[NewJeffCT]

Guilford and Madison both have excellent school systems and nice walkable downtown areas with shops and restaurants.

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by dec38

What about Guilford?

Guilford looks like it could have some potential. I wish it were slightly more walkable, but I'll definitely put it on my list to investigate and actually go there. Thanks! (It looks like there are some very nice houses available.)

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by NedSage58

Connecticut is a very car oriented place. The "town centers" in the burbs are, for the most part, places where people drive to, park, and go on a stroll. There are few town centers in CT that are conducive to life without a car, which requires a supermarket, pharmacy and retailers to be within walking distance. Two towns that do come to mind are West Hartford (too far for you) and Greenwich (far and well above your price range).

Fairfield is a nice option but you would still need a vehicle for almost everything. You can consider Milford, however for a price range of median 650k, you're purchasing high in a middle income area (300-400k) with schools that are average. This means you may not see the return on your investment. Madison and Guilford are both beautiful towns but again, their center of towns are more for "oooh's" and "ahhh's" over convenience.

Whatever you decide, best of luck. CT is a beautiful state with a lot to offer if you get out and explore!

Thanks, Ned. It's not that I'm looking to completely ditch my car. It's just that I'd like to have some things that are walkable. (And I'd love a place that had some great restaurants nearby.) I realize Connecticut is a pretty suburban state overall, so I know I won't be living my urban fantasy. I'm just hoping to find a place that's a little more in that direction than where I am right now, where I literally cannot go anywhere at all without getting in the car.

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by Raider111

I can speak for the shoreline west of NH.
Milford has a nice and bigger downtown than Fairfield, waterfront, and has a very nice park with courts and ballfields in the vicinity. Some pretty good restaurants and bars. Summer crowd can be a little funny, the younger 20 something loud still live with the parents type. I assume 500K would get a nice house in walking distance.
Fairfield- nice downtown but smaller, just a couple of blocks on the post rd, has a small town green with a gazebo , bland and overpriced restaurants other than a couple of standouts. More family oriented than Milford downtown. 500K in the immediate area is a 1200 sq ft cape that needs cosmetic updating. This is an easy 30 minute reverse commute to NH.
If you want just about the best schools in the state, look at Westport, one over from Fairfield, 40 minutes or less to NH. The best downtown in the area, riverfront, all the high end shopping and a great dining scene, the Levitt Pavilion for outdoor summer concert series, Wednesdays are kids themed shows. 750-800K may get you a nice but modest house within walking distance. You'll have to pay for the top schools.
Oh, your going to need a car for grocery shopping, no way around it, and public transportation by bus is generally just used by the lower income working class.

I found some really interesting houses in Milford -- I'm a tad worried about the schools, (based on the quick stuff I found on a couple websites) but they look like they could be a possibility. I'm intrigued by what you say about Westport, so I'll look into it. Thanks!

[JGBigGreen]

We moved to Wallingford almost two years ago and have been very pleased with the location. If you lived right in the "downtown" area on Main Street or one of the streets just off of it, it could be a very walkable location. You would be close to a number of restaurants, parks, the library and a few nicer bars/nightspots. Plus, with your price range, you could have an extremely nice home in Wallingford from what I have seen of the prices.

We moved from an area where our children attended a school with a higher Greatschools rating then those they attend here but the schools here are, in our opinion, better.

[SeaDoo342]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

I found some really interesting houses in Milford -- I'm a tad worried about the schools, (based on the quick stuff I found on a couple websites) but they look like they could be a possibility. I'm intrigued by what you say about Westport, so I'll look into it. Thanks!

Westport is a premier suburb of NYC…. its far out but many, many commuters. It is also expensive for your price range….. if I were you I would be looking in the southern sections of Guilford or Madison… forget Milford, schools are meh… and its really a working class town...

