[itchyforehead]

I will be transferring offices from Ohio to Westport in Spring of 19 and I am looking for apartments an hour or less away from Westport for under $1,000. So far I have found some in Bridgeport, Branford, West Haven, Waterbury, New Haven, Wallingford, and Old Saybrook that are in my price range. I am not familiar with any of those areas and I want to learn a bit more about quality of life in each of them.

I have tried to do my own research but I'm finding a lot of biased posts from people who seemed to have had one or two negative experiences in a city and I don't want that to taint my perception. I've had a couple of negative experiences in my current city but would consider it relatively safe for its size. I have also heard people comment on how terrible Bridgeport is but none of those comments elaborated on why they felt that way. I guess what I'm looking for is someone to breakdown each of those places in an unbiased manner to help me narrow down my decision of where to look. Right now I am leaning towards Branford because it looks nice and I have yet to see complaints about it.

If it helps, I am 24 and will be moving alone. I don't care about the bar scene so the town I live in doesn't have to be "happening" at night, but some activities or being near some activities would be great. My main concern though is living in a decent city that is relatively safe, affordable, and not too far from Westport.

[JayCT]

If your job is in Westport, it is best to live as close to your job as possible. Traffic going toward Westport from the east can be difficult. I therefore would recommend living in a Fairfield or Norwalk first. I am unsure though if you would find an apartment in either for $1,000 per month. If not I would then recommend Bridgeport.

Like any city Bridgeport has its good sections and it’s bad. I have taken out of towners for rides around my hometown of Fairfield and they commented how nice Fairfield was. We were in Bridgeport.

The four nicest sections of Bridgeport are Black Rock, West of Ellsworth Street; the North End, north of Capital Avenue and west of a Main Street; Beardsley Park, north of Boston Avenue; and downtown. You should know that the street names are important because outside of these areas can get dicey fast.

The rest of the towns mentioned are pretty far from Westport so I would not recommend them. West Haven might be an option though. I would also check Stratford, Milford and Shelton as well. Beyond these you are getting far given traffic. Jay

[itchyforehead]

Thanks for the response Jay! I've checked Norwalk because another person from my office is moving there with her boyfriend, but all apartments have been way out of my price range. I'm open to getting a roommate but that's an issue to tackle separately from this post. I haven't found anything on apartments.com for Stratford and Shelton yet, but I'll keep checking those areas and maybe something will become available before my move date.

[ayoskillz]

Originally Posted by itchyforehead

Thanks for the response Jay! I've checked Norwalk because another person from my office is moving there with her boyfriend, but all apartments have been way out of my price range. I'm open to getting a roommate but that's an issue to tackle separately from this post. I haven't found anything on apartments.com for Stratford and Shelton yet, but I'll keep checking those areas and maybe something will become available before my move date.

You will need a roommate. I95 is one of the worse traffic spots in the usa. Nothing like you would have ever seen in ohio.

[itchyforehead]

Around what time do you think the traffic really ramps up? I'm in the office around 6am every morning and from Bridgeport to Westport it seems like it would take the same amount of time to get to the office avoiding the highway and taking CT-130 and Post or Long Lots Rd. I can't account for the traffic on those roads though around 5:30am either.

[RiskReturn]

I would strongly consider sharing a space with roommate(s). That should open up options, especially in places like Norwalk and Stamford.


Even if you split with only 1 roommate, I think you should be game for a small 2 bedroom at ~1000 per person in stamford/norwalk.


I don't think it makes sense to sacrifice 2 hours/day to commuting for someone in their early/mid 20s.

[Stylo]

Stratford is a good option. Commuting to Westport there isn’t that bad. Definitely under an hour.

If you were commuting to Norwalk or Stamford, maybe I’d be concerned. With Westport you can get off the highway fairly quickly after traffic starts in Fairfield.

You can also check if your work offers a train shuttle.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by itchyforehead

Around what time do you think the traffic really ramps up? I'm in the office around 6am every morning and from Bridgeport to Westport it seems like it would take the same amount of time to get to the office avoiding the highway and taking CT-130 and Post or Long Lots Rd. I can't account for the traffic on those roads though around 5:30am either.

Traffic will be minimal at that time. 20-25 minutes from Stratford.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Sri

I would strongly consider sharing a space with roommate(s). That should open up options, especially in places like Norwalk and Stamford.


Even if you split with only 1 roommate, I think you should be game for a small 2 bedroom at ~1000 per person in stamford/norwalk.


I don't think it makes sense to sacrifice 2 hours+/day to commuting for someone in their early/mid 20s.

I’ll take a few more minutes in the car instead of sharing my home with a stranger, but that’s just me.

Also even though Stamford is a reverse commute, Stamford itself is congested and traffic goes both ways on 95 there.

[itchyforehead]

Originally Posted by Sri

I would strongly consider sharing a space with roommate(s). That should open up options, especially in places like Norwalk and Stamford.


Even if you split with only 1 roommate, I think you should be game for a small 2 bedroom at ~1000 per person in stamford/norwalk.


I don't think it makes sense to sacrifice 2 hours/day to commuting for someone in their early/mid 20s.

Do you know of any currently active Facebook groups for people looking for roommates in the Stamford/Norwalk area? I've been checking Craigslist and the few groups I found on Facebook aren't roommate focused, they're buying and selling groups with a few posts for people wanting a room or wanting a roommate.

I actually don't mind a little longer commute if that means I can live alone, but I want to keep all of my options open. I wouldn't mind taking the train to and from work too vs driving if that opens up more possibilities for me to live alone.