[FionaMarlowe]

Hello all

First, let us thank all of you who helped us get started here in Connecticut a year ago. We have spent the past year living in Madison (from July 2013 to now), and a good part of us learning about the town and the region was info we got from City-Data people, so thanks!

Now, we have a bit of a conundrum, and I'm hoping you can maybe help us again.

We love, LOVE Madison, in and of itself - how pretty it is, how nice all the people have been to us, and the proximity to both Metro-North/SLE (for twice-weekly commutes to NYC, plus random fun visits to New Haven.) We really like the local shopping and the awesome bookstore and tea shop, and we love how easy it is to hop on 95 and not only get to all manner of "bigger" stores as well as all the other shoreline towns.

However.

The place we're renting - although we were grateful to find ANYTHING at the time, since we'd moved from the Midwest and didn't have a place to fall back on - is horrible. Falling apart, black mold in the bathroom that returns back through the walls and floor no matter how much you clean it, super noisy as it's right by what we've surmised is a "summer resort" street, so it's party-party-party constantly all around us. And the landlord does nothing. We are very grateful our lease is up (we're allowed to rent month-to-month now, so can leave with 30 days' notice) - but we find we are, for the time being, stuck regardless.

We've been looking and looking and looking - craigslist, zillow, trulia, realtor.com, MLS, local realtors - and we can't find ANYTHING. Everything in our price range (up to $1400/month, depending on how many utilities are included) has been equally run-down, attached (we want something stand-alone and single family, since we are both writers and both work from home most of the time) and weirdly musty/smelly. Plus hardly anything we've seen is modernized - most of the places look like they haven't had an appliance update since the '80s, and don't get me started on the abundance of faux wood paneling. The few we've actually liked have either been upwards of $2000/month, or "only" rented from October-May (I guess "academic" rentals - we don't want to move our stuff again, and then AGAIN, so... no.)

Secondarily, the humidity and summer heat seem really excessive in this part of the state - at first, we were happy to get away from being trapped in the house due to the Midwest's ridiculous amounts of snow (138 inches in our old hometown this past winter!) - but now we find we end up trapped in the house waiting for the heat and humidity to cool.

We are hoping for a more happy medium.

We would like to stay in Connecticut, as we do need to be near NYC for work, and we do like SO many things about the state. We are even pondering buying property 5-6 years down the road. But we are thinking we might need to relocate slightly to find all the components we would like in a long-term town. We've been doing some research, and wondered what you guys might be able to tell us about the northwest corner of Connecticut? (Litchfield area.)

- We are still hoping to be by water (not the ocean, obviously - which may be good because the hurricane potential and weird insurance "catches" are worrying my boyfriend) - are there any pretty lakes in the northwest? Ones that might have standalone rentals that are maybe not so dated and expensive as the rentals on the shoreline? (Please keep in mind we are not interested in apartment buildings or multi-family units.)

- We're presuming there are a lot of lovely rolling hills/farmland to see, as we've seen described - is any of it for public use, so we can walk/hike/bicycle ie parks, trails, etc.?

- We have also been a little overwhelmed at times by the influx of noisy, loud, "party people" on the shoreline May-Sept. - sometimes it seems difficult to find anywhere quiet in town to just sit and get coffee, and the state park is way less fun when it's so overcrowded - so it would be nice to be somewhere "less populated" for our longer-term place. Is it true the Litchfield area is the least populated of the state? But is the trade-off that you are then limited as far as shops/resources etc.?

- How is the commute to NYC? It's a little tricky to tell from the map, so how reasonable is it to drive to a Metro-North station - and is it longer and/or more expensive than the 2 hours one-way (and the $135 10-trip ticket) it takes from Madison via SLE plus Metro-North?

- Is shopping mostly local stores, or is there still access to things like Stop & Shop, Target, Trader Joe's, etc.? We have found we have no problem driving the 25 minutes on 95 to get to the Milford/NH area, so we can shop at Ikea/big-box stores/malls every couple of weeks or so - how reasonable is it to drive to New Haven or Milford from THERE, as opposed to from Madison? Or is there a similar "shopping region" in the northwest that everyone utilizes?

- What about entertainment? (We don't drink, so not bars/nightclubs) Any movie theatres, stage theatres, museums, art centers, bookshops, etc. nearby in that part of the state, or do you have to drive really far to get to anything interesting?

And, most of all:

- Are there any particular towns in that part of CT you could recommend that are closest to how the downtown of Madison looks and feels - that kind of friendly, really well-kept, pretty, neighborly but slightly cosmopolitan mix, with stores you'd actually shop at (not just a "Talbots" and a gas station), trees, little parks and art installations, a community that DOES things (concerts on the green, holiday festivities, etc.) and maybe a few cute cafes/coffeeshops to hang out at? (Ugh - wish we could simply stay near Madison - we would love something a little farther north on 79 - but in 10 months of looking we haven't found anything, and the rental listings NEVER seem to change!)

