[FutureTown]

Hey everyone!

I am relatively new to the forums as a member, but, I have lurked and stalked city-data to death, especially the Connecticut forums for the past month. Thought I'd say hello! =)

Anyways, I have a question that hasn't seen too much light (I searched!) lately. How do you guys feel about Newtown vs Trumbull? And I mean in a very extensive focus:


- Newtown and Trumbull are just a town over, but, they belong to different Greater areas (Greater Danbury vs Greater Bridgeport). In your opinion, is one a clear victor over the other regarding amenities, overall geographic location, and liveliness in general? You are free to include the benefits of nearby towns, because I'm not too familiar with towns like Fairfield, Stratford, Westport or Brookfield, Bethel, or New Fairfield.

- I know both have really good schools, however, do you guys feel one edges over the other? Or completely negligible? My main focus is high schools and elementary schools.

- Housing? I believe Trumbull is an older community built after WWII, with smaller zoning. Newtown is one of the biggest towns in CT and they have roughly the same population, my guess is that houses in Newtown are generally newer with more plot to offer.

- Infrastructure? Trumbull has access to CT-15, and I-95 while Newtown is linked to I-84. In your opinion, which one is best if you would like to go to: Waterbury? Hartford? NYC? I feel like Trumbull is better connected, especially since New Haven, Norwalk, and Stamford are well connected by the coast. Unfortunately, I am not too familiar with the status of Merritt Parkway and I-95. All I have heard is that the Merritt is beautiful in the Summer.

- Community? I know this is quite generalized and probably deals with too much specificity in the form of an answer, however, are the citizens of both places friendly? Are there several community events, things for kids and teenagers to do?

- Newtown doesn't like commercialization, while I know there's a mall in Trumbull. How do you guys feel? Which kind of town would you prefer to be in? A mostly residential suburb or a suburb with some commercialization around?


I think that's it for now. If something else pops up, I'll be sure to let you guys know. I hope you guys can help me out. I've been thinking about this for a while!

[Lalalally]

Where are you going to work? Your commute is important to consider, and should be a determining factor also.

[grecostimpy]

I live in Trumbull, so I can give you the scoop on that.

Trumbull does not like commercialization. Mostly all businesses are built on it's borders which leaves the remainder of the town pretty sparse when it comes to retail. There is no "town center" like many other towns have, which is kind of a bummer.

As for the zoning. It depends on where in Trumbull you are looking. The sub I live in (Daniel's Farm section) has lots mostly around an acre (ours is just under an acre) while lots in the center of town tend to be smaller.

I like to think Trumbull has great community. There's Trumbull Day which brings in people from all over the state and tons of things for kids to do. It's not the type of town where you don't know your neighbors. We also have an incredible number parks (870 acres of parks!).

One thing we'd need to know is where you plan on commuting to. If it's in the I-95 corridor, when Trumbull is a hop skip and jump down Route 25 to I-95. Newtown? Not so much.

That being said Newtown is fantastic as well. I obviously don't live there, but I hear nothing but great things about it.

[Stylo]

If you want lively, neither town really fits. They are both pretty quiet and low key. Neither is more commercialized than the other, despite the mall in Trumbull - which is really right on the border of Bridgeport. If anything, Newtown might edge Trumbull slightly in number of stores and restaurants when you don't include the mall. But Trumbull is near more things to do and more of a lively scene in Fairfield, Westport, Milford, New Haven, Norwalk, etc.

[mrgmrg]

Newtown is, IMO, more of a country community than Trumbull. By which I mean, there are a number of equestrian facilities (one is one of the best in the country), some back-country roads with antique houses, some farms, a great home-made ice cream place, a tackle shop, etc. Trumbull is much more sort of typically suburban community with primarily subdivisions and is on the whole a lot denser. Newtown also doesn't share a border with Bridgeport, which I would say is a positive.

[kidyankee764]

Newtown is more scenic, quaint and slower paced. Trumbull is less woodsy, busier and IMO much less attractive. Still a nice town with good schools, but I never found the appeal to Trumbull to justify their home prices. It's just kind of...there.

Have you looked at Monroe? It's has similarities to both Newtown and Trumbull.

[Stylo]

Newtown is definitely prettier and feels a bit more isolated.

[CTartist&musician]

Originally Posted by FutureTown

Hey everyone!

I am relatively new to the forums as a member, but, I have lurked and stalked city-data to death, especially the Connecticut forums for the past month. Thought I'd say hello! =)

Anyways, I have a question that hasn't seen too much light (I searched!) lately. How do you guys feel about Newtown vs Trumbull? And I mean in a very extensive focus:


- Newtown and Trumbull are just a town over, but, they belong to different Greater areas (Greater Danbury vs Greater Bridgeport). In your opinion, is one a clear victor over the other regarding amenities, overall geographic location, and liveliness in general? You are free to include the benefits of nearby towns, because I'm not too familiar with towns like Fairfield, Stratford, Westport or Brookfield, Bethel, or New Fairfield.

