[jgut]

My family is looking to relocate to CT to be closer to work. In Connecticut, we've narrowed our choices to a couple towns (Wilton, Westport, Darien, Greenwich). I know they are all nice with good school systems. I was hoping to get more of an insider's view into Wilton and Westport, in particular. I'm looking for a family-friendly neighborhood feel with reasonable access and great schools that challenge my child's thought process.

Thanks for your assistance in advance.

[JayCT]

Both are great towns. Wilton would be a bit more quiet IMHO. It is a second tier town which means it is not located directly on the coast. Westport is right on the coast. It has beaches, a very nice downtown area and direct train service to New York. Wilton has a very small downtown, if you can really call it that and the trains that serve it are on the Danbury line which is not necessarily direct to New York. I think beach access for wilton residents is allowed in Norwalk. Wilton schools are excellent but Westport schools are commonly considered to be one of the best in the state. All this said, home prices in Westport are higher than Wilton. It is up to you which town serves your needs best. Jay

[CT to Wake Forest]

Westport has a great downtown area in addition to their fabulous beaching and boating. I think you could love both towns for different reasons and the challenge will be to find that family home on a family street. I've lived on cul-de-sacs where everyone's children were grown and that would be very disappointing to you. So be careful when selecting your neighborhood in either town to drive through on a Saturday afternoon and make sure you see families out and about. Westport is my favorite town in CT, but I wouldn't hesitate to live in Wilton so I don't think you can go wrong as long as you get on that perfect street. Good Luck to you.

[7express]

Originally Posted by jgut

My family is looking to relocate to CT to be closer to work. In Connecticut, we've narrowed our choices to a couple towns (Wilton, Westport, Darien, Greenwich). I know they are all nice with good school systems. I was hoping to get more of an insider's view into Wilton and Westport, in particular. I'm looking for a family-friendly neighborhood feel with reasonable access and great schools that challenge my child's thought process.

Thanks for your assistance in advance.

if you have kids you might want to take their activities into account as well.

Darien has dynasties building in women's volleyball and boys lacrosse and both Greenwich and Westport (high school is Staples) have very good football teams; Greenwich has a pretty good lacrosse program as well, but well below FCIAC powers Darien & New Canaan though.

[bellalunatic]

I grew up in Wilton. Times have changed but each town has the pros and cons as others have mentioned. There are more things to do in Westport in general, so Wilton is definitely more chill in that respect.
As for the sports stuff: Wilton boys lacrosse is definitely considered a powerhouse in the state (ranked #4 behind Darien's #2, & ahead of New Canaan's #13 and Greenwich's #15) Westport is not ranked in the top 80 for the state.
The soccer programs in pretty much anywhere in CT are excellent.

[jgut]

Thank you all for the feedback. Are there any subsections of Westport or Wilton that you would consider "trick or treat" neighborhoods. It seems like the Westport News focused their Halloween stories around Compo Beach. Any reasons?

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by jgut

Thank you all for the feedback. Are there any subsections of Westport or Wilton that you would consider "trick or treat" neighborhoods. It seems like the Westport News focused their Halloween stories around Compo Beach. Any reasons?

LOL. There's nothing to be spooked about in either of these towns.