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"Pickleball-Free American"
(set 18 days ago)
Location: St Simons Island, GA
23,507 posts, read 44,182,589 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Former Greenwich Mom
This board is quite interesting. I found it upon searching for hotels in Greenwich/Stamford so we can go back and visit family and friend for the new year. I was born in Cos Cob (a section of Greenwich) and lived in North Stamford and Darien for 36 years. Greenwich and the rest of Connecticut are interesting places, and you must know what you're in for prior to your move there. Just because I have the time, and I understand your quest for information on a place that you know little to nothing about, I'll offer some Greenwich help! I now live in southern New Jersey (Cherry Hill) and enjoy it very much.
Town - Greenwich is a premier, well-established community. In fact, all of that area in Connecticut is well-established, quaint, green and a near perfect place to live and raise a family. Houses are on large lots in most parts of Connecticut, and proximity to many great universities within a 20 mile radius says a great deal about people there. The suburbs have public schools that offer hundreds of overseas programs, over 20 languages, diverse studies, a rigorious curriculum, excellent sports (top in country for crew), and I could go on and on. I enjoyed my time in Connecticut, but disliked being an outcast. I'll explain...
Connecticut, especially southern Connecticut but is not only confined to Fairfield County, is a place for the priviledged. People in Fairfield County are prime examples of what it is to live the good life. Our family in Darien had a household income of approximately $110,000 and had trouble affording our home. That's why we moved away. The state is not uniformly wealthy, with cities like Bridgeport and Hartford with high crime. In CT, suburbs are wealthy and cities are poor. The gap is very evident! Most people in the suburbs have never traveled to the inner city of Bridgeport, and many people just ignore those cities pretending they don't exist. That is part of the problem. So, in Connecticut, if you seek city life, get lo-jack and install a home alarm. If you want suburban life, you will pay a LOT.
Southern Connecticut is served by NYC MTA for local commuter railroad service. Trains are convenient, relatively inexpensive and used by everyone from those in the service industry to Wall Street Journalers commuting to their executive position in lower Manhattan. There are also several airports you can choose from if you're flying. JFK, LGA, Newark, Hartford, Newburgh, Westchester, New Haven, and even Islip if you like flying Southwest.
People - Ahh...the people of Connecticut. The people are interesting, unlike any place I've been. Similar to California, but more North Facey, LL Beany, Coachy and less Prada and other ultra-trendy designers. Think preppy. CT people are nice though, they have manners, I'd even call them classy. Just reserved. We lived near our neighbors for years and only waved in passing. Think Martha Stewart (a Connecticut native) without the snobbiness.
We certainly did not fit in. Give me a cup of tea, sweats and warm socks and put me by the fire. Most people there would prefer to dress up and socialize at a classy bar or pub at night and drink expensive vodka and martinis. Their children are often left with a nanny to make snacks for them and throw in a movie.
Child life - I see that one person mentioned that you would be doing your child a disservice in Greenwich. That can be true, depending on the person. Kids in Greenwich (and much of SW Conn) come from money. Not the type of money where mom & dad work 9-5, I mean trust funds, family money. Those kids were brought up with everything handed to them. Some were modest, others were not. If you think having your children around some of the wealthiest people in the country and world will corrupt their mind, then don't move there. That being noted, there is incredible opportunity in Greenwich, even if you are part of Greenwich's "middle class." The access to nearly every culture (Greenwich is so diverse), all types of food, public transportation and intellect should balance out the disservice that many may think their children would encounter. In my situation, I would have raised children in the Darien schools if I could afford it. Unfortunately, I could not.
There are several "middle class" parts of Greenwich where homes are closer together (about half acre to an acre) and are walkable to Metro North Railroad (NYC's commuter rail service). The homes are still incredibly expensive however, starting in the millions. So be ready for the cost of living if you move to Greenwich, while it will most definitely be higher than Atlanta and Sacramento.
