[dazzleman]

Originally Posted by movingtoFFC4543

Thank you for this helpful feedback. What about Tanaka Park?

I love Tanaka Park. I'm not sure what your price range is, but I was looking at the area around Rock Major Road back in 2003 before I bought my current house. I would have bought there in a flash but there were no houses available for sale on the streets I wanted at the time. Depending on how far you spread your search there, it can get a bit spotty in terms of the types of houses, going from stately colonials to more mundane split levels. The prices there are pretty steep.

I suggest you expand your search to the entire town, as long as you don't have issues with highway access. With the Fairfield Metro station, all parts of the town are within a reasonable drive of the train, if that matters to you. This was not the case previously. In the eastern half of town, you tend to get better pieces of property and more house for the money. I found that my neighborhood and other parts of the Stratfield section are more uniformly aesthetically pleasing than some of the University Area, which despite its reputation and popularity can be spotty and inconsistent in places.

I don't think there are real safety concerns in any part of Fairfield, though there are some parts that I wouldn't buy in for more aesthetic reasons. It's a matter of taste, as well as balancing affordability with other factors and deciding what factors are most important to you and what you are willing to sacrifice.

[Stepfordct]

Also realize there is the Black Rock part of Bridgeport that borders FFLD, and the Black Rock turnpike (Rt. 58) that runs thru Fairfield from Greenfield Hill/ Easton to the previous mentioned Black Rock part of Bpt.

[kst4y]

Blackrock is nice-only when you're by the water. there are some neighborhoods which still have drug dealers and teenagers causing problems (most commonly breaking into cars and doing drugs). The closer you get to captains cove & the projects the worse the neighborhoods get. The real estate taxes in BPT are very high and personally, i would never consider moving there.

Southport is predominantly older families with a lot of money. Fairfield is where you would want to move if you're looking to start a family and be surrounded by the younger energy.

lived in southport for 15 yrs fairfield for 8 years

One thing to consider when buying a home in affluent areas is the school district. You may not care that much but it will affect the value of the home later on. Sherman and Osborne hill are definitely the best ones as of now, mill hill, dwight and riverfield are tier 2 in the 06824/90 zip codes.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by kst4y

Blackrock is nice-only when you're by the water. there are some neighborhoods which still have drug dealers and teenagers causing problems (most commonly breaking into cars and doing drugs). The closer you get to captains cove & the projects the worse the neighborhoods get. The real estate taxes in BPT are very high and personally, i would never consider moving there.

Southport is predominantly older families with a lot of money. Fairfield is where you would want to move if you're looking to start a family and be surrounded by the younger energy.

lived in southport for 15 yrs fairfield for 8 years

One thing to consider when buying a home in affluent areas is the school district. You may not care that much but it will affect the value of the home later on. Sherman and Osborne hill are definitely the best ones as of now, mill hill, dwight and riverfield are tier 2 in the 06824/90 zip codes.

Can I ask what you base your ranking on? What about Burr School up in Greenfield Hill. Very affluent area with a lot of kids coming from very well educated households.

One thing people need to keep in mind that even students in the worst performing school in Fairfield (McKinley) still perform well above the state averages on standardized tests so any ranking of schools really means little. The primary reason for the differences are more socio-economic than quality of the school's education. McKinley has a very high number of students who come from homes where English is their second language. This will definitely impact test scores. Jay