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This... is New Canaan Connecticut. We are going to explore living in New Canaan CT and the differences between the neighborhoods, so you can decide which area is a fit for you

Hi, my name is Charlie Vinci. I am a New Canaan CT Realtor, and my realty team and I specialize in helping buyers understand what living in New Canaan CT entails and how to relocate to the area.

Let me show you why you might want to move here, AND a few reasons why you might not.

Table of Contents:

New Canaan Tour Overview:

This is a different kind of tour. We will take a look at the train stations and the parks. We'll talk about home values in each neighborhood. We will explore the schools, shopping and everything in between. I’ll even throw in a few easter eggs along the way. 

If you are new to the website, blog or YouTube channel, my name is Charlie Vinci and I am a New Canaan CT realtor that helps people move here. If you are thinking about buying a home in lower Fairfield County  feel free to sign up on our website or subscribe to our Youtube Channel as we are constantly creating new content for you!

In order to follow along, it will be helpful to have our New Canaan Neighborhood Map. Get the map here. Make sure to right click to save on your Mac/PC, or tap the image on your phone to save it

Information for home buyers in the area than any other site. In addition to being able to search ALL homes for sale in New Canaan, We have town specific buyers guides, neighborhood maps, a school look up feature, walkable area maps, train information, a town comparison guide … you get the idea. There is tons of stuff there for you. You can find all of our buyer resources by going here, but before you do, let's head out and explore New Canaan.

Town Center:

This is the main New Canaan Train station. If you were traveling home from Manhattan by train, you would likely get off here. The train ride from Manhattan takes about 70 min, and often requires a transfer at the Stamford station. 

The area around the train station is the heart of New Canaan. For most residents, this will be the area that you frequent for your daily needs.

You have not only Acme Market, but two other major grocery stores including the more premium Walter Stewart's Market as well as a Farmers Market on Saturdays near the train station. 

There are several wine merchants and liquor stores so that you have the perfect bottle of wine or spirits on hand for any guest.

You will have many high end clothing stores including Ralph Lauren, J Crew, Lilly Pulitzer, Ann Taylor, Vineyard Vines and more

Just about all of your top rated restaurants are here. In fact, there are options for nearly every type of cuisine, including:

  • Fine Dining
  • American
  • Italian
  • Wine Bars
  • Peruvian
  • Asian
  • Mexican
  • Brunch
  • Sushi
  • Pizza

In total, there are more than forty highly rated eateries in this area alone!

After all of that fine dining, you are going to need a way to work it off. Try the New Canaan Racquet Ball Club, New Canaan Pilates, or one of the other gyms in the area.

Then, you might grab a cup of coffee with your friends at one of the chain locations like Starbucks, or one of  the premium coffee shops in the area such as Zumbach’s Gourmet Coffe and Dolce Italian Cafe. 

If you have the kids with you, take them over to the New Canaan Library , one of the parks nearby: Ed Dixon and Mill Pond. The toy stores: New Canaan Toy Store, Toy Chest.  Or just let them roam on their own while you squeeze in a little shopping.  

While you are there, don't forget to check a few errands off your list, you have several banks, a post office and three pharmacies to choose from.

This is also where you leave for the “Glass House” tour. I’ll show you more about that a little later, but first let's take a look at some of the homes nearby.

Homes in the town center typically sell between $505k, for a small townhome and $2.4MM, for a larger single family home or luxury condo. With the finest Condos and single family homes selling for north of $3MM. 

You can see what’s currently available in this neighborhood, or any other, when you go to my site and search by neighborhood.

Next, let's head south to the neighborhood of Talmadge Hill.

Talmadge Hill:

New Canaan has many great parks, but Waveny Park stands out as it’s Best. 

The beautiful Waveny Mansion was once the home of the Lapham family and it sits on 250 acres of beautifully landscaped property. This is an excellent place to walk, run or ride your bike, it’s also where you will likely come on the fourth of july to watch the fireworks.

But Waveny would be comparable to other parks in lower Fairfield county, if that was all it offered. What makes it stand out is the other features that keep residents coming back time and time again.

For starters, there is a fitness path as well as three and a half miles of trails to walk or jog on.You can also take your fur baby to Spencer’s dog run and let them off the leash for a little playtime.

After you are done, head over to the disc golf course with friends, play a game of Tennis on the platform courts, head over to one of the many ball fields or even chip a few balls at the golf area.

If you have kids, there is one large pool and one kiddie pool which require a season pass to keep them from getting overcrowded. If the kids aren’t worn out from the pool take them to the playground to finish them off, this way you and your loved one and head over the Powerhouse Performing Arts Center for a show

Or the neighboring Carriage Barn where you can purchase art from local artists as well as those from afar. It's a wonderful way to spend an hour and if you love art like me, you might find yourself going back again and again to explore the new exhibits. 

When you come to explore New Canaan, be sure to grab our self guided tour and make Waveny Park a must see while you are here.

Next, let's head south to the other train station in town, Talmadge Hill. From this location you will get to Grand Central in about 65 min. Like the main New Canaan station, there is a good chance you will have to transfer in Stamford. You can also walk to this train station from parts of Darien. I will leave you with a link to our Darien Neighborhood tour in the description, or you can go to the Darien page on our site to see if Darien is a fit for you. 

Just north of Waveny park you will find three of the Public schools: South Elementary School, Saxe Middle School and New Canaan High School. By the way, you can look up which schools a specific home will go to in our New Canaan Buyers guide. 

