[jacoby23]

Thinking of moving to CT from Colorado. Used to live in Fairfield and loved it. What town would be the best for small town community feel, decent downtown/shopping, kids activities, and reasonable priced homes and taxes. Would aim to commute to Stamford.

Fairfield
Weston
Wilton
Ridgefield
Trumbull

[JayCT]

A lot would depend on your budget and what you expect for that budget. As you know, all of the towns mentioned are good but each have a different character. You will pay more to live closer to Stamford. Because traffic is so difficult I would recommend that you live as close to your job as possible. Why commute longer than you have to?

Fairfield is the only town on your list that is on the New Haven line which you could be used to commute to Stamford. Wilton is the closest if you want to drive. Trumbull is the furthest but is also where you would get the most home for your money.

Fairfield and Ridgefield have the nicest downtown areas. Weston does not have a downtown nor much in the way of shopping and restaurants. You will need to drive to a Westport or Wilton for that. Wilton and Trumbull are more car oriented. All of the towns you list are good for families with a lot of family activities. I would suggest you visit each to see which best serves you. Jay

[Stylo]

Budget and expectations for home and community are key. There are many options and many factors.

Is work accessible via train (downtown Stamford)?

[kidyankee764]

Trumbull is an outlier when it comes to your list. What you’ll spend in Trumbull will be far less than Wilton. It really depends on your budget and what you expect to get for it. Until we know that, it’s hard to recommend a town.

[Mike 75]

Originally Posted by JayCT

A lot would depend on your budget and what you expect for that budget. As you know, all of the towns mentioned are good but each have a different character. You will pay more to live closer to Stamford. Because traffic is so difficult I would recommend that you live as close to your job as possible. Why commute longer than you have to?

Fairfield is the only town on your list that is on the New Haven line which you could be used to commute to Stamford. Wilton is the closest if you want to drive. Trumbull is the furthest but is also where you would get the most home for your money.

Fairfield and Ridgefield have the nicest downtown areas. Weston does not have a downtown nor much in the way of shopping and restaurants. You will need to drive to a Westport or Wilton for that. Wilton and Trumbull are more car oriented. All of the towns you list are good for families with a lot of family activities. I would suggest you visit each to see which best serves you. Jay

Echo everything Jay has said. If you're willing to do the commute from Trumbull and/or you like the more rural feel of Weston, you should also look at Redding, Easton and Monroe.

[Stylo]

If your budget is more modest, and you can commute by train. Live as close to train line as possible. Traffic is absolutely miserable. Train is super easy.

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by jacoby23

Thinking of moving to CT from Colorado. Used to live in Fairfield and loved it. What town would be the best for small town community feel, decent downtown/shopping, kids activities, and reasonable priced homes and taxes. Would aim to commute to Stamford.

Fairfield
Weston
Wilton
Ridgefield
Trumbull

I am originally from Stamford and I moved to Trumbull to afford a house. My husband and I commuted to Stamford for about 12 years before we found jobs closer to home. The traffic in Fairfield County commuting to Stamford is AWFUL. My advice is to live as close to Stamford as you can afford.

One thing to bear in mind is the SALT tax being capped at $10,000 so now the taxes on the house could be a bigger factor too. That could affect the affordability of a home too in Fairfield County.

I am not sure what your definition of a reasonable priced home is but here is the median price of a home according to City-Data as of 2016 and don't forget the taxes.

Fairfield........$496,793
Weston.........over $1,000,000
Wilton..........$880,563
Ridgefield.....$673,087
Trumbull.......$402,112
Just for fun:
New Canaan...over $1,000,000
Darien...........over $1,000,000
Westport........over $1,000,000

If you can tell us how much home you can afford we can guide you toward a town of your liking.

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by Mike 75

Echo everything Jay has said. If you're willing to do the commute from Trumbull and/or you like the more rural feel of Weston, you should also look at Redding, Easton and Monroe.

[RiskReturn]

I think Ridgefield hits most of the items on your list, however without a budget we can't say constitutes "reasonable home prices/taxes" to you.

[Karianne1234]

Redding should be on your list to cHeck out, especially if you are moving back from Colorado. Over 60 miles of hiking trails. Open space. Has a train straight to Stamford and through to grand central peak rush hours.. West side of town touches Weston, ridgefield, north Wilton. Easy commute. No “keeping up”. Great places to eat. Music scene. One of the most highly rated libraries in Connecticut with many cultural programs for all ages. I grew up in Weston, shop in westport and ridgefield, worked in Wilton, love coming home to Redding and now am the First Selectman here.