[r0llr]

I'm moving to CT from the Midwest and am looking for a rural area that gets me into Stamford in a reasonable amount of time. My existing commute is 1 hr and 40 mins so reasonable would not be greater than this. Im expecting to take the Danbury line into Stamford. My children have grown, schools are not essential and my budget is $1500 monthly on a rental. The Litchfield area has struck an interest but I need to know how far north puts me out of a reasonable commute or if there is something much closer that fits the bill. Thanks for any feedback!

[Stylo]

Litchfield County would be a horrendous commute. 2 hours easy.

If it's just you, $1500 isn't a bad budget.

The Danbury line is not optimal. You might want to be on the main New Haven line so you don't have to take any transfers and it's a little faster.

For rural towns, stick to the Danbury area and south:

Brookfield
Bethel
Redding
Ridgefield
Wilton

Or closer to the shore where you can hop onto the New Haven line to Stamford directly in Milford/Bridgeport/Fairfield:

Trumbull
Easton
Monroe
Orange
Woodbridge
Shelton

There are many towns along the coast I could suggest, but those are the most rural.

Go to Realtor.com and search for rentals in those towns and you'll quickly get an idea for price. Go to mta.info for travel times via trains.

[JayCT]

The train from Danbury takes about 60 to 75 minutes. If you add time from the station to your job, it means you will have to live close to Danbury and Litchfield is not close. You might consider one of the towns around Danbury or Danbury itself. Though Danbury is a city and the towns nearby are suburban, it is still a nice area. It will be hard to find a rural area near Stamford that is not insanely expensive. Jay

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

What is your definition of "rural"? Most CT natives would consider towns like Wilton, Weston, and Ridgefield to be rural, but many non-natives would disagree. Generally speaking, if a town is overwhelmingly zoned as single-family residence, we tend to consider it to be "rural".

[r0llr]

Rural for the purpose of this posting by my definition would be an area that is under developed, quiet and not suburban. Subdivisions, nightlife and malls are not in my criteria. Crickets chirping and an open air 'feel' to it would be optimal. I believe CT has many areas meeting this idea that I may not be looking at. Again, I greatly appreciate the feedback.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Though Danbury is a city and the towns nearby are suburban, it is still a nice area.

I grew up in the area and would not consider a town like Brookfield to be suburban. Other than a little bit of commercial on Federal Road, it's mostly homes with 2-3 acre lots and woods.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by r0llr

Rural for the purpose of this posting by my definition would be an area that is under developed, quiet and not suburban. Subdivisions, nightlife and malls are not in my criteria. Crickets chirping and an open air 'feel' to it would be optimal. I believe CT has many areas meeting this idea that I may not be looking at. Again, I greatly appreciate the feedback.

To narrow the list down even more to the really rural towns, check out Redding and Easton. Redding has its own train station. They're pretty empty towns, little-to-no commercial and maintain a very old, Colonial feel. Also, Woodbridge (you'd take Milford or Stratford train) has very little commercial and not a lot of subdivisions. These are expensive towns, but I know people who have rented small houses and inlaw apartments for your budget in even the most expensive CT towns.

The rest have rural parts, but also subdivisions and commercial properties. However, the nice thing is that the residential sections tend to be quiet and have a rural feel. I would not discount towns like Brookfield, Bethel, Orange, Trumbull, Monroe, and Ridgefield just because sections are developed. Since schools aren't a priority, at this point you're looking for an AREA not a TOWN and all these towns have isolated, rural sections.

Theoretically, you could also live in Bridgewater - which is very rural and a nice town - and drive into Danbury for train. It would be about 15-25 minutes to get to the train by car. You're looking at approaching a longer commute than you have now, though.

Another suggestion would be Oxford and Bethany. They are about a 20-30 minute drive to Milford. From there, the train is about 35-40 minutes.

[r0llr]

Solid feedback... thank you! Any thoughts on Sherman, New Fairfield, and New Milford... would the commute be 100 mins plus?

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by r0llr

Solid feedback... thank you! Any thoughts on Sherman, New Fairfield, and New Milford... would the commute be 100 mins plus?

New Fairfield wouldn't be too bad depending on how close to Danbury it is. New Fairfield is similar to Brookfield. Some commercial, some subdivisions, some big lots. New Milford is more built-up and commercialized on Route 7. I'm not a huge fan of the town, but I suppose it would be an OK place to rent. It's a big town, so if you're in southern New Milford, you're 15 minutes to Danbury, but if you're in northern, it could be a terrible commute.

Sherman is a little out of the way.

With all of those you are risking a 100 minute commute to be honest. The Danbury line is just not ideal unless you live by a station.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by mkiv808

With all of those you are risking a 100 minute commute to be honest. The Danbury line is just not ideal unless you live by a station.

Also, the commute would be even more hellish during winter storm conditions.