[basehead617]

Watertown itself has some very nice areas, especially near Middlebury and up rt 63 toward Morris.

A lot of the area near 'downtown' and nearer to Waterbury (Oakville I guess) I don't think is too attractive, but it all depends on your price range I guess.

[captain_hug99]

I agree with the previous poster. I taught in Watertown for four years at the high school and middle school. Their schools are good. They also have a very good selection of some of the best private schools in the area too.

I liked Morris, Thomaston, Middlebury, Southbury as well.

[afpintek]

Bethlehem ct is a great place to live.

[NYisontop]

I know this is five months late in the conversation, but...

I vote Waterbury.

Houses are very cheap, tax rates are comparably low, and the neighborhoods in Bunker Hill and Town Plot have quality areas that are low crime. My parents moved there years ago, and my youngest sister graduated from Waterbury public schools. I spend several weekends jogging in the various neighborhoods and those two communities especially are safe and good locations, though the city itself has less ideal parts. While Crosby and Wilby High aren't going to be considered overachievers and I would not vouch for either, Kennedy High School seems to be a middle of the road school, the graduation rate not fantastic but much better than the other two, with a mix of academic standouts and school activities. Kaynor Tech and WAMS (Waterbury Arts Magnet School) are good public school options in town, though I think WAMS has a lottery to attend, while the Parochial schools are popular if you aren't opposed to Catholic schooling or its costs. In elementary and middle school years, the west side schools are actually pretty good and not far behind their Watertown counterparts. It's around 6th/7th grade where the disparities begin to surface.

Watertown is a nice little town, Thomaston too. Morris feels quasi-rural to me and Southbury is very costly. Woodbury and Middlebury are also costly, Naugatuck an extension of Waterbury in a lot of ways, and Prospect a bit sprawled and becoming pricier. Cheshire is also quite costly. I don't know the commute you're looking for. I'd recommend to any newcomer to not rule anything out and consider all pros and cons when relocating. I've rarely had a bad experience in a city, and you'll find it's never as monolithic as we on forums make them out to be. I was impressed with a lot about Waterbury, let down by other parts. It is a city with potential but often overlooked and generalized as unsafe, post-industrial, or not worth your time. I'd argue it is.

[JayCT]

I do not know if I agree with the Waterbury recommendation. Waterbury is a large city by Connecticut standards and has a number of urban issues. Most of the geat industries that built the city are gone leaving a city that has struggled in recent years. The neighborhoods mentioned above are nice but the schools in Waterbury do not perform well on the Connecticut Mastery and Connecticut Academic Performance Tests. In fact they are among the lowest test scores in the state. Many people living in Waterbury that care about their children's education send them to private schools particularly high school. As for taxes, I do not know that I would call them "low". They may be lower than some other towns and cities but they still are not cheap IMHO. The OP would need to be very careful if the decide to move to Waterbury. Jay

[PJ1252]

i am originally from connecticut and just moved to delaware - watertown is a great community - i would move there before woodbury southbury or middlebury - i dont think its a snobish and the schools are decent - in southbury even the kids are snobs

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by PJ1252

in southbury even the kids are snobs

That's not true at all.

[AMSS]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

That's not true at all.

Probably right, but there are things you have to deal with as a parent that you wouldn't in other towns. My niece grew up in Southbury (just started college). Her mom was really tired of competitive birthday parties that went past an age she didn't think they would. Lots of limo rides to a spa, restaurant or NYC starting at age 12. She didn't have fun explaining to my niece why she wasn't getting those.

[Stylo]

Any town with a predominately upper middle class population is going to have that factor. I know a VERY (uber) snobby family that just moved to Southbury from Greenwich. I also know some down to earth people from there. It's the price you pay for a nice town in this state sometimes.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by AMSS

Probably right, but there are things you have to deal with as a parent that you wouldn't in other towns. My niece grew up in Southbury (just started college). Her mom was really tired of competitive birthday parties that went past an age she didn't think they would. Lots of limo rides to a spa, restaurant or NYC starting at age 12. She didn't have fun explaining to my niece why she wasn't getting those.

The town you're describing sounds like a New Canaan or Westport; not Southbury.

I know Southbury well and many people who grew up there. It has a solid middle class population. There are some wealthy people there, sure, but it's hardly as you describe. None of them had limo rides in their pre-teenage years, none of them knew what a spa was before high school and they are all very down to earth.

People think because Southbury is a well-kept town that it's a wealthy town. It's not. It's middle to upper middle class (for Connecticut).