[Kristin85]

Originally Posted by jp03

I don't get the school part ... Where are these terrible interior schools?

I'm from Fairfield County; in my neck of the woods the towns with mediocre schools would be Naugatuck, New Britain, Ansonia, and Trumbull. (I lived on the border of Trumbull for more than 20 years and would never, ever, ever send my kids there after hearing friends'/neighbors' horror stories. Disregard those horrible school ranking websites if they say otherwise.) My bff from the quiet corner also said that Putnam, Manchester, Tolland, and Vernon are generally bad places to grow up as well.

[Appias]

It's all relative. My reasons (which are mostly an echo of what's stated above) not in any particular order but as they came to me.

1. Natural beauty. Some decent beaches with excellent beaches being available for weekend trips (I'm looking at you Cape Cod). Forests for hiking, lakes and rivers for swimming, canoeing and inner tubing. Also, Berkshires and Catskills easy drive for more rigorous mountain activities.

2. Culinary. Amazing food. Just look at the Foodie thread for proof. Specific shout out to egg and cheeses on hard rolls, New Haven style pizza, lobster rolls (with butter not mayo!) and fresh homemade doughnuts.

3. Trader Joe's. Yes, I'm serious.

4. Schools. Outside of the urban areas, the schools are good to excellent.

5.Public transit. Don't have to drive or fly to get to Washington DC, Boston, New York City or even Vermont!

6. Culture. Museums, live theater, music festivals, historic home tours, seasonal fairs and festivals.

7. Tolerance. Race/religion/sexual.

8. People are generally friendly but not in your face. I know this can be read as "cold" by people used to a more outgoing and forward population.

9. Economic opportunity. For certain jobs there are only a few regions in the US where you can find the talent or the opportunities for advancement in your field.

Cost of living is high, but not as high as some places I've lived and I feel that you get a lot for your money here. I also don't think you need to be rich to have a pleasant life here, I certainly am not rich!

[KaoCT]

Originally Posted by Kristin85

I'm from Fairfield County; in my neck of the woods the towns with mediocre schools would be Naugatuck, New Britain, Ansonia, and Trumbull. (I lived on the border of Trumbull for more than 20 years and would never, ever, ever send my kids there after hearing friends'/neighbors' horror stories. Disregard those horrible school ranking websites if they say otherwise.) My bff from the quiet corner also said that Putnam, Manchester, Tolland, and Vernon are generally bad places to grow up as well.

Huh? Tolland is a bad place to grow up? In what way?

[jp03]

Originally Posted by Kristin85

I'm from Fairfield County; in my neck of the woods the towns with mediocre schools would be Naugatuck, New Britain, Ansonia, and Trumbull. (I lived on the border of Trumbull for more than 20 years and would never, ever, ever send my kids there after hearing friends'/neighbors' horror stories. Disregard those horrible school ranking websites if they say otherwise.) My bff from the quiet corner also said that Putnam, Manchester, Tolland, and Vernon are generally bad places to grow up as well.

Ok.thanks for explaining it. I am not familiar with valley area. I was picturing more the interior Fairfield towns ... which have many good districts far from the coast. Surprised on Trumbull. School system rates well.

[katnip kid]

The property tax on your car goes down each year. So, as the car depreciates your tax bill on it becomes less each year.

[mlassoff]

Originally Posted by Kristin85

I'm from Fairfield County; in my neck of the woods the towns with mediocre schools would be Naugatuck, New Britain, Ansonia, and Trumbull. (I lived on the border of Trumbull for more than 20 years and would never, ever, ever send my kids there after hearing friends'/neighbors' horror stories. Disregard those horrible school ranking websites if they say otherwise.) My bff from the quiet corner also said that Putnam, Manchester, Tolland, and Vernon are generally bad places to grow up as well.

I went to the Trumbull schools for nine years. I am still close with many THS graduates. Many are raising their own kids in Trumbull. No one has a bad word to say about the schools. Maybe you have to live on the "border of Trumbull" to get the inside info?