[NedSage58]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

Thanks, Ned. It's not that I'm looking to completely ditch my car. It's just that I'd like to have some things that are walkable. (And I'd love a place that had some great restaurants nearby.) I realize Connecticut is a pretty suburban state overall, so I know I won't be living my urban fantasy. I'm just hoping to find a place that's a little more in that direction than where I am right now, where I literally cannot go anywhere at all without getting in the car.

Got it! If you're looking for top notch schools, I will get behind the Guilford and Madison suggestions and looking near the downtown areas of both. Wallingford is good too, as is Milford, but my take on it is they are in an entirely different category when it comes to school performance. Good, but not the leader of the pack.

Just throwing this out there, but you could live in a section of New Haven and use private schools. While I personally would never live there, for both political and social reasons, many people do and love it. Same with the area of Spring Glen in Hamden. Taxes will be astronomically high, though.

[AnonChick]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

Thanks for the info, everyone. I will definitely check out Fairfield. I need to figure out whether that commute is too long -- I'm finding between a half hour (which is fine) to an hour (which is on the edge of fine, but if it can be longer, then I don't know if I can justify it. My husband has had a commute that can take 40 minutes with no traffic, but usually takes up to 2 hours, so if we move, part of the charm is the opportunity for a shorter commute.)

Milford looks intriguing, although I wish the schools were ranked a bit higher. I'll keep looking but I'll seriously have to investigate the schools.

I'll look into Wallingford, but I don't really want to send my kids to private schools. I'm a big believer in and advocate of public education, and I'm hoping that if we move, we find a neighborhood where my kids will find other kids who go to their schools.

I really appreciate all the information! I know very little about CT -- I've driven through it many times, but haven't spent any significant time there, so I'm really starting from scratch as far as considering possibilities where I could even fantasize about living.

Keep in mind that schools in general are much better in quality than schools in other states. So a "decent" school in Connecticut would be considered a "top-notch" school in some states, and in other states, nothing comes close other than perhaps private schools. A "top notch" school system by Connecticut standards will be hard to match anywhere else - though perhaps in some states one school here, or one school there, might compare.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Raider111

I can speak for the shoreline west of NH.
Milford has a nice and bigger downtown than Fairfield, waterfront, and has a very nice park with courts and ballfields in the vicinity. Some pretty good restaurants and bars. Summer crowd can be a little funny, the younger 20 something loud still live with the parents type. I assume 500K would get a nice house in walking distance.
Fairfield- nice downtown but smaller, just a couple of blocks on the post rd, has a small town green with a gazebo , bland and overpriced restaurants other than a couple of standouts. More family oriented than Milford downtown. 500K in the immediate area is a 1200 sq ft cape that needs cosmetic updating. This is an easy 30 minute reverse commute to NH.
If you want just about the best schools in the state, look at Westport, one over from Fairfield, 40 minutes or less to NH. The best downtown in the area, riverfront, all the high end shopping and a great dining scene, the Levitt Pavilion for outdoor summer concert series, Wednesdays are kids themed shows. 750-800K may get you a nice but modest house within walking distance. You'll have to pay for the top schools.
Oh, your going to need a car for grocery shopping, no way around it, and public transportation by bus is generally just used by the lower income working class.

Sorry but Fairfield's downtown is bigger than Milfords. Many more stores and restaurants but less apartments. Still bigger though. Jay

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

I found some really interesting houses in Milford -- I'm a tad worried about the schools, (based on the quick stuff I found on a couple websites) but they look like they could be a possibility. I'm intrigued by what you say about Westport, so I'll look into it. Thanks!

Milford is a nice town. It's schools are good. The primary reason schools there perform lower than some other towns is because it has a wide range of socio economic backgrounds. Westport is beautiful but is very expensive. Fairfield is less expensive. Personally I love the shoreline towns east of New Haven. Madison, Guilford and Branford are wonderful but they are more small town suburban than the denser type community you desire. I almost hate to say it but the type of town you describe seems more like the East Rock section of New Haven. Maybe consider there with private or magnet schools. Jay