[innyc]

Hello everyone, I currently live in the suburbs north of NYC and I am currently house hunting in CT. I have seen some nice houses in Shelton,Ct and I would like some feedback regarding the area,crime,schools,etc.. Any help would be greatly appreciated. THANKS.

[Marckda]

HI innyc -

Check out the thread, "Wrong Move...from NC to Conn?". There is some pretty good info. on Shelton.

I currently live in Stamford and work in Stratford, which borders Shelton. I think that Shelton is a good area in Fairfield county because it is one of the few semi-affordable housing markets left in that county. If money is not a primary issue in terms of buying real estate in CT, then there are certainly many areas in Fairfield County that would interest you, like Wilton, Ridgefield, Riverside, Greenwich, New Caanan, Darien, North Stamford, etc., but these are quite expensive, as you may know. Of course these communities typically have the best of everything, including schools.

Regarding Shelton, I think it is a clean area and I've heard good things about the schools. There are several other decent towns up there, like Stratford, Milford (which you should visit), West Haven, Orange.

[restlessinmn]

I lived in Shelton for awhile. We liked it but we couldn't afford the housing prices at the time. So, we ended up traveling 30 minutes north of Shelton to buy a home.

The more desirable areas of Shelton are the Huntington and White Hills sections. These are the areas that border Trumbull and Monroe. It's a beautiful area of town. My kids were not in school when we lived there. So, I can't comment on the schools but I never heard anything negative. It's a pretty low crime area as far as personal safety. I'd guess that the crime rates are well below average.

The downtown area of Shelton is not as quaint as many new england towns but there are still plenty of shops and businesses downtown.

Good luck and let me know if you have any specific questions.

[Carol K]

Well, sorry, I just spent about an hour telling you all about Shelton and then when I clicked Submit, it said I wasn't logged in.

Bottom line, Shelton is a nice place to live, and if you want to live here come on.

[kenfried]

Shelton is great. Some very affordable and nice areas. Good schools. Peaceful.

[Coffeecake]

A bit of history; The whole area, which was once governed by the Stratford church, was at one time called Huntington. Shelton was only a suburb of Huntington. In the late 1800's, when the industrial revolution hit, down-town Shelton boomed due to all the factories. The working class lived in the downtown Shelton area while the farmers and the more well to do lived in Huntington. The city government seat was then moved to downtown Shelton area since most of the businesses congregated there. With politicians have great pull, they renamed the whole area to Shelton, making Huntington only a section, to the disapproval of most people in Huntington. To this day, most people in Huntington do not consider themselves living in Shelton. That said, housing and resale is much better in Huntington than in Shelton, although prices as of late in Shelton can be costly as well.

Since Huntington was more rural, the zoning was different than in the City proper of Shelton. Buyers could get a house in Huntington on one acre while in Shelton it was usually a bit less. The White Hills section of Shelton which borders Huntington and Monroe, was even more rural and so often times the propterties were much larger. For that more rural feel, White Hills is a good choice since there tends to be more privacy and driving to any store of substance takes a bit longer. White Hills has a little shopping strip mall, with only a few basic stores, but no town center to speak of. Residents have to go either into Monroe or over to the Bridgeport Avenue corrider. Shopping in downtown Shelton tends to be minimal. There are a lot of factories and older buildings and it does not appear as attractive looking as other New England towns are. Apartment dwelling is the norm around the Center Street area and the homes are usually older, two family Victorians. The outer lying areas around downtown Shelton are single family homes, but the lots are smaller. Farther still is the section of Shelton off of Route 110 heading towards Stratford. The drive seems remote overlooking the Houstatonic River. The houses in that section of town are located high on a rock hill. They were at one time were cottages. That is probably the only section of Shelton where the houses are still very reasonable. Down Route 110 a bit, is the major employer Sikorsky Aircraft.

Huntington is the quiet gem of the town. Because it was once the town's center, there is a lovely New England green with a gazbo where they hold craft shows and music fairs. It is surrounded by churches and shops. There is not an extensive amount of shopping and can be quite expensive, but it is good for emergencies. The housing is a mixture of ranches and old Victorian homes on ample land. Huntington is more picturesque.

As far as schools, Shelton's school system is fair to good. Huntington, the Long Hill Section and the White Hills section, elemetary schools tend to bit better education wise, than downtown Shelton. The mixture of kids in the downtown section of Shelton has more of a variety. Everyone then moves on to the same middle school which is older and then goest to the same high school which was just recently built.

Commuting to work wise, Huntington and the Bridgeport Avenue section of Shelton are better choices as they have easier, faster assess to Route 8 and Route 15. White Hills and the Stratford border of Shelton are more remote making the commute much longer. If you work in NYC, most people find Shelton/Huntington desirable to live as it is an easy drive to Stratford to catch the train, Metro-North, into the city.

[Coffeecake]

Other surrounding towns, if you want that New England feel, but don't mind the housing costs, are Fairfield, Westport, Greenwich, New Canaan, Ridgefield, Newtown and a little bit Trumbull. All have beautiful town centers and greens surrounded with churches and shops. The cost tends to be very expensive with Greenwich being probably the most costly. For a more remote feel, but without the "town green"; good choices are Easton, Wilton, Brookfield, Monroe and Darien. All are very expensive as well with Brookfield probably being slightly more reasonable and Easton probably being the most remote.

Cheaper, more reasonable areas to live might be; Shelton/Huntington, Black Rock section of Bridgeport, Oxford section of Monroe, and parts of Norwalk, otherwise Fairfield County is very expensive.

[H-May]

Hello there all!

I am in the same situation as innyc. I have a potential opportunity out in Shelton but have no means of transportation. I am looking to relocate but will not be able to purchase a vehicle immediately... so I need some help.

Should I invest into a bicycle until the winter reaches?
My main travel route will be on Bridgeport Ave and is only 8 minutes while driving. It seems due to the images that I am looking at that there is no sidewalks near the road so should this be a concern? Is there a high volume of traffic in this area?

Why a bike?
This question may raise some eyebrows but I could end up spending $50.00 per day on traveling with the Valley Cab Co. I would ultimately be saving a few dollars towards a economic/reasonable vehicle.

Where there is the will there is a way!

[Coffeecake]

Depends on where you'll be living on Bridgeport Ave. Some of it may be up hill. But, you're right, there are no sidewalks. Eight minutes by car, not sure how long it will take you, but until winter, it's a do-able. But, by winter, you'll need a car. Without bike paths and sidewalks, the roads just aren't safe enough to ride a bike.

[Stamfordlife]

Can anyone tell me How to reach Shelton from Stamford..I dont have a Car