[dazzleman]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Actually Kings highway (which is Route 1) turns into North Avenue in Bridgeport and I think that North Avenue is far more attractive than kings highway. That is because Kings highway is primarily commercial and North Avenue is primarily residential. I also think the neighborhoods in Fairfield are nice all the way to Kings Highway. Villa Avenue has many nice homes and the streets off of it are nice too. I know people there and they like it.

between kings highway and Post Road, is primarily an industrial area along the Bridgeport border. This is where the new train station is being built. The area around the Post Road is called Grasmere and is also pretty nice. Jay

I consider North Avenue the 'green line.' North of it is OK, but south of it gets pretty dicey pretty quickly. The one street that seems to be an exception to that is Clinton Avenue.

I used to live right off Villa Avenue and I really like that neighborhood. But Kings Highway itself has gotten terrible in the past few years, mainly because of closed businesses. Not that it was ever that great, but since Miller Buick and Brown Brothers closed, together with a couple of nearly empty strip malls, it looks pretty bad. That strip of Kings Highway also includes a 'see-through' office building. There just doesn't seem to be a demand for that commercial use of land there.

[dazzleman]

Originally Posted by toddb

Besides Stratfield, you can also look into the Fairfield Woods section (closer to Black Rock Tpke) - there's plenty of housing in that price range, and you'll get more than a cape for that price. Like Jay said, your kids will be safe and in good schools pretty much anywhere in Fairfield. I would definitely drive the area, and even walk around a little bit, particularly on the weekends, if you have the time.

That's a nice section too. The big difference between there and Stratfield is that Fairfield Woods tends to be mostly postwar houses, while Stratfield is older and is comprised of mostly prewar houses. It's all a matter of taste. I'd say the overall housing stock in Stratfield has a broader range of sizes, prices and styles, from small, side-hall colonials to larger colonials, some Meditteranean style houses, and even some very modern houses. Fairfield Woods is mainly mid-sized postwar splits and colonials, with a few older victorians thrown in.

As an earlier poster said, you need to visit the neighborhoods and see for yourself.

Lake Hills, mentioned by JayCT, is also a really nice area. It is also mainly postwar houses, with some nice colonials as well as some ranches. There are some houses there that were originally vacation homes that have been converted to full-time residences, but there are also some higher-end houses, especially off Morehouse Highway and Tahmore Drive closer to the lake.