[WestCoastGrrl]

Merry Christmas everyone!

I just found this forum and have been addicted to it for the past few days. I will be working in Stamford in June 2008 and I need help deciding which town/city to move to! I've been living in California for most of my adult life, so this is a pretty big change for me, as I'm sure most of you can relate to!

I've found that the more information I provide, the better feedback I'll receive...so here goes:

-I would prefer to live alone in a one bedroom apartment and would like to pay no more than $1200 (of course less is better). What kind of apartment can I get with that budget?
-I will only be working in Stamford for 6 months, so I'm not too concerned with long term issues like housing prices, education system, etc.
-However, I am looking for a reasonably safe and diverse neighborhood with close proximity to shopping, restaurants, nightlife. I am leaving Los Angeles so I don't want to feel like I've moved to the boondocks!
-Commute to Stamford preferably no more than 30 min (up to 45 min max considered if the neighborhood is right!)
-Also would like to know the distance and time to go to NYC

Since I will only be there for 6 months, I was also thinking I should just suck it up and move to NYC. Does anyone know how long the commute is into Stamford and whether it's a horrible drive? I assume most people would be driving in the opposite direction (into the city) so maybe it's not so bad? If I live in NYC, I would probably look for a roommate.

Thanks in advance everyone and have a safe and warm holiday season!

[sliver203]

WestCoastgrrl-

First, welcome to CT. I'm sure you will enjoy everything the area has to offer.

The Stamford area is hardly the boondocks, as it's one of the most densely populated areas in the nation. With many Fortune 500 Companies, Stamford offers urban and suburban living about a 30-40 minute drive to/from Manhattan. With traffic, the morning commute TO the city can be up to 80-90 minutes, and the evening commute FROM the city can be the same. Many area residents take Metro-North commuter rail into Grand Central terminal as there are express trains running conveniently throughout the day. If you were to commute to Stamford from NYC, you will be going against the bulk of the traffic but once you hit the interchange from I-287 merging with I-95, you will likely hit traffic through Greenwich into Stamford. It's hit or miss - sometimes you can sit in traffic for a long time, other times you won't hit any. Traffic here, while tough, is not as bad as in LA.

As for cost, Manhattan will undoubtedly be more expensive than Stamford and you will need to get a roommate to afford even a small apartment. Still, the Stamford area is one of the priciest in the nation and expect to pay at least $1200 for a 1 bedroom. There are some deals out there as well, so do extensive research. Try craigslist.com. One problem you may run into is that many landlords want to lock you into a 12-month rent but in a city such as Stamford, I'm sure you can find what you're looking for. Greenwich is a beautiful worldly suburb to the south of Stamford and closer to NYC, but prices are probably out of your reach. Keep in mind, if it's cheap, it's probably cheap for a reason. There are a few sketchy parts of Stamford (I believe the part that borders Greenwich, ironically). Norwalk is a few towns east of Stamford, but commuting during the rush will not be fun. A 15 minute drive can easily turn into 30-45 minutes.

As for shopping, restaurants and nightlife, Stamford has it all. The Stamford Town Center is a mall with your regular mall stores. There's a Target downtown, plenty of restaurants and bars for nightlife. For upscale shopping, Greenwich Avenue has boutiques and fine dining, and in White Plains (15-20 min drive) you have The Westchester with Nordstrom, Tiffany's, Louis Vuitton, etc. For nightlife, my friends and I often go to Stamford or South Norwalk if we go out on Friday night, and if we decide on Saturday, we usually end up in the Bleeker/McDougall area of Greenwich Villiage, Manhattan.

Moving from CA, you may find life here to be quicker, a bit more hectic and less casual. Many newcomers refer to CT residents as uptight and snooty - but sw CT still has that New England reservation. Stamford is diverse and is home to people from all over the country and world, but if you were to venture into smaller Fairfield County towns like New Canaan, Darien, Wilton, Westport, etc. you will find very wealthy homeowners who can be a bit pretentious - but probably modest compared to folks out in LA - hope I'm not stereotyping too much. My college roommate moved to Santa Monica and often notes the vast differences in culture between Connecticut and California.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I grew up in the area but just recently graduated college and moved up the line a bit, but still in CT. If you are going to visit before your move, I can help you find reasonable lodging and places to eat.

You might love CT enough to stay here - but then again, you can't beat that Cali weather. Snow is fun too though

Merry Christmas!

