[CTtoCT]

Thanks for the info, a colleague at the office did mention that some areas were dominated by student housing. However for me one of the big appeals of Fairfield is that it has the university as this (I hope) makes it a more vibrant, young and busy place. Though I wouldn't want all my neighbours to be students.

The same colleague mentioned Jennings beach and how he traveled from Rowayton to go there - sounds lovely.

In terms of areas (or roads) to live in Fairfield where would you recommend to find a 4 bed house within walking distance (5/10mins) of town, station and beach. Presumably south of Route 1.

Also where is the main "town centre" in Fairfield a number of posts mention it but I'm not sure where it is.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by CTtoCT

Thanks for the info, a colleague at the office did mention that some areas were dominated by student housing. However for me one of the big appeals of Fairfield is that it has the university as this (I hope) makes it a more vibrant, young and busy place. Though I wouldn't want all my neighbours to be students.

The same colleague mentioned Jennings beach and how he traveled from Rowayton to go there - sounds lovely.

In terms of areas (or roads) to live in Fairfield where would you recommend to find a 4 bed house within walking distance (5/10mins) of town, station and beach. Presumably south of Route 1.

Also where is the main "town centre" in Fairfield a number of posts mention it but I'm not sure where it is.

The "Center" of Fairfield is generally considered to be centered on the intersections of Boston Post Road (Route 1) and Unquowa Road and Reef Road. The commercial businesses stretch east and west from these intersection and a bit down the side streets. There are some homes within a short walking distance of the center and station. The Old Post Road, Upper Fairfield Beach, Reef Road, Oldfield and Lower Mill Plain, Winton Park and lower Fairfield University are all pretty close to town, though some of these may be a bit further walk than 10 minutes. Jay

[ambarstone]

Originally Posted by CTtoCT

Hi,

I'm moving to Fairfield County with my family (wife and three children age 1, 3 and 5) in August. I will be working in Stamford and commuting by train.

I will hopefully be coming out on a familiarisation visit next month and have narrowed down my choice of locations to Greenwich, Westport or Fairfield. I would be really grateful for any opinions on which of these are most likely to be of interest.

As a bit of background I currently live in the center of a small city (Canterbury) (120,000 people) and like being within walking distance of shops, restaurants etc. and also in a place which has a bit of life to it. I would also want to be within walking distance of metro north and want to keep the commute as low as possible. Schools are very important to me but I believe all three towns have excellent schools.

My family and I also love going to the beach and like to hang around in jeans and trainers not getting too dressed up. We would probably travel into NYC at weekends quite regularly.

My concern with Westport is that it is a bit small and the station is quite a way from town (is this correct?)

In terms of budget I will be looking to rent a 4 bed house and can pay up to $4000 p.m.

Thanks for all your help in advance reading the posts in this forum has been really helpful to me.

Jeff

_______
Hi Jeff,

Because of the way you describe your family, I think Fairfield could be a good choice. Young families with kids tend to love it there. Fairfield is much more down to earth than Greenwich and Westport.

I'd look into the South Benson AKA Jennings Beach area. It is a most beautiful area. A mature neighborhood with nice houses and trees just some 15-20 minutes walk to the train.

Every so often, there are reports of loud parties on the beach. These come mostly from the reef road area closer to the water but away from Penfield. This do not present a problem for the typical family going to the beach during the day so there is no reason to worry about it.

Best luck in your search,

[bobsm]

Check out Greenwich Place Apartment Homes. They have a pool and fitness center and feel like a home rather than an apartment.

[J&A'sMOM]

You'll be able to get a great house for that price. You may even want to look at Southport because you can walk to the train easily. It's also about one of the most beautiful villages in the States. It's much smaller than the other towns mentioned and really in all the towns you will need a car to shop for essentials but I think you'll love any of the towns you have mentioned. For me I don't think I could live in Greenwich - I'm too friendly - and I heard of people moving out because of the people being too stuffy. Good luck and it's a great time to rent - you'll beable to get a great deal!!

[acdc]

take old post road in fairfield starting at YMCA - drive 5 streets in either direction .. avoide reef road. Find a house you like in any of the street off it (Pratt / Catherine / Eastlawn) .. settled.

[texan2yankee]

Have you considered Shippan Point in Stamford? It is a 10 minute bike/5 minute car ride to UBS/RBS/train station and has many lovely waterfront homes, beaches, private yacht club, and is a family friendly community. It is a weathly area but very low key and unpretentious. Houses range from around $6 million for oceanfront homes to $700,000. Even if it is not one of the towns you mentioned in your original post, it is worth a look. We lived in Shippan for over a decade and loved it.

[nycbound2009]

We are also looking at homes in Greenwich, New Canaan and Southport. On the home we are looking at in Southport the taxes are $38K! The taxes on the same home value in Greenwich are less than half that and in New Canaan 2/3 of that. Is the difference due because there is no significant commercial activity in Southport? Additional services? Better schools?

Thank you.

[JayCT]

Southport is part of the Town of Fairfield which has a large tax base (GE's Coporate Headquarters is located there, among other businesses). Greenwich has many businesses too but also has a LARGE amount of expensive homes to help with the tax base. I do find it interesting that New Canaan's taxes are lower than Fairfield's though. It too has a lot of large expensive homes but it does not have the business base of Fairfield. Personally I love Southport's charm but Greenwich and New Canaan are great towns too. Jay

[handr]

In my opinion, I'd pick greenwich, you'll be commuting against traffic. Old Greenwich or Riverside are very family orientated (Old Greenwich especially) and close enough to Stamford that your commute would be nothing.