[uswith6]

How long have you now been there and how is it going for you and your family (if you have one)?

[LaMadden]

I probably am not the one CT wants answering this question. We have been here one year. Our house went on the market two days ago. Coming from the southeast, CT has a very isolating feel about it. We are going to keep an apartment by his job and I will travel back and forth between here and Georgia until he retires. It's our way of keeping our sanity.

[jjbradleynyc]

Well, I relocated here to marry my partner and we bought a house in May of '06. I just came up from Brooklyn, though, so not too far. Originally, I'm from Tennessee.
I love Stamford, and Fairfield County. It's an amazing quality of life. We've been fortunate with the economy as it is, my partner just started a great teaching job, and I found a great job right in Stamford this past spring. All's going well.
The people here are much more educated, more cultural aware, more political, and in general not as "judgemental" as my southern experience.

[pmeek2309]

Originally Posted by Cruikshl

I probably am not the one CT wants answering this question. We have been here one year. Our house went on the market two days ago. Coming from the southeast, CT has a very isolating feel about it. We are going to keep an apartment by his job and I will travel back and forth between here and Georgia until he retires. It's our way of keeping our sanity.

I believe from your posts that you live in Woodbury. I have been there a few times antiquing and my husband hits golf balls with work buddies up there. Woodbury, while a gorgeous little town, is in one of the most rural parts of the state. It should not have been a surprise to you regarding the isolation...that is why I think people move there. It is quiet, woodsy and very rural for CT. Being from the south where in suburban areas are clogged with strip malls and super Wal-Marts, I can see how New Englandy, red barn, sometimes snooty Woodbury can be a culture shock!

We moved here recently from Seattle and love our new town. I don't feel the least bit isolated and the people here are very friendly. Also the quality of education here is unmatched. (I also feel teens here have more class than teens elsewhere. They just seem very well disciplined.)

[toddb]

Originally Posted by mewith3

How long have you now been there and how is it going for you and your family (if you have one)?

The wife and I bought our house in Fairfield in April of 07, and moved up here full time in September. We've been here just about a year, and so far we really like it. Our 1st child is due in about 6 weeks, and we don't plan on moving anywhere any time soon. We wanted a nice and safe place away from the insanity that has become of central/north NJ (where I grew up) and close to her family (near Trumbull). Between the neighbors being pleasant (as opposed to Manhattan where neighbors barely look at each other, let alone say hello or even know each other's name) and the public schools being excellent (please, no debate on how 1 town's are 'better' than the other - isn't it good enough that several towns have excellent schools??), we plan on continuing to have our family grow and raise the kids here as long as we can continue to afford it.

[LaMadden]

Originally Posted by pmeek2309

I believe from your posts that you live in Woodbury. I have been there a few times antiquing and my husband hits golf balls with work buddies up there. Woodbury, while a gorgeous little town, is in one of the most rural parts of the state. It should not have been a surprise to you regarding the isolation...that is why I think people move there. It is quiet, woodsy and very rural for CT. Being from the south where in suburban areas are clogged with strip malls and super Wal-Marts, I can see how New Englandy, red barn, sometimes snooty Woodbury can be a culture shock!

We moved here recently from Seattle and love our new town. I don't feel the least bit isolated and the people here are very friendly. Also the quality of education here is unmatched. (I also feel teens here have more class than teens elsewhere. They just seem very well disciplined.)

What I meant by isolation was that the people keep to themselves. I have houses around me and have been friendly. Here are two examples.

1) House goes on the market, person down the street calls my realtor to say she is also a realtor and my neighbor and wonders why we are moving....we seem so nice when she drives by us.

2) I was on the street by the for sale sign talking to my realtor another person who lives down the street drives up to say ...Oh ,are you moving? Like we had been friends when I didn't have a clue who she was.

The reason we bought in Woodbury is because the people were friendlier than Fairfield County and the area much prettier and the houses much nicer. The further you go away from Fairfield County the nicer the houses get and taxes are less. With that said, isolation is understandable if you are on a farm and no one is around for miles but......... it is just sad when you are lonely and they are down the street. Woodbury is a beautiful town and the prettiest one I"ve seen in CT.

[atlmburns]

We moved here from California about 3 months ago, loving it so far, never want to go back to California. We are originally from the UK and our first taste of the USA was was in San Diego, then upto San Francisco and finally here in little old Vernon CT, much prefer the lifestyle here, very homely, can't wait to see the fall colors and then hopefully some snow, haven't seen snow in 5 years.

[pmeek2309]

Originally Posted by Cruikshl

What I meant by isolation was that the people keep to themselves. I have houses around me and have been friendly. Here are two examples.

1) House goes on the market, person down the street calls my realtor to say she is also a realtor and my neighbor and wonders why we are moving....we seem so nice when she drives by us.

2) I was on the street by the for sale sign talking to my realtor another person who lives down the street drives up to say ...Oh ,are you moving? Like we had been friends when I didn't have a clue who she was.

The reason we bought in Woodbury is because the people were friendlier than Fairfield County and the area much prettier and the houses much nicer. The further you go away from Fairfield County the nicer the houses get and taxes are less. With that said, isolation is understandable if you are on a farm and no one is around for miles but......... it is just sad when you are lonely and they are down the street. Woodbury is a beautiful town and the prettiest one I"ve seen in CT.

Cruikshl I didn't know that's what you meant by isolation. You poor thing...being new to CT I can see what you mean. Most people I have come across have been friendly but are a little bit ''desperate housewives.'' I have made it a point to go meet my new neighbors since I was prepared for the way of life here, which is very keep to yourself. We live in a neighborhood with many kids and it seems that when they arrive home the garage doors go down and that's the last you see of them until tomorrow. Is your current home in a neighborhood or on a busy street if you don't mind my asking?

I don't think Connecticut is stuck up, but snooty, definitely.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by pmeek2309

Cruikshl I didn't know that's what you meant by isolation. You poor thing...being new to CT I can see what you mean. Most people I have come across have been friendly but are a little bit ''desperate housewives.'' I have made it a point to go meet my new neighbors since I was prepared for the way of life here, which is very keep to yourself. We live in a neighborhood with many kids and it seems that when they arrive home the garage doors go down and that's the last you see of them until tomorrow. Is your current home in a neighborhood or on a busy street if you don't mind my asking?

I don't think Connecticut is stuck up, but snooty, definitely.

It depends on the town. The upper middle class towns you both live in, I can see that. But if you go to a more blue collar town like Naugatuck or an ultra-wealthy town like Greenwich, you'll find people who are quite friendly.

[AmyBergquist]

Moved here (Hartford) from Virginia 4 years ago, but was raised in New England and lived outside of Boston prior to going to VA. I don't really notice too much of a difference from other New England states. People are reserved at first, but friendly once they get to know you. You just have to be willing to make somewhat of an effort to introduce yourself to people because I do see how some might find it "isolated." If you don't reach out to your neighbors, they won't necessarily reach out to you.