[Coastal_habitat]

OK I need some serious help from some CT residents... whatever you say may help a very confused family make a crucial decision in their lives:

I'd posted a while ago (you may remember me, Jay) a question asking which city would be the best fit for us in CT. Then my parents made us see that we really didn't have any family in CT, and so we started looking into Oregon. BUT, strange things happen, and we're back to where we started, i.e. moving to CT.

To the POINT: I'd still love to live near the ocean. But somehow close to a major city or urban environment with lots of cultural activities, life and restaurants (and employment, clients for my husband, etc). Great schools are a MUST.

I've heard there are basically 4 distinct regions in CT, and the "feel" one gets when living in them: one is very "Boston-like" (East CT), the other is "True Hartford", the other "New Haven/College Town-like" and of course, Fairfield County which I understand is very influenced by NY. Is this true?

Please, if anyone could give me inside info on how life really is (in terms of schools, things to do, cost of life, people, diversity, friendliness, architecture, food, whatever you want to share) on those particular hubs or regions, that would really help us a lot. Hubs /regions being:

1- Eastern CT (Closer to Boston)
2- Hartford
3- New Haven and proximity
4- Fairfield County (closer to NY, I gather)

Pros and Cons. You can be brutally honest. Please.

Thank you!!!

PS: Jay and others who helped us plan our visit to CT back in September '08: We really liked Guilford, West Hartford and New Haven (could not spend enough time on any of them though), but we did not get to visit West CT, i.e. Stamford, Norwalk, Fairfield.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by Coastal_habitat

1 - Eastern CT (Closer to Boston)
2 - Hartford
3 - New Haven and proximity
4 - Fairfield County (closer to NY, I gather)

Pros and Cons. You can be brutally honest. Please.

Subregion #1 is closest to Boston but not at all like it. Outside of northern Litchfield County, it (Windham and New London Counties) is the most rural part of Connecticut. Very few people commute from Windham County to Boston for work unlike Fairfield County which has MTA/Metro North commuter rail to facilitate transport. This is the cheapest and least diverse (racially and/or financially) part of the state.

Subregion #2 is a bit ambiguous. Do you mean Greater Hartford or the Census-designated metro (Hartford-Tolland-Middlesex Counties)?

Subregion #3 is New Haven/New Haven County. We have two large (by Connecticut standards) cities (Waterbury and New Haven), two mid-sized towns/cities (Hamden and Meriden), higher-end towns (Cheshire, Middlebury, Southbury, Bethany, Woodbridge, Madison, Guilford, and Branford), Valley towns (Oxford, Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, Seymour, Ansonia, and Derby), Coastal towns (Guilford, Madison, Branford, Orange, and Milford) and towns that don't fit any of those categories (Wolcott, Prospect, North Haven, Wallingford). Housing is less than that of Fairfield County but still higher than the state average.

Subregion #4 is the 23 towns/cities of Fairfield County. This county is part of the New York metro as is New Haven County which explains its ties to NYC. Housing and household income are highest here (excluding southeast Fairfield County).

[Coastal_habitat]

Thanks for the information, Rich Lee. By Hartford I guess I mean Greater Hartford... not too sure.

About Fairfield County (since there's not really an area that is close enough to the Boston area)... how would you describe a city like Stamford, Norwalk or Fairfield? Are they mid-sized towns, are they suburbs or are they big cities with fully-formed downtowns (where you can take transit and walk, like in downtown Austin TX, or Portland OR)?

Thanks again to anyone who can help me on this.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by Coastal_habitat

Thanks for the information, Rich Lee. By Hartford I guess I mean Greater Hartford... not too sure.

This might help...did you mean within a 20-mile radius or as far as 40 miles away like Old Saybrook?

Originally Posted by Coastal_habitat

About Fairfield County (since there's not really an area that is close enough to the Boston area)... how would you describe a city like Stamford, Norwalk or Fairfield? Are they mid-sized towns, are they suburbs or are they big cities with fully-formed downtowns (where you can take transit and walk, like in downtown Austin TX, or Portland OR)?

Hmmm...I've never been to Austin or Portland. Let's try this: population of Stamford is 120,038; Norwalk is 84,877; and Fairfield is 56,852. Stamford and Norwalk are cities, but Fairfield is a town. Stamford is also home to many company headquarters. Norwalk is to a lesser extent. You will find high-rise buildings and walk-up apartments in Stamford.

[JayCT]

Welcome back Coastal - Stamford would be defined as a small city. It has a population of about 120,000 and has grown to be a major economic center with thousands of corporate and financal jobs in office building downtown and throughout the city. It is not quite like Austin or Portland (not as walkable), though it is getting there. You should note though that this area is very expensive and if you want a nice house in a good suburb with good schools, you will pay big bucks.

Norwalk is also a small city with about 85,000 people. It has a small walkable downtown (South Norwalk) that is going through a revitalization. It is not quite as classy as Stamford but there are some very nice affordable neighborhoods there as well as some not-so-nice ones. Like Stamford, the suburbs surrounding Norwalk are pricey.

Fairfield is not really a city even though it has about 57,000 people in it. It has always fought hard to keep from getting that small city look and I believe they have succeeded. It has a small walkable downtown and many beautiful neighborhoods. In many ways it is like West Hartford. The schools are excellent and the home prices are more reasonable than other Fairfield County towns. Though it is still pricey when compared to other parts of the country. It might be a good fit. Jay

[toddb]

Originally Posted by Coastal_habitat

About Fairfield County (since there's not really an area that is close enough to the Boston area)... how would you describe a city like Stamford, Norwalk or Fairfield? Are they mid-sized towns, are they suburbs or are they big cities with fully-formed downtowns (where you can take transit and walk, like in downtown Austin TX, or Portland OR)?

Thanks again to anyone who can help me on this.

Stamford is close to Austin, but not nearly as big. There's a solid downtown area with lots of big firms. Fairfield and Norwalk are more typical suburban towns, with some shopping districts, a small downtown area, and a variety of housing types (from 1BR condos to multi million $$ homes).

I'm in Fairfield, so I'm a bit partial of course . But, there is a nice downtown area that's about a mile long, there are several public beaches, lots of really good neighborhoods, some excellent restaurants, great schools....

A lot of it depends on your budget, your employment and tolerance for commuting time, neighborhood desires, etc.

[Coastal_habitat]

So far, Stamford, Fairfield and West Hartford sound like a good fit for us. How much do you think renting a 2 bd apt in those three communities would be? And I'm not talking about upscale ones, nor really run-down ones but comfortable enough, in a good location and with your standard amenities.

Thanks again