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The OP is coming from St. Louis-not Newport Beach Ca or San Jose.
Lets try and be more empathetic here regarding economics. That does count among many people.
CT has a much higher cost of living then the heartland. I am very well of the differences between Fairfield and Milford (and certainly I do not need to be informed )
Lets try and guide people to quality and reasonable places to live, which they can afford.
Milford is no dump by any means of the imagination. 100K more to buy a home in Fairfield may not mean much to you- but to others it may. And the differences you describe may mean much to you- but to others it may not. The OP was concerned about COL-right?
Skytrekker - The OP said that they were already looking at Trumbull and Fairfield and did not indicate that they thought the prices were out of line. There are many parts of the midwest that are just as pricey as Fairfield so you should not just assume that they will find housing prices here high. I am sure they are aware that there are cost differneces between St. Louis and Connecticut. Given the towns mentioned, they appear to be looking for an upscale community. They asked for advice and I believe that Fairfield is a nicer community than Milford (not to put Milford down, it is very nice too) and worth the cost difference if they can afford it. JMHO Jay
Thanks! As far as housing costs, it is difficult to determine right now since we don't know what my husband's salary will be. I would estimate around $400K to $550K or so. I have learned that my new offices may be around the Wheeler's Farm Rd near Milford, if that means anything to you. I don't necessarily have to stay in Milford. What about Shelton, Cheshire, orange, Stratford? Is there any one city in particular where you would think that would be really great to raise a family because of schools and social activities and yet close to Milford?
At 470K you will be able to buy a nice home in Fairfield- 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1500-1700 square feet, on a smallish lot, in a nice neighborhood. It will be of course far smaller then what you could buy in the St. Louis area for the same amount of money. That amount in St. Louis would buy nearly a Mansion on many acres.
In Milford you will get a bit more for your money- perhaps a larger home with more space and a larger yard.
I would prefer Milford, and Fairfield over Shelton, Cheshire and Stratford. Cheshire would be a longer commute to Milford then you might desire.
Home prices on the CT shoreline capture a premium in dollars for the location.
Wheelers Farm Road straddles the Naugatauk river from south to north, starting at the Merritt Parkway.
Orange would be close by- as would be Fairfield.. Stratford is more industrial then Milford or Fairfield- but has some great housing values. Shelton also would have great housing values, but would not have the appeal of Milford, Fairfield or Orange.
Last edited by skytrekker; 10-04-2007 at 01:58 PM..
It's going to depend on what you want. With those requirements, you can afford a nice place in Fairfield (where "nice" means enough room for your family, safe, picturesque area, etc, but not McMansion or a new development). Milford isn't a bad place to live by any means, and the short commute would be nice (I'd kill to get a job in Milford! I live in Stratford and wish there were more jobs out toward that way! I don't suppose your husband is in marketing? ) If I could afford either and had a job in Milford, it would be a tough choice---I'd probably decide it by checking the property taxes and then just going to see a bunch of homes in my price range.
Wheelers Farm Road is located in the north end of Milford near the Wilbur Cross Parkway (Route 15). There are a couple of nice newer corporate office parks there and that is probably where you will be working.
In your price range I would recommend looking at either Milford or Orange. You would get a lot more there than you will in Fairfield or Trumbull. Of course this depends on where your husband ends up working, but the north end of Milford and Orange have a lot of nice homes in beautiful neighborhoods that would be very convenient to your new office. Milford is generally less expensive than Orange but Orange schools have higher scores on the Connecticut Mastery Test. Both communities have reasonable class sizes (around 20 students per class).
As Skytrekker indicated, Cheshire would be a longer commute and I would not recommend it unless you husband's job it is in Hartford or Waterbury. Again, why commute far if you don't have to.
Stratford would be another option. Schools there score around the state average on the Connecticut Mastery Tests but are lower than Milford's or Orange. Shelton has nice areas but I beleive would be more expensive than Milford. Shelton schools score higher than Milford on CT MAstery tests. Jay
Wheelers Farms Road in MIlford is a particlar area of Milford which has a large complex featuring --Subway.....Radio Stations and other offices and business space.
