[Stephy0519]

Speaking school wise--Southbury (and Middlebury) have some of the top schools in the state, all the way through high school. I like Southbury....it's a fairly quiet town, but still has restaurants and things to do.

Newtown/Monroe both have great schools, too, but you will get more for your money in Southbury/Middlebury.

[beer belly]

Live in Bethel 7 years now....great little town, but is getting a little much on taxes. Watch out for certain areas in Bethel, some are served with Aquarion Water Company, and in town has Bethel Water Company......Chimney Hieghts section (me) also had sewers installed, and are being assessed to the tune of 20k+.....and if you hook up to sewer, gotta pay Danbury Waste Plant at a rate of 1 1/2 gallon for every gallon of water used as per your water bill

[Lalalally]

Bethel has a really nice downtown with good dining options. Brookfield offers lots of conveniences including a bunch of big box shopping options along Federal Road, but at the same time has very nice/quiet neighborhoods away from the bustle on Federal. New Fairfield would be the most rural out of the three, but it's not really rural in the true sense of the word. All day-to-day needs can be met in-town, but you will definitely need to go to Danbury and Brookfield regularly for your chain-type/big box store shopping needs, dining, entertainment, etc.

A commute to the airport from any one of the towns would be easy.

[hvexpatinct]

Southbury has fantastic schools and the mill rate is pretty decent (26ish if I recall correctly).

[JayCT]

I agree with what other people suggest for towns to consider. Bethel, Brookfield, Newtown and New Fairfield are all good towns. Bethel being located close to Danbury is not a problem. It is not like Danbury is a horrible city so it really is not an issue. Many parts of Danbury are as nice as the towns being recommended. Jay

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by NewJeffCT

The 25/26 mill rates for Brookfield & New Fairfield would make a pretty big difference in taxes, though, vs 32/33 for Bethel/Newtown.

A $500,000 home would be assessed at $350,000
Newtown: 11,662
Bethel: 11,238
Brookfield: 8,890
New Fairfield: 9,128

So, a difference of $2,772 per year between Brookfield and Newtown for a home assessed at the same amount.

Remember mill rates mean little. Taxes are based on home value times the mill rate. The OP needs to look at the actual taxes for different homes rather than mill rates. The only thing it could affect are car taxes which are valued the same in each town. Jay

[beer belly]

Local paper..... NewsTimes: Greater Danbury Area News, Fairfield County News, Sports, Business, Entertainment, Real Estate, Classifieds - NewsTimes .....

[basehead617]

@OP

FYI, Many people in Southbury commute to Danbury. It's one of the most common commuting endpoints from the town. It's about 30 minutes even in moderate rush-hour traffic, and is often faster. So if you find a house you like there, I wouldn't hesitate. It's not terribly different than Newtown/Brookfield though.

[SeaDoo342]

The commute from Southbury to exit 3 in Danbury is 15-20 minutes without traffic, 25 with some volume…so I don't know why people are making it seem like the commute is crazy..

I would choose Southbury….great school system and the town is just very well kept. The rest of the towns have great schools too.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by SeaDoo342

The commute from Southbury to exit 3 in Danbury is 15-20 minutes without traffic, 25 with some volume…so I don't know why people are making it seem like the commute is crazy..

I would choose Southbury….great school system and the town is just very well kept. The rest of the towns have great schools too.

Why be further if it's no cheaper than Brookfield/New Fairfield?