[veritas_86]

I was wondering if anyone had any insight on the cost of apartment living in the Shelton/Bridgeport area. I might be moving down there from the Boston area and I'm trying to find a decent apartment for a decent price. ( >1300 / mo. or less) Web results show a 15% increase in the cost of living in the Bridgeport area from Boston :-O Does anyone have suggestions for areas to look into that are within a 30 to 40 minute drive to Shelton?

Thanks!

[mlassoff]

I just found an apartment in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport. It is a lively, safe area close to the Fairfield border and you certainly could hit Shelton in less than a half hour. The apartments are mostly in two and three family houses. I found a 1000 square foot one bedroom with recent renovations for $1050.00. It's in walking distance from many of the restaurants, bars and nightlife in the area and a short car ride from great shopping, good food and beaches.

I couldn't be more excited about moving to the area. The Black Rock area is on the Fairfield Border on the water and includes St. Mary's By the Sea. It is widely regarded as one of Bridgeport's best and safest areas. All within a short drive or walking you will find:

Minor League Baseball and Hockey
Theater and Concert Venues
Bars
Many Ethnic Restaurants
Coffeeshops and Bookstores
A Major Shopping Mall
Train to NYC
Amtrak to Boston and Washington DC
A Community College
Several Universities
I 95, Route 8 and the Meritt Parkway...

Hope you consider the area and good luck!

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by veritas_86

I was wondering if anyone had any insight on the cost of apartment living in the Shelton/Bridgeport area. I might be moving down there from the Boston area and I'm trying to find a decent apartment for a decent price. ( >1300 / mo. or less) Web results show a 15% increase in the cost of living in the Bridgeport area from Boston :-O Does anyone have suggestions for areas to look into that are within a 30 to 40 minute drive to Shelton?

Thanks!

It depends on what your preferences are -

small town vs small city?
walkable vs car centric?
schools?
decent apartment = new? old but in nice neighborhood?

I'd suggest looking in Shelton itself. It's a middle class suburb that offers affordable living in comparison to the rest of Fairfield County. Good schools, restaurants and decent people. You do need a car to get anywhere however. I just moved to CA from Shelton (not by choice) and can't wait to move back. I lived near Howe Ave, which is a working/lower class section of Shelton near downtown. It does have some good restaurants within walking distance in town but is rather gritty, and not as leafy green as most CT suburbs. There are many new apartments on the southern end of Shelton along Bridgeport Avenue, but I think those are prohibitively expensive - still worth looking into.

If you want more big box shopping and the beach, I would suggest Milford. Black Rock in Bridgeport is said to be an up and coming area (Bridgeport certainly needs it) so I think that was a good suggestion as well. It is certainly becoming yuppified, but do be careful what neighborhood in Bridgeport you buy into, as many areas are dicey. However don't go much southwest of Bridgeport/Shelton as rents and real estate become stratospheric.

Should you want small city living with the amenities of a very large city, consider parts of New Haven. Westville, East Rock and downtown are all nice areas to consider. I think New Haven offers more than any other city its size.

There are many nice suburbs you can look into near Shelton like Trumbull, Monroe, Oxford, Seymour and Orange but I'd only suggest those if you need decent schools. Those towns also don't have much in the way of rentals, and average home prices are >400k.

[veritas_86]

I don't really care for a walkable area, I don't mind driving a bit. A newer apartment is better in my mind. A nice area with some greenery, don't care about the schools particularly. I would just prefer not to drop 1500+. Is there rent control in any of these areas?

[nervouscat]

Sometimes there are condos for rent in Heather Ridge, near Trap Falls Reservoir. I used to work down the road from that complex and considered renting in there (walking to work would have been nice). Check out the Huntington Herald weekly newspaper classifieds.

[url]http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/index.php[/url]

Also - the further north you go up Rt. 8 the cheaper the rents if you really want something affordable (Seymour, Beacon Falls, Naugatuck, etc.)

[7 Wishes]

I'm surprised that it would think Bridgeport/Shelton is 15% more expensive than the Boston area, which I always thought was almost as expensive as metro NYC. Maybe it's taking into account all the ultra-expensive towns west of that area?

[ctlaura]

The Avalon in Shelton,Trumbull and Milford start at $1,300. Friends are telling me rents are going down and some places are working deals. It is a 10-15 drive from the Shelton Avalon to down town Bridgeport.

[JayCT]

I think the comparison of prices to Boston is using Stamford as a base, not shelton. Shelton is in eastern Fairfield County and is less expensive than the Stamford area. I would also say it is less expensive than Boston. there are a number of apartment complexes in the Shelton area that would be good. Maybe even check craigslist.com for a private condo listing. Jay