Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
People, you're not going to sell New Haven to a non CT native. Give it up. Great food and pizza isn't going to win over the masses.
It's ironic to hear someone so fond of moving to NYC these days. CT became an escape from NYC the last couple of years due to the heavy handed Covid lockdowns, mask and vax mandates, people were getting physically assualted and dragged from school board meetings for not wearing a mask by NY Covid henchmen, Tik Tokkers on smartphone video would call out anyone maskless. Then the crime wave surged, stabbings, shootings, muggings, subway slashings. NYC descended into Hell and CT benefitted. CT homes were getting multiple day one offers as NYC residents were desperate and would do anything in their power to get out of Gotham.
The reports of NYC devolving into 70's/80's blight are greatly exaggerated. If you have the money, NYC is still amazing. We have friends in Park Slope, daughter in NYC public kindergarten, with second home in Killingworth. They spend the COVID year here until the wife's job made her come back to the office. Trust me, she could leave her job and they would be just fine living on husband's salary. They live in 900 sq ft with a kid during week and come out to the farmhouse for weekends and most of the summer. After a year out of the city, they missed the the action. We just got back from three days, staying in a hotel on the LES. Loved every minute of it.
The reports of NYC devolving into 70's/80's blight are greatly exaggerated. If you have the money, NYC is still amazing. We have friends in Park Slope, daughter in NYC public kindergarten, with second home in Killingworth. They spend the COVID year here until the wife's job made her come back to the office. Trust me, she could leave her job and they would be just fine living on husband's salary. They live in 900 sq ft with a kid during week and come out to the farmhouse for weekends and most of the summer. After a year out of the city, they missed the the action. We just got back from three days, staying in a hotel on the LES. Loved every minute of it.
I've been in the Bronx twice and midtown 3 times in the past month. Great times. Yanks won too, even better.
It doesn't change the fact that many were driven out of the City to CT during the pandemic and ensuing crime spikes.
The reports of NYC devolving into 70's/80's blight are greatly exaggerated. If you have the money, NYC is still amazing. We have friends in Park Slope, daughter in NYC public kindergarten, with second home in Killingworth. They spend the COVID year here until the wife's job made her come back to the office. Trust me, she could leave her job and they would be just fine living on husband's salary. They live in 900 sq ft with a kid during week and come out to the farmhouse for weekends and most of the summer. After a year out of the city, they missed the the action. We just got back from three days, staying in a hotel on the LES. Loved every minute of it.
A lot of people over-corrected during Covid, moving into the sticks from NYC. That's a huge change. Those I've met that did more of an in-between move (moving to a busier suburb/small city) seem to be less reticent of their new surroundings.
NYC seems OK lately to me. Brooklyn is fine. Manhattan had the biggest change with less office traffic. Lots of empty storefronts still. Maybe a smidge more graffiti/trash. Not nearly as much as back in the day.
I spent a few weeks in Chelsea last year for a project. And at night it was worse around there than I remembered, as far as homeless/unhinged people walking around. Also a shocking number of rats, and dirtier sidewalks.
I can't speak for the subway as I haven't taken it since before Covid.
The city was in its best shape in the years before Covid, so any decline is really noticeable.
That's a really snooty attitude then. Big city people haven't seen it all. There's a lot of art and culture in the world.
Someone is a little hesitant on living in Fairfield town, can you imagine. That can throw the City Data faithful into a frenzy. I know that's difficult for some here to process and take in, I get it, but it happens. CT is not for everyone.
It's not snooty, it just may not appeal to everyone. If you've seen an opera in Milan or Shakespeare in London, an evening orchestra in a piazza in Rome or a Baroque in Vienna, is New Haven going to be on your to do list or places to live? probably not. There's nothing wrong with that, there's no slight intended, it's not to disparage NH.
Hey listen it goes both ways, most in the NH aren't as worldy as you, and that's fine. For millions CT is the center of the universe and New Haven fits th bill for art, music and culture just fine.
