[Chickendoc]

Was originally looking at Oxford and Monroe but it seems that Seymour has VERY affordable homes - which makes me nervous - would appreciate the insights of those of you int he know....

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Chickendoc

Was originally looking at Oxford and Monroe but it seems that Seymour has VERY affordable homes - which makes me nervous - would appreciate the insights of those of you int he know....

Seymour is a nice town. I have a few friends who live in town and they like it. It is a middle class area with average schools and friendly people. The Great Hill section is beautiful, albeit it's expensive.

I went there the other day and couldn't help but think - why the heck did they allow Route 8 to cut right through the town center?? It has such a quaint downtown but with a highway overhead. Too bad.

[JayCT]

Seymour is a nice town. It is a former mill town that is being discovered by people wanting homes that are more affordable. In recent years the town has seen some significant improvements including a new supermarket and more upscale new construction. The schools in Seymour are good with the elementary and middle schools performing at or near the state averages on the Connecticut Mastery Tests. The high school however appears perform below the state average on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test. Class sizes appear to be reasonable. The links below will provide more information on the schools there. I hope this helps. Jay

Strategic School Profiles by District

Strategic School Profiles by School

[seymourct]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Seymour is a nice town. I have a few friends who live in town and they like it. It is a middle class area with average schools and friendly people. The Great Hill section is beautiful, albeit it's expensive.

I went there the other day and couldn't help but think - why the heck did they allow Route 8 to cut right through the town center?? It has such a quaint downtown but with a highway overhead. Too bad.

We love Seymour, but yes the highway is not quite beautiful. I would guess the track of Rt 8 is partly due to state planners and the Army Corps of Engineers who didn't care about aesthetics after the Flood of 1955 wiped out the center of town and almost all of the bridges & roads across the river.

Come to Seymour, it is very nice here.

[JayCT]

To comment on Route 8, back when it was built it was designed to provide access to the core of the town. Given the topography of the Naugatuck valley, it is difficult because once you go east or west you would be pretty high up on a hill and getting down to the town center by the river would be hard. Also remember back when this was built there was less interest in Historic Preservation and more interest in urban renewal, so the highways were run through the worst parts of the community to clear blight. Jay

[aroundthecorner059]

We live in Oxford and do all of our shopping in Seymour. The reason we chose Oxford is due to the rural nature of the town. The two communities you were considering are more leafy. Oxford's schools are a little better and so are Monroe's. Seymour has a large blue collar population which is a rarity in Conn. and I have found the people there to be friendly.

[Seattle's Best 28]

I like Seymour but oxford and monroe are really pretty. Shelton is a nice town too.

The whole valley area is really Fairfield Countyized. Lots of people in the valley consider themselves part of Fairfield, I work with a lot of them. Everything they do is done in trumbull, danbury and Fairfield, and all of the ones I know are from the panhandle of CT, so they are moving up and making the price of houses go way up. I was shocked when i saw how expensive it was in Ansonia and Seymour.

People in the valley, do you find this is true??

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by Seattle's Best 28

I like Seymour but oxford and monroe are really pretty. Shelton is a nice town too.

The whole valley area is really Fairfield Countyized. Lots of people in the valley consider themselves part of Fairfield, I work with a lot of them. Everything they do is done in trumbull, danbury and Fairfield, and all of the ones I know are from the panhandle of CT, so they are moving up and making the price of houses go way up. I was shocked when i saw how expensive it was in Ansonia and Seymour.

People in the valley, do you find this is true??

I'm in Cheshire but drive down Route 8 four days a week (hours were reduced). I totally agree that the lower Naugatuck Valley portion New Haven County feels isolated from the rest of New Haven County. If I'm not mistaken, don't most people in Seymour, Derby, Ansonia, and Beacon Falls subscribe to the Connecticut Post rather than the New Haven Register or Waterbury Republican-American?

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Rich Lee

I'm in Cheshire but drive down Route 8 four days a week (hours were reduced). I totally agree that the lower Naugatuck Valley portion New Haven County feels isolated from the rest of New Haven County. If I'm not mistaken, don't most people in Seymour, Derby, Ansonia, and Beacon Falls subscribe to the Connecticut Post rather than the New Haven Register or Waterbury Republican-American?

My parents in Oxford subscribe to the Connecticut Post, even though they are probably a little closer to Waterbury than Bridgeport (located in NW Oxford). Oxford is considered part of the Valley even though it is not technically located in the "river valley".

I'm in Shelton and it is Fairfield County. I agree that it is much easier to get to Bridgeport and Fairfield from Ansonia/Derby/Seymour than it is to get to New Haven and other parts of NH County. I also notice a lot of people in the area are from lower FFC, so I agree with Seattle's Best that they are coming up.

The Valley is no longer that gritty area it once used to be. It's becoming just another bedroom community. I still think Ansonia and Derby should merge.

[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by Seattle's Best 28

I like Seymour but oxford and monroe are really pretty. Shelton is a nice town too.

The whole valley area is really Fairfield Countyized. Lots of people in the valley consider themselves part of Fairfield, I work with a lot of them. Everything they do is done in trumbull, danbury and Fairfield, and all of the ones I know are from the panhandle of CT, so they are moving up and making the price of houses go way up. I was shocked when i saw how expensive it was in Ansonia and Seymour.

People in the valley, do you find this is true??

Just to clarify for anyone unfamiliar with the Valley towns, Monroe isn't a part of "The Valley".

Seymour is much more affordable than Monroe and Oxford. The schools in Seymour may not be as good as those in Monroe and Oxford, but I think they are still better than many you would find elsewhere in the U.S. Seymour is definitely a bit more "down to earth" than Monroe and Oxford, too. I don't think there is anything about Seymour that should make you "nervous", it's just more "blue-collar" than Monroe and Oxford.