[jenbonil]

I am a wondering if anyone can offer advice on a possible move to the Stamford area.

Last week my company announced that they were relocating our corporate offices from San Francisco to Stamford, CT. I was offered a position with the company and, I am considering the move. However, I have never been to Stamford, let alone the east coast.

I could really use some advice on places to live. From what I've seen so far, I would ideally like to live somewhere in the middle between Stamford and Manhattan. I am young and single, so a place that has some kind of night life would be great. It would be a huge plus if the metro north was within walking distance too, since I might not have a car.

Also, I like to ride horses, so if anyone could offer advice on areas that have barns that would be great!


Any advice on moving to the Stamford area that anyone can offer would be GREATLY APPRECIATED

[JayCT]

Stamford is a small city. It has a nice downtown with a lot of great shopping, restaurants and bars and there are many apartments available. About the only thing bad is that it is pretty expensive. Being from San Francisco though it should not be a total shock though. Between Stamford and Manhattan are upscale quiet and expensive suburbs. I would not really recommend someone who is single living there unless you like quiet. I would recommend living in Stamford. Manhattan is only about 45 minutes by train and that takes you right into the middle of midtown. That is not far for an occasional visit. If it really your desire to experience Manhattan though, there are a number of people who live in the city and commute to Stamford on the train. Good luck, Jay

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Stamford would probably be your best bet. If it doesn't appeal to you, then i'd check out White Plains(NY), and then NYC. Just note that if you live in NY, your personal income tax situation will probably be a little more complicated due to working out of state.

I believe that the nearest place to Stamford for riding would be the Ox Ridge Hunt Club in Darien.

[arielmina]

Riding in lower Fairfield County is going to be extremely expensive. I am from the area and ride so feel free to PM me if you want to let me the details of what you're looking for in a barn and I could probably help you out a little. Just FYI North Salem, NY is kind of the unofficial mecca of the horse world in the area, beautiful horse country with tons of different barns with different disciplines but this is a hunter/jumper area.

As to towns to look at, I agree, I'd just look at Stamford itself. You can always take the train into NYC whenever you want and it's not that far. I lived in Greenwich walking distance to the train station when I was "young and single" and I loved it, so it's something you can look at, although rents are a fortune so you'd really want a roommate.

Either way, I'd definitely recommend a visit before committing if you've never even been to the East Coast.

[Cambium]

As far as being close to downtown and nightlife...Milford, Stamford, White Plains, NYC is your best places to live. Me personally would stay away from downtown but thats just me. I prefer the country, peaceful, less populated life. As far as affordability... not sure what your pay or what your reserves are but Norwalk or Stamford are good places to live with close commute to your job and a drive to Sono which is downtown Norwalk, and a 15 minute drive to downtown Stamford.

You'll like the East coast but can I prepare you for something? .................. The Weather. We have extremes here unlike the nice and dry earthquaky Cali.

[CTNYCT]

I think Stamford is your best bet too... my best friend lived there for seven years out of college and had a blast... also, Manhattan is only a 40 minute train ride, so there really is no need to live closer... you'll be out in the very expensive 'burbs and will have pretty much no night life. There will be plenty of places for you to go riding, for sure. Come out for a visit!

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by jenbonil

I am a wondering if anyone can offer advice on a possible move to the Stamford area.

Last week my company announced that they were relocating our corporate offices from San Francisco to Stamford, CT. I was offered a position with the company and, I am considering the move. However, I have never been to Stamford, let alone the east coast.

Make sure you understand the weather here. Summers are much more humid than you're used to, and winters in Stamford (while mild by east coast standards) are much colder than you're used to.

I mention this because I've known quite a few native Californians who moved east and found weather to be the biggest negative factor. They find a cloudy cold winter to be particularly difficult.

If this isn't a problem for you, great. But it's worth thinking about.

[wavehunter007]

I’ve been to San Fran a few times a really liked it. Stamford will seem much, much smaller…but perhaps more livable. The nice thing is your close to the country and one of the largest cities in the world at the same time (NYC). Like others have mentioned… this is one of the most expensive areas of the Tri-State area (NYC/NJ/CT) to live in…so prices are very high. Access to metro North is a big plus…and if you are young and mobile (and may be without a car for a bit) walking distance to a station would be a huge plus. As far as the weather…this is the wet side of the USA, so be prepared for rain, some snow, humidity, steam, fog… lol. On the flip side, summers on the East Coast will feel like real summer…no jackets in July like on the Bay...and the area beaches have much warmer ocean water than Northern Cal.

[Kristin85]

North Stamford is a nice place to live if you want to be close to stables and if you have a car to get to the train station and metro area. If you know that you probably will not have a car, I would recommend living in a suburb or NYC. The area around the Stamford train station is full of crime and you wouldn't want to be living in an area where people are frequently mugged. However, if you don't mind living in a sleepier town and taking the train into Stamford or Manhattan for the nightlife, then you may want to consider Rye, Harrison, or Mamaroneck, New York. Connecticut's towns of Greenwich and Darien are also located on the Metro-North railroad line and will take you to Stamford within 10 minutes or less but they are pricey areas.

I would recommend taking a trip to the area before you move to get a feel for the area. Depending on whether you want to be living in a more developed/big box area (New York along the rail line) or quaint, New England area (Connecticut), you may choose to live in one state over the other. The area that arielmina mentioned in New York has a New England feel to it but you will need a car if you are going to live there. Also, please consider the tax situation: if you work in Stamford but live in NY, you will need to pay Connecticut state taxes, New York state taxes, and Westchester county or NYC taxes.

[crack kills]

Stay away from the beach area - try downtown. The apartments are newer and nicer.