[JayCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Initially 100k was noted, now it's 80k. Anyway, the "average income" is just that - average. That means there are many, many households in town making far less than 100k. If the OP has an income less than the average, they can still buy into Trumbill without any issues. That being said, I think Trumbull is about 20 minutes out of the way from where they should be looking.

Again I am not sure why everyone is going on about the income needed. The OP made no mention of the income needed to live here. They are coming from Long Island which is certainly as expensive, if not more expensive than any of the towns mentioned here.

Also I am not sure why you think Trumbull is 20 minutes out of the way. It is close to the ferry in Bridgeport and right in the middle of the area the OP has mentioned. It is certainly up to them to determine if the homes there are worth the price or if they would want to look somewhere less expensive. Jay

[hvexpatinct]

OP mentioned needing to travel to upstate NY, southern MA, NJ, and NYC in addition to LI. As I see it - living in a town like Trumbull (or Branford or Milford or Woodbridge) would put a bit of a bottleneck on the rest of those locations for the sake of being within 45 min of the PJ ferry. Living North of there forces you to drive 15 min further to get to Bridgeport (on a less-traveled stretch of 8/25) but makes it WAY easier to get everywhere else since you don't have to deal with 95/Merritt by default.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by hvexpatinct

OP mentioned needing to travel to upstate NY, southern MA, NJ, and NYC in addition to LI. As I see it - living in a town like Trumbull (or Branford or Milford or Woodbridge) would put a bit of a bottleneck on the rest of those locations for the sake of being within 45 min of the PJ ferry. Living North of there forces you to drive 15 min further to get to Bridgeport (on a less-traveled stretch of 8/25) but makes it WAY easier to get everywhere else since you don't have to deal with 95/Merritt by default.

Yes, exactly.

[SeaDoo342]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Again I am not sure why everyone is going on about the income needed. The OP made no mention of the income needed to live here. They are coming from Long Island which is certainly as expensive, if not more expensive than any of the towns mentioned here.

Also I am not sure why you think Trumbull is 20 minutes out of the way. It is close to the ferry in Bridgeport and right in the middle of the area the OP has mentioned. It is certainly up to them to determine if the homes there are worth the price or if they would want to look somewhere less expensive. Jay

I think people are discussing income needed because it was brought up by a poster that because a town has an income of just over 100k, you need 100k to live there, which isn't true.... that's why it's average... some higher some lower..

[FutureTown]

A family of 4 can survive on ~65k income in Newtown for a 300k house and 3 cars (~10 years old for all three). 80k should be doable for 400k in Trumbull considering we spend slightly more in property taxes (higher mill rate than Monroe or Trumbull). This does not mean they may live absolutely comfortable. And by that, I mean maxing out HSA and 401k contributions, driving BMW 4 series, saving for college, etc.

OP should really look in Newtown and surrounding towns. Route 7 access for Western Mass/NY state, I-84 to NY state/Albany, I-84/I-91 to Southern Mass, BPT Ferry ride is 35-45 mins away, great school district, and bigger lots generally speaking. 400k for 4bd should be doable. Only issue is NJ and honestly, that is an issue from any part of the state considering multiple traffic bottlenecks. It would be best to find a home on Route 25 and close to Exit 9 or 11 off I-84.

[britchickny]

Thank you all very much for all the helpful suggestions.

I appreciate it as there is no easy answer. I had previously considered the Goshen, NY area but i wasn't really liking it and I think CT will be better for the weekend trips back to LI.

I'm going go back through this and make some lists!

[britchickny]

Originally Posted by hvexpatinct

OP mentioned needing to travel to upstate NY, southern MA, NJ, and NYC in addition to LI. As I see it - living in a town like Trumbull (or Branford or Milford or Woodbridge) would put a bit of a bottleneck on the rest of those locations for the sake of being within 45 min of the PJ ferry. Living North of there forces you to drive 15 min further to get to Bridgeport (on a less-traveled stretch of 8/25) but makes it WAY easier to get everywhere else since you don't have to deal with 95/Merritt by default.

Thank you. This is very helpful.

[Tonjawd1]

Easton, Lower Easton, IS right on the Fairfield Line and homes can be reasonable here.We are 1 to 5 minutes from the Merritt Parkway depending on what part of Lower Easton you choose. Your husband can hop on the train in Fairfield,(which parts of would work for you too), or the Merritt and get north and south easily. The schools are top notch. The Port Washington Ferry in Bridgeport is 10
15 to 20 minutes away, and takes an hour to get to Port Jeff. You can take your car on in too, for 50 dollars. HaLT to help.

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Connecticut has Bradley International Airport which is a great small airport that us a lot easier to access than any of the New York City airports it also has more flights than Westchester. Connecticut would be just fine if he needs airport access. Jay

Except for the cost of tickets.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by HeadedWest

Except for the cost of tickets.

Not necessarily. I have family that flies a lot and they use Bradley often because the cost is comparable to New York airports. They live about equal distance from Bradley and the New York City airports (Kennedy, LaGuardia) and are close to Westchester so they check flight costs at all of them. Sometimes Bradley is cheaper, sometimes New York. It depends. Jay