[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by mkiv808

I personally feel like it shares little in common, except maybe the fact that it has a well defined downtown.

I agree - not very similar.

I'd highly suggest the OP look into Branford. I live here (and love it) and can answer any questions for you.

[nygal717]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

I agree - not very similar.

I'd highly suggest the OP look into Branford. I live here (and love it) and can answer any questions for you.

Tell me more about Branford! location wise it seems good for us. what do you love about it? convince me!!

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by nygal717

Tell me more about Branford! location wise it seems good for us. what do you love about it? convince me!!

Well, I don't want to try to convince you - you'll probably be convinced yourself once you take a drive from downtown down 146 along the water.

The great thing about Branford is it's a nice mixture of people. You have apartments and condos right up to multimillion dollar mansions on the water, and everything in between. There are multiple areas: Short Beach (more middle class), Indian Neck (upper middle class), Stony Creek and Pine Orchard (both more affluent).

Schools are good, the population is generally well-educated, and the police department is accredited and is a model for others in the state (which means highly educated officers, in turn leading to better community relations). The shoreline is dotted with marinas, good seafood shacks/restaurants, nice views of the Thimble Islands/LI Sound and parks. Downtown has a good mixture of places, from coffee and bagel shops to pubs and boutiques.

Route 1 can be a bit of an eyesore, especially on the western side of town (Branford Hill), but you can live in town and almost never have to drive along it.

Guilford, Madison and Clinton are all nice towns too, but they are less diverse economically and you'll have to travel quite a ways to shop. IMO, Branford's pace of life is a little faster (not surprising seeing you can be in busy New Haven in 7-10 minutes from the Branford town center), and there is more to do than in, say, Madison.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

[nygal717]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Well, I don't want to try to convince you - you'll probably be convinced yourself once you take a drive from downtown down 146 along the water.

The great thing about Branford is it's a nice mixture of people. You have apartments and condos right up to multimillion dollar mansions on the water, and everything in between. There are multiple areas: Short Beach (more middle class), Indian Neck (upper middle class), Stony Creek and Pine Orchard (both more affluent).

Schools are good, the population is generally well-educated, and the police department is accredited and is a model for others in the state (which means highly educated officers, in turn leading to better community relations). The shoreline is dotted with marinas, good seafood shacks/restaurants, nice views of the Thimble Islands/LI Sound and parks. Downtown has a good mixture of places, from coffee and bagel shops to pubs and boutiques.

Route 1 can be a bit of an eyesore, especially on the western side of town (Branford Hill), but you can live in town and almost never have to drive along it.

Guilford, Madison and Clinton are all nice towns too, but they are less diverse economically and you'll have to travel quite a ways to shop. IMO, Branford's pace of life is a little faster (not surprising seeing you can be in busy New Haven in 7-10 minutes from the Branford town center), and there is more to do than in, say, Madison.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

thank you for the info... it does sound like what we may be looking for. what about finding a rental there? we would consider a complex but we have dog(lab) and would prefer a small house with its own yard for him. i didnt see a whole lot when searching online. are there any town papers or advertising sections that i could try to contact or find online?

[kidyankee764]

Check out the Branford Sound website : Branford News | Zip06 Town Page by Shore Publishing and The Day | Branford, CT 06405

Also, look at the New Haven register. Craigslist is a good site to use, as well.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Billythepokerkid

Someone mentioned Middletown, I wouldn't live in Middletown if someone paid me. The downtown area is seedy, especially at night. Your commute would most likely be Rt. 9, which is quite possibly the worst highway in the state.

I would not call Middletown "seedy" nor would I call Route 9 "the worst highway in the state". Not even close for either. Middletown is a small city. It is older and has older buildings. I do not feel unsafe walking around there at night. Not everywhere can be new andf shiny and brigiht.

I do agree you should check out Branford. It sound like what the OP is looking for and there are a lot of apartments and condos there. Jay

[Billythepokerkid]

I didn't mean Rt. 9 was the worst in terms of traffic, I meant it being the worst in terms of the actual shape of the highway. There are more pot holes and huge cracks from exit 8 down to Saybrook than there is on 95 in the entire state. Calling Middletown seedy was an understatement. Any time of the day you can most definitely find some of Middletowns not so great residents "hanging out" on Main St in doorways and between buildings.

[Billythepokerkid]

"Route 1 can be a bit of an eyesore, especially on the western side of town (Branford Hill), but you can live in town and almost never have to drive along it."

Not sure how Route 1 is an eyesore, there might be one building that is kinda shoddy looking on the hill and that's the house or houses across from Branfond Honda. The Middle of Route 1 is far worse than the western end. There are 2 trailer parks, a torn up railroad crossing and a disaster area where they are building the new fire house. Not to mention the old Coastal Wine and Spirits building. Also, almost everything in Branford is on Route 1 there is no possible way to avoid driving on it.

To the OP. As far as rentals, it depends on what you are looking to spend on rent and how many bedrooms you need. You will be hard pressed to find a decent 2-3 bedroom single family with a yard for less than $1500 a month. There are a lot of condos on the hill, most of them allow pets as far as I know. They also provide a pretty good sized area for walking them and stuff. Those usually go for around $1100 for the 2 bedroom units. If you look into Hamden, North Branford or North Haven you can get more bang for your buck.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Billythepokerkid

I didn't mean Rt. 9 was the worst in terms of traffic, I meant it being the worst in terms of the actual shape of the highway. There are more pot holes and huge cracks from exit 8 down to Saybrook than there is on 95 in the entire state. Calling Middletown seedy was an understatement. Any time of the day you can most definitely find some of Middletowns not so great residents "hanging out" on Main St in doorways and between buildings.

You wiull see some people hanging out on North Main but there are not many and that is just a small two block portion of the downtown area. I still would not call that seedy. As for Route 9, this winter was tough on all roads and the are potholes in many of them. They wil be fixed soon enough. Jay

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Billythepokerkid

Not sure how Route 1 is an eyesore, there might be one building that is kinda shoddy looking on the hill and that's the house or houses across from Branfond Honda. The Middle of Route 1 is far worse than the western end. There are 2 trailer parks, a torn up railroad crossing and a disaster area where they are building the new fire house. Not to mention the old Coastal Wine and Spirits building. Also, almost everything in Branford is on Route 1 there is no possible way to avoid driving on it.

I never said anything about shoddy buildings. I'm talking about big box stores, large, lit up signs, and shopping plazas that all look different. The railroad crossing is undergoing a facelift (it's only been "torn up" for a few months - give it time), as is the large liquor store (again, give it time, and it will look much nicer than it did before).

And as I said before, you can avoid the Branford Hill and most of Route 1 if you need to. Of course you'll have to cross it to get to 95, but you certainly don't have to drive down it on a daily basis.

Regarding your "almost everything in Branford is on Route 1" comment, I can see you don't venture through town much. IMO, anything of quality is OFF of Route 1.