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Hello All! Posted a couple of months ago RE: move to Fairfield from lower Westchester-- a single mom with 2 school aged children. Have been focusing on Fairfield (anything good- goes very, very quickly) and have ruled out Trumbull and Milford. I have recently considered adding Ridgefield to my search. Since I am only looking at homes in the 500k (up to 550) range, wondering if it is even worth considering? Don't want to feel like the "poor" people in town (with our 500k house-only in the Northeast-lol). What is the vibe in Ridgefield? Is it a liberal, conservative, pompous, or down to earth town? Every town has it's reputation Besides the geographics- what are the major diff between Fairfield and Ridgfield? thx!
Ridgefield is pretty down to earth. It's about half the size of Fairfield and a bit more homogenous. Fairfield has some very wealthy areas (Southport) and some not so wealthy ones (Stratfield). Both have nice downtowns, although I prefer Ridgefield's. Ridgefield has better schools, but not significantly so. Fairfield has the beach, if that's important to you. Both are great towns, so it's pretty hard to go wrong with either.
x2 on what Mike 75 just said. Depends on what you want. Ridgefield is much less dense, with homes generally on larger lots than you would find in much of Fairfield. Downtown Ridgefield is charming.
In either town, the lower $ 500,000 range is tough. However, there are currently a number of colonial type homes available in that price range in Ridgefield. You don't have to settle for a little ranch or raised ranch. No idea what shape they are in though.
Danbury Mall is nearby for shopping. There's enough local shopping in town for everyday needs. Ridgefield school are excellent and have good sports programs. You'll need to drive around and see where you feel most comfortable.
Fairfield is denser and closer knit. The downtown is much bigger and more vibrant. Ridgefield's is more quaint. Fairfield has lots of restaurants, bars, shopping, beach. Ridgefield a bit more sleepy and wooded, although northern Fairfield is sleepy too. Fairfield has better direct train access to NYC. Ridgefield residents tend to use Katonah.
I'm partial to Ridgefield only because I live in the area and am more familiar with it. That said (1) a budget of $550k tops is a modest budget which will get you a very regular modest home (although I think you might get a little more house if you focus your search in some of the neighborhoods in the Ridgebury area, which is the northern section of town); (2) I would classify Ridgefield as more conservative than Fairfield; (3) i don't regard either town as pompous, although you will run into those types here and there in both towns, maybe a smidge more in Ridgefield. But I would not make a sweeping townwide statement to that effect for either of the two -- visit New Canaan once or twice and you'll know exactly what I mean! ; (4) Ridgefield schools do perform better, but not drastically so. The number 1 reason I'm partial to Ridgefield: you will not be dependent on I-95: you won't have to look at it, sit on it, try to figure out how to get around it and avoid it, make excuses as to why you're late because of it, etc. get my point! Lol! Fairfield on the other hand gives you easy access to beaches (although to be perfectly frank, I'm not super impressed by CT beaches in general, so for me not a huge plus), and there's just more going on in that area and surrounding towns than in the Ridgefield area, which can be kind of sleepy. Don't get me wrong, there are perfectly fine (and in many instances, great) restaurants in town, but you are kind tucked away and off the beaten path.
A budget of 500-550k can certainly get you a house that's well-suited to an adult and two kids. I'm confident in this because we are looking at homes in Fairfield in that range and we're two adults, two kids. It won't get you a McMansion, but you can get something in the 1400-1700 sq ft range + finished basement.
Reasons we've chosen Fairfield over Ridgefield (the latter used to be on our list):
Walkability/amenities in town
Access to the train
Beach
More likely to get gas heat (don't want oil heat)
Want dense neighborhood feel
Thank you for the replies. I appreciate your opinions. I am much more familiar with Fairfield, have all the info on the schools and neighborhoods, but know little about Ridgefield. So- guess I will have to check it out and do a bit more research. Are there any areas to avoid in Ridgefield? Just looking for a home in decent shape, over 1500 square feet- with a yard and a driveway on a nice street, with well-maintained homes. would love the neighborhood to have LOTS of kids (something we sadly lack now). thanks again!!!!
Ridgefield is great, it's just a different feel. Generally bigger lots. If you want more of a neighborhood feel in a more populated town with more walkability, go Fairfield. If you want a more wooded, pastoral setting with a quaint New England town center and houses on larger lots, go Ridgefield.
Ridgefield is pretty down to earth. It's about half the size of Fairfield and a bit more homogenous. Fairfield has some very wealthy areas (Southport) and some not so wealthy ones (Stratfield). Both have nice downtowns, although I prefer Ridgefield's. Ridgefield has better schools, but not significantly so. Fairfield has the beach, if that's important to you. Both are great towns, so it's pretty hard to go wrong with either.
I agree that Ridgefield is a very nice town but it does not have the economic diversity Fairfield does. Fairfield has everything from modest starter apartments to estates while Ridgefield is more middle to upper middle single family homes and a few condos. The Stratfield section of Fairfield is not "not so wealthy" though. It is middle to upper middle class with some very nice and semi-pricey areas. The "not so wealthy" parts of Fairfield are Tunxis Hill and parts of Grasmere.
Also I think the differences in schools between Fairfield and Ridgefield are more related to the socio-economic makeup of the students rather than the quality of the schools. Finally the beaches in Connecticut are not great primarily because they are not on open ocean but the great part is that they are easily accesible. That is not something that many suburbs of New York City or other majoe cities can say. Jay
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Besides the geographics- what are the major diff between Fairfield and Ridgfield? thx!
