[Evan Sears]

Planning to relocate from Long Island due to prohibitive apartment rents. I prefer to rent for now, which is a 1 BR for a recently single male with two cats.

Know very little about the area of CT but somehow think I can do better than the $1550 I pay for just under 800 square feet.

Any advice on nice areas (I like the small town notion as opposed to city life) and especially lower rents would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

[BPt111]

I choose these counties because you can take Metro North to Grand Central in Manhattan easier access to the city


Fairfield County

East Norwalk, North Norwalk, Canbury, Rowayton
Black Rock and Upper North End in Bridgeport
Downtown, Springdale, Glenbrook, Canbury for Stamford
Stratford
Fairfield

New Haven County

Downtown New Haven, East Rock, Wooster Square
Milford
West Haven

[RogerAnthony]

Where are you working? Connecticut may be a small state, but it is big enough where one town can be two hours from another town.

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by RogerAnthony

Where are you working? Connecticut may be a small state, but it is big enough where one town can be two hours from another town.

It's not the size, it's the slow and congested roads.

[RogerAnthony]

I've never had any trouble with slow congested roads, but living in Salisbury and working in Groton, for example, would not be feasible.

[Evan Sears]

I'm retired early, looking for a nice area with better rents. But reasonable proximity to NYC would be a plus if I wanted to visit LI again.

[Stylo]

Most of our towns have a small town feel. You'll have to be more specific. Maybe stick to the Hartford and New Haven areas if you want to maximize house for money without being too isolated.

[JayCT]

Since you are not commuting but still want to be accessible to the city, I would say to look for places along the Connecticut coast between New Haven and Greenwich. Keep in mind that the Stamford area is one of the most expensive parts of the country but if you look east of Fairfield, prices get a lot more reasonable.

You really do not say what type of community you are looking for (urban, suburban, rural) so I will just make some suggestions: Fairfield, the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, downtown Bridgeport, the North End of Bridgeport, Stratford, Milford, West Haven, downtown New Haven and the East Rock section of New Haven. All of these areas are nice and have access to Metro North into Manhattan. More information would helps us cut this list down a bit. Jay

[CTartist&musician]

Hi Evan,

I live in Trumbull but when my husband retires we need to move because we won't be able to afford the taxes here. One of my wants is the same as yours. I want to be able to get into Manhattan at least a few times a month. We are looking north of New Haven at Branford, Guilford and Madison. You can take the train into Manhattan and another plus is they are all on LI sound. We are going to buy a condo in one of these towns but I was thinking of renting for a year or two to see which one of these town I like the best. I have been looking at the prices of condos and rents. You would be able to find a nice one bedroom for $1500 with no problem.

Good Luck on your search.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by JayCT

You really do not say what type of community you are looking for (urban, suburban, rural) so I will just make some suggestions: Fairfield, the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, downtown Bridgeport, the North End of Bridgeport, Stratford, Milford, West Haven, downtown New Haven and the East Rock section of New Haven. All of these areas are nice and have access to Metro North into Manhattan. More information would helps us cut this list down a bit. Jay

These are all good suggestions, though I struggle to endorse downtown Bridgeport. It's still kind of rough, especially late at night.

Also, in West Haven - there are certain areas to avoid. Generally the area around the downtown and east of it, and around University of New Haven is less than desirable. West Shore area of West Haven is very nice and a good value, especially if you want to be close to the water. There is a new train station and rents are reasonable. The only thing is it doesn't really feel like a "small town", more like dense suburban. It still doesn't feel city-like though.