ecological sites, ect) and the surf club is more a social place. But unfortunately from memorial day until labor day, (7AM to 4PM i think) parking costs at both.If you are a beach lover and plan on spending a lot of time there, I would definately reccommend getting the season long pass. (And I would say Hammonasset. The Surf Club is awesome but filled with a lot of snooty rich people and their teens. Hammo is more a family place and covers just about any age of people.)

As far as train stations, there is one in Clinton, but to go to NYC you have to transfer from the Shoreline East Line to Metro North in New Haven, and that also costs a ton more to do. My reccommendation is definately just to go to the New Haven. It is about 25-30 mins away (just down I-95) and if it is a day trip (24 hrs or less) then parking is relatively cheap. I think the most I have ever paid is like 8 dollars or something. And the best part is the tickets. Off peak and weekend round trip tickets from New Haven to Grand Central Station are $28. If you need to go to Penn Station it costs more and you have to transfer because the metro north lines only stop at Harlem-125th st and Grand Central. But as you know, you can get anywhere from Grand Central because almost every subway line stops there. I go to the city a lot and taking the train pays off. The trains from NH-GC take anywhere from 90-110 minutes...most are about 100 though. Express trains (espcially coming home late at night) are really fast, but during the day it is mostly local trains so it takes longer. Anyways, I woudn't reccommend going from Clinton. There is a station there if you need it. There is also one in Westbrook, Old Saybrook, Madison or any of the other towns.

[erins]

Kellride, I registered on this forum just to express my appreciation of your thoughtful analysis of Clinton and neighboring towns. I recently relocated to Connecticut and I am also thinking about buying a house in Clinton. Your input was very detailed and helpful. Thank you.