Don't be scared by what I've said. People in Greenwich, even the wealthiest, ARE friendly! Imagine that! I have made some incredible friends in Fairfield County, and all are down to Earth, even my rich friends.
In my personal opinion, you would be best off in Greenwich. Given your desires, it sounds as if you would fit in well in Connecticut. If you have any questions, comments or issues, please feel free to contact me.
This is true for the middle-class in CT. But since the bailout, CT has been doing well. Foreclosure rate among the lowest in the country with NJ and MA, a fairly low unemployment rate and house prices in CT and NJ are not declining at a rapid pace. Much of the reason is because of the slow growth which did not result in the artificial real estate boom that occurred in Nevada, California, Arizona and North Carolina.
I browsed an article that read in NJ and CT, those who were laid off are much better off than those in other states because of the amount of cities in a small area; Philadelphia, New York City, Stamford, Hartford, Providence, and Boston for jobs.
I think Connecticut is doing just fine. New Jersey and Massachusetts, too.
Thanks for reading. Happy New Year!
Rep point for putting some real thought into your response, FGM...Happy New Year to you, too.
This board is quite interesting. I found it upon searching for hotels in Greenwich/Stamford so we can go back and visit family and friend for the new year. I was born in Cos Cob (a section of Greenwich) and lived in North Stamford and Darien for 36 years. Greenwich and the rest of Connecticut are interesting places, and you must know what you're in for prior to your move there. Just because I have the time, and I understand your quest for information on a place that you know little to nothing about, I'll offer some Greenwich help! I now live in southern New Jersey (Cherry Hill) and enjoy it very much.
Thanks for reading. Happy New Year!
Nice post. Just don't forget there are middle class areas in Fairfield County where life isn't about nannies and going to yuppie bars. Towns like Danbury, Stratford and Shelton are pretty middle class. Also in the rest of CT, nannies or au pairs are unheard of.
I have to agree though that people in CT ignore the cities like Hartford and Bridgeport - it's too bad. Hartford is a city that has a huge corporate presence but at 5pm the executives scatter home to the wealthy suburbs.
This board is quite interesting. I found it upon searching for hotels in Greenwich/Stamford so we can go back and visit family and friend for the new year. I was born in Cos Cob (a section of Greenwich) and lived in North Stamford and Darien for 36 years. Greenwich and the rest of Connecticut are interesting places, and you must know what you're in for prior to your move there. Just because I have the time, and I understand your quest for information on a place that you know little to nothing about, I'll offer some Greenwich help! I now live in southern New Jersey (Cherry Hill) and enjoy it very much.
Town - Greenwich is a premier, well-established community. In fact, all of that area in Connecticut is well-established, quaint, green and a near perfect place to live and raise a family. Houses are on large lots in most parts of Connecticut, and proximity to many great universities within a 20 mile radius says a great deal about people there. The suburbs have public schools that offer hundreds of overseas programs, over 20 languages, diverse studies, a rigorious curriculum, excellent sports (top in country for crew), and I could go on and on. I enjoyed my time in Connecticut, but disliked being an outcast. I'll explain...
Connecticut, especially southern Connecticut but is not only confined to Fairfield County, is a place for the priviledged. People in Fairfield County are prime examples of what it is to live the good life. Our family in Darien had a household income of approximately $110,000 and had trouble affording our home. That's why we moved away. The state is not uniformly wealthy, with cities like Bridgeport and Hartford with high crime. In CT, suburbs are wealthy and cities are poor. The gap is very evident! Most people in the suburbs have never traveled to the inner city of Bridgeport, and many people just ignore those cities pretending they don't exist. That is part of the problem. So, in Connecticut, if you seek city life, get lo-jack and install a home alarm. If you want suburban life, you will pay a LOT.
