[Stepfordct]

DT, more space vs Beach, access to NYC

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

This is the very definition of "splitting hairs". Textbook.
Publics are for the rank and file personnel in town. The top honchos go elite privates and boarding.

And damned proud to be part of that public school rank and file in town.

[Lillie767]

New Canaan has the feel of a town in its "downtown" area. Very walkable, nice variety of shops. Lots of restaurants. You can still "window shop" after dinner in New Canaan.

Darien has newer, larger library. Darien is along US 1 so not so quaint feeling.

The towns abut each other so supermarket shopping is only a difference of a few minutes. Darien has Palmers and Whole Foods.

Darien is a better train commute since it's on the mainline, but you may not get a seat since trains don't start in Darien. During rush hours, there are through trains from New Canaan, so you always get a seat. Off rush hour, change in Stamford for trains to CGT.

If you live in New Canaan, you can get a beach pass from the city of Norwalk for their beaches and parks. There are some covid restrictions that over-ride the usual allocation of passes.

"The 2021 Landlocked Non Resident permit allows residents from the towns of New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, and Wilton to purchase a nonresident pass. Please bring your current vehicle registration with you to purchase a pass for Calf Pasture at $325.00, Cranbury Park $150.00 for the season. If you are a non-resident and would like to visit our beach or parks for a day, you can pay over the phone ($40.00/car/day) at 877-727-5730 or by downloading the Parkmobile app www.parkmobile.com"
https://www.norwalkct.org/2110/Resid...ss-Information

[JayCT]

As others have noted there’s not a lot of differences between the two towns that would make anyone choose one over the other. They are both excellent towns to live in and offer much for their residents. It’s a matter of personal preference which is best for your family. I’d suggest you look at homes in both towns and buy the one that best suits you, no matter which town it’s in. Good luck, Jay

[Vetgirl2014]

Last year I was also picking between the 2 towns. I ended up picking NC over Darien for a few reasons, but they are very similar towns. I liked NC better because the people seemed friendlier when I would visit, the downtown is way cuter than the 'town' area in Darien (and we wanted to live walkable to downtown so that was actually a big part for us), I don't personally care about the long island sound so beach access didn't matter for me, the parks for kids are better in NC than in Darien- and again walkable for me, so importnat. Also you money goes a smidge futher in NC than Darien. I also dont work in Manhattan, and in a post-Covid world my H will be going in 1-3 times a week, so having a 10 minute longer commute wasn't as big a deal. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me. We moved almost a year ago and I adore it here.