[Stylo]

Originally Posted by JViello

I have a friend who commutes to Greenwich everyday, I'll have to call him.

From Danbury by car at rush hour? That's awful.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by sleeptodream247

well I am going to Stamford, CT for a job interview and will be there for a couple of days so hopefully, by seeing the city in person...even for a short time....I can get a "feel" for the area. I also plan to ask my interviewer where do most people commute from when going to work there so I can get an idea of what is convenient as far as living costs/commute time. I must say that the salary that is being offered is not as great as I expected when comparing to cost of living in CT versus FL. We will see what happens at the interview.....any suggestions for things to do if you only have two days (or one and a half days) in Stamford? I have a friend that lives in New Haven which maybe I can try to meet up with but I really want to use my time exploring Stamford since that is where the job is....wish I could be there longer but its hard to plan last minute!

Have your friend show you around some towns on the train line since Stamford will be more than you want to spend.

Fairfield, Black Rock, Stratford and Milford would be a great start.

[sleeptodream247]

Yeah I definitely plan to drive around.....hoping the traffic wont be bad on a Friday and Saturday but thats probably asking for too much...LOL! So is traveling by train easy or a hassle? I like the idea of not having to drive to work but wondering how it will be having to catch a train daily....

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by sleeptodream247

Yeah I definitely plan to drive around.....hoping the traffic wont be bad on a Friday and Saturday but thats probably asking for too much...LOL! So is traveling by train easy or a hassle? I like the idea of not having to drive to work but wondering how it will be having to catch a train daily....

Friday mornings are actually pretty easy for traffic. It's PM that gets bad going 95/Merritt North, but it's over by 7PM.

No traffic on Saturdays, unless there's construction or a bad accident.

Train is pretty easy. The New Haven line runs very often and is a short ride to Stamford from any point on it. They're in the process of replacing the trains with brand new cars that are pretty nice for public transportation. Biggest hassle is parking, if you're not in walking distance. You'll have to pay daily for parking since all lots have 4 year waiting lists for permits.

Go to www.mta.info for schedule info.

But there are nice options in walking distance to train stations.

For example, many of the Spinnaker apartments: Milford Living | Spinnaker Apartments

[sleeptodream247]

Well traveling by train sounds pretty good but do you run into major delays or trains not running when it snows? What other cities nearby to Stamford can anyone recommend? Is it worth looking into NY and traveling into Stamford?

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by sleeptodream247

Well traveling by train sounds pretty good but do you run into major delays or trains not running when it snows? What other cities nearby to Stamford can anyone recommend? Is it worth looking into NY and traveling into Stamford?

Trains are not really affected by snow. Only in extreme cases. Most problems are related to overheating or power outages.

As they replace more and more cars with the new ones, these problems will start to become more rare.

You could theoretically live west of Stamford, but it's just as expensive, and in some cases more. You're not really saving any money like you do when you go east. Directly north of Stamford are some very expensive NY suburbs that don't have a lot of rental options. And as soon as you go northeast in CT, to towns in the Danbury area - the train is much slower, less frequent, older and less reliable - and traffic makes the commute very difficult.

[sleeptodream247]

Okay well Im looking at rentals within a 20 mile radius from Stamford. I can see how hard it is going to be to find a decent size affordable rental close to Stamford and that allows dogs! I think Im going to have to go with a realtor to help me out with my search, once I know Im definitely relocating.

Ill be sure not to look in NY....I was figuring it would be more expensive. By the way, did you mean northwest CT? I thought Danbury was in west CT??? My preference would be to look at the coastal cities.....what about Greenwich? Darien? Norwalk? North Stamford? New Canaan? Milford seems interesting so Im going to look some more into that area. So far, starting at the low end, it seems like there are lots of rental listings in Bridgeport but Im guessing thats not a good thing! Also whats the parking situation like when renting? Do you have to park in a lot or on the street or do you have to pay to park your car somewhere? Also are utilities and food costs high as well? Im hoping, as far as utilities, maybe it might be included in the cost of rent...as least some utilities....as a single person, I have to be able to afford everything on my own based on my own salary. Im hoping it is possible....where else do young professionals live in CT???