Southern Connecticut is served by NYC MTA for local commuter railroad service. Trains are convenient, relatively inexpensive and used by everyone from those in the service industry to Wall Street Journalers commuting to their executive position in lower Manhattan. There are also several airports you can choose from if you're flying. JFK, LGA, Newark, Hartford, Newburgh, Westchester, New Haven, and even Islip if you like flying Southwest.
People - Ahh...the people of Connecticut. The people are interesting, unlike any place I've been. Similar to California, but more North Facey, LL Beany, Coachy and less Prada and other ultra-trendy designers. Think preppy. CT people are nice though, they have manners, I'd even call them classy. Just reserved. We lived near our neighbors for years and only waved in passing. Think Martha Stewart (a Connecticut native) without the snobbiness.
We certainly did not fit in. Give me a cup of tea, sweats and warm socks and put me by the fire. Most people there would prefer to dress up and socialize at a classy bar or pub at night and drink expensive vodka and martinis. Their children are often left with a nanny to make snacks for them and throw in a movie.
Child life - I see that one person mentioned that you would be doing your child a disservice in Greenwich. That can be true, depending on the person. Kids in Greenwich (and much of SW Conn) come from money. Not the type of money where mom & dad work 9-5, I mean trust funds, family money. Those kids were brought up with everything handed to them. Some were modest, others were not. If you think having your children around some of the wealthiest people in the country and world will corrupt their mind, then don't move there. That being noted, there is incredible opportunity in Greenwich, even if you are part of Greenwich's "middle class." The access to nearly every culture (Greenwich is so diverse), all types of food, public transportation and intellect should balance out the disservice that many may think their children would encounter. In my situation, I would have raised children in the Darien schools if I could afford it. Unfortunately, I could not.
There are several "middle class" parts of Greenwich where homes are closer together (about half acre to an acre) and are walkable to Metro North Railroad (NYC's commuter rail service). The homes are still incredibly expensive however, starting in the millions. So be ready for the cost of living if you move to Greenwich, while it will most definitely be higher than Atlanta and Sacramento.
Don't be scared by what I've said. People in Greenwich, even the wealthiest, ARE friendly! Imagine that! I have made some incredible friends in Fairfield County, and all are down to Earth, even my rich friends.
In my personal opinion, you would be best off in Greenwich. Given your desires, it sounds as if you would fit in well in Connecticut. If you have any questions, comments or issues, please feel free to contact me.
This is true for the middle-class in CT. But since the bailout, CT has been doing well. Foreclosure rate among the lowest in the country with NJ and MA, a fairly low unemployment rate and house prices in CT and NJ are not declining at a rapid pace. Much of the reason is because of the slow growth which did not result in the artificial real estate boom that occurred in Nevada, California, Arizona and North Carolina.
I browsed an article that read in NJ and CT, those who were laid off are much better off than those in other states because of the amount of cities in a small area; Philadelphia, New York City, Stamford, Hartford, Providence, and Boston for jobs.
I think Connecticut is doing just fine. New Jersey and Massachusetts, too.
Thanks for reading. Happy New Year!
Great post and accurate descriptions of CT. I don't know if I agree that CT is doing fine though... most of my clients are in Darien, Stamford, and Greenwich and the average home value for my clients is about 1.5 mil. What I keep hearing from them is, "Money is so tight for us this year." This includes my clients in the 2 million dollar homes. I'm not sure if you include this as part of the middle class, but I do not. I think the upper class (with the exception of all of the old money) in CT is hurting a lot right now too. I guess everyone is everywhere, but I'm always shocked how I have clients paying 6,000 per month in mortgages and they struggle to spend 1,000 a year with me. (I'm a high end photographer btw).
A lot of my high end families are considering heading south.
With that said, CT isn't hurting a TON more than the rest of the company, but I have been extremely surprised by how hard my Fairfield families have gotten hit. due to the insane housing costs in Fairfield county, I think that people just cannot afford their mortgages- especially if they were adjustable rate.