I like the NH area culture, I'm going to Christos pizza in Wallingford on the 29th before a show at The Oakdale.
It's not snooty, it just may not appeal to everyone. If you've seen an opera in Milan or Shakespeare in London, an evening orchestra in a piazza in Rome or a Baroque in Vienna, is New Haven going to be on your to do list or places to live? probably not. There's nothing wrong with that, there's no slight intended, it's not to disparage NH.
I guess I don't see these things as mutually exclusive.
I've done approximations of those things in London, Rome, and Vienna. I still love having easily accessible culture 15 minutes away. No fuss parking. Low cost access. Manageable crowds. Looking forward to Peter Oundjian at Woolsey Hall in May. $15 for an orchestra in a grand hall is a great deal.
If I want more, I drive to JFK and go overseas. I'm trying to hit 2 new countries a year these days.
I also totally get those that must be in a big city.
But for those that like small/medium cities with culture, there's some great options out there.
2. My point was New Haven is culturally superior to Norwalk and Stamford, not NYC.
3. I lived and worked in NYC for years and I go there at least 2x a month still. Of course I know the difference between the scale of a Broadway show and the Natural History museum vs. the Shubert and Peabody (PS: there's no one "Yale Museum". There's the Peabody, Yale Art Gallery, Yale Center for British Art, Beinecke, and Morris Steinert Collection).
Sarah2k,
Here is what I did not mention in my first post. I would love to live in Greenwich Village but that is impossible $$$. My second choice would be Audobon Street the arts district in New Haven. My husband is not a "city mouse" so that is off the table. If I survive my husband right to Audobon Street in New Haven I go.
Here is another thing to think about. When I first went to Pratt it was in SOHO on the corner of Houston and Lafayette in the Puck building. I had artist friends that used to live near Pratt. Guess what......artists can't afford to live there anymore. Now all Wall Street Bankers live there and the creative vibe is GONE. That is why Pratt moved into the village on 14th street. I attended Pratt when it was in SOHO and the village.
Guess where all the artists are now? Many are in New Haven and in many coastal towns east of New Haven. A lot of artists used to live in SONO in Norwalk and they can't afford that anymore either. Rich people from NYC live there now. If you don't know this, artists need lots space and right now one of the best places to get lots of space for a good price is New Haven.
Here is my summation. If you want to live with bankers and wealthy people who talk about art/music Fairfield and Fairfield County is great. If you want to live in and near a real creative community, go live in or near New Haven.
Hello! We are a family of four, and my husband is considering a faculty position at the University of New Haven. We currently live in a coastal southern city (which is actually quite nice), but we lived in NYC for 12 years after college. We only moved down here because he got a TT job here.
Anyways, we really want to move back to NYC, but so far the only promising position in the area he's gotten is in New Haven (and not even Yale... ). We're not sure about it.
For one, we wanted to live in NYC, not New Haven. So now we're thinking about living in Fairfield, or possibly Westport, so we could still go to NYC on weekends. All of our friends are still there.
But I'm not that excited about the Stepford Wife vibe you get from most towns in FFC. Our budget for a house is ~$700k (I stay home with our kids, who are 1 and 3; I also am writing a novel). I think his salary would be around $130k/year after tenure.
I was excited about moving to Croton-on-Hudson (had he gotten a job in NYC), because it's supposedly outdoorsy and bohemian and artistic. Is Fairfield any of those things? The problem I've had down here in SC is that people aren't very sophisticated culturally. It's all about the boats and the cars and the go karts.
I'm more into film festivals and European travel and discussing literature.
We lived in Brooklyn before doing our PhDs at Columbia. I'm looking for a similar vibe, just with more outdoor access. Should we turn down New Haven and hold out for NYC?? Is Connecticut just not what we're looking for?
Thank you for any advice!!
