[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by Stylo

That's a more desirable end unit, there were 2BR's available from ~$1600-$2200 at one point. But they're all booked up. I suppose it's possible to contact them to see if anyone's lease might be running out, but they're almost 100% accounted for at this point.

A few months back they were doing 13 months for the price of 12 on their leases. So, the OP is probably looking at another 11 months yet before a large # of units become available at 360.

[kidyankee764]

OP - you really need to check out West Hartford. It's a little far from NYC, but I think the beauty and amenities of the area makes up for it. Plus it's more affordable than all other areas you're currently considering.

Milford, Branford and Hamden are 100% suburban. I think if the OP were to look at them, they would be wasting their time.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

OP - you really need to check out West Hartford. It's a little far from NYC, but I think the beauty and amenities of the area makes up for it. Plus it's more affordable than all other areas you're currently considering.

Milford, Branford and Hamden are 100% suburban. I think if the OP were to look at them, they would be wasting their time.

What does 100% suburban mean? I am not disagreeing, but you post it in the same breath as West Hartford. There are walkable sections of each town. Even West Hartford is overwhelmingly suburban in nature if you're going by land area, even though its downtown is larger than the aforementioned New Haven area towns.

Evanston is more like White Plains, Stamford and New Haven in density and layout. Actually, it's quite a bit more dense than even Stamford. But I figured I'd suggest some towns that are 15 minutes or less to New Haven and have some nice walkable areas, even though they're much less city-like overall. Just something to consider.

The OP should spend some time in these cities to get a feel for them at this point.

[AntonioR]

As far as new residential options is concerned, Stamford is the undisputed choice. Plenty of new options on the market and more coming our way. Plus, its only an hour or so from NYC, which is important since the OP has family there. Then there's the safety factor, which of the major cities in Connecticut, none have it as good as Stamford does. Stamford is also very diverse, but with a strong middle class / upper middle class base.

All in all, it's the ideal choice since it has everything the OP wants from a place.

[DarkWolf]

The Op should also look in Jersey ...

Jersey City < You can live car free here , 24/7 Access via the PATH to Manhattan , Hoboken , Newark & Harrison ,Buses , Light Rail , bike lanes , and a few riverside walkways and Parks along with a Resovior to relax and fish in...its as Urban as you'll get and right across from NYC for Half the Price. Also very quiet...and diverse...20% of every major race lives in JC..

See Photos , ive covered 60% of Jersey City which I think you'll like...

Collection: Jersey City


Hoboken < & here , 1 PATH Station ,3 Light Rail stations , 1 Regional Rail Terminal , a Riverfront Promendena and a nice shopping street , its a bit crowded and not for the person who wants more space but there are a lot of old brownstones and new lofts along with apartments....owning a car here like in Jersey City is not worth it..

My Photos cover 80% of the City of Hoboken...

Collection: Hoboken

Weehawken < and here , the Quieter of its neighbors , Hoboken and Jersey , 2 Light Rail stations , numerous bus and a riverfront walkway..

Ive only covered 45% of the town of Weehawken , but the good bits are in there...

Collection: Weehawken

Morristown < You wouldn't need to use your car except grocery shopping , it has a nice shopping disrict , a Square , an Music/Art Hall , Numerous historic sites and small cafes...

Ive covered the core of Morristown...

Morristown - a set on Flickr


Montclair < Same with above...its pretty walkable has 2 Downtowns , numerous parks , 14 bus lines and 6 train stations...

Ive covered the Lower Part of the town , its a pretty huge town...by NJ standards...but all walkable.

Montclair - a set on Flickr

Ive also done White Plains & Stamford....heres my take and the photos. White Plains is ahead and is onto the next phase and that is building up regional transit links to the city , Stamford has just started improving the walkable and transit. Stamford feels like a Suburban City trying to become Urban but doesn't know how. White Plains has figured it out and has done with the exception of the undeveloped land near the Train station. White Plains has also made their city disabled friendly unlike Stamford. The Downtown is dense but the outer areas are suburban although old pre-World war 2 suburban which is dense and walkable. Stamford will be on White Plains level by the end of the decade , but in 2012 it scores low on the walkable chart. A lot of Intersections are hostile to Pedestrians unlike in White Plains where there only 4 left.

Collection: White Plains

Stamford - a set on Flickr

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

What does 100% suburban mean?

100% suburban means just that - all suburban. There are no urban areas of Milford or Branford. There is a small downtown in each that has some apartments/townhomes, but they are far from an urban atmosphere like New Haven or Stamford, or even West Hartford. WH is far more walkable than Milford is, and the downtown has more than just a few bars to walk to.

I would advise the OP not waste their time by looking into Milford/Branford if they're seeking an urban/walkable community.

[richrf]

Originally Posted by Stylo

What does 100% suburban mean? I am not disagreeing, but you post it in the same breath as West Hartford. There are walkable sections of each town. Even West Hartford is overwhelmingly suburban in nature if you're going by land area, even though its downtown is larger than the aforementioned New Haven area towns.

Evanston is more like White Plains, Stamford and New Haven in density and layout. Actually, it's quite a bit more dense than even Stamford. But I figured I'd suggest some towns that are 15 minutes or less to New Haven and have some nice walkable areas, even though they're much less city-like overall. Just something to consider.

The OP should spend some time in these cities to get a feel for them at this point.

Yes, I agree, that we will should spend some time in Stamford, New Haven, and Hartford to get an idea of what it is like. We'll probably pick a spot to stay somewhere in Stamford and see what it feels like and visit the various cities from there. Stamford is close enough to the White Plains Airport which is our preferred airport. Another possibility is to fly into Hartford, if we believe that Hartford is a viable alternative.

I checked out the 360 State Street site. Seems interesting and along the lines of what we are looking for. I know, from my inquiries in White Plains, that the Internet advertised price is usually the highest and if we show interest, they will come back within a month or two with a much better price. It is interesting, but prices change from week to week in today's real estate market, as the owners seek to maximize their income.

Thanks again for all of your help.

[richrf]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

A few months back they were doing 13 months for the price of 12 on their leases. So, the OP is probably looking at another 11 months yet before a large # of units become available at 360.

I will inquire when we visit. Thanks for the info.

[richrf]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

OP - you really need to check out West Hartford. It's a little far from NYC, but I think the beauty and amenities of the area makes up for it. Plus it's more affordable than all other areas you're currently considering.

Milford, Branford and Hamden are 100% suburban. I think if the OP were to look at them, they would be wasting their time.

It seems like it would be a good idea to check out West Hartford. I know nothing about the city. Can you describe it to me? How does it compare to the other cities that we are looking at? Thanks for the help.

[richrf]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

The Op should also look in Jersey ...

Collection: White Plains

Stamford - a set on Flickr

Hi there,

Great set of photos!! My wife and I are busy viewing them and they are very helpful.

We did look at N.J. The prices that we were being quoted for 2br/2ba in Hoboken and the new areas in Jersey City were sky high. Apparently, you are not the only person who believes Hoboken and Jersey City are great places to live. I am not sure whether there is new construction coming on board that may lower the prices, but as of now they were more expensive that the new construction in LIC, but of course not as high as NYC proper.

Montclair was high on our list until I had a two hour talk with a local real estate agent. There really isn't any apartments/condos in the area to accommodate us other than the Sienna, which is pretty expensive and also under the cloud of lawsuits against the developer. Besides that, she kept suggesting some nearby 55+ communities which isn't really what we are looking for. So we scratched it.

Thanks much for your overiews of WP and Stamford. The descriptions were very helpful to us.