[NewJeffCT]

for schools, most of the towns near New Haven are pretty good, as long as you avoid New Haven itself, as well as East Haven, Hamden and West Haven.

Milford is also another good suggestion.

Since it's too late to edit, I should say that it's very unlikely the OP will get new construction for $250,000 or less, but they should be able to find something.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by NewJeffCT

Welcome to Connecticut!

I doubt you'll find new construction near New Haven, unless you wanted a condo.

Try looking in North Haven, Wallingford, North Branford & Branford for schools. All of them have pretty good schools and are less pricey than Woodbridge, Orange, Cheshire, Guilford and Madison.

I have to agree with NewJeff and the others. These are all great towns. I think the OP would like any of them. Jay

[BPt111]

What North Branford like ?

[TulsaBelle]

You all are great and have given me a lot to consider. I'm used to subdivisions and a grid system so CT is completely different. I've been looking into the towns you all suggested. Thank you!

[willow wind]

North Branford is a lovely town, peaceful, safe and quiet. It's a mix of rural and suburban. There are several large working farms in the town. The rest of the town is single family with a few condo projects and a few small, older, multi family complexes

Totoket Mountain has several good hiking trails. Lake Gaillard, which is huge, is a reservoir in town and is private water company property. The reservoir and watershed land around it take up maybe 20-25% of the town's land area ( just a guess).

Some connector roads run through the town. CT Rt 80 runs east to west and is very busy at peak commuter hours as it ends up at 1-91. CT Rt 22 runs sort of north -south and can connect the North Haven/ Wallingford area with the shoreline to the south. CT RT 17 brings traffic from the Durham area through North Branford into New Haven.

RT 80 is mix of residential commercial areas qand has all the general convenience & local shopping residents would need. Schools are good and housing can be affordable. That is, you can find decent single family homes under $300,000.

It's convenient to both the New Haven and Middletown areas for work & has easy access to 1-95 & 1-91. It's next to North Haven which has the local big box stores.

[TulsaBelle]

Looking around I'm also finding some I like in Plainville.

[AnonChick]

Originally Posted by TulsaBelle

Looking around I'm also finding some I like in Plainville.

What kind of commute to New Haven are you willing to endure? That's a LONG trip, with no easy access to any highway with reasonable traffic during rush hour. When I'm driving and have the radio on during rush hour, I often hear that I-84 is a parking lot, or is at a dead stop, or half the lanes are closed and there's an hour delay just to get three exits, or that the entrance ramp is blocked, or whatever else. That's the closest highway in Plainville, and you have to take that, just to get to the highway that leads to and from New Haven.

Or, you could drive Rte 10 all the way, which would probably be a couple hours since it's just a regular main city road with traffic lights and lots of cars going in and out of parking lots.

I think if I were raising a child, and needed to be near New Haven, Plainville wouldn't even be on my list of maybes. It's on one end of a whole other county.

Definitely stick closer to New Haven. North Haven or Wallingford are good options, with Wallingford being the more affordable of the two.

[jtillman]

I agree. Plainville is a really bad option. Not cheaper or better in any way to New Haven area suburbs to be worth the added commute.

[TulsaBelle]

We don't have to be right next to New Haven. We would no more than 45 min commute to the city, though. It also looks like I could head east then go down I-91 with little problem.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by TulsaBelle

We don't have to be right next to New Haven. We would no more than 45 min commute to the city, though. It also looks like I could head east then go down I-91 with little problem.

You could but why would you live further than you have to. It makes no sense. Jay.