[kidyankee764]

Yankeerose-

You may have typed this before and I missed it, but where will your husband be working? If it's not in the Danbury area, have you considered other towns like Trumbull or Fairfield? They are nice family-oriented towns with plenty of shopping.

As for Bethel - I wouldn't say it's "not too nice". It's your average suburban/rural town with good schools. Plenty of shopping, very nice little downtown, and easy access to 84. There is a Metro North train station in downtown that links to Norwalk, where you'd have to switch to get to Grand Central. There are many beautiful parts of Bethel. It is one of the more working class suburbs of Danbury, with not as much money as you'll find in places like Ridgefield or Redding.

Also, Ridgefield does have plenty of shopping. There are two grocery stores I believe, a Kohles, and a few other places. Most times you wouldn't need to leave town to do your shopping, but to get to a highway or the mall, you'd need to go to Danbury or Norwalk/Wilton. Keep in mind that the Danbury Mall is very close to the Ridgefield line - and once you learn the backroads, you can take Ridgebury Road to George Washington Highway to get out of Ridgefield. There are also lots of restaurants and other shopping plazas over there as well. Ridgefield is also not too bad of a drive to the Katonah, NY train station via RT 35.

All I was saying was that for me, someone who likes to travel and explore, Ridgefield is too out of the way. It seems like it might be ideal for you though.

And PS - with your criteria, stay away from Redding!

[andthentherewere3]

I think you might like Bethel, it's a little more upscale than New Milford and has a little walkable downtown. It also has some other shopping, like Target, has good schools, and isn't far from Danbury. New Milford is nice, so is New Fairfield, but they are more rural. People who move there tend to move there because they want a rural lifestyle. If that doesn't appeal to you, and it doesn't sound like it would, at least check out Bethel. Not sure why your neighbor thought it "wasn't too nice".Of course if you can afford Ridgefield that is a wonderful town too, and does have some shopping, and excellent schools.

[Yankeerose00]

My husband works in Manhattan 2x a week now. However he doesn't want to live too far because there is that possibility he will have to go daily. Right now they are cutting him a break and letting him come 2x a week because we are renting in the Farmington valley.

I liked Fairfield but the parts I saw seemed to suburban for my taste. I wanted something really like Ridgefield, that has amenities but the town has more of a country and rustic feel. But then I don't want too rustic like Redding. Does that make sense? I like country living. Before we moved here we had 2 acres in VA and I loved it. But I had a nice shopping center 10 minutes away and then 30 minutes away was every store I could want. That was what I was looking for now. I don't need a Sak' s 5th Ave in my town, but geez a Stop N Shop would be nice, lol.
I don't think I've been to Trumbull. I'll have to try it.
I'll definitely give Bethel a shot. From homes I've looked at, it seems cheaper. And it seems like around here if something is too cheap, there's a reason. Worth a shot though.

[Appias]

Also check out New Fairfield. It is very rustic, but there are shops in town and at least one major grocery store. It it is also pretty convenient to Danbury and is right on the state line with NY. If you like Ridgefield but are priced out, New Fairfield is a good alternative.

[7 Wishes]

New Fairfield is nice, but you have to drive a bit to a Metro North station. My kid's elementary school principal lives in New Fairfield and likes it, but school hours are earlier than rush hours and he also drives to the job in southern Westchester.

I think you might like Trumbull, it's a nice mix of "suburban" and rural, a little bit more of a "rural" feel than Fairfield, yet it still has malls and everything a reasonable distance away. And though you have to drive to Metro North, you can drive to the Bridgeport station, which unlike other stations along the line you can usually get parking and not have to wait on a long waiting list for a permit which would be a waste anyway if you're only going 2x/week.

[Yankeerose00]

okay, so I've got New Fairfield, Trumbull and Bethel to check out. Hopefully next weekend we can look at them. Thanks!

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Yankeerose00

My husband works in Manhattan 2x a week now. However he doesn't want to live too far because there is that possibility he will have to go daily. Right now they are cutting him a break and letting him come 2x a week because we are renting in the Farmington valley.

I liked Fairfield but the parts I saw seemed to suburban for my taste. I wanted something really like Ridgefield, that has amenities but the town has more of a country and rustic feel. But then I don't want too rustic like Redding. Does that make sense? I like country living. Before we moved here we had 2 acres in VA and I loved it. But I had a nice shopping center 10 minutes away and then 30 minutes away was every store I could want. That was what I was looking for now. I don't need a Sak' s 5th Ave in my town, but geez a Stop N Shop would be nice, lol.
I don't think I've been to Trumbull. I'll have to try it.
I'll definitely give Bethel a shot. From homes I've looked at, it seems cheaper. And it seems like around here if something is too cheap, there's a reason. Worth a shot though.

If there is a possibility he'll have to go in daily, and considering your criteria, I'd definitely take a look at Trumbull. It is a suburban town but not as dense as Fairfield. It's very close to shopping and highways, as well as numerous train stations in Fairfield, Bridgeport and Westport. Schools are very good too. It's not as "hoity" as Ridgefield, Redding and Wilton, and has everything from working class to very wealthy. Great all around town.

Let us know what you think.

[andthentherewere3]

You might also look at Newtown and Monroe, as well. Trumbull is a wonderful town, but if you are looking for a property on an acre or more it will be more expensive. A lot of the homes in Trumbull are on smaller lots of less than a half acre. Most of Monroe's homes have one or more acres. Newtown has a nice mix of both larger and smaller lots.

Editing to respond to this newest post. From what I've been told by friends in Trumbull, there are definitely a number of kids being "snuck" in from Bridgeport, especially the high school. The school system in Trumbull is still very good, though.

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

Since my current "temp" work in Trumbull and Bridgeport are with the school systems, from what I've seen Trumbull even has a nice sprinkling of "diversity" (though I wonder if many of those kids were "bussed" or "snuck" in from Bpt).

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

If there is a possibility he'll have to go in daily, and considering your criteria, I'd definitely take a look at Trumbull. It is a suburban town but not as dense as Fairfield. It's very close to shopping and highways, as well as numerous train stations in Fairfield, Bridgeport and Westport. Schools are very good too. It's not as "hoity" as Ridgefield, Redding and Wilton, and has everything from working class to very wealthy. Great all around town.

Let us know what you think.

Since my current "temp" work in Trumbull and Bridgeport are with the school systems, from what I've seen Trumbull even has a nice sprinkling of "diversity" (though I wonder if many of those kids were "bussed" or "snuck" in from Bpt).

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

Since my current "temp" work in Trumbull and Bridgeport are with the school systems, from what I've seen Trumbull even has a nice sprinkling of "diversity" (though I wonder if many of those kids were "bussed" or "snuck" in from Bpt).

Quite possible. I've heard that Trumbull and Fairfield have been questioning things a bit more since Stratford undertook a more ambitious effort to identify and remove out of town students from the system.