[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Monroe is more rural suburban in character with homes on larger lots. It has some shopping but there is no town center and it is not a very walkable town. Still the schools are good and you get more for your money there than Fairfield or Trumbull. Monroe is located inland so there are no beaches but the town does have several very nice parks.

Trumbull and Monroe do not have walkable "downtowns", but they do have town centers in the form of "town greens". Monroe actually has two of them, but the main one is used for annual ceremonies, festivals, celebrations, weekly farmer's markets etc. It has a gazebo and is surrounded by the historic district, several churches, the police dept., town hall, and library. The schools are very good in Monroe. Homes are a little less expensive than in neighboring Trumbull, where the drive to the train station is a bit closer. Both towns have public swimming pools, parks, numerous athletic programs for families, shopping, restaurants, etc.

Monroe Historical Society, Monroe, CT - Table of Contents

While we admire them for their natural beauty, our greens are part of a much bigger picture. They are the "centers" of many towns. Not only do these greens interest us as New Englanders, but the structures set upon them as well. The old gazebos, or bandstands, that grace the center of these greens, the trees that date easily hundreds of years, the monuments lovingly constructed in honor of those who have fought for us in wars past, the park benches which invite us to sit down and talk with friends, and the beautiful array of flowers, each lovingly planted and tended to.

Depending on how rural the OP wants to be, Redding/Weston/Easton are other alternatives. I know families there that have one or both spouses that commute to Stamford. The schools are among the highest ranked in Ct. Most shopping is done in surrounding towns, though. Some people do not mind a 10-15 minute drive to stores, they prefer the isolation, but to others that is an inconvenience. Also consider Ridgefield, with housing prices so low now that would be an alternative. A great school system with a small downtown, and a lot of family-oriented activities. I am not sure if the OP will be driving, or taking the train?

[JayCT]

I am surprised at the number of homes and the quality of homes listed on Realtor.com in Wilton for under $650,000. It is hard to tell if the homes are actually as nice as they look online but definitely worth checking out. Wilton schools are excellent. They perform very well on the Connecticut Mastery and Connecticut Academic Performance Tests. Milford schools, though veyr good, do not perfomr as well. Check the website below for more information on schools in Connecticut.

IMHO, if the OP can find a decent home in Wilton that meets their needs then they definitely should buy there. It really is a beautiful town. Jay

http://sdeportal.ct.gov/Cedar/WEB/Re...SPReports.aspx

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

That was a low budget for Wilton in 2006, but not in 2012. Look at Zillow. There are a ton of pretty nice homes for sale in that price range. Some are on the smaller side (<2000 sf) but on decent properties. Metro North or not, you can't even compare a Milford > Stamford commute to a Wilton > Stamford commute. At all. And socioeconomics aside, the schools in Wilton perform far better. That's a fact.

I think it would serve the OP better if we put our bias aside toward our own towns and recommend what would suit them best.

No bias. I'd make the same recommendation wherever I lived. If $550k dropped in my lap and I could commute to Stamford by train, there is no way I would be buying in Wilton. I'd even consider Fairfield before that.

$700-800k, maybe.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

No bias. I'd make the same recommendation wherever I lived. If $550k dropped in my lap and I could commute to Stamford by train, there is no way I would be buying in Wilton. I'd even consider Fairfield before that.

$700-800k, maybe.

I'd rather be the average Wiltoner (be quiet, Wilton2ParkAve)than top dog in a middle class community. Better for resale value.

[Stylo]

Different strokes.

[JP44]

thanks again everyone. Commute into the office by train will be an option and probably the way I will go as I prefer the train to sitting on highways in traffic. Visited a few areas this weekend, Shelton is out and still looking for a nicer family oriented section in Milford. Maybe we'll have some luck today. Any particular sections of Fairfield I should look into?

[Pammyd]

Originally Posted by JP44

Will be relocating to CT for work in Stamford. Am considering Fairfield, Milford, Trumbull, Shelton and Monroe. Moving with family, looking for a family oriented town with good schools and athletic activities possibly near one of the communities along the coast. Would be very helpful if the board could weigh in with pros and cons of the above areas. Thanks much.

Welcome to CT! My husband's family lives in Fairfield and it is super nice there, expensive but nice. Actually anywhere in the areas you have mentioned will be fairly expensive. If you can swing the cost of a home in these areas and want good schools for your kids then I would say Fairfield is it. My Mother In Law took me for a ride all along the beach areas in Fairfield and those too are nice..good luck with your move and hope you truly enjoy being here in CT.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by JP44

thanks again everyone. Commute into the office by train will be an option and probably the way I will go as I prefer the train to sitting on highways in traffic. Visited a few areas this weekend, Shelton is out and still looking for a nicer family oriented section in Milford. Maybe we'll have some luck today. Any particular sections of Fairfield I should look into?

If that's the case, my original suggestion of Fairfield and Milford stand. Stratford is not a bad option either, although some people will give it negative marks for the schools. I don't know anyone with personal experience with them, but they do not perform as well as Milford.

It depends on how much house you want for the money, what you expect from the schools (both are good school districts, but Fairfield does better on standardized tests - perhaps due to socioeconomic factors), and how much that extra 10 minutes on the train means to you. Of course exploring the character of both towns helps. I find Milford a wee bit more laid back and Fairfield more refined, but YMMV.

Nice family oriented sections of Milford: Bayview, South of the Green, Duck Ponds, Gulf Street, Morningside, Harbor/Trumbull Beach area, Woodmont, Rivercliff/Housatonic Dr, north West River St/Wolf Harbor, Great River.

In Fairfield at your budget, you'll probably be looking mostly at the eastern half of town. That's not to say you won't find something closer to Westport, but those areas of Fairfield tend to be quite a bit more affluent and home prices reflect that. Stratfield, area around Black Rock Turnpike, Jennings Beach/Old Field Road among other areas are really nice and mostly reasonably priced.

[Konig1985]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

i'd rather be the average wiltoner (be quiet, wilton2parkave:d)than top dog in a middle class community. Better for resale value.

+1

[Mike 75]

Wilton real estate prices have come down considerably in the past few years. If you want to commute by train, there are more trains to/from Fairfield and Milford each day than Wilton, due to Wilton being on an branch line. Still, its very doable, especially to Stamford. Also, if you want to commute by car to Stamford, Wilton will be easier than Fairfield or Milford.