[Lin1]

Hello all,

I will soon be starting a new job in Middletown and my husband works in Wilton. We are trying to find a location that would work for both our commutes.

Our criteria are -
1. Excellent schools. We have 2 children, ages 9 and 6.
2. $500k budget. We are looking for a moderate sized home (2000-2500 sq ft), with 3-4 bedrooms.
3. Family friendly town, with lots of kid activities.

Some of the towns we have been looking at are Trumbull, Monroe and Newtown. I fear my commute will still be too much from any of these. How about Southbury/Middlebury? It puts me closer to Middletown, but is the traffic on I-84 going to be much worse than the Merritt? Should we be looking further up along the Merritt, maybe in the Wallingford area? H's commute might then be a total nightmare. We are totally confused...I hope you have some good suggestions.

Lin

[kidyankee764]

I'd say the closer you are to Wilton the better. Newtown is a good start.

[JayCT]

Wilton is about 55 miles from Middletown if you travel along the Route 15 corridor or 65 miles along the I-84 corridor. Wilton is kind of far removed from major highways and any commute to there involves traffic problems no matter which direction you are coming from.

At first glance I think the Trumbull/Shelton area would be best. Your commute would be further but would not involve any significant traffic issues. Figure 45 minutes to an hour depending on where you live and where your job is. The only problem would be that Trumbull and Shelton are pricey so you may not get much for your money. You could go furhter east to say Orange or Milford as well.

The Southbury area would afford you more house for your money but your commute to Middletown would be more difficult due to traffic in Waterbury. Your husband would most likely have to drive down Route 7 from I-84 and that would not be fun either. It really is your decision. Jay