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Personally I'd pick Wallingford for several reasons:
1) it's the least expensive of the three
2) the commute to both downtown New Haven and Hartford is the least congested/most direct of the three.
3) walkability and family friendly (and decent school system, which is important)
Cheshire's "downtown" is mostly non-existent, therefore it isn't walkable. It's also much more expensive than Wallingford, and there is no highway exit -in- Cheshire; you have to take the back roads to get to the highway.
Branford is somewhat more expensive than Wallingford and has a lovely downtown area, but the drive to I-91 and downtown New Haven can be a nightmare during rush hour.
Personally I'd pick Wallingford for several reasons:
1) it's the least expensive of the three
2) the commute to both downtown New Haven and Hartford is the least congested/most direct of the three.
3) walkability and family friendly (and decent school system, which is important)
Cheshire's "downtown" is mostly non-existent, therefore it isn't walkable. It's also much more expensive than Wallingford, and there is no highway exit -in- Cheshire; you have to take the back roads to get to the highway.
Branford is somewhat more expensive than Wallingford and has a lovely downtown area, but the drive to I-91 and downtown New Haven can be a nightmare during rush hour.
Pretty much this word for word.
Wallingford also does farmer's markets in the center on Saturdays in the summer, Celebrate Wallingford and such, and the downtown area is very nice and has a train station of you want to go elsewhere.
Personally I'd pick Wallingford for several reasons:
1) it's the least expensive of the three
2) the commute to both downtown New Haven and Hartford is the least congested/most direct of the three.
3) walkability and family friendly (and decent school system, which is important)
Cheshire's "downtown" is mostly non-existent, therefore it isn't walkable. It's also much more expensive than Wallingford, and there is no highway exit -in- Cheshire; you have to take the back roads to get to the highway.
Branford is somewhat more expensive than Wallingford and has a lovely downtown area, but the drive to I-91 and downtown New Haven can be a nightmare during rush hour.
This is so not true. We've had this discussion before and I believe that you have never done the Branford to 91 commute - IIRC, you did the reverse commute but that was years ago. You need to stop saying this, as it has no truth whatsoever in 2014.
OP - I lived in Branford for years and drove over the bridge to 91/DT New Haven every day during rush hour. It's not bad at all - in fact, it's quite an easy drive. I never - ever - saw my speedometer go below 50 (speed limit is 45 on the bridge). It used to be bad before they widened the lanes through East Haven, but now, it's a breeze. You can get from the center of Branford to downtown New Haven in 8 minutes (7 miles), maybe 12 minutes during rush hour because you had to sit at a light for a cycle waiting to get on the highway. Wallingford is double the distance to New Haven.
I would pick Branford because you have one of the most beautiful shorelines in the state (look up Thimble Islands), many excellent restaurants and IMO an overall, a more well-kept, close-knit community. Wallingford is nice, but it has some areas that have a run down feel. And on top of the great restaurants in Branford, you're less than 10 minutes from the foodie capitol of CT - New Haven.
Last edited by kidyankee764; 04-12-2014 at 02:24 PM..
I drove during rush hour traffic two weeks ago from Branford to I-91 and the bridge was backed up, so I got off on High Street in East Haven.
Just because I don't live there, doesn't mean I never drive there. Had an early doctor's appointment. I thought hey - with the new bridge maybe it won't be so bad, and picked that day, because the North Haven office was booked for another month. My appointment was for 8, so I drove the back roads to get there. Appointment was over around 8:25-8:30 give or take a couple minutes, so I figured I'd take the highway. Dumb decision.
Next time, I'll just stay in North Haven. It took 10 minutes to get from the Branford green to the end of the highway on-ramp. And THEN another 5 minutes to get to North High Street. That's 15 minutes, and you're not even to the bridge yet.
You get just -one- idiot on the highway starting in the wrong lane, and then swerving to get into the correct lane, and you end up with a half-mile backup.
I drove during rush hour traffic two weeks ago from Branford to I-91 and the bridge was backed up, so I got off on High Street in East Haven.
Just because I don't live there, doesn't mean I never drive there. Had an early doctor's appointment. I thought hey - with the new bridge maybe it won't be so bad, and picked that day, because the North Haven office was booked for another month. My appointment was for 8, so I drove the back roads to get there. Appointment was over around 8:25-8:30 give or take a couple minutes, so I figured I'd take the highway. Dumb decision.
Next time, I'll just stay in North Haven. It took 10 minutes to get from the Branford green to the end of the highway on-ramp. And THEN another 5 minutes to get to North High Street. That's 15 minutes, and you're not even to the bridge yet.
You get just -one- idiot on the highway starting in the wrong lane, and then swerving to get into the correct lane, and you end up with a half-mile backup.
I'm not one to usually discount others experiences, but either you're BSing or that was a fluke. Sorry. As I said, I did it for years every day and it was a breeze. Just because you did it once two weeks ago and you had a bad experience doesn't mean it's that way every day. In fact, it's just the opposite.
I haven't been to Wallingford or Cheshire, but I spend quite a bit of time in Branford and really like it. Branford is very family-oriented. Aside from a bunch of nice parks and playgrounds, it also has two very active libraries that have wonderful and free activities for children. The Parks and Recs has some great activities for families and children, especially over the spring/summer.
Thanks so much for the great info! BTW…we both work from home, so the commute is a non-issue for us. ((-:
What's your budget? I'd rule out Cheshire because of the lack of a town center and "things to do." Of the three, it's more of a "rural suburb" than an active town.
Since commutes aren't an issue, I'd give Branford another notch up in desireability.
But it really depends on your budget, and the type of property you're looking for. A 3-bedroom 2-bathroom single family house with at least 1/8 acre? Or are you okay with a 2-bed 2-bath condo if it's near the beach? Do you need a lawn? Does it need to be dog-friendly? Are you renting or buying?
I'd choose Branford if a downtown is priority. It's definitely the nicest of the 3. Schools aren't quite up to the scores of Cheshire, but they're plenty good.
The 3 choices do seem very random though.
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