[DCO96]

There are a lot of threads of people moving to CT asking questions and they have all been so helpful - I have been piecing together tidbits from old threads.
I was hoping for some updated assistance more keyed into our situation. We live in Long Island and will be moving for my husbands work which will be in New Haven. We are looking to narrow down neighborhoods to look at that have great schools and other professional families. We are looking to buy around 650K which puts us out of locations closer to NY. We are city kids but want to strike a balance between something with more space but that still has activities around it easily gotten to.

My specific questions.... I see some portions of Fairfield are more highly thought of that others. Which sections are better to consider? From my view from the computer Guilford looks lovely as does Easton, Woodbury, Woodbridge and Madison. But I am hoping to find suggestions and or thoughts on these, if not other, locations.
Thank you !!

[Stylo]

For your budget and commute needs I would focus on towns near New Haven. If you want activities nearby, you may want towns that have a little more going on. Orange, Milford, Branford, Guilford, and Madison are all good options. Woodbridge itself is very rural and sleepy, but it's near New Haven and Milford - where you'll find lots to do.

The highest rated schools are in Orange, Woodbridge, Guilford, and Madison. Whereas there's more activity in Branford and Milford, but the schools don't rank as high. Still above average for CT though. I would avoid Hamden, it's a great town with things to do but the schools are a bit subpar. Wallingford is another option, as well as North Haven.

You should definitely explore the area to get a better feel for the differences in the towns.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by DCO96

There are a lot of threads of people moving to CT asking questions and they have all been so helpful - I have been piecing together tidbits from old threads.
I was hoping for some updated assistance more keyed into our situation. We live in Long Island and will be moving for my husbands work which will be in New Haven. We are looking to narrow down neighborhoods to look at that have great schools and other professional families. We are looking to buy around 650K which puts us out of locations closer to NY. We are city kids but want to strike a balance between something with more space but that still has activities around it easily gotten to.

My specific questions.... I see some portions of Fairfield are more highly thought of that others. Which sections are better to consider? From my view from the computer Guilford looks lovely as does Easton, Woodbury, Woodbridge and Madison. But I am hoping to find suggestions and or thoughts on these, if not other, locations.
Thank you !!

Fairfield is nice, but very pricey. Considering that you're not commuting to Stamford or NYC, it's difficult to justify paying the premium to live there. Cross it off the list.

Easton is nice, but Woodbridge would be better for the commute, and cheaper. So cross off Easton.

Woodbury is beautiful, but not a great location for someone working in New Haven. Cross it off the list.

I would begin with Orange, then Woodbridge, then perhaps Bethany. I would also recommend Guilford and Madison, but the commute won't be quite as easy as it would be with Orange/Woodbridge/Bethany.

[DCO96]

Thank you both for your super helpful suggestions. I know its more expensive to live west of new haven closer to NY but we have so much family there so, Im not ready to cross of that side just yet. Thoughts on towns that way? How does a town like Trumbull , for example, stack up?

[Stylo]

You will probably want to take the ferry to Long Island anyway, unless your family is right in Queens or nearby. Traffic is a nightmare and the ferry from Bridgeport is just easier.

Trumbull is nice, solid suburban town - but pricier than Orange/Woodbridge and you're getting less for your money in general. Distance to NY is negligible (saving a little over 10 minutes on the highway is really not a big deal) and you're looking at a longer commute. I would not go any further west than Milford or Shelton, personally. Not worth the $ or extra commute time IMO.

[NewJeffCT]

Woodbridge and Orange share a middle school and high school and are very well regarded. Woodbridge is more rural, but as said above you have easy access to New Haven and Milford for activities. Orange has a ton of shopping on Post Rd, which rolls right into Milford as well. Bethany is a very nice town and also shares that same middle and high school, but might be too remote and too rural for you.

Fairfield is a large town/small city. The schools there are very good overall, too. It's more expensive than Woodbridge and Orange because it's closer to NYC.

Guilford and Madison east of New Haven are both excellent towns with excellent schools, but are east of New Haven, so would add 20-30 minutes to a drive to New York, plus any traffic from going through New Haven.

To be honest, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the towns on your list.

[dazzleman]

I really like Orange, and it would be short commute to New Haven.

I live in Fairfield, but I agree with Strat-man that Fairfield doesn't really make sense for somebody commuting to New Haven. You pay a big premium to be within range of Stamford and (barely) New York.

[jesse_f]

I'd get a hotel for a night or two and spend some time driving around the towns, perhaps over a long weekend (there'll be plenty to do if you go in May with warm weather). They're all great towns, can't go wrong with any (although I wouldn't probably wouldn't live in Fairfield, as for the price you can go to Madison, etc unless you want a quicker ride into NYC). See which towns fit your style, they're all nice.

[NewJeffCT]

Also, if you're looking for professional families, there was an article about Woodbridge a year or two back that said it was the town in Connecticut that had the highest percentage of residents that had at least a master's degree. I'm guessing some of them are professors at Yale, University of New Haven, Quinnipiac, Albertus Magnus, etc.

[DCO96]

Thanks! What helpful people in this forum - so informative! I think we are narrowing down to a few of these beautiful towns to tool around in - in the coming month. My kids are still young 6/9 - so family oriented is important to us as well.