[Stylo]

It might be too far, but it's worth checking out New Haven. Specifically East Rock. It has more character than White Plains or Stamford, a stellar dining and arts scene, entertainment, museums, and is seeing a lot of new construction right now. It's also a lot cheaper, roughly half the price to buy and easily 30-40% cheaper to rent. The one place it suffers in comparison is schools and crime. On the schools front, it wouldn't matter to you. As far as crime, you have no reason to be in the bad neighborhoods, and all the places you want to go in New Haven are pretty safe. Crime overall is dropping. As someone used to urban living, I think you will find it pretty innocuous. East Rock is one of the safer neighborhoods in the city, and is very charming and walkable. Wooster Square is also worth consider, as well as parts of downtown like 9th Square.

Some nice new construction going live soon:
http://www.winchesterlofts.com/
http://collegeandcrown.com/
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/i...t_development/
http://renttheunion.com/
http://metrostarproperties.com/metro-280-new-haven/

All should be done this year. Many are aimed at the baby boomer demographic.

You would have to drive to Brooklyn either way, as the train is inconvenient to Brooklyn. The drive from New Haven in non-peak hours is around 90 minutes. I do it almost twice a month. You could also get the ferry in Bridgeport to get to Long Island. You're also close to some great parks, beaches, etc. when you want to get away from the city, and an area that's a bit less congested overall.

Just an idea if you want to save some money while still being in a vibrant small city.

[jax12479]

Are you opposed to moving back to Brooklyn? If I was retired and could afford it, I'd choose there over white plains or Stamford. But, if you're looking for a change and want a slower pace, I'd pick Stamford over White Plains, mostly because it's on the water. Other than that, the two cities are very comparable.

[CTartist&musician]

Originally Posted by Stylo

It might be too far, but it's worth checking out New Haven. Specifically East Rock. It has more character than White Plains or Stamford, a stellar dining and arts scene, entertainment, museums, and is seeing a lot of new construction right now. It's also a lot cheaper, roughly half the price to buy and easily 30-40% cheaper to rent. The one place it suffers in comparison is schools and crime.

Don't get mad at me Stylo but I just want to point something out. My husband and I are going to move out of Fairfield County in retirement (it will be too expensive) and I would have loved to live in a small city like New Haven. I am looking into Branford, Guilford and Madison right on the coast east of New Haven. New Haven has a lot of great things going for it except the crime. I think as people who will be in retirement is very important. Here is the difference between Stamford and New Haven.

Crime Down In Stamford; Ranked 16th Safest City In U.S.
Crime Down In Stamford; Ranked 16th Safest City In U.S. « CBS New York

Crime in America: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000
Crime in America: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000 | Law Street (TM)


When I am retired I don't want to worry about out running someone who wants to assault me or rob me and that is why New Haven will be out of the question in retirement.

Please don't shoot the messenger (being me), I just want the OP to understand the vast difference in the safety between Stamford and New Haven.

[NOLA101]

They're pretty similar. I slightly prefer White Plains, but both are good options.

White Plains has slightly better urbanity, hillier, definitely better shopping/restaurants, and is a little closer/more convenient to NYC.

Stamford has the Sound, more corporate HQ, closer to scenic country areas, and probably more newer apartment options.

Both will work for you. But why not live directly in NYC if you want an urban center? Closer to family, and honestly, Brooklyn is about 1,000 times better than both options for lovers of city life.

[CT_Native]

Originally Posted by Stylo

You would have to drive to Brooklyn either way, as the train is inconvenient to Brooklyn. The drive from New Haven in non-peak hours is around 90 minutes. I do it almost twice a month. You could also get the ferry in Bridgeport to get to Long Island. You're also close to some great parks, beaches, etc. when you want to get away from the city, and an area that's a bit less congested overall.

Not really. I'm totally on-board with the New Haven recommendation, but the train is far more convenient than any drive down 95/Queens/Brooklyn would be. In fact, taking the train to GCT would give him the option to take the 6x into Brooklyn, and the 7 to LIC (where his son lives).