[Kristin85]

Originally Posted by mlassoff

I went to the Trumbull schools for nine years. I am still close with many THS graduates. Many are raising their own kids in Trumbull. No one has a bad word to say about the schools. Maybe you have to live on the "border of Trumbull" to get the inside info?

I have a friend who teaches at Trumbull. My neighbors were/are from Trumbull and sent their kids there. I have friends my age who entered into the Vo-ag program and got to escape the Bridgeport school system and go to THS. I have friends I've made through those friends who live in Trumbull and went to THS. Yes, I know quite a bit about the Trumbull school system.

The school has drug problems but kids won't be subjected to the weed problem if you raise them right. Fine. So that's not a big issue if you know all about your child and his/her friends. However, the lack of pressure on kids is astounding. THIS is what I have the biggest problem with. The smartest kids put pressure on themselves to do well but the run of the mill students don't feel pressure outside of passing tests that require memorization.

When kids get mediocre grades for mediocre work at THS, parents raise a ruckus. En masse. Parents in Trumbull think their kids are God's gift to the world and never deserve less than an A for less than stellar work. This has resulted in teachers not being hard on kids when critical thinking is involved. Teachers are fed up and say "the hell with it" and give A's to reports/projects that are mediocre. If parents don't want their kids to be taught and to be challenged, then it's not going to happen. College-level courses are only pushed on the smartest kids and average students don't get encouragement from their teachers to do more.

I had friends who were on both sides of the lazy/dedicated equation. My lazy friends passed their classes with minimal effort and thought THS was the best thing ever. Those friends also didn't end up going to good schools or getting scholarships. My smart & dedicated friends took all of the AP courses they could at THS and were miffed that I was able to take more AP classes in Bridgeport than they were able to take at THS.

This system doesn't work for anyone. The challenge wasn't strong enough for people who wanted it, and the kids who gladly thought school was a piece of cake didn't end up benefitting. It's frustrating to think that parents are the cause behind the lack of academic rigor at THS. Trumbull High students can pass the state standarized tests with good scores; great. But that doesn't help students prepare for college or careers that require critical thought or real difficulty. You need to be pushed in high school to succeed and the glaring omission of pressure at THS is a shame.

Anyway, to tie this back into taxes, it's not worth living in Trumbull and watching your taxes sink into the Trumbull school system that only challenges your kids if you, as a parent, request the challenge. And even then, still not that hard.

[mels]

Originally Posted by KaoCT

Huh? Tolland is a bad place to grow up? In what way?

I am thinking that Kristin85 is going off of one person's second hand story and knows absolutely nothing about the area. Tolland is not undesirable by any means.

I will agree with her on the valley towns schools not being up to snuff. But dismissing all of the interior schools based on Naugatuck, New Britain and Vernon? That's just good old fashioned misinformation.

[Kristin85]

Originally Posted by mels

I am thinking that Kristin85 is going off of one person's second hand story and knows absolutely nothing about the area. Tolland is not undesirable by any means.

I will agree with her on the valley towns schools not being up to snuff. But dismissing all of the interior schools based on Naugatuck, New Britain and Vernon? That's just good old fashioned misinformation.

I'm not dismissing all of the interior schools. Obviously you have schools like Simsbury, Farmington, Woodbridge, etc. that are good schools away from the coast. However, the top ranking towns for schools are on the coast--most in Fairfield County--and the cost of living in that county just isn't worth it for the small amount of land you get.

Edit: I just double-checked my OP in this thread. I said interior schools are less lauded than schools on the coast. I continue to stand by that statement. It's not putting down interior towns that are ranked well; it's saying coastal towns are ranked higher.

[Wilton2ParkAve]

What about Weston, New Canaan, Wilton and Ridgefield? Weston is the second richest school district in the country and I believe posts the highest median SAT score in state, followed by Wilton. Three of the aforementioned schools have impressive athletic programs as well. I'd argue that these are the best districts in the state, with Darien and Westport close behind.