[Stylo]

If you like the character of Ridgefield, check out Newtown and Bethel as your top choices. While neither have as "upscale" an appearance, they do have very "New England" town centers. Bethel's is more like Ridgefield's main street with cute shops and restaurants, while Newtown is heavy on historic homes. They both have good schools and I've heard positive anecdotal feedback about both (funny enough, my Bethel friends seem to be the most excited about their schools).

IMO, working in Danbury and with your budget - Ridgefield is not worth the sacrifice you'll have to make on a home.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

IMO, working in Danbury and with your budget - Ridgefield is not worth the sacrifice you'll have to make on a home.

I second that.

[JayCT]

The towns mentioned (Ridgefield, Newtown, Brookfield, New Fairfield and Bethal) all have very good schools. I suggest you visit each town and see which is more to your likeing. For information on schools in Connecticut check the website below. Look for schools that perform above the state averages on the Connecticut Mastery and Connecticut Academic Performance Tests and have reasonable class sizes. Jay

State Department of Education - CEDaR

[Mike 75]

Newtown and Bethel are both good choices, and you will get more for your money than in Ridgefield. I like Newtown more than Bethel, but you may feel differently, so it's worth checking out both towns.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Mike 75

I like Newtown more than Bethel...

Me too.

[arielmina]

Originally Posted by Stylo

If you like the character of Ridgefield, check out Newtown and Bethel as your top choices. While neither have as "upscale" an appearance, they do have very "New England" town centers. Bethel's is more like Ridgefield's main street with cute shops and restaurants, while Newtown is heavy on historic homes. They both have good schools and I've heard positive anecdotal feedback about both (funny enough, my Bethel friends seem to be the most excited about their schools).

IMO, working in Danbury and with your budget - Ridgefield is not worth the sacrifice you'll have to make on a home.

Except that while you may be working in Danbury now, if you choose something farther out (from NYC) and end up losing that job or wanting to change jobs, it may be harder to find something commutable. What I love about Ridgefield is that it's still very commutable to Stamford and Norwalk (about 30-50 minutes depending on where in town you are and where you're going) and you can pretty easily commute to NYC. Moving out to Newtown will seriously limit your ability to commute easily and quickly to those locations.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by arielmina

Moving out to Newtown will seriously limit your ability to commute easily and quickly to those locations.

Ridgefield is not an easy commute to NYC, IMO. It's at least 100+ minutes each way.

[Wilton2ParkAve]

100+ is a bit of an overstatement. I have a number of associates who drive to katonah and take metro north from there. Door to door, roughly 80 minutes. It's actually a respectable driving commute, provide you live close to 84/684. 684 is smooth sailing unless there is a major accident. 60-70 minutes to midtown.

[elle423]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Ridgefield is not an easy commute to NYC, IMO. It's at least 100+ minutes each way.

I agree ... Rough commute to NYC without a doubt. Your options would be either the DanburY line (which I affectionately refer to as "petitcoat junction") or a drive/bus ride to Katonah for more frequent and faster train service. Either way though, you're talking a MINIMUM of 90 minutes from your front door to grand central-- and that would be the train platform at grand central-- it does not include getting off the train, walking up the stairs and then facing any follow-up subway commute you may have. It could easily add up to a 1 hour 45 minute commute each way. Unless it's an awesome job, it's (imo) so not worth it. Ridgefield to Stamford on the other hand would be about 40 - 45 min. Absolutely doable. newtown to Stamford though would not be fun. By the way, LOVE Ridgefield and it would definitely be me choice over newtown in a heartbeat!

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Wilton2ParkAve

100+ is a bit of an overstatement. I have a number of associates who drive to katonah and take metro north from there. Door to door, roughly 80 minutes. It's actually a respectable driving commute, provide you live close to 84/684. 684 is smooth sailing unless there is a major accident. 60-70 minutes to midtown.

Not really.

• Ridgefield to Katonah is a 15-20 minute drive, not counting waiting on the platform.
• Train to Manhattan is 60-70 minutes, depending on train.
• Walk to office, say 10 minutes at the least, and if you work anywhere outside of midtown, it can be up to 30 minutes - so say about 15 minutes.

17+65+15 = 97 minutes each way. That's not an easy commute.

And if you drive, 684 is not the worry. It's the Cross County, Henry Hudson, the WS highway or the FDR. Driving isn't as easy as you suggest - not by a long shot.