[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Capital Guy

Hmm. I looked at Seymour houses on Realtor.com and what am I missing? The houses are affordable and it's less of a commute to Stamford. Taxes seem kind of high. What is it like? Safe? Curb appeals? How's the traffic on 8?

8 will be fine at the times you're commuting. "The Valley" has never been super desirable due to location and other factors. For most 9-5 types, it's not a good commute to Stamford or Norwalk. It's not commutable to NYC at all. It's in an area that used to be big on manufacturing, which is gone. The downtown is OK, but nothing like downtowns in other parts like Branford, Milford, Fairfield.

That said, the schools are solid, it's very safe and affordable. It would not be a bad option for you at all.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Capital Guy

Hmm. I looked at Seymour houses on Realtor.com and what am I missing? The houses are affordable and it's less of a commute to Stamford. Taxes seem kind of high. What is it like? Safe? Curb appeals? How's the traffic on 8?

Seymour has kind of reinvented itself in the past 10 years. All of those old factories have been torn down to make way for shopping centers, parks, etc. It is very family friendly. There is a nice downtown with antique shops, coffee shops, and restaurants. It has become a haven for Fairfield commuters escaping the high cost of living. Commuting to Stamford will be far easier than commuting from East Haven. Route 8 will get busy going northbound after 4 PM, but will be nothing like 95 in New Haven.

Seymour is much nicer than East Haven, too.

[Capital Guy]

Ok, cool. I'm going to swing up to Seymour on my way home today and take a drive around. See what it's all about. Any suggestions on places to stop by? Any areas of town that need to be avoided?

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Capital Guy

Ok, cool. I'm going to swing up to Seymour on my way home today and take a drive around. See what it's all about. Any suggestions on places to stop by? Any areas of town that need to be avoided?

The part near Derby is a little dumpy, but it's not terrible.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

The part near Derby is a little dumpy, but it's not terrible.

Agreed. It's not dangerous but it has some 2-3 family homes that need updating.

Today may not be the best day to visit town because it's 99% without power due to the freak snowstorm, like many towns in the region.

[Capital Guy]

Took a ride thru Seymour before I checked back here. You're right about the power kidyankee. The entire downtown was dark and there was a lot of traffic. It only took me 65 minutes to get there and that's including hitting some traffic in East Norwalk and Bridgeport getting on 25 north. Route 8 was a breeze at 3:50.

I liked Seymour. I didn't see a lot of it but I will be now looking at house there. What is the best way to get to Madison from Seymour? Google maps says 34 east to 95. I cant tell on the map if CT 34 is a freeway or state road.

Hey, thanks again. This forum is a tremendous help.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by Capital Guy

Stratford had a few but the neighborhood seemed unsafe and a little seedy. There are a few houses we are going to view this weekend in Stratford so maybe we will find something that fits.

There are definitely houses on the market in safe Stratford neighborhoods that are within your price range. The only question would be how much sweat equity you're willing to invest. The "typical" house on the market is a ~70 year old cape that a widow has been living in by herself for the last 15 years.

If you're only interested in "move-in" condition properties, for the most part you're probably going to be limited to East Haven, West Haven and Bridgeport.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Capital Guy

I liked Seymour. I didn't see a lot of it but I will be now looking at house there. What is the best way to get to Madison from Seymour? Google maps says 34 east to 95. I cant tell on the map if CT 34 is a freeway or state road.

34 is a state road. Some parts it's a quasi-highway, like in Orange and West Haven - others it's more of a 4-lane city street like in New Haven.

There's a lot of various routes to Madison. I'm not sure of the best. Google Maps actually recommends a route that only uses 34 for a couple blocks. The backroads that Google Maps recommends are probably your best bet. It depends on where in Seymour you live.

[7express]

3 AM will be fine barring construction delays, but there's no traffic on the road then. 3 PM on the other hand?? Hit or miss, most of the days you should be fine up until around West Haven. On Friday's?? Forget it, 95 will be a parking lot the whole way, leave earlier on Friday's, hang around the office, or go out to dinner, because if you leave at 3 PM on a Friday, you won't get back to East Haven until at least 5 PM and that will be on a good day.

[7express]

Originally Posted by Capital Guy

Thanks SVTJayC. Two hours sounds terrible. You really think it will take that long to go 40 miles?

Once you live here, you'll soon realise 95 & the Merritt are not only 2 of the worst highways in the state, their 2 of the worst highways in the US.