[herman01]

I am considering accepting a job in Danbury and relocating from ATL and am looking for info about surrounding towns to live in. I like Westport but I fear that may be too far a commute.
Looking for
-Great public schools
-Nice shopping/restaurant options in town

Looking in 900k range for house for myself,wife and 2 kids.

Any thoughts on what towns are like near Danbury and commute options?

[kidyankee764]

Westport is great but it would be a bit of a commute to Danbury. It's certainly doable, as it's back roads, but would you be okay driving an hour everyday? Also, 900k would likely get you a modest house in Westport, as compared to a pretty large home in ATL. Schools in Westport have performance scores that are tops in the country.

You might want to check out Ridgefield. It's not on the water like Westport and much of the "gold coast", but it's a beautiful, woodsy town with fantastic schools. IMO, Ridgefield is one of the most well-rounded towns in the state. It has a decent downtown with typical small-town shopping, but there are grocery stores and a few big box clothing stores. Most of your shopping would likely be done in either Danbury or Norwalk, depending on which part of town you live.

There are other beautiful towns in the area but they are fairly rural and might not be to your liking (Easton, Newtown, Redding). Trumbull might be to your liking too but if you're going to make that commute, you might as well go back to looking at Westport.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

You might want to check out Ridgefield.

I agree. It would be the first town i'd recommend the OP look at given his circumstances. My second suggestion would probably be Wilton.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

My second suggestion would probably be Wilton.

I was going to suggest that as well. Route 7 can be a b*tch though.

[nep321]

I agree with Ridgefield.

[jdhall1]

You can find a beautifal home anywhere the Danbury area. Meet up with a local agent to show you the towns and show some homes. In my exprience with out of town buyers, after about 2 trips out, they figure out what town they want to live in.

[Stylo]

Westport is a 35-45 minute commute to Danbury. It's not bad, mostly backroads. You can take Route 53 all the way up. It's a nice, scenic drive. Westport has a few good restaurants, but is lacking IMO compared to other cities on the coast. I personally feel like a lot of the restaurants are style over substance. The best restaurant scenes in CT are usually in more urban areas like Stamford, South Norwalk and New Haven, which would you be pretty convenient to. Westport has excellent upscale shopping in a fairly posh downtown.

There's definitely more "going on" down on the coast and the Danbury area towns are a bit more wooded and quiet.

Westport is one of the most expensive towns to buy real estate in the US. $900k will get you a house that would be surprisingly modest for those not familiar with the area. The median home value is above $1M in Westport.

I lived in the Danbury area for many years and found it to have myriad shopping options, but unexceptional food. There's a handful, but you don't nearly have the amount of choices in lower Fairfield County. Just something to keep in mind.

Ridgefield is certainly the "best" town in the Danbury area for a few reasons: schools, beautiful town center, some good restaurants and shopping, easy access to 684, 84 and 7. One of the main reasons it's more expensive is its location. It's closer to Norwalk/Stamford, and commutable to NYC.

You could go further south to Wilton, but it's even more expensive. You could get a decent house for your budget, but not an exceptional house like you could in other towns in the Danbury area.

You'll get significantly more house for your money in some other towns. New Fairfield, Brookfield, and Newtown are good towns with good schools. In all these towns, you're not far from the Danbury mall for shopping. Southbury and Oxford are 2 more towns to consider, where you'll get even more house - but are a bit further away from civilization. People in Oxford actually often do their shopping/dining in the Orange/Milford area.

The Danbury area isn't big on downtown areas like the coast for shopping. Mostly strip malls and the Danbury Mall for shopping. Downtown Danbury is not in great shape. Ridgefield has more of a town center than any of them.

I agree with the reco to get a realtor and find a house that suits you. All the aforementioned towns have excellent schools, so it's a matter of finding the house/town that fits you best. A visit to realtor.com will quickly acclimate you to the reality of how much house you can get for the money in the various towns.

[JayCT]

I have to agree with the others that Ridgefield would be a good place to look in your price range. Other towns to look at include New Fairfield, Brookfield, Redding and Newtown. You might even consider Weston or Easton so you will be closer to Westport. Jay