[JayCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

I can't say I'd recommend Milford in this case. On days when there is traffic (if you drive), you're looking at well over an hour to Milford. It's a tough and stressful commute. Train is an option, but again, that's not an easy commute - drive to the station, get on the train and commute from the train to the office. It's easy to recommend, but a PITA to do on a daily basis (unless you live next to the Milford station and work next to the Stamford station).

In your price range, I'd suggest you look at Wilton, Ridgefield, Fairfield and perhaps even Easton. Your price range is limited but in today's market there are tons of deals.

I agree with these recommendations. Milford is a nice town and the schools are good but the students there only perform around the state averages on the Connecticut Mastery and Connecticut Academic Performance Tests. The schools in Wilton, Ridgefield, Fairfield, Easton and Trumbull perform well above the state averages. This does not mean that the schools in Milford are bad by any means though. Check the web link below for more information on schools here in Connecticut.

State Department of Education - CEDaR

I also agree that if your husband can commute by train to Stamford, you should look for a town that offers access to Metro North's New Haven line. Jay

[andthentherewere3]

A couple of other towns to consider would be Weston and Redding, although they are very rural compared to Wilton/Ridgefield/Fairfield/Trumbull/Fairfield. Personally I'd look into Ridgefield, it's a great family-oriented town, but has a nice little downtown area, and the people are pretty friendly. I have found them friendlier there than in Trumbull, but of course you will find attitudes pretty much anywhere in FFC. You would really need to check out all the towns, and compare homes, to get an idea where you'd most like to live.

[anon860]

If you are considering the New Haven area (likely due to cost), you might consider these neighborhoods in particular:
https://www.city-data.com/forum/22295790-post11.html
and more detail at https://www.city-data.com/forum/22298226-post17.html

The commute to Stamford would be long, but you may not have so many options in Fairfield County depending on your price range, or you may just not like the social atmosphere in many of the towns there. It really depends where you want to put down roots, I suppose, including the level of education and diversity of the population. I'd recommend looking into it carefully. If you save money on housing and transportation you can spend more on things like family travel, elite private schools, trips to NYC (very convenient to anywhere in NH or FFD county for a day trip), etc.

On the issue of schools, I'd strongly caution against using averages. See https://www.city-data.com/forum/conne...l#post22634380 for a discussion of this.

[Stylo]

Honestly, the commute from Easton, Fairfield, or Trumbull is not much better by car. You save maybe 10 minutes. The traffic doesn't begin until Fairfield and goes all the way to Stamford. And if you live in a part of Fairfield where it takes 15 minutes instead of 5 minutes to get to the train, you've already eaten up the time advantage on the train.

Out of all the towns, Wilton is the only one with a somewhat short commute as you could take backroads and get there in 30-40 minutes. It's actually a good suggestion. But Wilton is also expensive. In their price range, you're looking at a decent sized (~2000-2500 sq ft), but older home in need of updating. I do like Wilton as an option better than Ridgefield, Easton or Trumbull for them, just because it has more as far as shopping, restaurants and things to do, especially being so close to Norwalk.

It's not an easy commute from any of the family friendly 95/15 towns, so let's be straight. I would never recommend that drive to anyone. I think what it comes down to is exactly how much house the OP expects from an area. They are looking for the same things I looked for in a town with a slightly higher budget. It puts them in Fairfield territory, which would be my personal #1 choice - but I'd still be tempted to go into a significantly nicer house in Milford in exchange for a 10 minute longer commute.

Originally Posted by anon860

On the issue of schools, I'd strongly caution against using averages. See https://www.city-data.com/forum/conne...l#post22634380 for a discussion of this.

I attended a consistent top 20 Connecticut high school and can tell you that often times rankings are pure hype. Top students are often given tons of attention, while average students are taught how to make it through efficiently and not really enriched by the experience. CAPT is especially BS and my school taught us for months on how to score well on it. Important things: class size, friendly student atmosphere, school resources, graduation rate, SAT scores, etc.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Honestly, the commute from Easton, Fairfield, or Trumbull is not much better by car. You save maybe 10 minutes. The traffic doesn't begin until Fairfield and goes all the way to Stamford. And if you live in a part of Fairfield where it takes 15 minutes instead of 5 minutes to get to the train, you've already eaten up the time advantage on the train.

