[Danny K]

Speaking of all there is to LOVE about Stonington, I haven't seen much talk about Mason's Island on here at all so far. That is a very pretty area and nice gem as well. Has anyone else been there?

[JayCT]

Round 7:

New Haven

Fairfield

Milford

Old Saybrook

[ProudFairfielder]

Deadline: Friday May 22nd at 8:00pm Connecticut Time.

New Haven vs Mansfield - Hands down

Stonington vs Fairfield - ALL THE WAY!! I can tell based on just how close last round was.. It's time for the sales pitch . Get ready everyone

Milford vs West Hartford - The coast always has a place in my heart.

Old Saybrook vs Westport - Sorry neighbors but OS is more beautiful and more my vibe.

[ProudFairfielder]

I want to be clear,

I love the whole state, and SE CT is a beautiful area. Stonington is beautiful. However, Fairfield has a special place in my heart, and here's why:

I’ll put it short first: I’m going to celebrate the staggering (and unexpected) diversity of the town.
I mention that it’s unexpected because I’m aware Fairfield, due to its position in the county with its name, has a certain stereotype.
Yet happiness is reality minus expectations, and every time I return I realize just how much more there is to the town that even I expect.
So what are some manifestations of that diversity?
- On the most basic level the town is exceptionally geographically diverse. It’s one of the only towns in the state that has an expansive coastal plain, at times reaching over a mile and a half inland. This gifts the town with many miles of beautiful sandy beaches sheltered by the sound. While there are beautiful points and even coastal cliffs by Pine Creek by far the most influential consequence of its unique coastline are the numerous marshes on Fairfield’s coast. Ever since first settlement the marshes have defined the town: they gave it its name, referring to how they were ideal (fair) grazing fields!
- Although a signifiacnt portion of the revolutionary war era structures were damaged, many homes in Southport were saved, making it the heart of the town’s living history. The oldest house in town, dating to 1673, is in this harborside neighborhood. Having access to the Sound via the Mill River allowed for a prosperous New England port unrivaled in quaintness. To this day the warehouse building that stored the regions’ premier export, onions, still stands! Although the onions are named the Southport globe onion, they are named after our next region: Greenfield Hill.
- The hillier western portion of town has always resisted development- in fact, Greenfield Hill is the closest “rural” area to the coast in the western part of the state. The lack of development doesn’t mean a lack of character or prosperity: rather its charm radiates from the quaint center church on dogwood lined streets to fields that still produce fresh crop to this day.
- This beautifully juxtaposes Stratfield in the northeast. Flatter and nearer Bridgeport Harbor, this area was the first to urbanize and therefore is the perfect transition to my second point:

The town’s human development compliments its natural beauty. Each of the outlined neighborhoods harmonizes with its unique geography to create these neighborhoods. From Capes and Nantucket Shingles by the beach to beautiful Tudor and Victorian houses in Stratfield to wonderful colonial architecture Fairfield’s neighborhoods synergize.
And, thanks to the efforts of many fantastic Proud Fairfielders before me, over 1200 acres of the town have been conserved for all to enjoy. Keeping in line with its name over 80% of the original marshland was conserved and now boasts the largest marsh trail system in the state! In the north Brett Woods and the Cascades are beautiful woodlands complete with camping and waterfalls respectively. In between the Mill River Greenway is a collection of open spaces that run from Samp Mortar Southport almost without interruption, providing a green backbone for the town. Meanwhile Mountain Laurel open space features 40 foot cliffs and even small caves!

Despite all of this staggering diversity it’s all Fairfield.
- Which brings me to the most important point of all: the people. Fairfield has the perfect amount of New England provincialism to provide a sense of unity and passion, yet is cosmopolitan and diverse enough to be a welcoming town.
- In addition to the 50,000 year round residents there are over 12,000 college students in Fairfield, giving the town a constant stream of newcomers who keep things lively and contribute to the local culture.
-And, whenever you feel like travelling here again, it's extremely accessible via car and train. It's simultaneous a fantastic launching/ vantage point to take on the rest of the world from and also a place to stay forever.

This post doesn’t even scratch the surface of why Fairfield is better than the sum of its parts.

And that’s why I’m proud.

PS - what I'm really saying is that you can find all the rural peace and quiet you need in Fairfield - you just need to know where to look

[SteveM85]

Thanks Dan


New Haven vs Mansfield - Easy one, finally get some Hoodies in the Final Four, and beyond.

Stonington vs Fairfield - Its a real special New England seaport vibe. As great as Sasco and Southport Harbor are, I'm not as high on the remaining Fairfield coast.

Milford vs West Hartford - Doesn't really belong in the Final Four, but whatever, luck of the draw to this point. Coast and center are great, rest not so much. Its great if you order something online though, you'll get it quick since the distribution center is right in your neighborhood.

Old Saybrook vs Westport - Tails you win Westport

[beerisgood02]

New Haven

Fairfield

Milford

Westport

[CTartist]

Round 7:

New Haven vs Mansfield (I would like to see New Haven win the whole thing)

Stonington vs Fairfield (this is a hard one)

Milford vs West Hartford

Old Saybrook vs Westport

[Danny K]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

Milford vs West Hartford - Doesn't really belong in the Final Four, but whatever, luck of the draw to this point.

Really you think so? What other town that is also not set to be there deserves to be in the final four instead of Milford? The only town I can think of is the loser of Fairfield vs Stonington. I mean Milford did knockout Madison and Litchfield. Maybe East Lyme, but I still think Milford likely would've beaten East Lyme by a very small margin if they went against each other. The only other town I can think of is Guilford but it lost by quite a bit of votes to New Haven. Milford had to knockout some really strong towns to get to this point.

[jdhall1]

New Haven vs Mansfield

Stonington vs Fairfield

Milford vs West Hartford

Old Saybrook vs Westport

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Danny K

Really you think so? What other town that is also not set to be there deserves to be in the final four instead of Milford? The only town I can think of is the loser of Fairfield vs Stonington. I mean Milford did knockout Madison and Litchfield. Maybe East Lyme, but I still think Milford likely would've beaten East Lyme by a very small margin if they went against each other. The only other town I can think of is Guilford but it lost by quite a bit of votes to New Haven. Milford had to knockout some really strong towns to get to this point.

There’s more great areas to Milford than credit is given for. The highly trafficked big box area is such a small part of town.

Even the chain dining stereotype is false. More in Orange. There’s only a half dozen or so sit down chains. Independents far, far outweigh chains.