[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Mike 75

There can be lots of traffic, which can make it feel that towns which are relatively a short distances apart feel far away. That was my point.

Your missing the original point, which was an individual indicating that Westport to New Canaan is not far away while Westport to Trumbull is far away - which is not true.

[nonny]

Why does no one have anything to say about Weston? Is it horribly remote? It doesn't look so on the map.

[Wilton2ParkAve]

Nonny: Weston is gorgeous, just not everyone's cup of tea. There is no commercial zoning in town outside of a convenience/general store, gas station and a small restaurant. You will need to drive 10-15 minutes generally to see a doctor, food shop, or the vast majority of shopping. Since there are no major routes, highways or four lane roads in town, driving is at a more leisurely pace so it takes longer to travel to neighboring towns with those amenities. Other negatives for some include the lack of housing diversity as Weston is single family housing on at least 2 acre plots only. All residents are also on septic and well water, which while I view as a benefit is not the prevailing view.

Schools are great (top 3 in state), and the town is very safe.... But Weston is quite remove and you need to leave town to do just about anything. Something to keep in mind. It's a good fit for affluent families that value privacy and seclusion.

[Wilton2ParkAve]

Let's debunk the below line by line. First off there are varying degrees of "prosperity". Shelton is prosperous based on median income if you look at the national average, but it essentially median for Fairfield County. Median SAT scores are about as disparate as Derby to Milford or Branford (actually closer to Derby to Madison).

In defense of SW CT folks, there is a lot to do in the area (including SW CT, Westchester and Manhattan). Many newer residents formerly hail from NYC or NJ so their comprehension of other parts of CT is lower. There also isn't much demand outside of the casinos to travel to other parts of the state. A second counterpoint is that ignorance is a two way street. My college friends who settled in Hartford or New London area (and aren't from the state) have no understanding of lower CT.

As for commute, I am significantly less than 90 minutes (65-75 door to door). I do benefit from being 4 blocks from GCT, but a long commute is pretty typical for the big leagues of Manhattan. Upper West Side is 45 minutes from our offices. My associates in adjacent offices are from Brooklyn Heights and Hoboken respectively... Both commutes are 45-50 minutes in the morning and often an hour in the evening. The commute doesn't wear on me. I also notice very few unhealthy or morbidly obese commuters. My speculation is that all the walking in NY as opposed to driving everywhere has cardiovascular benefit. The train trip is quite relaxing and I'm able to pump out emails on the way in and prepare for my meetings going in. I generally read for pleasure on the return trip. I am fortunate to have the balance of my wife being home full time with the young ones. I also have 6 weeks of vacation (and weekends) to unplug.

Looking at the bedroom communities, I have no doubt that despite a higher cost of living, FFC has the upper hand in disposable income. The top 5% of the county earns over $800,000 a year.

I show median disposable income (after housing, taxes, etc) in excess of $100,000 for the following towns; Wilton, North Stamford, Greenwich, Darien, Westport, Easton, Weston and Ridgefield. There isn't a single town in the rest of the state in the six figures (Avon is close at $94k).

You can check for yourself at: http://www.raveis.com/communityinfofind.asp

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Exactly, Stylo.

There is a difference between not being fond of the more 'ghetto' towns in your area, but we're talking prosperous suburb vs prosperous suburb. Folks in Fairfield, when one mentions Woodbridge, will assume you're talking about Woodbridge, NJ. And if you mention Orange, they assume you mean the upstate county over the Tappan Zee. It's similar to people in Manhattan - they think southwestern CT is worlds away when it's really a short drive northeast. It's really not an issue of snobbery as much as it is ignorance.

And Wilton2ParkAve - Re: Access to NYC jobs: a 90 minute door to door commute is not easy access. It's a haul that will wear on the commuter both physically and emotionally. And if you compare income vs cost of living in all CT towns, Fairfield County does not seem so wealthy anymore. The Hartford area dominates in that respect.

Again, you can have Fairfield County and all the pains that come with it. I'll keep my pristine shoreline east of New Haven.



I'm not at all surprised - lol.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Wilton2ParkAve

As for commute, I am significantly less than 90 minutes (65-75 door to door). I do benefit from being 4 blocks from GCT, but a long commute is pretty typical for the big leagues of Manhattan. Upper West Side is 45 minutes from our offices. My associates in adjacent offices are from Brooklyn Heights and Hoboken respectively... Both commutes are 45-50 minutes in the morning and often an hour in the evening. The commute doesn't wear on me. I also notice very few unhealthy or morbidly obese commuters. My speculation is that all the walking in NY as opposed to driving everywhere has cardiovascular benefit. The train trip is quite relaxing and I'm able to pump out emails on the way in and prepare for my meetings going in. I generally read for pleasure on the return trip. I am fortunate to have the balance of my wife being home full time with the young ones. I also have 6 weeks of vacation (and weekends) to unplug.

That's your opinion. If you don't find a 75 minute each way commute taxing, more power to you!

PS. I have 5 weeks vacation and a 10 minute commute.

