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I am writing in for my 32 year old daughter, who asked me to do so because she has enjoyed the CT threads I have sent her so far. She is single and looking to move to a place in coastal SW CT where she can make friends and be a part of community: open-minded, creative and interesting, LGBTQ presence, arts, culture. She is not into the bar scene, but would hike, do modern or contemporary dance classes, maybe join a book club or drawing class or Italian class. She will rent with her two dogs. She is wfh- a tutor teacher of writing to all ages. She is very interested in New Haven, but her dogs would do better in a less busy area, so she is considering Branford, Milford, Guilford, Fairfield, Black Rock, Norwalk. She enjoys being around open-minded people. She does not want to live in a place full of just families or retirees or techies. Budget is not really the point here; it is more about the type of people who live there- will she have something in common with enough of them- demographics, lifestyle, creative/liberal minded. She does not want to be in the woods, but in a walkable neighborhood with places to walk her dogs and cafes and a sense of town, and loves being on or not far from the coast. A book store, art gallery, an arts center would be nice, you get the idea. She understands that the towns do bleed into drivable regions (she has a car), and that her big initial choice will be be a. the Shoreline/New Haven OR b. further south in FFC. But given her profile, maybe you can help shed light on which would be the specifically better towns, areas, neighborhoods for her to consider, based on nuances of who lives there and what the towns are like. TYIA
New Haven is definitely right for that description.
It is not that busy of a city. East Rock and Wooster Square are actually rather quiet places, but still walkable with things to do nearby. They both have dog parks nearby. I’d look there.
A close second would be Milford, especially downtown. It doesn’t quite have the culture of New Haven, but nice coffee shops, community events, places to take the dogs.
Branford and Guilford are lovely but may skew a bit older and more towards families than New Haven and Milford. A friend moved his business from Branford to Milford and noted how much younger and more lively the customer base has become.
Fairfield and Norwalk very nice, though a bit pricey. I do think Black Rock is a great option, but New Haven is so much better as a city and offers so much more than it becomes harder to recommend. I just think living in or near New Haven is the move. There’s not that much culture in other CT towns in comparison.
Feel free to reach out for any other specifics, sounds like we have very similar interests/tastes.
Thanks so much, Stylo, very helpful. We had no idea that Milford skews younger! We will be there over Thanksgiving and will look around. And will comp with New Haven and Branford. Will get back with questions.
So, to any who know Fairfield, Black Rock or Norwalk, maybe Westport well, what can you tell us about them in terms of what my daughter is looking for?
Thanks so much, Stylo, very helpful. We had no idea that Milford skews younger! We will be there over Thanksgiving and will look around. And will comp with New Haven and Branford. Will get back with questions.
So, to any who know Fairfield, Black Rock or Norwalk, maybe Westport well, what can you tell us about them in terms of what my daughter is looking for?
I have spent a lot of time in those areas—Norwalk is probably the next best bet for a city, but it lacks cultural amenities like New Haven. It doesn’t have the museums, very limited music scene, not as many walkable vibrant neighborhoods. There’s some art, but not as much. It does have plenty of people her age though, and some good bars/restaurants. Lots of working professionals. It probably edges Milford a bit for things to do, but Milford to me gets an edge because of proximity to New Haven and being less expensive.
Westport is extremely wealthy and family oriented. Any single person I’ve known that rented there, hated it for that reason. It’s a good place if you have a family and a big budget. You’re paying for schools and proximity to NYC.
Fairfield is more diverse than Westport economically. It’s a decent option, but I’m not seeing any compelling reason to be there as it’s not close to a bigger city like New Haven, and is also mostly family oriented. It is a college town, so that helps, but there’s really nothing to do as far as nightlife etc.
Black Rock is great, but very very small. It’s like one street in New Haven. Good restaurants, a few bars, cool art scene, but limited. Cool area though. But might get tired of it and wind up traveling to other areas.
One word - Norwalk, Norwalk, Norwalk.
IMO, that and Fairfield are the best in state when you factor everything in. They check all the boxes. Mixes of young, old, diverse demographics, eclectic neighborhoods that feel like small towns in of themselves, and of course Long Island Sound. If it were up to me these two would be perennial finalists in Danny K's fantastic bi-annual CT Town Tournament thread.
Gregory Blvd area in East Norwalk (I belong to a club down there) is walkable to a popular market with cafe/juice bar that many walk, singles and families with strollers and dogs, they put out dog bowls in the seating area out front during warmer months. There are also a couple of nice restuarants on the corner, a popular ice cream shop and another place that has decadent hot lobster rolls. In the harbor many kayakers and paddlers have dogs on board. Lower Gregory is one of FFC and CTs best kept secrets. Sono (walkable from E Nor) has popular art galleries and an annual art festivel in summer, a maritime museum with ferry tours. These areas are very nautical aquatic focused. Lower Rt 7 area is another eclectic walkable neighborhood futher north. Rowayton on the others side of town is also aquatic but not as liberal minded.
Fairfield beach area around Reef Rd is walkable to the town center and beach. There are a lot of college student rentals here. The area around the Metro Station is up and coming.
Saugatuck area of Westport with small shops and cafe also has an aquatic vibe and popular with paddlers and kayaks with dogs on board. Westport is very progressive liberal minded.
I would also look into Shippan in Stamford. Noroton Heights in Darien is building up to be a younger focused and walkable shops area. Glenville-Byram in Greenwich yet another that might check boxes.
To me Stamford/Greenwich has NY vibes, I don't feel CT until Darien/Norwalk.