Go to Atlanta. You get the most for your money and the weather is better than Connecticut. The way of life is more relaxed. Georgia is the place to be...it seems like everyone is moving to Georgia these days. Sacramento is good too, but not as good as Atlanta. Sacramento is cheaper than coastal California, so keep that in mind.
This is not just DC but an American problem. We are incredibly self centered.
Hate to have to second that but it's true. Americans as a whole are far far less educated about the rest of the world and other cultures than say Europeans and probably Aussies. Also, as the O.P. pointed out most people they met here are less world traveled than what you are used to seeing. I know many Europeans are shocked at how few Americans have passports. Traveling to other countries besides Mexico and Canada is very expensive from the U.S. and most Americans just opt to vacation in the States and maybe Mexico or the Islands.
Trust me it's not just the D.C. area. In fact D.C. is probably better than most areas.
Last edited by Galounger; 01-01-2009 at 05:36 PM..
If you're not opposed to living in the burbs the Atlanta area does have a few very good public schools.
You mentioned that your pay would be less in Atlanta but that is why I am pointing out the cost of living is far less in Atlanta than Connecticut ( I don't know about Sac.)
Also, because of it's high altitude (1000 ft above sea level) although it's summers are long hot and humid it's not as bad as most southern cities and not much worse, if worse at all, than most more northern East Coast cities.
And being you're from Australia you're probably alot more used to heat than extreme cold so Atlanta's mild winters would suit you better than the much more severe ones of CT.
Great post and accurate descriptions of CT. I don't know if I agree that CT is doing fine though... most of my clients are in Darien, Stamford, and Greenwich and the average home value for my clients is about 1.5 mil. What I keep hearing from them is, "Money is so tight for us this year." This includes my clients in the 2 million dollar homes. I'm not sure if you include this as part of the middle class, but I do not. I think the upper class (with the exception of all of the old money) in CT is hurting a lot right now too. I guess everyone is everywhere, but I'm always shocked how I have clients paying 6,000 per month in mortgages and they struggle to spend 1,000 a year with me. (I'm a high end photographer btw).
A lot of my high end families are considering heading south.
With that said, CT isn't hurting a TON more than the rest of the company, but I have been extremely surprised by how hard my Fairfield families have gotten hit. due to the insane housing costs in Fairfield county, I think that people just cannot afford their mortgages- especially if they were adjustable rate.
CT is doing better than the areas that had a population boom in the past 10-15 years - AZ, FL, NV, GA. This conclusion can be drawn by looking at the percentage of housing foreclosures. Moving to a place where everyone else is moving does not mean it's going to be better. The cost of living is much less, but so is the salary. It's all relative.
Fairfield County's version of being "tight on funds" is a lot different than the middle class having trouble. I doubt people considering high end photography are in danger of losing their homes...
Also I grew up in lower Fairfield and still live in the county - I have yet to meet any high end families heading south. Most are too involved in their careers or local lives to even consider moving out of state. Most of the rich have been here for generations. It's the middle class in CT that are being pushed out, leaving just the very wealthy and the very poor (as FGM says in her post).
CT is doing better than the areas that had a population boom in the past 10-15 years - AZ, FL, NV, GA. This conclusion can be drawn by looking at the percentage of housing foreclosures. Moving to a place where everyone else is moving does not mean it's going to be better. The cost of living is much less, but so is the salary. It's all relative.
Fairfield County's version of being "tight on funds" is a lot different than the middle class having trouble. I doubt people considering high end photography are in danger of losing their homes...
Also I grew up in lower Fairfield and still live in the county - I have yet to meet any high end families heading south. Most are too involved in their careers or local lives to even consider moving out of state. Most of the rich have been here for generations. It's the middle class in CT that are being pushed out, leaving just the very wealthy and the very poor (as FGM says in her post).
I beg to differ. Nannies are very prevalent in Connecticut, at least in comparison to the rest of the nation. I don't know yet if I feel this is a good or a bad thing.
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