[Jjury15]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Source?

OP, I like Stamford a lot better as a city. It's just nicer. IMO White Plains doesn't have more character, just the opposite with all the urban malls and chains. There are a lot of other nice towns in Westchester and Fairfield counties though, if that's a consideration.

Why are you limiting yourself to those 2 cities? Where is family and how close do you need to be to them? The further out you go, the more affordable things will get and generally a quality of life improvement overall.

I meant to say FFC, oops! If you need a source, here it is: Stamford Talk Resources: Younger Workers: Getting the Hell Out of the FC

Also, I do know from personal references that a lot of young people are moving out of Stamford. Being a young person myself you kind of just.. hear it from what your peers are saying and what your friends friends are saying. So on and so forth.

[Mike 75]

Originally Posted by CT_Native

Not really. I'm totally on-board with the New Haven recommendation, but the train is far more convenient than any drive down 95/Queens/Brooklyn would be. In fact, taking the train to GCT would give him the option to take the 6x into Brooklyn, and the 7 to LIC (where his son lives).

I'm with Stylo. The train is good for getting into the Bronx and Manhattan, but is useless for the other three buroughs. It takes way too long. I had a work event in Willamsburg last week. I drove and my colleagues took the train (during rush hour) from Stamford. I got there 30 min before they did.

[richrf]

Thx everyone!

I'll definitely check out the New Haven option keeping in mind the crime rate is substantially different.

My son recently moved to LIC, and our seems that the real estate situation is quite challenging in the boroughs. Once we are in the Metro area we may check out Brooklyn and Queens for the long term but the rest race seems to be alive and well and logistically I don't think we can find a place in a decent time frame once we have to make our move. Also, the Boroughs may be too overwhelming for us after living in Chicago Lakeview for 40 years.

We do want to see our family frequently, so the New Haven drive, which sounds twice that of Stamford and White Plains is a factor. Of course, saving on rental would be a big plus. From what I recall though, Stamford seems to have more inventory than New Haven. I could be wrong though. I'll have to research.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by CTartist&musician

Don't get mad at me Stylo but I just want to point something out. My husband and I are going to move out of Fairfield County in retirement (it will be too expensive) and I would have loved to live in a small city like New Haven. I am looking into Branford, Guilford and Madison right on the coast east of New Haven. New Haven has a lot of great things going for it except the crime. I think as people who will be in retirement is very important. Here is the difference between Stamford and New Haven.

Crime Down In Stamford; Ranked 16th Safest City In U.S.
Crime Down In Stamford; Ranked 16th Safest City In U.S. « CBS New York

Crime in America: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000
Crime in America: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000 | Law Street (TM)


When I am retired I don't want to worry about out running someone who wants to assault me or rob me and that is why New Haven will be out of the question in retirement.

Please don't shoot the messenger (being me), I just want the OP to understand the vast difference in the safety between Stamford and New Haven.

Again it depends where you are. Take it from someone that works there everyday. I go all around East Rock and downtown for lunch and after work and never feel unsafe. Would I feel unsafe in Dixwell and Fair Haven at midnight? Probably. That's where the crime stats are happening. Many areas are as safe as any city and it's only getting better.

I suggest you spend more time there to make a more informed position. The city is fighting hard against negative PR that wouldn't exist for similar cities that cover a larger footprint.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Again it depends where you are. Take it from someone that works there everyday. I go all around East Rock and downtown for lunch and after work and never feel unsafe. Would I feel unsafe in Dixwell and Fair Haven at midnight? Probably. That's where the crime stats are happening. Many areas are as safe as any city and it's only getting better.

I suggest you spend more time there to make a more informed position. The city is fighting hard against negative PR that wouldn't exist for similar cities that cover a larger footprint.

I'm not super familiar with New Haven, but I've been to all three of these neighborhoods and I can concur. East Rock is like an artsy version of Stamford, in fact dare I say it even reminds me of a smaller-scale version of those yuppie neighborhoods in Brooklyn that have developed like DUMBO and Park Slope.