I have spent a lot of time in those areas—Norwalk is probably the next best bet for a city, but it lacks cultural amenities like New Haven. It doesn’t have the museums, very limited music scene, not as many walkable vibrant neighborhoods. There’s some art, but not as much. It does have plenty of people her age though, and some good bars/restaurants. Lots of working professionals. It probably edges Milford a bit for things to do, but Milford to me gets an edge because of proximity to New Haven and being less expensive.
Westport is extremely wealthy and family oriented. Any single person I’ve known that rented there, hated it for that reason. It’s a good place if you have a family and a big budget. You’re paying for schools and proximity to NYC.
Fairfield is more diverse than Westport economically. It’s a decent option, but I’m not seeing any compelling reason to be there as it’s not close to a bigger city like New Haven, and is also mostly family oriented. It is a college town, so that helps, but there’s really nothing to do as far as nightlife etc.
Black Rock is great, but very very small. It’s like one street in New Haven. Good restaurants, a few bars, cool art scene, but limited. Cool area though. But might get tired of it and wind up traveling to other areas.
Did you forget that Fairfield is a suburb of and borders Bridgeport, Connecticut’s largest city?
There is no doubt New Haven best fits what the OP is looking for but finding a place that has a yard for her dogs might be a problem particularly in East Rock and Wooster Square. Since she is looking for a quieter area with more space, Fairfield might be a good option. It is located half way between New Haven and Stamford so it might be a good compromise. For nightlife she certainly can drive 30 minutes to New Haven.
I would suggest that the OP’s daughter visit the area to see what suits her best. She certainly has options. It just personal preference which is best. Jay
Did you forget that Fairfield is a suburb of and borders Bridgeport, Connecticut’s largest city?
There is no doubt New Haven best fits what the OP is looking for but finding a place that has a yard for her dogs might be a problem particularly in East Rock and Wooster Square. Since she is looking for a quieter area with more space, Fairfield might be a good option. It is located half way between New Haven and Stamford so it might be a good compromise. For nightlife she certainly can drive 30 minutes to New Haven.
I would suggest that the OP’s daughter visit the area to see what suits her best. She certainly has options. It just personal preference which is best. Jay
Sure, but Bridgeport pales as a city with things to do compared to New Haven. Even Stamford is a bit lacking in comparison. To me, for cities for younger people in 2022, it’s New Haven, Norwalk distant second, then Stamford and maybe West Hartford. Big advantage to Stamford is proximity to NYC.
But I think you want to be within 15 minutes of nightlife. Anymore and it’s not worth it on a regular basis.
A Fairfield house with a yard sounds great, but that’s going to cost a small fortune in rent. Mostly likely $3k and up. OP didn’t mention a yard, which is why I suggested East Rock. Walk around East Rock any weekend and you’ll see tons of dogs on the sidewalk.
You all are helping a lot! Interesting about Noroton, and the Gregory section of Norwalk.
Besides the beach areas with college students- probably too young/crazy partiers for my 32 year old daughter, what areas of Fairfield (if any) skew more to singles, 30-40's, maybe more arty, creative, curious or on the more liberal side?
What areas in Westport or Stamford fit this? Are the students in Fairfield mostly college undergrads?
Just trying to learn the neighborhoods that might be best for her in these places. Working at home isolates her, so she is looking for a place with community, organic ways to meet people and make friends, such as at the coffee shop or local bookstore... This may be somewhat rare in SW CT, but she is hoping to put roots down there to be near family in NYC and with family connections to Yale, and she loves the geography! Has car, willing to drive, willing to take train, etc. NYC is much too busy for her and the dogs, fyi. She loved living In Pittsburgh- Shadyside and Friendship area, and grew up in SF with a yard not far from the Presidio, but wants to be near East Coast family now. She lived in Tucson for many years- hated the heat and the lack of walkability and community outside of U of A.
A yard would be great, and a separate entrance is ideal if not a house, and parking, but not having these things is not going to be a deal-breaker- each dwelling will have to be evaluated for the dogs and in relation to the area it is in. So we are starting with selecting the areas.
Besides the beach areas with college students- probably too young/crazy partiers for my 32 year old daughter, what areas of Fairfield (if any) skew more to singles, 30-40's, maybe more arty, creative, curious or on the more liberal side?
The Beach areas are not that full of college students. Increasingly less as it becomes more expensive. It's mostly families. And out of reach of most singles budget wise.
None of Fairfield really fits that description–maybe downtown? Downtown is still very family orientated. Lots of shops for mom. A bit preppy. The exception being FTC, which is a cool venue. But more likely, that stuff is just in Black Rock.
Noroton is $$$ to rent and makes absolutely no sense as a single person.
what areas of Fairfield (if any) skew more to singles, 30-40's, maybe more arty, creative, curious or on the more liberal side?
The entire region from Greenwich to New Haven along the coast skews to all of those, close to 100% across the board, there are singles, there are families, there are liberals, they're all covered, all mingled in and about. No one will care if you're single, married or LGBTQ+. There's a large intersection in the Sono-Waypointe area in Norwalk that even has the rainbow colors painted around the perimeter on the pavement to honor the LGBQT+ community. Museums, art, restaurants, everything you can imagine is accessible from literally any town.
You've already been provided with many walkable options that are not woodsy areas and all close to the water. Stylo did a great job with the NH area. Go back and jot them all down, make a list.
All the best
Last edited by SteveM85; 11-19-2022 at 04:29 PM..
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