Another Southerner

My husband%26#39;s company which builds student housing and condo%26#39;s is going to be building in Stamford starting this Spring. My husband might be doing that job and we are very excited. We have been in that area many times visiting and love it. Since my youngest will be heading off to college in the fall, I will temporarily relocate with my husband. We would like to take this opportunity to get a vacation home and stay in it while we are there. We live on the Gulf and although I love the ocean, I would rather have a place in the country on a lake if possible. Any recommendations? The shore is not out of the question, if there are any suggestions on that. ny websites that might give me an overview of the area%26#39;s. Thanks so much.

Another Southerner

Look at Danbury, the area near Candlewood lake - it would definitely make a great vacation home area.

Another Southerner

Thanks Suz. Appreciate the info.

I sent this to someone moving from CA to CT a few months ago. I%26#39;ll repost it. I hope it helps.

Lived in many places in the US. From the snow and cold of Minneapolis, to southern Cal, to south Florida, Maine, and the beach towns of eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island. I majored in Geography in collage, so moving to different geographic areas was appealing to me (when I was young at least). I turned 40 this past May. Let me give you the low-down as I have experienced it…

REAL ESTATE…First, lets me say that if you are considering moving from California to Connecticut because of cheaper housing costs, think again! In general, Connecticut housing prices are high. The only difference in Connecticut is that there are more homes to be had in the middle than in CA. In CA, its either a bad crime area, old, affordable $200,000 house, or nice, upscale, modern looking $700,000 house, that will have you working night and day to pay for it. In Connecticut, If your willing to find a 1970’s dated ranch, or an old house from the 1920’s or 1930’s, and put some elbow grease into it -you can have a decent place to live.

AREAS %26amp; PEOPLE…People in Connecticut are really a reflection of people everywhere.

Southwest Connecticut is the fast lane - high salaries, high living costs, high real estate, suburban living, and somewhat plastic people (though not everyone).

The New Haven area is OK, with Yale at the center of many things. The New Haven area is a mix of nautical eastern Connecticut and urban and fast paced southwestern Connecticut. Theater, Art galleries, and restaurants are big in New Haven, the best in the State! The area is liberal in attudies and consumer tastes.

The Southeast coastal area (Madison to Rhode Island) is fishing villages, clam shacks, coves, marshes, the beaches in summer. A plus in southeastern Connecticut - is proximity to the great beaches in Rhode Island (30 min) with sugar white sand, warm waters, and huge waves. Most people in southeast Connecticut don’t think of themselves as New Englanders, more like Mid-Atlantic coastal people. Southeastern Connecticut/Coastal Rhode Island people are a pleasing mix of families, coastal dreamers, boat people, beach wanders, and relocated baby boomers from other areas.

The Hartford area is a little dull, and is a more New England than the New Haven and Southeast coastal areas. But there are more good paying jobs in the Hartford area than along the coast from New Haven to Rhode Island. They love snow up here. Go Huskies. But Hartford is no New Haven at night.

CLIMATE…I like hot and humid weather. When I first moved to Connecticut, I really didn’t know what to expect. Connecticut is too far south to have a real New England climate, but too far north to have the subtropical climate of North or South Carolina. Connecticut is not really known for any type of defining weather.

Despite all the banter about four seasons …south of Massachusetts, the Middle East Coast (Virginia to Rhode Island) really has only two seasons. The long warm season form late April to October, and, the shorter, cool to cold season, from November to late March. In short form, this is the season:

In April, after a cold (and at times dry) winter, the skies open-up, and like an Asian monsoon rain pours and pelts everything. In a speed beyond belief, the landscape goes from brown/gray to rainforest green. Unlike the slow onset of the warm season in more northley areas like Minnesota, Michigan or Maine - in Connecticut, it goes from 44 F winter to 77 F summer balm in 15 days. Early April is brown and leafless, late April is vivid green, humid and warm. From May until late September…the huge Bermuda High is in control…pumping the warm and humid air from the tropical south Atlantic across the whole East Coast. Its H-H-and H (Hazy, Hot, and Humid) time. The hot days, warm nights, and the frequent crash of thunderstorms and quick torrential downpours - can make New Haven seem like Thailand in summer! The East Coast version of the monsoon is in full swing.

October and November are nice, days in the 50’and 60’s, nights in the 40’s and then 30’s. The leaves change in southern Connecticut around late October, or early November, although they don’t have quite the vivid color of most of New England or the Upper Midwest. Fall is quite mild in southeast Connecticut, at times frost may not arrive until late November. Some people even grow hardy palms and bamboo along the immediate coast of Rhode Island and southeast Connecticut.

Winter type weather is confined to the true winter months of December, January, and February. Despite the New York media hype, the East Coast south of Boston is not really a snowy place. In southern Connecticut the big snowstorm is the exception, not the rule. The Northwestern hills of Connecticut get the most snow (about 60 inches at high elevations) and the southeast coast region the least (about 25 inches). Another thing to keep in mind if you hate snow (I do), the snow melts real fast in southeastern Connecticut because of the warm (relatively speaking) ocean influence. If you like to skate or ski, New London or Old Lyme are probably not the best choice (lol). By mid –March the snow season is all but over, and by late March those occasional 65 F days gets everyone in the gardening mood again.

A WORD OF WARNING HERE. THIS IS HURRICANE COUNTRY! Hurricanes have hit the Long Island/Connecticut/Rhode Island region in August and September. In 1938, Almost a thousand people died here in a terrible cyclone. So remember, although much more rare than a Florida of Gulf coast state - Hurricanes do hit Connecticut/Rhode Island with heavy rain, flooding and sometimes damage winds. I found this out in 1999, when Floyd only a tropical storm blew down several trees on my property.

Candlewood lake is fantastic, but keep in mind that it is 45 min - 1 hr away from Stamford.

It%26#39;s important to note that both I-95 and the Merritt Parkway (Rt 15) have horrible traffic at rush hour - in the morning, everyone is coming South into Stamford (North is fine), and the reverse is true in the evening, so at rush hour, it would be even longer.

Keep in mind that the CT shore in Fairfield county is long island sound - this means very calm water. The water isn%26#39;t as nice as in the South by any means - I don%26#39;t go swimming, but many people do. It is, however, very pretty to look at. I live walking distance from the beach and go frequently in the summer to just hang out.

If you decide to reconsider the shore, I think the nicest beaches are in Greenwich (expensive!), Westport, Southport, and Fairfield.

As for the previous poster who mentioned hurricanes - we haven%26#39;t had one in years.

Hope this helps!!