- I know both have really good schools, however, do you guys feel one edges over the other? Or completely negligible? My main focus is high schools and elementary schools.

- Housing? I believe Trumbull is an older community built after WWII, with smaller zoning. Newtown is one of the biggest towns in CT and they have roughly the same population, my guess is that houses in Newtown are generally newer with more plot to offer.

- Infrastructure? Trumbull has access to CT-15, and I-95 while Newtown is linked to I-84. In your opinion, which one is best if you would like to go to: Waterbury? Hartford? NYC? I feel like Trumbull is better connected, especially since New Haven, Norwalk, and Stamford are well connected by the coast. Unfortunately, I am not too familiar with the status of Merritt Parkway and I-95. All I have heard is that the Merritt is beautiful in the Summer.

- Community? I know this is quite generalized and probably deals with too much specificity in the form of an answer, however, are the citizens of both places friendly? Are there several community events, things for kids and teenagers to do?

- Newtown doesn't like commercialization, while I know there's a mall in Trumbull. How do you guys feel? Which kind of town would you prefer to be in? A mostly residential suburb or a suburb with some commercialization around?


I think that's it for now. If something else pops up, I'll be sure to let you guys know. I hope you guys can help me out. I've been thinking about this for a while!

I live in Trumbull, my parents live in Monroe and my brother lives in Newtown so I might be a good person to give you some perspective.

First thing is that Trumbull and Newtown do not border each other. The towns are all connected by routes 111 & 25. If you are going from south to north the towns are Trumbull, Monroe and then Newtown.

HOUSING: I happen to like Trumbull because it is more suburban and the houses are not far apart. I live in upper Long Hill and the houses are on 1/4 to 1/2 lots. IMO this gives the Long Hill area more of a sense of community. My brother on the other hand likes a more rural town so he lives in Newtown and has over an acre of land. It seems like Newtown has a minimum of 1 acre zoning. My mom lives in Monroe which is kind of in between the two. The northern parts of Monroe have that very rural feel also. Having said that there are two sections of Trumbull (Tashua and Nichols) which have a minimum of 1 acrea zoning. We also have Tashua Knolls which has 2 golf courses, a swimming pool, tennis courts, basket ball courts etc which is free (you need to pay to golf) if you are a Trumbull resident.

There are also 2 lakes in Trumbull and they are private to the people who live in the area. It is very nice to live around the lakes. There is a very nice park in Monroe called Wolf Park and it has ball fields, a lake, pools etc. Newtown has Lake Zoar which you can put motor boats on and various parks, although I don't personally know to much about the parks there. Monroe also has access to Lake Zoar.

INFRASTUCTURE: I personally like Trumbull better because I feel like I have better access to highways and it is also easier to get to Stamford and NYC. When I am at my brothers in Newtown I feel like I am out in the boondocks but some people prefer that. It all depends on what you like. I like being close to the Trumbull mall as it takes me about 3 minutes down Main Street to get there. If you live in Newtown you are going to have a longer ride (about 10-15 minutes on I-84) to the Danbury Mall.

COMMUNITY: IMO all the towns are nice and friendly with a good sense of community.

They are all nice towns with good schools. It just depends if you like a more suburban or a rural feel.

[andthentherewere3]

I would also suggest throwing Monroe into the mix. It has 1-3 acre residential zoning, with most shopping and businesses located along Rt. 25 and Rt. 111 leaving most other areas of town residential. Schools in all three towns are very good, and all three towns are very family oriented, with a lot of parks. Monroe has Great Hollow Lake, Wolfe Park, and Webb Mountain, golf course, the high school has an indoor pool open to the public, etc. Monroe also has a private lake for the residents surrounding it, similar to Trumbull. There is now also Webb Mountain Discovery Zone aimed primarily at children with a lot of nature programs. Which town you might prefer would depend on your need to commute, and your preferences of rural/suburban.

[CTartist&musician]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

I never found the appeal to Trumbull to justify their home prices. It's just kind of...there.

This is the reason for the housing prices of Trumbull, Monroe, Newtown. All roads in Fairfield County lead to Stamford and in turn to NYC. That is why my small cape on 1/4 acre is worth about the same amount of money as my brother's house which is on 1 acre+ and is almost 2X as big.

All the young couples moving into my Trumbull neighorhood work in NYC or Westchester. They are forcing the prices up. It is just not possible to live in Newtown to have any quality of life and work in NYC or Westchester.