[ErinMKE]

Hi,

We have been pouring through the info on this website in the past few days to try to select potential towns to move to - so thanks to all for all the great info on here!

My husband's job may be heading to Greenwich, CT. We are trying to figure out what town may be right for us and would love your input!

We have three kids, all under 4. We would love an area that is a reasonable commute for the husband, and very family-oriented with lots to do with the kids. Prefer down-to-earth folks. As a stay at home Mom, I'd like to find a community that has a good social network (Moms clubs too) and lots of other Moms at home for me. Hoping to spend somewhere around $1.5M on the home.

From posts, Fairfield sounds great! But is that a horrible commute? We are moving from the midwest so I'm used to having my husband home at 6pm and love it! Is Westport better? Seems to be less active newcomers/moms groups there. Should we go somewhere closer to Greenwich?

Thanks for your help!

[Tresser Boulevard]

Fairfield>Greenwich - not home by 6 pm for sure.
Just live in Greenwich -$1,5M will buy a nice house in Riverside. No need to create extra burden for yourself by living in a different city than the one where you work. (I have no idea why Americans have such a fetish for long commutes).

[skytrekker]

ErinMKE

Greenwich to live is almost ridiculously expensive for about 90% of us. The median to upper wage earner(s) cannot really buy a home in the city. Your choice of Fairfield is good; its a great town with more affordable housing. The commute will be less arduous if you take metro north- driving on I 95 is not going to be pleasant. And being home by 6 is not going to be possible if commuting.

Have you determined how much you want to spend for a home? Connecticut housing prices outside of Fairfield county are double or more then the Midwest. In Fairfield county they are much much higher-almost 'California' like in some towns.

Other towns to consider would be Shelton, Monroe and Bethel- prices will be a much lower then Greenwich; but from these towns the commute would be more on driving. Best of luck.

[glxyman21]

I would not recommend Monroe, Bethel or Shelton. They're not too far in distance but there is a lot of traffic . Monroe and Bethel do not even have direct access to a highway.

If you don't want to live in Greenwich then Darien, New Caanan and Wilton are other options within a reasonable commute. Wilton will be the quietest of the bunch, but they're pretty suburban in nature. Darien is also good if you like to be near the ocean as it is seaside. $1.5 mil is a decent budget for about a 2,500 sq ft. colonial on about an acre.

[sliver203]

Originally Posted by glxyman21

I would not recommend Monroe, Bethel or Shelton. They're not too far in distance but there is a lot of traffic . Monroe and Bethel do not even have direct access to a highway.

Southern Monroe is along the Merritt Parkway and 84 goes through Bethel.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by sliver203

Southern Monroe is along the Merritt Parkway and 84 goes through Bethel.

The Merritt Parkway does not go anywhere near Monroe. It cuts through the southern part of Trumbull. To get to Monroe you would have to drive through most of Trumbull.

If your husband being home at a reasonable time is a high priority, I would definitely recommend buying a home in Greenwich. It is a great town with a LOT of offer including excellent schools. Please note though that $1.5 million will not buy a lot of home there. As noted, other towns to consider are Darien, Wilton and New Canaan. These towns are still pricey but close to Greenwich. Beyond these the commute will start to get longer. Jay

[notjustamom]

I live in Southern Monroe, it's about a 10 minute drive to the parkway along Daniels Farm Road in Trumbull, not even remotely "most of Trumbull". That's one residential road, a quick drive. Still, I wouldn't recommend commuting to Greenwich from Monroe, my husband commutes to New Canaan and Greenwich and it's a haul. For 1.5 mil I'd recommend New Canaan, Darien, or Wilton.

Editing to say, maybe you were thinking Rt 111 all the way to the parkway, Jay? A better route for much of Monroe to the parkway is Rt. 25 to the parkway. But as I said earlier, I still wouldn't recommend the commute to Greenwich.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by notjustamom

I live in Southern Monroe, it's about a 10 minute drive to the parkway along Daniels Farm Road in Trumbull, not even remotely "most of Trumbull". That's one residential road, a quick drive. Still, I wouldn't recommend commuting to Greenwich from Monroe, my husband commutes to New Canaan and Greenwich and it's a haul. For 1.5 mil I'd recommend New Canaan, Darien, or Wilton.

Editing to say, maybe you were thinking Rt 111 all the way to the parkway, Jay? A better route for much of Monroe to the parkway is Rt. 25 to the parkway. But as I said earlier, I still wouldn't recommend the commute to Greenwich.

No, I am thinking Monroe. I know where Monroe is and Daniels Farm Road does not come near the Parkway. It traverses the northern half of Trumbull. The highway you are getting on there is Route 25 which is still about 1 mile from the Parkway. And sorry to disagree with you but it is most of Trumbull you need to travel through to get to the Parkway. Look at a map and see. Jay

[notjustamom]

We will have to agree to disagree, then. Trumbull is huge, and Daniel's Farm road is only a very small portion of Trumbull, not most of it. I don't need to look at a map to see where I live. LOL

[notjustamom]

Okay Jay, after looking at a map I can see what you are saying, because Rt. 25 is still in Trumbull. So technically yes, coming from southern Monroe one would be driving from Daniels Farm Rd. to the Merritt Parkway through "most of Trumbull", so to speak. I had it in my mind that you were saying Daniels Farm Road itself was most of Trumbull, which is what I was disputing. It is a residential side of the town, with mostly homes and schools. Ten minutes is still pretty good for getting from Monroe to the parkway.

Now, if one were to drive down Rt. 111 from Monroe to the Merritt Parkway, it would truly be driving from one end of Trumbull to another, that takes a lot longer, at least coming from my house. There are several traffic lights and shopping centers along Rt. 111.