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Last-Instruction739 t1_jacj4yu wrote

Probably new Canaan, Wilton, Ridgefield etc…you will just need some $$$

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ArgumentLost9383 t1_jacis61 wrote

This question gets asked a lot here, if I were you I’d look at some past posts to get more information from people as well.

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danaaa405 t1_jacgo2f wrote

It depends where in the state you want to be but like many I will vote for the Farmington valley! Simsbury, Avon, Farmington. Please lmk if you need a realtor!

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scarsmom143 t1_jacgu44 wrote

Yes I should have included more info, would like to be close to public transport as I might have to go into the city for work every so often. Also 700k max if that helps cross some towns off the list

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thesbaine t1_jack1k3 wrote

Depends on how long an acceptable train ride is. If you don't want it to be too long then you cannot go wrong with a lot of places in Fairfield County (avoid Stamford, Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Stratford). Thing is your $700,000 isn't going to go too far. If you're OK with a longer commute then anywhere from Guilford through Old Saybrook are good options (minus Clinton and Westbrook). You'll get much more for your money in those towns and the schools are still good. Downside is you're driving to New Haven to get Metro North, taking Shoreline East to get to NH for the same, or grabbing Amtrak from Old Saybrook with no switch overs.

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scarsmom143 t1_jackeng wrote

If money wasn’t an issue, what would be the best towns in that area? My office has a location in Stamford

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thesbaine t1_jacnn2y wrote

Anywhere in Fairfield County. They're all bangers outside of the cities.

Here's what you need to understand, especially with schools: a school system may be ranked #40 in CT, but CT schools are really, really good. The gap between a #1 ranked school and a #25 in CT is tiny.

So, what it's going to boil down to, is if you want a rural feel or you want a more urban/suburb-ish feel. Do you want to be 10 minutes away from everything or is 20-30 OK?

The one thing I will advise is don't be within 2-3 blocks of the shoreline. During hurricanes and strong tropical storms water tends to stack up in Long Island Sound and the majority of it gets pushed down that way. Leads to a lot of surface street flooding and damaging waves.

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scarsmom143 t1_jacnsel wrote

I’m okay being 20-30 minutes away from things! We would want to live in a place with a tight knit community, older homes, walkable etc!

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langelar t1_jaev2gh wrote

New Canaan? But if 700k is your max, then Fairfield

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pharm77 t1_jach7pu wrote

Region 15 Middlebury/Southbury

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mynameisnotshamus t1_jacn6vx wrote

All of this information with actual facts is readily available with about 10 minutes spent on Google. What you’ll get here is a lot of anecdotal opinions. 700k for a house will get you something decent within commuting distance to Manhattan. Best school districts are Weston, Wilton, New Canaan. Others in the area may not be the best but they will still be better than many other parts of the country. Wilton is a great family town with lots of things for kids. The town even has bussing for after school activities which is a huge deal. according to people I know who live there.
Fairfield is good but too congested for me. There is some form of traffic any time you leave the house.
Norwalk is not as nice or as wealthy as the surrounding towns but still offers a lot. It’s schools are definitely below the wealthier towns but it’s not as bad as some might tell you.

Also research the mil rates of each town. That’s what your property tax will be based on- that’s auto and home and some other things that qualify. It might make a big difference in your bills…

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scarsmom143 t1_jacne0k wrote

I did google, but I wanted people who lived there perspective! The hidden gems, there are multiple good school districts but what has like a quaint village feel isn’t something I can google lol!

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mynameisnotshamus t1_jacodnd wrote

Got it - wasn’t intending to come off as jerky as it might have, more as a facts vs opinions statement. My votes are Wilton, Ridgefield, Westport and New Canaan. All have objectively great schools and great town amenities. Weston has a smaller population so has less of that. But is so close to the others it doesn’t matter. In Weston you have more woods and country feel.

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ImperialCobalt t1_jacur9y wrote

West Hartford, great public schools with a very very low violent crime rate. Through personal experience, I'd say it's one of the most anti-drug-and-alcohol high school systems, so that's a plus for kids. It's ranked #1 to live in (in CT) by Niche as well.

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QueenOfQuok t1_jacvex4 wrote

West Hartford is an excellent school system, but property is pretty pricey here. And it's as safe as anything -- I've walked long ways home in the dark without a hint of trouble.

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scarsmom143 t1_jacvk60 wrote

I just found some cool houses in our price point, is there a specific part of town I should stay in?

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QueenOfQuok t1_jacyufe wrote

I can't be too specific because I am not sure of your specific needs, but I would recommend a house that is on a high point as opposed to down in a low point. Much of the town has been built in former swampland, which becomes apparent in heavy rains when the basement floods.

But don't pick something where you have to drive up too steeply to get to your house, because if things ice over in the winter you'll have trouble traveling.

Beyond that, the town is all about the same in terms of personal safety, which is to say that violent crime committed by strangers is low enough that I have barely heard of any. The southeast quadrant of town has all the industrial stuff, so you might want to avoid living too close to New Park Avenue.

So pick a house with moderate elevation in the school district you prefer, and have fun.

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[deleted] OP t1_jacjy6o wrote

[deleted]

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Jawaka99 t1_jaci6sf wrote

We're full

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mynameisnotshamus t1_jacndwr wrote

Snarky comment, but there’s not a lot of available homes for sale… bring some 2x4/ and a hammer.

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