blarney

Seeking recommendation on where to live...My husband and I have two small kids (3, 1) and the job is in Wilton...

Which is best--Wilton, Weston, Westport, Ridgefield? Upside/downside to any of these places?

Thoughts??
Thanks in advance!

DebitNM

I lived just over the NY line from Ridgefield. It is a wonderful town for young families with lots to do and great schools. It has a very active Newcomer's Club and seems to be quite friendly.

Wilton and Weston are smaller, more rural like.

Westport is on the water and is a very wealthy town and has a different vibe than Ridgefield.

Better bring lots of money as all these areas are among the most expensive in the country.

Deb

J62

I have lots of friends who live in the area & Deb has described the area well. All I know of Westport is that it's a 'place to be' address and therefore commands higher prices. Ridgefield, Wilton, and Weston all have very good public schools.

Ridgefield has a small 'downtown' village area with some good restaurants and shops if that's your thing. Wilton and Weston being just a bit further south are closer to the bigger shops (i.e. Costco) in Norwalk, but it's really only about 30-35min from Norwalk to Danbury (which has a mall & other bigger shops) so none of the towns is that far (it all being relative) from things.

It's not like massive suburban sprawl in other parts of the country where you have a mega-supermarket Target, or Home Depot just 5min away, and another just around the next corner.

Many people who move to rural suburbia of the northeast from other parts of the country take time to get used to the rural feel and the need to drive 10-15min just to get to a basic store.

emcash

I think when you start looking at houses , your decision will beging to make itself. I believe houses in Westport are probably more expensive than houses in Wilton or weston or Ridgefield. Westport is a gorgeous, bustling town with a great town center, great and varied restaurants and on the water, thus the higher price tag. Which is not to say those other towns are inexpensive- they aren't, but i believe house for house you will find westport will cost more!

completekaos

Because Westport is on MetroNorth's New Haven line, an hour from Manhattan, it is the easiest of those you mention to commute from if working in NYC. Since your job is in Wilton, you don't need to pay up for that benefit, so choose one of the other three. All are beautiful. Weston is the most rural, it's town center has a blinking yellow light. Wilton and Ridgefield are more commercial than Weston, with supermarkets and movie theaters.

texasbookworm

20 years ago when my boys were 3 and 1, my husband worked in Stamford for a year and we lived on Cannon Road in Weston. It was a great house, a great experience. I think the poster who mentioned that house finding may dictate what you decide is right. I don't know where you're moving from but some things were difficult for us to adjust to, moving from a large city in south Texas:
Snow and ice! With the possibility of bad weather often, the closer you are to his job, the better.

Distance to stores, churches, etc. The "rural" life has so many pluses but with little ones needing diapers and milk and whatnot pretty often, consider those driving times (in bad weather, often!).

And do you know anyone else in the area? It was so hard when we were there to get the kids together as everyone lived so far apart.

It's a beautiful area esp. in the fall (ought to be, for the prices you're going to pay)!

emcash

just a small addendum- one of my best friends grew up in wilton and has nothing but the BEST memories. Also, understand that 'rural" in those areas is not the same "rural" that you would find in other parts of the country. Rural in fairfield county can be quite sophisticated when compared to other "rurals."

schrink

Weston or Easton.