Anyone thinking/thought about Waterbury or naugatuck?

amother

Blush

Sun, Mar 27 2022, 10:18 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Lol I have. Willow didn't seem too busy by demorest, Fleming, Kenilworth, etc and I kind of liked that the houses were bigger there. But people keep saying things like are you sure you're ok with the area??? Everything else that was available on the frummer blocks was small, ick, or too expensive. Don't get me wrong that Fiske house seems crazy expensive to me too.

It's a shame that the area between the school and the frum neighborhood hasn't filled up. Such deals to be found. Do you know if anyone is pioneering in that no direction? Or buying for rentals? An absolute well kept mansion just went for about 400 there.

I agree with you that it seems like the community is cornered into such a small area and it seems important for the community to branch out in order to continue growing.. However, Ive been told that ppl tried it before unsuccessfully so it would take a few families doing it together and braving the icky looking neighbors for a bit. The interest and growth seems to be increasing so it may be possible now...Also, unless you have seen a house in person, do not assume it is how it looks online. Some of those houses are not as nice or big in person as they appear.

amother

Mon, Mar 28 2022, 6:09 pm

amother [ Oleander ] wrote:

For those of you who live there or recently moved there, how out of town is it? We are a young kollel family and we are considering our options. We specifically do not want in town.

I noticed none of the residents answered so I'll give my impression as someone who has been there a bunch of times and maybe some other can pipe up.

There are in town elements but it's definitely not in town. There are many NY/NJ people who live there, but they're mostly the type who were looking to get away and looking for a slower more laid back community. There are also people who moved there from Denver, Kansas City, Israel, Australia

I was considering Baltimore, but then I spoke with someone who grew up there and lived in Waterbury after marriage and she said they're nothing alike. In her opinion, Baltimore was more in town like and less of a community than Waterbury.

Everyone I've met there is really friendly and loves it. Everyone says hello and asks where you're from when they can't place you from the community. Something that struck me one time I went to the supermarket there and a recently engaged guy walked in. Everyone who passed him wished him a mazel tov. Seems like everyone knows each other.

But the community is getting bigger and the younger grades have a ton of classes. That's good and bad, but it means your kids will have neighbor friends.

Idk how many kollel families there are or where they live, so I can't help with that.

One other thing, people whose houses are falling apart or in need of lots of cosmetic updoing still love having guests. Some people have done their houses gorgeously, and other bought what they could afford and upgrade over time. But no one judges or seems embarrassed to have people over.

Maybe some real Waterbury folks can add more?

amother

Leaf

Mon, Mar 28 2022, 6:24 pm

amother [ Oleander ] wrote:

Wow thank you!
I don’t want a teeny tidy community that doesn’t have any structure etc. but I also don’t want a big out of town city. This seems like it’s in the middle, which is good. What’s the weather like? And how are expenses? Jewish stores schools etc.

OPs post above is pretty on target.
The weather is typical northeast, but the summers are a bit less humid, and we do get more snow.
It's not a very expensive place to live. The local kosher grocery isn't cheap, but it's not outrageous. Shoprite has a lot of kosher products too.
There is a pizza store, deli, sushi, and a bagel store. There's a local hosiery store and a judaica store.
There is one elementary school and one girls HS.

amother

Mon, Mar 28 2022, 6:52 pm

amother [ Oleander ] wrote:

Expenses wise, any idea if it’s more or less then other OOT communities?
Housing- what’s the average? Rent and buying

Imo the schooling is cheaper than other oot places. It's comparable to NY/NJ non MO prices.

My OOT husband is pleasantly surprised by the prices as kosher world and ShopRite.

Buying, depends what you want. There are still houses going for 200s but they're either small or need updoing. Great starter homes though. There are 2 fams on great blocks going for 330. And then there are homes from 450+.

amother

Butterscotch

Thu, Dec 29 2022, 11:53 am

amother Leaf wrote:

I don't think it's unsafe. I don't know about Lakewood, but I moved here from Brooklyn and it's way safer here. Forsure blue ridge and naugatuck which are developments. Even in the main part lots of people leave their doors unlocked during the day which noone does in Brooklyn. Kids play outside amd go to friends and shul themselves.
It's right next to a yucky neighborhood, but I think people don't mess around with the Jewish neighborhood because they know that over half the guys carry guns.
The last crime I heard of was someone having their car broken into, which seems to happen in Lakewood too.

Hi, where are the developments in naugatuck? What is the pricing like?
Is there school transportation?

amother

Thu, Dec 29 2022, 1:40 pm

amother Butterscotch wrote:

Hi, where are the developments in naugatuck? What is the pricing like?
Is there school transportation?

There's one development, mostly very yeshivish. Kesser Torah. Pricing starts at $500k. There is transportation to the elementary starting in pre1a or 1st but lots of days without since through the public schools.

There's a different development in blue ridge that's more mixed and I think maybe slightly cheaper for what you get and closer to main Waterbury but they custom make the homes and you need to rent there first.

It seems in Lakewood the developments are more affordable that the houses. Not the case in Waterbury if that's why you were interested. The houses are mostly very old, and stunning with proper maintenance, and much cheaper than the developments.

amother

Butterscotch

Thu, Dec 29 2022, 1:46 pm

amother OP wrote:

I got the feeling that Waterbury is small houses, small lots, very old houses.
Admittedly, I just did a drive by, but that's the vibe I got.
The blue ridge development looked bigger and newer that's why I was asking..

In general, I just didn't see much charm.

Did I get the wrong impression? 🙈

amother

Starflower

Thu, Dec 29 2022, 1:50 pm

amother OP wrote:

Blue Ridge has busing. Naugatuck does not, as it's in a different town. People there use private transportation/car pool to get to school in waterbury. Most of the people there are affiliated with the kollel and live in subsidized kollel housing. The development is adjacent.

amother

Thu, Dec 29 2022, 2:59 pm

amother Butterscotch wrote:

Some of them are small. No charm? Drive down Columbia Blvd. It's beautiful. Many of the homes here are in the national historic registry, including mine. Maybe that historical look isn't for you. And a lot is internal features like the ceilings, trim, etc. My house is over 4000 SQ ft not including the basement so I wouldn't call that small. I do have one of the bigger homes here. We were thinking about blue ridge but we wanted more privacy. And all my kids 4+ have grade friends on our block. Even more cutting through backyards.

I didn't even realize I was the OP when I answered you. Lol I moved.