Desperate for info on Weston, Wilton areas

[Legz28]

Jd and Polly, thank you so much. That is very helpful. Things here are pretty much the same, in one area you pay more for the house and less on the taxes and the reverse is true in another area. Now I just need to find the balance between the two which I suspect will be difficult!

[shwee]

Originally Posted by Legz28

Thank you to those who replied to my request for info on Wilton, Weston, Redding and New Canaan. Anyone know the approximate real estate taxes on a $1M home in any of these areas including Ridgefield? A few people have recommended Ridgefield to me and it sounds very appealing.

We're currently paying just under $15k/year in property taxes for our $1.2 MM house in Wilton.

[Legz28]

Thanks! Do you mind my asking how long you have lived in Wilton and what you think as far as it being family friendly?

[JayCT]

Legz28 - I just replied to your other post. Didn't realize you had two of them. New Canaan is one of the wealthiest towns in the country, so it may be difficult to find "down-to-earth" people there. As I suggested on the other post, consider Ridgefield and Fairfield. Both are great towns with nice downtowns and commuter trains to NYC.

Fairfield (my hometown) is very diverse, so you get a nice mix of people that range from top executives (GE's Headquarters is here) to blue collar. My sister's neighborhood is unbelieveably friendly. They are always having get togethers and parties at each others homes. We are very envious of it. Just a suggestion. Jay

[shwee]

Originally Posted by Legz28

Thanks! Do you mind my asking how long you have lived in Wilton and what you think as far as it being family friendly?

My wife and I have lived in Wilton for a little more than two years after having lived for nine years in neighboring Norwalk. My wife grew up in Wilton and really wanted to move back to start and raise a family. So far, our neighbors have been very friendly (our neighborhood has a couple of block parties each year) and although we don't have any kids yet, we are looking forward to getting them into the excellent schools here.

[deadcrowsflyeast]

I would really love how u came to the conclusion that ridgefield and wilton schools are better then weston and redding

IMO you were told this, but the person that told you is wrong

[mtc]

I have lived in Westport, New Canaan and am currently in Southport, which is a town within the town of Fairfield. I have friends in Ridgefield and Wilton.
I have loved the physical beauty of all of these towns, they are very similar. You can not go wrong on real estate in any of these areas, they all enjoy solid appreciation. Westport is the easiest commute to NYC. Straight shot. Beaches are fine. New Canaan is inland but desirable nonetheless. It's fair to say that each of these towns, including Darien are very wealthy, with high achieving, sophisticated populations. I have found, however, that Fairfield is yet the fairest!! I can not tell you the prices are very much lower, if at all, than comparable houses in similar neighborhoods elsewhere. But Fairfield is a larger town, 50,000. It is not a city like Stamford or Norwalk are,which have substantial underclasses to provide for and large business districts. Still, in Fairfield there is a variety of price range . There are many more 600,000-1M homes here where those in the smaller upscale towns have few. Fairfield has four lovely beaches and many town offerings for sports teams, continuing ed, and school extracurriculars. I have four kids in 3 different schools, some public, some parochial. I am not a fan, in general, of public schooling though I can not see much difference between any of these wealthy town's programs. Be confident that any highly motivated smart child will perform well here. These parents are also fiercely watchful of their offspring's careers. That said, I feel a little less in a hothouse of competition than I did in the towns of Westport and New Canaan. One of the nicest features of Fairfield is that there are so many "Townies" here. That is, people who grew up here and returned after college. The other towns I think tend to be populated with many transplants. (Either from more middleclass CT towns or from NYC.) So Fairfield has somewhat of a hometown feel. It's NOT Mayberry. Opie never drove a Lexus to school and Aunt Bee never paid 18 dollars for an apple pie. It' simply a matter of degree. Fairfielders might take 3 vacations per year versus 5 for New Canaan or Westport.

Finally, keep in mind that Fairfield is also a straight shot into NYC, albeit 10 minutes longer than Westport. Ridgefield, Wilton, Weston and New Canaan are all transfers to this main line. This is not insignificant, believe me. Taxes are higher than Westport and New Canaan but less than Weston and on par with Wilton and Ridgefield. None are reasonable and continually go up. CT is a very expensive state on all levels, including utilities.
For what it is worth, I doubt I would have a reason to leave Fairfield for any other of these towns because it has all a family needs.

[Legz28]

MTC, so what is the average commute from the towns you mentioned?

[tom62]

Originally Posted by Legz28

Thank you very much for that information. I already researched schools so no need for info there. Which area seems more family friendly? I think Danbury is a bit too far as my husband will be commuting to NYC. Greenwich is too expensive for us. What can you tell me about New Canaan?

Again, thanks for the reply it is very much appreciated!

I work in Danbury, live 45 min north and know the area WELL. I have friends who commute to NYC daily. Easy commute. METRO-NORTH out of Brewster NY or SOUTHEAST station (Brewster North) are excellent options. Easy to get to via I-84. ALL the towns in lower FF county you mention are enormously expensive. Family friendly?? Not quite sure, that brush paints a ton af area! I make daily deliveries to Ridgefield, Wilton, North salem, S. salem, New Caanan etc....All these towns seem to blend in with each other. Not many hold back when it comes to flaunting their wealth either. The plus side is some attractive drives in the area as no expense is spared on landscaping etc.. real estate is sluggish right now (Im an investor) prices will probably never be this low again so now is the time if you can afford to.