You received lots of opinions on Fairfield and I can provide some direct experience. My wife and I met in NYC. She is an artist and she lived near park/Mt Sinai for 12 years before we met. When we decided to get married and start a family, financially there was no choice but Fairfield. We lived in Greenwich but it started to get ridiculous for rent. We have been here 8 years and don't regret too much. The beauty of Fairfield is that you can make it what you want. There are small, tightly knit housing units near Tunxis Hill, with all kinds of backgrounds...or you can seek out the impressive horse farm estates in Greenfield Hills. We live near Lake Mohegan (more of a large pond but swimmable) and like it alot. You can walk trails and feel in nature, away from bustle. My neighbors have been here for years. Most are humble teachers, former sanitation workers, police and self-employed business people. There is no snottiness here. You will find it in Southport, Beach area and Greenfield as upper haughty parts of town. They are beautiful places though. Go visit them. Fairfield is a big town with 62K residents. It has two universities with D1 athletics and performing arts centers. It has 5 (decent size) beaches on LI sound. It has Fairfield Theatre Company, SHU theatre which hold film series, speakers, comedians, lectures. We have friends in NYC that we visit often. It is pretty easy, though long 90m on weekend if taking train. You can drive pretty easy in 70m. It is a non-issue. We like taking train in and they like getting out of city and coming up here. In terms of art, I won't pretend to be expert but I love music and there are tons of shows all the time - Fairfield Warehouse in town has world-class musicians and holds 650 or so. You have huge acts through Bridgeport Amphitheatre and Total Mortgage Arena. Westville Bowl has amazing rock shows. College Street, Toads Place, Oakdale, Wall Street...tons and tons of local music spots. You can take train to Capitol Theatre in Port Chester in 45m for best acts in country. It is great venue. I don't miss NYC except small jazz clubs like Blue note. My wife paints horseshoe crab shells found at Sasco beach. We visit artist colony in Weir Farm (awesome) near Ridgefield and she has made friends with people who paint around town. Of course, with two kids, time is precious. CT is like a secret. Only by living here can you find the hidden gems. There are people with millions/billions all around FFC - private museums, private collections. Lots of people with much time on their hands as generational wealth is obscene in Southport, Westport, Greenwich, New Canaan etc. The negatives - traffic (Merritt is the devil's parkway) and things close early, like 10pm on many nights. The closest bohemian area would be Black Rock in Bridgeport - lots of restaurants, music, hippie vibes, tattoo parlors and alternative markets. Totally diverse set of people I would say. Another negative, the food sucks around here, but you have to search and find. There are some good spots. My wife loves Ethiopian and very hard to locate. I think one in New Haven and one in Stamford. You will find mostly Italian and chain stuff. Sushi is another tough one but nothing is like NYC. I will say that your budget is very light. I am sure you know that but 700K will have 12k tax bill. Better than 22K in Westchester, closer to NYC. If you are comfortable with budget then crazy not to consider Fairfield. The schools are good if have typical children. I won't say they've blown us away but solid. You have to push hard if you have high performing kid or special needs. I hope you dig around the area. Good luck
Well I don't know what to say except that we are really not interested in New Haven and I came here to ask about Fairfield.
You asked for people’s advice. It did not read exclusive to Fairfield though. People are advising you what they think about your situation. That’s why you received the posts you got. They, like me, think that you are missing something by not giving New Haven a chance. You can take it for what it is.
Fairfield is a great town. It’s very diverse, affluent, educated and attractive. It could be a decent fit if your expectations aren’t unreasonable. It is not New York City so don’t expect the large culture scene it has. Only you and your husband can decide if it fits your needs.
As was suggested, you might be best off renting for a year to allow you time to get to know the area. It will also give you time to find a house you like. Again wishing you the best. Jay
@JayCT - Right that's why I clarified that we weren't considering living in New Haven, we were considering either a) staying in Charleston (where we live now, it's ok but not ideal) and waiting to see if we can find something in NYC or b) moving to a small town close to both NYC and New Haven. Fairfield seemed to fit the bill. Others say Norwalk would be better. So on this CT board, I'm interested in small CT towns with easy access to NYC. Not New Haven. Don't mean to offend anyone, it is what it is.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Fairfield
