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I posted before on a thread about relocating from Brooklyn to Sherman/Washington (hijacked it really!) - I'm a farm girl originally and after 9 years in Brooklyn and 15 years in London, I'm DONE with the city for a while.
I'm finding Ridgefield just as expensive to rent as Brooklyn, so looking for the magic formula, along with everyone else: good schools for my 2 and 5 year olds, under 2 hour commute to Union Square and a 3+ bed rental for significantly less than the $4000 we pay now...
What say you to Wilton? I see the schools are good, what is the train ride like to NYC? Hubby works very long/odd hours, it would be great if he didn't have to drive in and could work on the train.
Hubby is also away 4 months of the year, so while I'd like a rural home with chickens and dogs etc, I'd also like a walkable downtown to grab coffee and maybe meet new people. I like yoga, cycling, gardening, horse riding, sailing, reading...
Hoping to get some feedback from those in the know.
Thanks!
Jaqueline
Wilton is quite large geographically, and indeed, most of it is country. The nature and the scenery are very pretty, with hills, woods, rocks, ponds, deer, wild animals, antique houses, etc. The town center is quite nice; it's not too big and there aren't a lot of coffee shops on a single street, but most things you need are there: two supermarkets (a chain one and a local one), the library, a few banks, restaurants, salons, etc. There is a train station in Wilton, but as far as I know you have to connect in Stamford or SoNo to go to NYC. I am not sure if there are any direct trains during rush hours, though. I personally like Wilton; it is very big, so depending on the particular house, it can feel like a neighborhood or totally secluded. Schools are great too, and Ridgefield, Norwalk and New Canaan are right around the corner (depends which corner you are in ). You may want to come on a day trip and check it out before you decide 100% on it, just because it is rather country than a suburb.
Wilton and Ridgefield are both expensive in general, but I find that in Wilton you can find more houses below a certain budget. Redding is cheaper than both of those, the most country of all, with no formal town center, and is next to both of them. REdding, too, has two train stations, on the same line as Wilton, thus, with a connection in Stamford, if you go to NYC. But again, check if there is a direct line during peak hours.
Like Ridgefield, there's not much of a rental market in Wilton and the prices will be the same, if not slightly more. As kidyankee said, they are more alike than not, although Ridgefield's downtown is nicer.
Most people commuting to the city go from South Norwalk, which has faster and more service than the local Wilton stations.
Wilton and Ridgefield are pretty much identical in look and price.
Greenwich, Darien, and New Canaan may have more rental availability and closer to NYC, but maybe a little more expensive, little less rural, nice walkable towns though.
I posted before on a thread about relocating from Brooklyn to Sherman/Washington (hijacked it really!) - I'm a farm girl originally and after 9 years in Brooklyn and 15 years in London, I'm DONE with the city for a while.
I'm finding Ridgefield just as expensive to rent as Brooklyn, so looking for the magic formula, along with everyone else: good schools for my 2 and 5 year olds, under 2 hour commute to Union Square and a 3+ bed rental for significantly less than the $4000 we pay now...
What say you to Wilton? I see the schools are good, what is the train ride like to NYC? Hubby works very long/odd hours, it would be great if he didn't have to drive in and could work on the train.
Hubby is also away 4 months of the year, so while I'd like a rural home with chickens and dogs etc, I'd also like a walkable downtown to grab coffee and maybe meet new people. I like yoga, cycling, gardening, horse riding, sailing, reading...
Hoping to get some feedback from those in the know.
Thanks!
Jaqueline
I live in Trumbull and it might work for you.
This is the reason I say this. I was just reading the zoning laws and I noticed that there are regs regarding chicken coops so I know some people have them. I didn't know they allowed chickens in Trumbull. It says you can have a chicken coop in 1/2 acre+ with a maximum of 6 chickens.
* I am pretty sure you can find a nice 3-4 bedroom home well under $40000 closer to the $3000 price
* Very good schools
* About 1-1/2 hr commute (including drive to station in Fairfield via the 25 connector).
* Trumbull is in the process of making the Long Hill Village and new retail will be added to the already existing stores. The area is going to be like a quaint little village. I live in upper Long Hill and I have been walking to the area (on Main Street sidewalks) already where there is a Dunkin Donuts and a few restaurants to meet my friends and fellow neighbors. I am excited to see construction happening there right now.
* If you live in Upper Long Hill there are horse farms right next door in Easton where you can ride horses. Trumbull also has a small horse farm.
* We have one of the best bike trails in the state which runs from Trumbull to Monroe
* We have 2 lakes where you can put a non-motorized boat but you need to be a member of those lake associations.
* Trumbull has a mall on our southern most border (below the Parkway) and I think of it as our "walkable downtown" with major stores and restaurants all in one place.
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). You may want to come on a day trip and check it out before you decide 100% on it, just because it is rather country than a suburb.
