I believe Stratford is one of the most affordable places you could choose to live in 'the corridor'. The New Haven train line is a direct commute in to Grand Central Station. While this will add a few hours to your day, I know my husband used the morning commute to sleep, and the afternoon/evening commute to work or read. In Lordship (a part of Stratford on the water) you can still purchase for around $500,000....a terrific bargain for a waterfront property! Lordship is almost it's own little community....local parades, visits from Santa, etc. You will find friendly folks and many amenities that make living comfortable in Stratfords myriad and diverse areas. The train station is located nearly in the heart of town, and just north is Paradise Green. Here you will find Longbrook Park (which is currently undergoing extensive renovations), with it's duck pond and walking paths, ball fields and play equipment. There are charming homes in this area and good, clean, affordable neighborhoods. Further north you will find the Mill River Country Club area and north of that, the Oronoque Country Club area just beyond the Merritt Parkway. All of these northern most residential neighborhoods are very desirable, and tend to be a little pricier than Paradise Green. Hope this answers some of you quesitons. Good luck!

If your looking for a home in Stratford you might consider this listing:

http://iggyshouse.com/PropertyWelcome.aspx?PropertyID=181873

Steinie
I've commuted to New York from Darien and Stamford. The commute time from Stamford to Grand Central is currently 43 minutes and their is ample parking at the train station. Stratford is a great community and would be a good choice if you worked in New Haven or Hartford. The traffic on I 95 at rush hour is a major drawback and makes driving to NYC impossible during rush hour. I would suggest Stamford, real estate prices are lower than Greenwich and Darien and Stamford is a happening city. See my Website for links on Stamford and all Fairfield County towns along the Shore. http://www.coastalctrealty.com
You will also find my home search easy to use and has all the MLS listings.
Let me know if you need additional info
Best Regards
Bill Vojta
p: 203.425.9868

Hi Steinie,

I did the commute to NYC for 5 years. Sometimes I would take the challenge of driving closer and would not go past Stratford because of the traffic. Stratford is a nice place to live. I would steer clear of driving to other train stations to save a few minutes. You may face traffic on I-95 that can turn into hours. If you condsider driving to Fairfield or further Sourh, be aware that the wait for a parking space near the station may be over a year.

I have many clients in Stratford who would never leave.

Here is a link to Metro North Railroad. http://as0.mta.info/mnr/schedules/sched_form.cfm

This link will get you town info http://www.coldwellbanker.com/real_estate/community_info

If I can help answer any other questions, please let me know.

Best Regards,

George Antonopoulos
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
800-759-6936

Depending on what part of NY you will be working in will help you deterimine where you will want to live. If you will be working outside Grand Central, being an ex downtown NY commuter I can tell you that Statford will be a horrible commute as you need to add an additonal 30-45 minutes to your commute just from Grand Central to downtown. I commuted from Norwalk and my commute was 90+ minutes to the Wall Street area.

Stratford is a great place to live....good schools, nice communities, good town services, low taxes, fabulous restraunts, and more. If your looking to buy call me for I have a great deal for you around $235K. Cheaper than living in NY but close enough to the city and more CT happening. Call me at 203-394-3264

Martin

Steinie
I think there are many ways to answer this question. Stratford is a very affordable town to live in. You can take a train from Stratford to Grand Central station in about 9o to 100 minutes. From Fairfield which is a little closer it is about 70 minutes and from Westport is about 45-50 minutes. There are many things to do in Stratford. What are you looking for in a home? Or a Location? Do you have Kids? Are you looking for schools? What do you want to spend on a home. I am happy to send you some free reports to give you some additional info on the Town, Demographics, schools, etc. as well as some homes in the surrounding towns for your review. Let me know if I can be of any help to you.
Sharing the good Life!
Tim

Tim Kellerman
Real Estate Consultant
Ovations & Encores Realty
Westport, CT
H.Office - 203-254-9310