Our search resumes this month... help!! Any info is most welcome. Thank you in advance!!

[NewJeffCT]

I'm very glad you've liked Connecticut so far, and also found the people friendly and helpful. (If you looked at this forum, it seems like a good amount of posters say that we're not friendly in Connecticut)

Having lived for 5 years in NW Connecticut and now for 2 years on the shoreline (a few miles east of you in East Lyme), I will say that the shoreline is often much cooler and less humid than it is getting away from the shore, and the breeze off the water will keep the humidity down as well. I'll see many days where it's in the mid 80s in the Hartford area, and it will be low 70s on the shoreline. And, when I first moved here, it would be in the low 80s in my office in Glastonbury, and upper 60s at home. The difference is usually closer to 5-6 degrees, but it is noticeable. Most winters, the shoreline will get less snow as well.

Not sure what you can get for $1,400/month, but you can try Burlington, New Hartford, Harwington, Winsted... they have a nice theater in Torrington that is a short drive away.

[JayCT]

What about considering the Danbury area? Candlewood Lake is the state's largest and is very nice. It spans into Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford, Sherman and Brookfield. You may be able to find a rental on or near the lake. Jay

[FionaMarlowe]

Hi, NewJeffCT, and thank you! I'm surprised to hear that about the humidity! Watching the temperatures (via the Weather Channel) by comparison, it looks like it's cooler north, especially at night. But I suppose the humidity would be thicker away from the shore. Thanks for the Burlington suggestion, too, just looked that one up and we will have to check it out.

JayCT, hello and thanks! We looked at Danbury when we first got here (a year ago), but the part we looked at (just north of Ridgefield) seemed really congested, with loads of little cottages all right next to each other. We are hoping for something slightly more isolated, maybe on its own acre or two of land, so we're not a mere 20-30 feet from our neighbors on all sides, as we currently are here in Madison (hence the intolerable amounts of noise, especially on weekends - ugh.)

Might you know if the northern part of the lake is different than the part near Ridgefield? I see on the map it's a pretty long lake, so maybe there's a little more room/space once you get away from the city of Danbury?

[Wilton2ParkAve]

Originally Posted by NewJeffCT

I'm very glad you've liked Connecticut so far, and also found the people friendly and helpful. (If you looked at this forum, it seems like a good amount of posters say that we're not friendly in Connecticut)

Having lived for 5 years in NW Connecticut and now for 2 years on the shoreline (a few miles east of you in East Lyme), I will say that the shoreline is often much cooler and less humid than it is getting away from the shore, and the breeze off the water will keep the humidity down as well. I'll see many days where it's in the mid 80s in the Hartford area, and it will be low 70s on the shoreline. And, when I first moved here, it would be in the low 80s in my office in Glastonbury, and upper 60s at home. The difference is usually closer to 5-6 degrees, but it is noticeable. Most winters, the shoreline will get less snow as well.

Not sure what you can get for $1,400/month, but you can try Burlington, New Hartford, Harwington, Winsted... they have a nice theater in Torrington that is a short drive away.

Not to split hairs, the shoreline is more humid but cooler/breezier during the day but much stickier (and w/higher lows) at night.

I'm well inland but still have yet to break 90 this year and generally drop back to high 50s at night (the last two weeks being closer to mid 60s).

[willow wind]

Maybe something like this

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...keview-Rd_New-
Milford_CT_06776_M37039-28744?row=1

From the Candlewood Lake area of the state, you don't want to be too far from Patterson or Brewster, NY which is where you're going to get the train.

Here are here the metro North lines.

MNR Map

[hvexpatinct]

Check out the Bantam part of. Litchfield. You'll have to schlep to Southeast or Wingdale for the train, and Danbury for Trader Joe's, but it's a neat little community with an independent cinema, restaurants, market, a coffee shop, bakery, etc.

[Lalalally]

Originally Posted by hvexpatinct

Check out the Bantam part of. Litchfield. You'll have to schlep to Southeast or Wingdale for the train, and Danbury for Trader Joe's, but it's a neat little community with an independent cinema, restaurants, market, a coffee shop, bakery, etc.

And the most awesome little dairy shop ever

[Lalalally]

Sherman, gaylordsville section of new milford or kent maybe

[Lalalally]

2 bedroom, 2 bath overlooking private lake in Sherman - $1,300/month: 199 Route 37 South, Sherman CT - Trulia