Possibly Moving to Westport, Conn. - What's it like?

[Anonymous]

You are so lucky.

[Anonymous]

Great Stuff is a gorgeous women's clothing store in Westport. Enjoy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what's your favorite diner in the Westport area?

Athena Diner in Southport.

[Anonymous]

Not OP, is it more expensive than DC area.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it's more expensive. In general the area is really charming. I'm more familiar with New Canaan, Darien, and Norwalk than Westport, but while they are tremendously charming towns in a New England village way, they are also very homogenous in a white, WASP, men-in-NY-financial-jobs, little-girls-in-Lily Pulitzer-dresses way. I love driving around them admiring their perfect Christmas decorations but I don't think my family would fit in and I think there would be a lot of appearance pressure in terms of house and self. Not that there aren't vapid, entitled people in the DC area, but I would check out Westport beyond the cute town before committing to it. (Norwalk and Rowayton seem a little more down to earth).

[Anonymous]

Henry Lehr Is the best clothing store - imo.
Way better than Great Stuff (again- just my opinion.)
Great Stuff moved down the street. Used to be better. I do not like the salespeople there.

Other good stores on main street:
Calypso
Vince (coming soon)
Shoe inn

Off of main street: dovecote (personal/home accessories)
Further down is Terrain. Awesome cafe/household items/gardening supplies/fashion accessories, etc.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it's more expensive. In general the area is really charming. I'm more familiar with New Canaan, Darien, and Norwalk than Westport, but while they are tremendously charming towns in a New England village way, they are also very homogenous in a white, WASP, men-in-NY-financial-jobs, little-girls-in-Lily Pulitzer-dresses way. I love driving around them admiring their perfect Christmas decorations but I don't think my family would fit in and I think there would be a lot of appearance pressure in terms of house and self. Not that there aren't vapid, entitled people in the DC area, but I would check out Westport beyond the cute town before committing to it. (Norwalk and Rowayton seem a little more down to earth).

Truth be told, a lot of the gold coast towns in Fairfield County are homgeneous, WASPy etc. If you don't fit that mold (or don't want to raise your kids like that), then I would not live there.

[Anonymous]

And I have to say as a westporter that therre are indeed lilly pulitzer types but other "types", as well!

[Anonymous]

(Sent too soon.) New canaan/greenwish are way more preppy/LP than weestport. IMO

[Anonymous]

Please excuse typos!

[Anonymous]

Snooty people live there, it ill take a while to "fit" in unless you have a lot of money to donate here and there... Than you will be fine.

[Anonymous]

I lived in CT from birth until I left for college, and went home to my parents there through college. My parents moved away from CT about 2002. I was born in Bridgeport and lived in Fairfield, Stratford, Ansonia, and Wilton and spent a great deal of time in New Haven and the other "Havens" around New Haven.
CT isn't that different, to me, than living in VA has been for the last 20 years. Sure there are rich snobs. There are middle class people and poor people. The population was not very diverse but I had a few kids of color in every class growing up.
What I liked about CT was the old-time, colonial beauty of many of the houses, parks, graveyards, and public buildings. What I didn't like were the areas that had been dedicated to industry and manufacturing in past decades. Very ugly.
Some parts of CT like Bridgeport and New Haven could be very rough. Wilton, on the other hand, was very posh (and is near your future home). Stratford and Ansonia were pretty middle of the road/normal to me.
Traffic on 95 could be a bitch. Long Island sound was nice to have around for beaches and boats. Overall it was a nice place to grow up.
I have always felt perfectly at home in DC and NOVA, the communities here, from very urban to very posh rural, feel very similar to the towns I knew as a kid.
People are people wherever you go. I'm sure you'll be fine. If the people in Westport aren't welcoming try a boat club or church in a more middle class town like Stratford or Milford. We were middle class and my parents made a lot of friends with our tiny sail boat. I think it was this club: http://www.housatonicboatclub.org/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what's your favorite diner in the Westport area?

Athena Diner in Southport.

Didn't that close down?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lived in CT from birth until I left for college, and went home to my parents there through college. My parents moved away from CT about 2002. I was born in Bridgeport and lived in Fairfield, Stratford, Ansonia, and Wilton and spent a great deal of time in New Haven and the other "Havens" around New Haven.
CT isn't that different, to me, than living in VA has been for the last 20 years. Sure there are rich snobs. There are middle class people and poor people. The population was not very diverse but I had a few kids of color in every class growing up.
What I liked about CT was the old-time, colonial beauty of many of the houses, parks, graveyards, and public buildings. What I didn't like were the areas that had been dedicated to industry and manufacturing in past decades. Very ugly.
Some parts of CT like Bridgeport and New Haven could be very rough. Wilton, on the other hand, was very posh (and is near your future home). Stratford and Ansonia were pretty middle of the road/normal to me.
Traffic on 95 could be a bitch. Long Island sound was nice to have around for beaches and boats. Overall it was a nice place to grow up.
I have always felt perfectly at home in DC and NOVA, the communities here, from very urban to very posh rural, feel very similar to the towns I knew as a kid.
People are people wherever you go. I'm sure you'll be fine. If the people in Westport aren't welcoming try a boat club or church in a more middle class town like Stratford or Milford. We were middle class and my parents made a lot of friends with our tiny sail boat. I think it was this club: http://www.housatonicboatclub.org/

OMG! You are my people. My dad was born in Bridgeport. My mom was born in New Haven and grew up down the street from Yale. My cousins/uncles/aunts live in East Haven, Fairfield, Wallingford, Greenwich, Cheshire, Stamford. Bridgeport got really rough after crack..so did New Haven--that's when my family fled. New Haven has seen a revival but still sketchy parts. I love the coast there. I love that you could get to a beach (though it might be rocky) very quickly. OH and I LOVE my connecticut fried clam strips and clam pizza with white birch beer!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up there, and parents are still there, and I visit often. It is an affluent, coastal community. It prides itself on being an artistic community, and provides cultural opportunities. Very charming. Many beautiful old homes, and some ugly McMansions, unfortunately. 1 hour from NYC. Good shopping, and the best donuts in USA. Liberal, suburban, casual, unpretentious. 25,000 people. You are lucky to have this opportunity. Take me with you. Good schools. Hope this helps. Let me know if you need more info, details.

I also grew up there, but disagree about it being unpretentious. It gets worse and worse every year, with more and more families moving into the McMansions from NYC. If you're looking for more laid back, I'd check out Westport's sister town, Weston. It's smaller, less retail (tiny town center with just the basics, no chain stores), blue ribbon schools, and you get more land. My sister lives there now and enjoys it a lot more than Westport. Good luck, OP. I'm so jealous. I would move back to CT tomorrow if I had the chance!