[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

[mlassoff]

Westport has two train stations-- The Westport station and the Greens Farms station. Both of which offer frequent service to and from Stamford.

If you live close to or south of route one you are no more than 5-7 minutes from BOTH stations. If you live north of Route one in Westport you are no more than 10 minutes from either station.

All three towns that you are considering offer excellent schools, great lifestyle and high quality of life. I am partial to Westport because I grew up there, but I'm sure you would find success and happiness in any of towns you mentioned.

[fxtrader]

If you want to live close to town and the train station Fairfield, Darien and Greenwich would be the best. They all have beaches if you live in town. We moved to Fairfield last fall and love it here so far.

[mlassoff]

Umm... Westport has 2 beaches for town residents.

[Viralmd]

I lived in Canterbury (I'm assuming you mean Canterbury, in Kent) but I'm afraid you won't find a place that's comparable in these towns in Connecticut. There's no true housing in the shopping areas, which are scattered about and along Route 1.

I'm assuming you already know that your workplace is walking distance from the Stamford train station, because if it isn't, it would be easier to drive. And you're likely going to need two cars, unless your spouse is content not to go out during the day. It's an area where, without a car, you really can't do much. And walking to shops isn't going to be feasible, as it is in Canterbury, either.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by mlassoff

Umm... Westport has 2 beaches for town residents.

Fairfield has five beaches for town residents. Jennings, Penfield, Pine Creek, Sasco Hill and Southport. Jay

[CTtoCT]

Thanks for all the info. Yes I do mean Canterbury in Kent, good to hear from someone who knows it.

My work will be right opposite Metro North in Stamford so definitely want to be commuting by train.

It sunds like Westport is more spread out so wherever you lived you would probably be looking to drive to town, station, beach. Is this right? Whereas in Greenwich and Fairfield as long as you lived fairly central you could walk to at least some of them.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by CTtoCT

Thanks for all the info. Yes I do mean Canterbury in Kent, good to hear from someone who knows it.

My work will be right opposite Metro North in Stamford so definitely want to be commuting by train.

It sunds like Westport is more spread out so wherever you lived you would probably be looking to drive to town, station, beach. Is this right? Whereas in Greenwich and Fairfield as long as you lived fairly central you could walk to at least some of them.

There are some walkable neighborhoods in Greenwich just behind Greenwich Ave, and in Darien near Main St. You would be limited in your search but they do exist.

Sounds like you might like Old Greenwich (a section of Greenwich). You can walk to some small shops and restaurants, and the beach is a few minutes drive. There are also a few beautiful parks you can walk to. I think that is your best bet.

[politricks]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Fairfield has five beaches for town residents. Jennings, Penfield, Pine Creek, Sasco Hill and Southport. Jay

Fairfield University students live right next to the beach and throw loud parties there all the time. i wouldn't want to bring junior to the beach and be exposed to all that booze and marijuana smoke.

Not to mention all the drunk driving related car accidents.

Sophomore Jack Cleverley, a member of the men's soccer team, was struck by a car driven by fellow Fairfield student Matthew Robert Velky '10, who was driving under the influence. Cleverley suffered multiple injuries, but luckily is in stable condition now.

This accident was just one of multiple incidents that occurred at the beach this weekend. Early Sunday morning, two cars collided outside of Bravo Restaurant, including a Jeep Cherokee holding 10 Fairfield students, sending eight people to the hospital.

The Fairfield Mirror - Editorial: When life isn't a beach

For a young family I would vote for Greenwich. Much safer than Fairfield.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by politricks

Fairfield University students live right next to the beach and throw loud parties there all the time. i wouldn't want to bring junior to the beach and be exposed to all that booze and marijuana smoke.

Not to mention all the drunk driving related car accidents.


The Fairfield Mirror - Editorial: When life isn't a beach

For a young family I would vote for Greenwich. Much safer than Fairfield.

That is not true. Most of the students live in summer homes on Fairfield Beach which does not have public parking for access by town residents. The town beaches are not near this. Jennings and Penfield Beaches are surrounded by middle-class year-round houses. Sasco Hill and Southport are surrounded by large expensive homes and estates. Pine Creek is the only public beach that is near seasonal homes but there are not many of them and I am not sure any of them are rented to Fairfield University students.

Actually the problem with students from Fairfield University are somewhat exaggerated. The problem is a number of people have moved to Fairfield Beach and upgraded their homes to a "Malibu" level, thinking (or hoping) that the entire neighborhood would follow quickly. These new comers think that they are owed something because they have spent millions on these upscale beach homes. Many of the original beach homes there are owned by old time local families who use them in the summer and rent them to students in the winter to pay the ever-increasing taxes and other expenses. Without that rental the families would not be able to afford to keep the homes that have been in their families for generations. The newcomers play up all of their problems with the media in an effort to get the town to push for change and eliminate the students. The only thing is that if you eliminate the students, many of the original families could no longer afford to keep their homes. Jay