Originally Posted by Wilton2ParkAve

Looking at the bedroom communities, I have no doubt that despite a higher cost of living, FFC has the upper hand in disposable income. The top 5% of the county earns over $800,000 a year.

I show median disposable income (after housing, taxes, etc) in excess of $100,000 for the following towns; Wilton, North Stamford, Greenwich, Darien, Westport, Easton, Weston and Ridgefield. There isn't a single town in the rest of the state in the six figures (Avon is close at $94k).

You can check for yourself at: http://www.raveis.com/communityinfofind.asp

You're forgetting that in Fairfield County, a few billionaires skew the results. The vast majority of people in towns like Wilton or Ridgefield live not much differently than people in Avon, Simsbury or Madison. Greenwich is about the only suburb that is, far and away, the creme de la creme. The Hartford area ranked 6 in income nationally in 2009, and if you want to discuss economics, Hartford still ranks higher than FFC.

PICTURES: World's Wealthiest Metros By Economic Output - Courant.com

Additionally, in the amount of time it takes you to commute to Manhattan, I can live in New Haven and commute to Stamford, White Plains, Norwalk, New Haven, New London, Hartford, Springfield, Waterbury, etc.

[Wilton2ParkAve]

I don't find the commute taxing.. For 52 minutes of it, I'm not actually doing the commuting! Just being pulled along for a ride. Hartford County is not sixth in median income. Not even close. Fairfield isn't there either as younger, smaller counties without urban areas and more heterogenous pay dominate. Think DC metro with two earning households and comfy (but not wealthy) contractor jobs.

Also billionaires don't skew median disposable income, unless of course the 50th percentile is still billionaires (grin).. White Plains is more than 60 minutes from NH (there is no direct train service and you might prefer to gouge your eyes before trying the drive). Also all those "cities" combined don't deliver the opportunity or income that NYC does.

With respect to the Courant article, economic output by manufacturing is the oddest measure of wealth I've ever seen.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Wilton2ParkAve

I don't find the commute taxing.. For 52 minutes of it, I'm not actually doing the commuting! Just being pulled along for a ride. Hartford County is not sixth in median income. Not even close. Fairfield isn't there either as younger, smaller counties without urban areas and more heterogenous pay dominate. Think DC metro with two earning households and comfy (but not wealthy) contractor jobs.

Also billionaires don't skew median disposable income, unless of course the 50th percentile is still billionaires (grin).. White Plains is more than 60 minutes from NH (there is no direct train service and you might prefer to gouge your eyes before trying the drive). Also all those "cities" combined don't deliver the opportunity or income that NYC does.

With respect to the Courant article, economic output by manufacturing is the oddest measure of wealth I've ever seen.

Commuting: Whether you're driving or sitting on a train, it's still time away from my family and my home. It's still time out of my day. Again, saying a commute is good, bad, long or short is simply an opinion. If you're okay with it, then I'm okay with you being okay with it. It's just not for me. Also, WP is not more than 75 minutes from New Haven (you said yours was between 65-75). It's about 65 minutes without traffic (ask gmdealerguy). DW has a 30 second walk to her office (downstairs corner of the house) and she manages people in Stamford, Manhattan and California.

Wealth: You're right, actually *gulp*. Hartford was ranked sixth for income growth. My bad. But I did read a study (can't find it now) that said without Fairfield County, Connecticut's wealth would still hold strong. Re: DC metro, there's a lot of new money (actually, it's our money). And, you're right, much of the DC metro is solidly upper middle class (think Fairfax), whereas here, you have extreme wealth next to extreme poverty.

Anyway, we've both made our points. I hate FFC, you hate NH County. Good thing we both live where we love, huh?

[Wilton2ParkAve]

What hours are you working that you won't encounter traffic to White Plains (or Stamford for that matter). FWIW, I used to commute Trumbull to Stamford and it was essentially the same commute I have now. My former colleagues commute from Orange to Stamford by Metro North and door to door it is 70 minutes (drive to Milford, train to Stamford, shuttle or long walk to the office).

Also, outside of recruiting and certain sales models, how can you effectively manage professionals without significant in person contact? In person meetings, brainstorming, presentations are infinitely more effective in person. Processing insurance claims maybe, but not key functions (and interactions) within a Fortune 500 company.

My wife is home full time which more than makes up for any lost commuting time. It actually equates to more family time than a setup with both adults working with short (or no) commutes

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Wilton2ParkAve

Also, outside of recruiting and certain sales models, how can you effectively manage professionals without significant in person contact? In person meetings, brainstorming, presentations are infinitely more effective in person. Processing insurance claims maybe, but not key functions (and interactions) within a Fortune 500 company.

She does just fine at it, and apparently her employer (one of the largest hedge funds in the world) thinks so too. Her company is very picky on who they hire...perhaps that's part of it.

[Wilton2ParkAve]

With such a large concentration of HFs being in NY Metro (and this firm having offices in Stamford and Manhattan), and you living in extended NY Metro.... Why wouldn't the firm want her in the office more frequently?