You will be able to find compatible housing in Milford for the costs you suggest...If your husband will be a high ranking person --you may want to check out Orange and Woodbridge which will still keep you in the mix of the local issues....without having to live right next door to the office secretary. Out of these three towns Woodbridge would be the #1...Orange #2.and Milford #3..as far as cost of living ..and choice-ist homes !
If you are truly going to be looking for a extremely high society functionality.....Fairfield County would be best--as this is where folks really come that want to do lunch...rub elbows.....or Country Club... Fairfield County....has major players from most everything --living here ....including---- sports.....T.V...actors.......music.....radio...an d ladies that lunch....New Haven County--is more of a scholarly group with high level teachers..professors..intellectuals ...scientists and such with tenure at Yale....Southern University......and several extremely well known colleges in the New Haven area.
There are also several very well known companys in the area that manufacture and design internationally known items...higher level management will be found throughout Milford ..Orange..and Woodbridge.
The bridge that gets you from the more north/eastern towns like Guilford..or Branford will be undergoing work for the next few years....and for now makes quite a bottleneck at the connection in New Haven.
The farther East and North you go from Milford the more home you will get for you money but both Milford and Orange are nice towns but quite built up. With a family I would try to steer away from the Bridgeport and Norwalk area's as they both are quite run down city's. New Haven is not much better for a family.
I disagree with much of the comparisons made here.
Fairfield is not really all that much more upscale than Milford
Have you been to Fairfield and really driven around it? Fairfield was developed over the past 50 years as THE upscale suburb of Bridgeport. Bridgeport was a very prosperous city then and there was a lot of wealth there that moved to Fairfield. There are many areas of upscale homes including Southport, Greenfield Hill, Brooklawn, Toilsome Hill, Sasco Hill, Winton Park, and Skytop. Fairfield has many estates (true estates not McMansions).
Milford was built primarily as the affordable alternative to Fairfield County towns. There are a lot of starter ranches and capes there and few upscale homes or estates. I am not putting Milford down. It is strictly a matter of personal taste if you like one more than the other. True you are closer to New Haven but I would rather be closer to New York City. JMHO, Jay
Here are some quick facts from the local MLS for the second quarter of 2007 (median sale prices):
$464,700 - 06460 Milford
$905,000 - 06824 Fairfield
$551,400 - 06825 Fairfield
There are certainly starter properties in each town just as there are million-dollar properties in each town. What gives a town a certain distinction is its inventory range (from low to high) and its distribution.
Assuming a town's proximity to another town - whether that neighboring town be high-end or low-end - has an effect/impact on those properties is a myth.
Here in Cheshire, we are surrounded by Waterbury, Wolcott, Southington, Meriden, Wallingford, Hamden, Bethany, and Prospect. Our property values are not impacted by any of our neighbors and neither are their values impacted by ours. A typical Waterbury property is priced at 60% of a similar house in Cheshire. Southington is about 88%. Bethany is about 105%.
Thanks for this information - however the 06824 ZIP code is that of Southport, a very wealthy enclave on the Westport border - still Fairfield, but a good amount of the homes are directly on the shore which pushes even modest homes into the million dollar range. Milford's prices include everything.
I stand by my opinion that the average family in Fairfield town is not all that much more upscale or wealthier than Milford as a whole. It is more expensive and the income is higher in Fairfield, but it's not incredibly different as JayCT states. It's like comparing Newtown and Shelton.
Removing Southport from the equation, there's almost a $90,000 price difference between the medians of Fairfield and Milford. In other words, a house in Milford costs about 84.25% of a similar house in Fairfield.
I live in Monroe which is a nice little town, but I do seem to go to Milford at least once a week for the things I need. Restaurants, shopping, Costco, cheap gas and in the summer, the beaches. It takes about 25 minutes.
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) If I could afford either and had a job in Milford, it would be a tough choice---I'd probably decide it by checking the property taxes and then just going to see a bunch of homes in my price range.