Out of all the towns, Wilton is the only one with a somewhat short commute as you could take backroads and get there in 30-40 minutes. It's actually a good suggestion. But Wilton is also expensive. In their price range, you're looking at a decent sized (~2000-2500 sq ft), but older home in need of updating. I do like Wilton as an option better than Ridgefield, Easton or Trumbull for them, just because it has more as far as shopping, restaurants and things to do, especially being so close to Norwalk.

It's not an easy commute from any of the family friendly 95/15 towns, so let's be straight. I would never recommend that drive to anyone. I think what it comes down to is exactly how much house the OP expects from an area. They are looking for the same things I looked for in a town with a slightly higher budget. It puts them in Fairfield territory, which would be my personal #1 choice - but I'd still be tempted to go into a significantly nicer house in Milford in exchange for a 10 minute longer commute.

I generally agree. It comes down to what the OP would want. A more expensive town with top notch schools for a high price and modest home, or a middle class suburb that's further out and a little cheaper.

That said, if it were me, I would focus my search on Wilton and Ridgefield. You can take back roads from Ridgefield through Vista into Stamford where traffic is a non-issue.

[arielmina]

I personaly think the commute from most of Wilton is just as bad as Norwalk or Westport... if you are in western Wilton, near the Ridgefield line, it's not so bad, but Ridgefield has the best back road commute.

I grew up in Ridgefield, moved away and then moved back... loved it. Definitely check it out. Personally I find Wilton to be less friendly and they don't have the real "downtown" area as in Ridgefield, plus the housing costs are much higher.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by arielmina

I personaly think the commute from most of Wilton is just as bad as Norwalk or Westport... if you are in western Wilton, near the Ridgefield line, it's not so bad, but Ridgefield has the best back road commute.

I grew up in Ridgefield, moved away and then moved back... loved it. Definitely check it out. Personally I find Wilton to be less friendly and they don't have the real "downtown" area as in Ridgefield, plus the housing costs are much higher.

Gotta cut west, but it's not bad:

Wilton, CT to Stamford, CT - Google Maps

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by anon860

If you are considering the New Haven area (likely due to cost), you might consider these neighborhoods in particular:
https://www.city-data.com/forum/22295790-post11.html
and more detail at https://www.city-data.com/forum/22298226-post17.html

The commute to Stamford would be long, but you may not have so many options in Fairfield County depending on your price range, or you may just not like the social atmosphere in many of the towns there. It really depends where you want to put down roots, I suppose, including the level of education and diversity of the population. I'd recommend looking into it carefully. If you save money on housing and transportation you can spend more on things like family travel, elite private schools, trips to NYC (very convenient to anywhere in NH or FFD county for a day trip), etc.

On the issue of schools, I'd strongly caution against using averages. See https://www.city-data.com/forum/conne...l#post22634380 for a discussion of this.

I do not agree with with what you are suggesting. The commute to Stamford would be long which means you will likely spend more on transportation. Also the savings on housing cost rarely is enough to compensate for private schools. And that is assuming the property taxes are comparable which they likely are not. Jay

[lindsaycg]

curious to learn more about fairfield. everyone seems to rave. what's the downside? normally i don't know if we'd be able to afford it, but in this current market i believe we could.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by lindsaycg

curious to learn more about fairfield. everyone seems to rave. what's the downside? normally i don't know if we'd be able to afford it, but in this current market i believe we could.

Yes, in 2006, $600,000 wouldn't get you much in Fairfield. Now, you can get a pretty decent place.

Downsides are few. I guess if you could nitpick there's a decent amount of in-town traffic sometimes, and the main roads have a few awkward arrangements (the traffic circle by Super Duper Weenie, for instance). Real estate is expensive (though no more expensive than many towns west of it). A car-based commute to Stamford would be difficult as the entire stretch of both 15 and 95 from Fairfield to Stamford is the most congested part of the state. But as long as you have no problem with a train commute, it becomes a non-issue.

The only thing I'm not sure about is the parking situation at the train station. Pretty much every train station along the New Haven line has a 3-5 year waiting list for permits. I'm not sure what the paid parking situation is like in Fairfield. I know here in Milford, you have convenient paid lots next to the tracks/station (from $5-$6 per day) that are a very short walk. In Westport, there's usually spots open that you can pay for by mail after you get an envelop on your car. I have no idea how it works in Fairfield as I've never done that commute.