-Jay

[mrconn]

Hi
If you've got an opportunity to live in NYC - go for it. I lived in Manhattan for almost 15 years before moving to the Stamford area and I wish I could have stayed longer. Finding a 6 month lease may be a problem but you can always find people who need roomies on craigslist or in the Village Voice. The commute to STM isn't bad at all...45 minutes from Grand Central.
Living on the Upper East Side makes for a particularly easy commute to STM. Be careful because some parts of NYC will make that commute quite difficult. Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island would all be less than ideal.
South Norwalk and Stamford both have decent shopping, restaurants and nightlife but nothing compares to NYC.
Good luck.

[reason180]

Many people commute from NYC and Jersey to Stamford via Metro-North(commuter train). If you really want to live in the city I would suggest that you check out the Sunnyside and Woodside areas of Queens along the 7 train. It would be much less expensive than Manhattan and the 7 train would bring you directly to Grand Central where you could transfer to the train that goes to Connecticut.

That being said there is a lot of great things going on in CT and it is not the boondocks. Good Luck

[jjbradleynyc]

If you know 100% you are going back to LA after 6 mos, (or somewhere else besides NYC or Stamford)--you may want to live in NYC just for the experience. IF you never think you 'll have that opportunity again. Who knows, though, you may love it and stay!
Stamford is a wonderful "large town." Expensive, but there is anything and everything that you want or need either in Stamford or just down the road. Like others mentioned, a $1200 1 bedroom is definitely on the lower scale for Stamford, but it can be found. If you choose Manhattan, $1200 may get you a small studio in the far, far northern portion of Manhattan (Inwood, Washington Heights).

[UES]

If you only have $1200 a month, you won't find much to rent in Manhattan particularly not for six months. However, Manhattan is only a 45 minute train ride from Stamford so an apartment in Stamford might be your best bet.

Stamford certainly does not have it all but it does have a decent enough mall downtown and a few resturants. Nothing like the city though. However, I would ignore the advice about Queens or any other outer borough. Many parts of Queens are no closer to Manhattan time wise and you would pay a lot more tax and have much higher commute costs.

I reverse commute to Stamford from the Uppper Eastside of Manhattan every day and it takes me about an hour and a half door to door (with subway ride and walk/shuttle to office).

BTW much of downtown is not particularly pedestrian friendly compared to Manhattan but it would be possible to survive without a car unlike LA.

[mswetz]

hey everyone! I recently accepted a job for a company up in the Westchester county. I will be working for newell Rubbermaid. I currently live in Pittsburgh, PA. so this is a big move for me. I have read all your posts and everything but I am still unsure of where I want to stay. I am looking for a place in norwalk, or stamford. Can you guys shed some light on those areas like which would be better for a 22 year old male, or which areas to STAY away from. I am looking to just meet some people so I have some stuff to do up in that area. I really appreciate anything you guys can tell me, and also I will be coming up in about a week probably to look for a place, so can someone also tell me a decent but maybe cheaper motel. Thanks so much for all your help, I look forward to moving up to that area!

[jjbradleynyc]

mswetz--Where in Westchester is the Rubbermaid company? I'd need to know your budget for a place, before I could recommend a city. Stamford is quite high for apartments--bordering on Manhattan prices for a new complex 1 or 2 bedroom. For example, I rented a 2 bedroom in the Avalon complex highrise downtown--a very nice, recently built complex in 2004 for $2200 per month. One bedrooms rented for $1500 per month then. They are most likely more now. I'd say on average a 1 bedroom in Stamford would run you at least $1200 per month in a good neighborhood. You may be able to find a 1 bedroom for cheaper if you compromise on a lot of things. Norwalk will be a couple of hundred dollars per month cheaper than Stamford, on average. Bridgeport is the cheapest city, although some of its neighborhoods are very bad and unsafe. There are some great areas (2 or 3) within Bridgeport and the suburbs are phenomenal.
A cheaper motel? Hm...check out La Quinta Inn in Stamford on I-95, or another lower end national chain. Good luck!

[mswetz]

Thanks jj, ah Well Rubbermaid's headquarters is actually in Georgia, so there is no office up there. I will be working with the home depot accounts all in the westchester country territory. I heard norwalk and stanford were both really great area's, but i was having trouble finding appts in Norwalk, which is where people told me I might like it a little bit better because of the social life. Anyways, Im hoping to spend somewhere no more than like 1100 dollars for a place. I'll be living alone so I dont need anthing real big, just a decent place, nice area. Im really looking for help becaus I have to be up there in about 3 weeks. I start work Feb 4th so, it's kind of a quick thing for me. Any other help would be great, anything at all is wonderful. Thanks a lot, and I really appreciate it!

[mswetz]

bridgeport seems to have some nicer places, and be cheaper. So please let me know what you reccomend, im up in the air. Even the good and bad parts. Also, how close are the other 2 places to bridgeport that i said about. Thank you so much