[marchawg]

So here's the deal: I currently live in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I work from home for a company in Manhattan, and travel in to work about once every two weeks (2.5 hr drive + 30 min bus + 7 min walk).

We've decided to move out of this area (for multiple reasons), and I have been targeting Connecticut for our next move. A few notes: I lived in RI for about 5 years up until ~3 years ago. Since then I've lived between PA and NJ (Hackensack). I LOVE New England. I know Northeastern CT to a certain extent, as far as driving around it a bit. I also know the Hartford/Simsbury/Collinsville area to a certain extent. What I'm looking for, however, is something more coastal.

Details on family: Mid-to-late 20s couple with 2 young children (under 2) and a housebroken black lab mix dog (~45 lbs). We like outdoors activities and the more charming smaller towns, preferably with walkable downtowns (like Collinsville). However, we also like being near the city-type amenities (within 30 mins). As I'll be going to work every so often, it'd be nice to live within an hour (including traffic) of a train line going into NYC.

What we are looking for: Rental, 2 br+, 1.5 bath+, 1000 sq ft+ with a maximum of $1700/mo (not incl utilities). Pet friendly, of course. Off street parking would be great. Apartment complex, house or flat is fine. I would really prefer coastal towns/cities, but if this is impossible (understandable), then I would like to stay within 45 mins of the shore (I start work at 10am, and I would love to be able to take my kids to the beach for a bit to start the day). We are due to be out of our current apt by the end of September, so end of Sept/early Oct is the target date.

We are going to be driving up to check out some areas over the next few weekends, so any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[JayCT]

There are so many choices that fit your requirements. To be near the coastal and somewhat commutable to New York, I would suggest the shoreline towns east of New Haven. The first town that comes to mind is Branford. It has a nice walkable downtown, beaches, a train to New Haven and a wide selection of apartments. I would think on your budget you should be able to find what you are looking for. Jay

[marchawg]

Ok thanks, will check it out.

Is there any part of CT going eastwards that is too far for my requirements? I think I've read that the train from New Haven is about 2hrs to get into NYC. I'd like to keep my total trip at 3 hours or less.

[Chava61]

I suggest you check the Metro-North commuter railroad website and see what towns are along its route to help you see what would be the commute time to NYC. BTW, I know someone in Old Greenwich, CT. who used to commute to NYC every day and was very happy with the arrangement. See MTA Metro-North (for Metro-North information).

[JayCT]

The trip to New York would be about 2 to 2 1/2 hours from Branford, depending on which train you take. You would need to change trains in New Haven but that is pretty seamless with it usually meaning just walking across the platform to a waiting Metro-North train. You could probably live anywhere west of Old Saybrook and still be under a 3 hour train ride to New York. Note that these times do not include getting to the station or getting from Grand Central to where you work. Jay

[GrotonMan]

As Jay said, coastal towns East of New Haven are probably more along the lines of what you are looking for. It is somewhere around New Haven (heading Eastwards) that you really see a significant shift in the influences between New York and New England. Luckily there really isn't anywhere on the Connecticut coast that is really more than a three hour trip from New York, however it does start to cut it really close as you get further east. I would suggest maybe even looking as far east as East Lyme as it has a pretty distinct New England feel, has a small, quaint little downtown section in Niantic, really great schools, and is fairly affordable compared to much of the state, while still having a great QOL. It also has some nice beaches, and easy access to New London, Norwich, and New Haven, all within about a 30 minutes drive, and is only a hop away from Rhode Island and Providence. As for the commute time, once again as Jay said, whether the towns this far out would fit into your commute window really depend on the commute time to your job in NY from Grand Central as the train lines here are quite reliable.

Also, listen to Jay, he knows what is what about just about everything in CT, and if he doesn't know he doesn't BS. The more info you give him the more he will be able to help you.

[JayCT]

Thank you Grotonman for the wonderful compliment. I try to give people good reliable information and help people learn their way around Connecticut. It is nice to have you on baord too. Your knowledge and comments on eastern Connecticut have been very helpful too. Thanks for helping. Jay

[marchawg]

Sounds good. I checked out MTA North and it looks like a pretty easy once-in-a-while commute from New Haven (around 1hr 40min). Going out a little further on the Shoreline East can add up to 1 hour of train as far out as New London. Again, this isn't too bad as it comes out to still be less than 3 hours. Just FYI, I work in Times Square (44th and Broadway), so Grand Central is just a few blocks away (maybe 15 mins walking). The 3 hours is flexible depending on the benefits of the area.

I'll check out East Lyme for sure, as I had seen it on a map/flickr and was curious. Niantic sounds nice. I've been to Mystic and Groton before, so I know those areas East a little bit.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I am really excited at the thought of being close to the ocean. Nothing relieves stress like it!

[marchawg]

We're up in New London for the weekend checking things out. We decided to check from Milford over to RI, so we looked at New London (nice near the Southern part of town + main streets in downtown), Groton (seemed hit or miss), North Stonington, Mystic (too busy!!!!), and Pawcatuck/Westerly (nice downtown areas, very cute).

Anywhere in particular that we should check out while we are up here? Tomorrow we are scheduled to look around Branford and Milford. We plan on checking out Old Lyme, East Lyme and West Haven as well, but any suggestions on towns we may have missed are welcome!

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by Chava61

I suggest you check the Metro-North commuter railroad website and see what towns are along its route to help you see what would be the commute time to NYC. BTW, I know someone in Old Greenwich, CT. who used to commute to NYC every day and was very happy with the arrangement. See MTA Metro-North (for Metro-North information).

Umm, Old Greenwich is almost as close to NY as you can get and still be in CT. I don't think the other places mentioned here are anywhere near Old Greenwich.

That said, it depends on your budget. A place like Old Greenwich is phenomenly more expensive to live in than the places Grotonman and JayCT are mentioning east of New Haven. With your occasional commute you could just drive to New Haven and take the train or even take Shore Line East (more commuter rail) and switch the Metro North at New Haven. It would be a very long commute to do every day but to do once every 2-3 weeks and be home otherwise would probably be fine.