If you want to make your school pick ups easier, search for a home in the South Elementary School district. Since all homes go to both Saxe Middle and New Canaan High, choosing a home in the South Elementary school district will make school pickups a breeze. I have made this easier for my clients by creating a... search by school district feature on my site. You can find it by going to the link on the screen and scrolling down to the section on Schools.

But first, let’s take a look at the homes and prices in Talmadge Hill

Most homes in this neighborhood are walkable to Waveny park and they typically sell between $900k and $2.6MM, with the finest examples selling for north of $3MM.

Next, let's head over to the beautiful and historic neighborhood of Silvermine.

Silvermine:

Despite the legend that there was a silver mine in this area, none was ever found. What you will find is a historic community that prides itself on the Silvermine arts center.  You can come here and take classes on ceramics, drawing, jewelry, photography, sculpture and more.

The neighborhood of Silvermine extends into the neighboring towns of Wilton and Norwalk and just around the corner from the arts center, technically in the town of Norwalk, is the heart of the neighborhood. It’s currently called the Tavern at Gray Barns, however, you may hear it referred to by its former name: “The Silvermine Tavern”. No matter what you call it, It’s a wonderful place to stay when you come to visit, you can also sit down for lunch or dinner when you are in the area.

Also part of Silvermine is Kiwanis Park. Here you will find a man made beach and swimming pond. In the northern part of this neighborhood you also will find East elementary school. 

Homes in the Silvermine neighborhood typically range between $735k and $3MM, with the finest examples selling for north of $3MM.

Next, let's head north to the neighborhood of Smith Ridge.

Smith Ridge:

There aren't many amenities in this neighborhood, making it a quiet area to live. The one stand out feature is the country club, but we’ll get to that in a minute. 

Homes in the Smith Ridge neighborhood typically sell between $900k and $3.4MM with the finest examples selling for north of $3.8MM.

Next, let's head over to the neighborhood of Oenoke Ridge.

Oenoke Ridge:

The New Canaan Country Club was opened in the late 1800’s and its original nine holes were designed by Willie Park Jr. The current 18 hole course has a rating of 71.5 and a slope of 132. It is a private club and membership does require a sponsor.

If you are in the Northern part of the neighborhood, you may want to explore the beautiful grounds at Grace Farms when you visit.

You will find some stunningly beautiful estates on the street called Oenoke Ridge. Homes in this neighborhood typically sell between $1.3MM and $4.4MM , With the finest examples selling for north of $4.8MM.

If you choose to live in the northern part of the neighborhood, there is a good chance that you will frequent the village area just over the New York line, in Pound Ridge. This area has a supermarket, pharmacy, restaurants, a hardware store, post office and a bookstore. Just about everything you need on a daily basis is here.

Next, let's head back over to New Cannan, and explore the neighborhood of Ponus Ridge. It has some unique features including the “Glass House” tour that I had mentioned earlier.

Ponus Ridge:

In the Ponus ridge neighborhood, you have your choice of several unique parks to walk, run or ride your bike to and explore.

The New Canaan Nature Center is the original location for The New Canaan Country Club we saw earlier.  Today, you can explore the beautiful grounds, hike the trails, get lost in their boxwood maze, check out the birds of prey, and much, much more. If you like what you see, please, consider making a donation which will allow the center to continue inspiring the community to respect, protect and enjoy nature.

And if the New Canaan Nature Center wasn't enough, you can also hike at Irwin Park or head over to Mead Memorial Park where you will find baseball fields with an excellent concession stand. Behind the fields, is the Bristow Bird sanctuary with it’s hiking trails, or head over to the Olive and George Lee Memorial Garden.

If you choose to live in this area, just to the west of town center, you have not one, but four great parks within a mile of each other that you can walk, run or ride your bike to. If you are like many of my clients and love to stay fit, this area just might be the ideal location. In this neighborhood you will also find West Elementary School. 

Remember the “Glass House” tour I have been talking about? The house, or perhaps I should say the compound, was built by the famous architect Philip Johnson. It was his personal residence and has been called by some, the most beautiful house they have ever seen.

Any words used to describe the compound are fleeting at best. Even the image you see here only serves to give the property some justice.

The property and its structures are the result of decades of study by Johnson, an architect considered by many to be a genius of his time. Unfortunately, he left us in 2005, but we still have this wonderful work to enjoy today. If you have time when you come and visit New Cannan, spend it here. You won’t regret it.

Homes in the Ponus Ridge neighborhood typically sell between $1.35MM and $3.575MM with the finest examples selling for north of $4MM.

Undefined Area:

Typical range of undefined area is $940k - $2.44MM. 

Wrap-Up:

If you are still exploring living in New Canaan CT, check out my website where you will find my raved about local buyers guide, and all of the homes listed for sale in New Canaan. 

I hope you enjoyed this tour as much as I enjoyed making it for you. When you are ready to start shopping, call me, I’ll help you find a great home.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Best,

Charlie Vinci

203.952.7752

charlievinci@gmail.com

About the Author:

Charlie Vinci, the Founder and Lead Agent of the Charlie Vinci Team has become a mainstay in Connecticut’s real estate market, earning accolades as one of the top 3% of realtors within the state. Fueled by a dedication to the success of his clients and an ever-growing assortment of area-specific resources, the business continues to thrive in the constantly evolving real estate marketplace. An informative YouTube presence has been the primary driver/focus for the team, as it has allowed Charlie to engage directly with his audience and provide a consultative approach to an often ambiguous process. Whether an international client seeking relocation to the US or a local homeowner considering the sale of their property, The Charlie Vinci Team has the market knowledge, resources, and expedient level of service that clients not only desire, but deserve.

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