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New Canaan is more or less idyllic, but you pay a premium for it. Wilton is like an extension of it with higher taxes and more rural. North Wilton is more of an extension of Ridgefield, another idyllic town. You can't go wrong with either but NC is more expensive because it has the downtown, more typical neighborhoods, easier commute to Stamford/NYC, lower taxes, and overall better town facilities. Wilton has fallen further in price compared to New Canaan because it lacks these things that new homebuyers prefer over just a larger house. So Wilton is a bargain, especially if acreage is important, but New Canaan might retain its value better, so its all a tradeoff.
In Wilton, $1m will get you a beautiful 4-5,000 square foot home. In New Canaan, you’re looking at 3-4,000 square feet. It’s a buyers market, especially in those communities, so definitely offer low. You’ll be surprised.
That said, I’d suggest you rent for a year or two upon moving to get a feel for the place. Renting is no fun, but worth it in the long run.
Since OP's commute is to Stamford, the train isn't really going to be an issue. They are going to commute by car. But your analysis on the train situation in both towns is spot on, although there are no transfers on the Danbury line during rush hour. Wilton has free parking too.
When looking at Wilton, focus on the western and southern sides of town. Both will give you easier commutes to Stamford.
Oops, you're right.
There are still transfers at rush hour for Danbury branch, but yes - there's direct options too. It's working late that becomes a problem. Also, in general they are just much more infrequent and slower.
Agree with you on SW Wilton. Seems like the best value proposition for OP.
Weston might be worth a look too for that woodsy feel, as it's such a buyer's market now. $1MM would get you a palace there. A backroad commute is possible.
Location of work in Stamford is important to know too. Near train station? Near the Merritt?
We'll probably lean towards Wilton then since my husband will likely drive to Stamford and won't need the train most days and he LOVES value. I am looking forward to a more rural feel - I grew up on Cape Cod and I love smaller towns with a lot of trees. I am a SAHM so I have plenty of time to do errands, but shopping being more convenient is definitely a plus. The one thing I will miss about where I live now is being able to buzz down to Whole Foods in 5 minutes.
You're in luck, we have two Whole Foods, one in Darien and one in Norwalk, minutes from both southern portions of NC and Wilton.
Commuting by car is fine from either and to any location in Stamford really. Trains aren't going to save much time factoring in parking, shuttles, walking, not to mention spreading viruses sharing a train cab with 50 of your best friends.
We wouldn't mind a 3000 - 4000 square foot house, that's what we have in Atlanta and don't really need anything bigger. We do have a friend in Weston and he said the commute would be worse from there so we didn't initially consider it.
My husband is going to be working on Summer Street in Stamford. Looks like it's near the mall area.
We wouldn't mind a 3000 - 4000 square foot house, that's what we have in Atlanta and don't really need anything bigger. We do have a friend in Weston and he said the commute would be worse from there so we didn't initially consider it.
My husband is going to be working on Summer Street in Stamford. Looks like it's near the mall area.
New Canaan is the better commute. It is closer to Stamford than Wilton and your husband might not even need to get on a highway. New Canaan is a beautiful town. The schools are excellent and it’s downtown is charming. There is a reason it is as pricey as it is. It’s considered one of the most desirable and most affluent towns in the country along with Greenwich and Darien.
Wilton is also a beautiful town with excellent schools but it’s just not quite as prestigious. Still that could be good. People in Wilton are not quite as affluent. You will find more middle class people living there. It’s up to you which your family would be more comfortable living in. Jay
We wouldn't mind a 3000 - 4000 square foot house, that's what we have in Atlanta and don't really need anything bigger. We do have a friend in Weston and he said the commute would be worse from there so we didn't initially consider it.
My husband is going to be working on Summer Street in Stamford. Looks like it's near the mall area.
Yes add another 10 minutes or so to backroads from Weston compared to Wilton. But if you’re on the border of Wilton it wouldn’t be terrible.
Google Maps says with traffic on back roads in the morning New Canaan is 25 minutes to 50 minutes to that location. Wilton about 30-55 minutes.
His work is walkable from the train (about a 15 minute walk to the base of Summer St near the mall) so you might also consider Fairfield. Greenfield Hill and most of north Fairfield gives you nice big wooded areas. The town is loaded with amenities. There’s several train stations to commute from. It really depends on what kind of commute he prefers. Very personal choice. I will say traversing even side streets in Stamford during rush hour has its frustrations and back roads can get slow on heavy traffic days.
We wouldn't mind a 3000 - 4000 square foot house, that's what we have in Atlanta and don't really need anything bigger. We do have a friend in Weston and he said the commute would be worse from there so we didn't initially consider it.
My husband is going to be working on Summer Street in Stamford. Looks like it's near the mall area.
If he works on Summer St, you may want to consider Darien and take the train. Lesser commute by car, too.
He would prefer a shorter commute (30 minutes would be preferable) - he only has a 15 minute commute now so he's been spoiled for the past 17 years.
We are fairly low key for the area we live in now - but like having a nice house. Our friends from Wilton said they ruled out NC because it felt to "New Yorky" but my friend who does live in NC is a pretty low key person and she loves NC.
He would prefer a shorter commute (30 minutes would be preferable) - he only has a 15 minute commute now so he's been spoiled for the past 17 years.
We are fairly low key for the area we live in now - but like having a nice house. Our friends from Wilton said they ruled out NC because it felt to "New Yorky" but my friend who does live in NC is a pretty low key person and she loves NC.
The whole area will feel “New Yorky” to a newcomer to the region. I have friends from MA who think Milford-New Haven feel New York oriented (and I can’t blame them - it’s served by NYC commuter rail).
If he wants a short commute to Summer St, on your budget of $1m (which means you should be looking at homes for 1.1 or 1.2), don't rule out northern Darien. Wilton would really be pushing the 30 minute commute preference.
Last edited by kidyankee764; 03-04-2020 at 12:40 PM..
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