[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

If you visit Fairfield and Milford it’s the same just a little bigger. There are no Norwalk residents on here to give it enough coverage. Its coastline is the sleeper, more charm and character than the other two (Southport and Rowayton are a wash). Forest neighborhoods away from coast rival Fairfield’s but are much nicer than Milford’s.

Originally Posted by JayCT

Even woodsy neighborhoods I think Fairfield beats out Norwalk and not just because of Greenfield Hill. Brooklawn Park, Hoydens Hill, Rock Ridge, Stratfield, Fairfield Woods, Lake Hills, Fairfield University and Mill Plain all have dozens of attractive leafy green tree lined streets that are at the very least comparable to what you find in Norwalk.

Nowhere did I say anything about schools and prices.

Upper central Norwalk hoods like Ponus/Fox Run are comparable to Stratfield-FFld Woods-Milford postwar unattractive capes, raised ranches and split levels. The outside border hoods (upper Silvermine, upper Cranbury near Wilton/Westport and Princes Pine near Darien/NC) are much nicer than those. That is a palpable fact, you can physically see it. WiltonPark knows exactly what I'm talking about, even thought I just kidded with him about sucking the air out of the room.
There aren't any areas with guady ostentatious McMansions and huge lots on Congress Hill, I get that. Nothing like the more charming larger homes/lots like in the Mill Hill area, I get that too.
I'm going to stand by the coastal comment though as a boater who lives it. 2 boaters in Benson Marina tell me all the time - Norwalk/Darien are sooo much nicer better along the water and for boating.
Milford is the clear winner in beaches though, no doubt.

Ok Lets get back on the Tourny topic.
Danny, you were saying about Middletown?

[Danny K]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

Ok Lets get back on the Tourny topic.
Danny, you were saying about Middletown?

I was just talking about how Middletown has had an unreal tournament so far and it’s made itself into the Top 16 towns of the coefficients based on all tournaments! Jay was saying that it’s likely because people have visited there more often and realized how well rounded the town is. I guess it’s kind of a hidden gem in the heart of Middlesex County. Many people know about it but haven’t actually visited or spent time there.

[7express]

Groton vs Middletown. Groton is better than some people have stated with really nice areas, but downtown Middletown gives this to Middletown.

West Hartford vs Essex. This was a tough choice. West Hartford with a really beautiful downtown area, but I love Essex, a whole lot of charm not many know about.

Norwalk vs Branford. Nice run for Norwalk. It's not Guilford or Madison, but Branford holds its own.

Kent vs East Lyme. The country vs. the shoreline. I will pick the country side.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Danny K

OK I am chiming in on this Norwalk vs Fairfield debate! First of all, the towns are quite different, and I don't think they really are as similar as Steve makes them out to be.

Norwalk is very city like for the most part and I believe is considered one of the CT's major cities. It is NOT New Haven, but the city has tons of character and a lot of shopping. Great architecture as well, although still NOT like New Haven. Rowayton almost feels like a different town, but it's a small part of Norwalk that is more suburban and pretty upscale.

Fairfield is a lot more like a college town with a bunch of suburban developments. Downtown is city-like in some ways. It has a unique town center with some town green, but it can get very crowded, and feels city like, but that is only a small portion of the town. The rest of the town is pretty suburban with a few rural areas. Southport is one of the most upscale areas of the whole country. Like Jay was mentioning, Greenfield Hill has some very charming houses (my parents live there). Eastern Fairfield as in Tunix Hills, Fairfield Woods, Stratfield, and parts of the University Area are more middle class.

As for the Rowayton vs Southport debate, they are honesty not even that similar and quite different. Southport is A LOT more upscale. In Rowayton, average houses will go for around $1-1.5 million. You're looking at more like $2.5-4 million for the same quality housing in Southport. Southport is definitely more rich and charming, but Rowayton is also a great area too. Rowayton I'd say is more like South-Central Madison or Southwest Guilford. It's a bit more upscale than those areas due to proximity to NYC, but similar towns. Southport is richer. The only other area in CT that matches Southport in terms of quality and richness is Fenwick. MAYBE parts of Greenwich and Darien, although I'm unfamiliar.

Also I believe Fairfield is known to have much better schools compared to Norwalk. Schools in Norwalk are average for the state I think.

This seems to be a balanced view of the Norwalk verses Fairfield debate. They are very different. Fairfield is a small town with a deep history that has grown into a large attractive upscale suburb. Norwalk has pretty much always been a small city with a more urban industrial past. That’s why you have high rise buildings there but you don’t in Fairfield.

I’ll admit my view of Fairfield is somewhat biased but I feel it’s fact based. I also think Wilton and Steve are biased in their view of Norwalk since they both seem to be from there. I still stand by my assertion that Fairfield is nicer.