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by sleeptodream247

Ill be sure not to look in NY....I was figuring it would be more expensive. By the way, did you mean northwest CT? I thought Danbury was in west CT??? My preference would be to look at the coastal cities.....what about Greenwich? Darien? Norwalk? North Stamford? New Canaan? Milford seems interesting so Im going to look some more into that area. So far, starting at the low end, it seems like there are lots of rental listings in Bridgeport but Im guessing thats not a good thing! Also whats the parking situation like when renting? Do you have to park in a lot or on the street or do you have to pay to park your car somewhere? Also are utilities and food costs high as well? Im hoping, as far as utilities, maybe it might be included in the cost of rent...as least some utilities....as a single person, I have to be able to afford everything on my own based on my own salary. Im hoping it is possible....where else do young professionals live in CT???

Greenwich, Darien and New Canaan are very expensive to rent in. Norwalk can be slightly more affordable than Stamford, but still pricey. I think East Norwalk wouldn't be a bad place to look, though you might not get everything you want for your price range.

Bridgeport has a lot of different areas. You have to be careful. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is. North Bridgeport and Black Rock are the areas to focus on. Everything else is to be avoided for the most part. Personally, Black Rock is the only part of Bridgeport I'd consider renting in.

Stratford and Milford are good places to look in.

Danbury is due northeast of Stamford, but it is considered western CT or northern Fairfield County. It's a good commute to Norwalk, but much more difficult to Stamford.

Parking with renting varies greatly. If in Stamford apartments anywhere near your price range, parking is usually in a garage or parking lot. Rarely it's on-street. In towns with a more suburban flavor, like Stratford and Milford - driveways and bigger lots are more common. Norwalk is mixed.

Young professionals in CT live all over. Along the coast, Stamford, Norwalk, Black Rock, Stratford, Milford, New Haven, etc. are all popular places for that demo. You start to see more established families in the quieter towns north of the coast.

[sleeptodream247]

Thanks for the info! I still have to wait to see if I get a job before I start panicking about finding a rental so I have time to browse. Maybe Ill take a drive from Stamford up to New Haven and check out the different areas along the way...wish I had more time there but will make the most of it.

As for parking, do you have to pay to park in lots or is it part of the rent? Just trying to factor in any extra expenses.....

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by sleeptodream247

Thanks for the info! I still have to wait to see if I get a job before I start panicking about finding a rental so I have time to browse. Maybe Ill take a drive from Stamford up to New Haven and check out the different areas along the way...wish I had more time there but will make the most of it.

As for parking, do you have to pay to park in lots or is it part of the rent? Just trying to factor in any extra expenses.....

Usually it's included in your rent if the apartment complex provides parking. There are exceptions to the rule, sometimes in bigger cities like Stamford and New Haven.

When you go down the coast, be sure to check out the right areas of the towns.

Here's some Google Maps links showing the areas to check out, in order from west to east:

South Norwalk:
washington street, norwalk, ct - Google Maps

East Norwalk:
east avenue, norwalk, ct - Google Maps

Downtown Fairfield:
fairfield, ct - Google Maps

Black Rock, Bridgeport:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Black+...gl=us&t=h&z=15

All along Main Street in Stratford:
2500 main street, stratford, ct - Google Maps

Downtown Milford/Harbor:
schooner lane milford, ct - Google Maps

The purpose of these is to show you the "heart" of these towns, so you're not wandering aimlessly and seeing the wrong parts of town. A lot of areas/town get unfair evaluation because visitors don't see the downtown and business areas that define them (for instance, Norwalk, Stratford and Milford are unfairly judged by Route 1 - the main commercial corridor which is pretty homogenous). Also, don't go further east in Bridgeport from Black Rock!