[CTartist]

Originally Posted by NewJeffCT

If you would prefer a Catholic school over what Westport schools can offer you, somebody else can fill you in more. I believe St. Joseph nearby in Trumbull is a good Catholic High School.

Trumbull also has two k-8 Catholic Schools. My friend went to Saint Joe's and it is a very good HS.

St. Theresa School - Home

Fairfield County Catholic Schools -St. Catherine of Siena School Trumbull CT

[DairyGodmother]

I wholeheartedly recommend Fairfield, as I moved here 1 year ago and love it to bits. It hits on all of your list. There are subtleties between other Towns mentioned. Fairfield is a university town and it adds a really nice vibe. It's also got great beaches and a nice town center. Very oriented toward kids and families. Overall not as wealthy as Westport, which for me is more comfortable.

The towns to the north are nice but definitely more remote feeling by comparison. If you like space, land, etc., you might prefer it (though Fairfield has these too in the North). St. Thomas Aquinas is a blue ribbon school, and Fairfield Prep is a wonderful Jesuit high school for boys.

The other towns all have perks too; though I don't like Norwalk bc of the traffic/construction/etc.

Good luck!

[beerisgood02]

Originally Posted by Bamamama

I would suggest looking at Wilton and New Canaan. K-8 Catholic school in Wilton is Our Lady of Fatima, and in NC, St. Aloysius. Both look to be about 200 students. Both towns surely have gymnastics and taekwondo, though I am not familiar with either specifically. Wilton is a little closer to Westport but doesn't really have the charming downtown that you are looking for. New Canaan has a large, walkable and charming downtown. Very upscale. I think both would be about 20 minutes from Westport, although traffic can affect this, obviously.

I would mention that around here, a 20 minute commute would be luxurious, at least in my experience. Others might disagree though.

If you are willing to look a little further afield, you might check out Ridgefield. The Catholic school is St. Mary's, and from what I can tell, it's a little larger than the other two I mentioned (~270). Definitely has gymnastics and taekwondo. There is a charming, quaint downtown that is quintessentially New England. Many beautiful, old homes and less population density/larger lot sizes than the towns others have mentioned, which gives it a more easy-going feel, I think. We live on the southern end of town, and I tend to think of Westport as about 30 minutes away, although again, location and traffic will make a difference. Good luck with your search!

Schools in NC and downtown New Canaan are excellent, but we found NC to be very isolated with not much else to do. Waveny has a pool and trails - great, so does every other FF county town.

[Cynthiamoon]

Thank you for the recommendations!
Renting is also an option, as we have a home that we might just rent out and from previous experience it takes us a long time to find "the house".

I can't wait to visit and explore all the areas. I was looking for New England charm, but now I'm thinking college town vibe could be fun, too. Makes me think of Cambridge and Georgetown. I suppose I should start with touring schools and gymnastics schools, as they are high on my priority list and everyone mentions traffic. I would hate to have be stuck in that every day, 4 times a day.

If anyone has experience with gymnastics schools I would love to hear.
Thanks again!

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Cynthiamoon

Thank you for the recommendations!
Renting is also an option, as we have a home that we might just rent out and from previous experience it takes us a long time to find "the house".

I can't wait to visit and explore all the areas. I was looking for New England charm, but now I'm thinking college town vibe could be fun, too. Makes me think of Cambridge and Georgetown. I suppose I should start with touring schools and gymnastics schools, as they are high on my priority list and everyone mentions traffic. I would hate to have be stuck in that every day, 4 times a day.

If anyone has experience with gymnastics schools I would love to hear.
Thanks again!

Southwest Connecticut does not have a lot of true college towns. In fact there really are none. About the closest would be Fairfield which has both Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University within its borders. Still I would not say the town feels particularly like a college town since it is so big and has such a diverse population. You will see college students out and about in Fairfield Center but you are more likely to encounter families there as well. Jay

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Southwest Connecticut does not have a lot of true college towns. In fact there really are none. About the closest would be Fairfield which has both Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University within its borders. Still I would not say the town feels particularly like a college town since it is so big and has such a diverse population. You will see college students out and about in Fairfield Center but you are more likely to encounter families there as well. Jay

There was a lot of traffic around noon when I was coming home from Norwalk so I got off exit 42 and took the back roads home today. I have been taking back roads home through Westport & Fairfield into Trumbull almost 20 years. You know most of those areas really have not changed a lot except for a section on Congress Street where there are some very big mansions. I have always enjoyed taking the back roads home through Westport & Fairfield because there are some very nice older beautifully kept homes & what appears to be historic homes.

Jay will confirm this as he has lived in Fairfield. If you get off exit 42 you get to Cross Highway and go east. You go past a Country Club which actually has it's own charms and a country store. This road meanders through a few twists and turns and then you are on Congress Street in Faifield. Congress street still retains it's old time charm to about a firehouse. After you get past the firehouse Congress Street has the big Mansions. Once you go past exit 44 on Congress Street in Fairfield (near Sacred Heart) it becomes the kind of area I think you would like. We have a friend that lives in that little area of north Congress Street near the Scared Heart. You might feel like that area is a little to far though as it borders Easton also.

Cross Highway starts in the area just north of Main Street in Westport where I said I thought you might like. As I took the back roads home I realized you might like the entire Cross Highway area. There is also a horse farm along the way.

[Raider111]

There is no college town feeling or vibe in lower FC, certainly nothing like Georgetown or Cambridge. Not really much of the New England vibe like Vermont either. It's great in it's own unique way. There are gymnastics programs at the Fairfield Sportsplex and Chelsea Piers in Stamford, check the websites, not sure about the other towns- WP, NW,NC, Dar.