Stamford (Fairfield, New Canaan, Brooklyn: condos, work, houses)

[carolyn11]

How is Stamford to bring up a family. We are looking in the middle part, not North. We want an easy ride to the train station.

[JayCT]

Stamford has some very nice neighborhoods but it is a city and has city-type problems. If you post where you are interested in living, I am sure others here could steer you in the right direction. Jay

[carolyn11]

We would like to send our girls to catholic school. I know there is one in Stamford. We would also have to pretty close to dance schools and music schools. My husband comutes to the city, so the train is important. He does not want to drive 15 minutes to the train and find no parking available. We are looking for a 4 bedroom, 3 bath home on 1/2 acre or less in a family neighborhood.

[markeg]

Stamford is a pretty big city. As in every city there are going to be nice neighborhoods and not so nice. The Strawberry Hill section is very nice, and that is not about a 8 minute drive to the RR. Towns along the New Canaan branch are also nice, but towns like Glenbrook and Springdale seems too overcrowded with condos. Some parts of these towns are walk RR which is a plus, but then again you may have to change trains at Stamford for the New Canaan branch.
I live in a condo in the Shippan section of town which is on the Long Island Sound and is quite nice. I moved here last July and enjoy living here very much.
North Stamford is beautiful but can be far to the RR depending upon where you are.
I work in Brooklyn, NY so I know that the commute sometimes can be bad especially when the train breaks down. It's a 45 minute ride from Stamford on the express to Grand Central Terminal.
Best of luck to you!

Mark

[brattpowered]

I grew up in the middle section of Stamford (Springdale) and attended the Catholic school system there from kindergarten through 12th grade. Considering your criteria, I would highly recommend looking into the area. In addition to most of the neighborhood being less than a ten minute walk to the train station, there are plenty of parks and quiet neighborhood streets. It is a very family oriented neighborhood.

I remember Springdale as a great area to grow up in: It's a place where kids can bike to their friends' houses, make snow forts, and catch frogs and climb trees in the park. It's also safe and easy to bike or walk over to the Springdale "downtown" to get a slice of pizza or comic book. This type of arrangement is not very common nowadays. As far as the comment regarding Springdale being crowded with condos; yes there are plenty of condo complexes on Hope Street, but once you get a block away you are in an old fashioned, charming neighborhood.

As a whole, Stamford is a good place to live. Its downtown is quite lively now, and the commute to New York by train is very easy. The city is one of the safest its size in the country and unlike many of the neighboring towns, people who grow up here are able to meet and make friends with others from very diverse racial and socio-economic groups--and become more well-rounded people because of this. There is very litttle pretense or snobbery here compared to the rest of Fairfield County.

I haven't lived in Stamford for 8 years, but I think the Catholic schools still enjoy a good reputation. In my graduating class, 99 out of 101 students went on to college--many of them to prestigious schools. I can say with confidence that I received a very solid education there.

If you have any more questions about Stamford, feel free to reply to this post or message me.

[jjbradleynyc]

I live in Stamford and purchased a home last year about 2 miles from the train station. I live in the Bulls Head area of Stamford--very centrally located. You can still purchase a house for less than $500k if you look--prices have also dropped significantly in the past month or so. Stamford is a "big city" by CT standards--but believe me, it's the safest big city I've ever lived in. I've lived in Tucson, AZ, LA, San Antonio, Atlanta, Knoxville, TN, and Brooklyn. It's a great place for a family.