Originally Posted by Danny K

I personally like Fenwick better, but Southport and Fenwick are probably the two most upscale charming villages in the East Coast or the country even.

Fenwick is nice but there really is no village to speak of. It’s just a number of summer beach homes for wealthy Hartford folks. The views are stunning. I’ll take the historic colonial charm of Southport over Fenwick though, if I could afford either.

[Wilton2ParkAve]

Originally Posted by JayCT

This seems to be a balanced view of the Norwalk verses Fairfield debate. They are very different. Fairfield is a small town with a deep history that has grown into a large attractive upscale suburb. Norwalk has pretty much always been a small city with a more urban industrial past. That’s why you have high rise buildings there but you don’t in Fairfield.

I’ll admit my view of Fairfield is somewhat biased but I feel it’s fact based. I also think Wilton and Steve are biased in their view of Norwalk since they both seem to be from there. I still stand by my assertion that Fairfield is nicer.



Fenwick is nice but there really is no village to speak of. It’s just a number of summer beach homes for wealthy Hartford folks. The views are stunning. I’ll take the historic colonial charm of Southport over Fenwick though, if I could afford either.

I’ve always found Fairfield very industrial - GE was previously based there and there are a lot of smokestacks and factories in Fairfield near the Bpt line. I’m not from Norwalk - never lived there either. Stamford and Wilton only (excluding Florida).

[SteveM85]

I'm from out west. In CT - Stamford, NC, Darien only, never lived Norwalk. There, I said it.

Rowatyon median sold price $1.4M, per sq ft $540.
Southport $1.3M, $520 per ft
Look before you post gents
I like the restaurants in Southport better than the ones in Rowayton - all of them.

[Danny K]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

Rowatyon median sold price $1.4M, per sq ft $540.
Southport $1.3M, $520 per ft
Look before you post gents

IDK where you got those stats from, but if you look at houses for sale on zillow or realtor, the average in Southport is definitely considerably higher prices for houses with less square feet even.

[Danny K]

Originally Posted by JayCT

This seems to be a balanced view of the Norwalk verses Fairfield debate. They are very different. Fairfield is a small town with a deep history that has grown into a large attractive upscale suburb. Norwalk has pretty much always been a small city with a more urban industrial past. That’s why you have high rise buildings there but you don’t in Fairfield.

I’ll admit my view of Fairfield is somewhat biased but I feel it’s fact based. I also think Wilton and Steve are biased in their view of Norwalk since they both seem to be from there. I still stand by my assertion that Fairfield is nicer.

I am originally from Fairfield, and I personally would choose Fairfield over Norwalk to live in if price wasn't a factor. The main reason for that though is because Fairfield is more appealing to me personally.

In general I wouldn't call myself a city person for the most part, but there are certain cities that I wouldn't mind living in at all; in fact I'd love to live in some. Generally if the city is famous for certain great food, or any attractions / amenities that are special and not just ordinary for any city, I'd really enjoy living there.

For example cities I'd enjoy living in are: New Haven, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, NYC, Chicago, Boston, Miami, London, Naples (Italy), Turin (Italy), Rome, Amsterdam, Paris, Indianapolis, Larnaca, and Reykjavik.

However, these are cities I probably would NOT enjoy living in as much: Hartford, Bridgeport, Danbury, Stamford, Norwalk, Dallas, Houston, Jacksonville, Atlanta, D.C., Pittsburgh, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Charlotte, etc. Not that I'd hate to live in most of those places, but I'd probably prefer suburbs if I were to live in any of those areas. Although I would NEVER want to live in Pittsburgh or Atalanta regardless.

All in All, I could see myself living in Norwalk, but just wouldn't be a top choice for me, as it's a city with a lot of character, but there's nothing there that personally attracts me. Unlike New Haven, as the food, Yale, history, and architecture are very attractive to me in that city.

[Danny K]

Originally Posted by Wilton2ParkAve

I’ve always found Fairfield very industrial - GE was previously based there and there are a lot of smokestacks and factories in Fairfield near the Bpt line. I’m not from Norwalk - never lived there either. Stamford and Wilton only (excluding Florida).

Well Yes Fairfield is somewhat industrial; but not as much as Stamford. Stamford is probably the most industrial town in all of CT. Norwalk has fairly industrial too. Not sure about the comparison between Norwalk and Fairfield in that way, but it's probably pretty similar. A lot of Southern Fairfield County is very industrial and probably the most industrial area in the state.

[Danny K]

Hey All,
It seems that people are voting at a faster pace this round than normal! Therefore, I am going to move the Deadline back a day to Wednesday, May 15 at 11:59pm CT Time!

OFFICIAL: New Deadline for Round 10: Wednesday, May 15 at 11:59pm CT Time