Bridgeport definitely gets a bad rap, but it’s not perfect either. There’s bad neighborhoods and good ones. I live on the Stratford line in a nice quiet little neighborhood and have never had an issue. If you’re used to being further into Fairfield county you’ll probably enjoy Black Rock, which is on the Fairfield side of town, and would still be much more affordable than Norwalk or Stamford living by yourself. Just be wary of rush hour, it gets pretty awful going south bound.