subject: Stamford Ct: Best Communities For Your Family In Connecticut [print this page] Located on the beautiful Long Island Sound, Stamford is an exciting place to live, work and visit. This invigorated cosmopolitan center is rich with successful commercial enterprises and cultural opportunities, making it one of Connecticut's best cities for your home and family.
Rapid growth of corporate headquarters in the 1980s catapulted the downtown skyline from an already thriving community to having many tall office buildings. However despite its built up downtown, Stamford has maintained its distinctive New England charm.
Stamford has abundant leisure activities and cultural amenities. Boat tours on the river provide a special glimpse of the city's beauty and charm. The full range of outdoor activities can be found at Cove Island Park, an eighty three acre nature preserve that offers visitors a choice of beaches, picnic grounds and bluffs.
Sound Waters Community Center for Environmental Education is located in Cove Island Park. Enjoy a two-hour ecological cruise of Long Island aboard Sound Waters, a replica of a 19th-century schooner.
The Stamford Museum and Nature Center is located on a 118-acre site in the northern end of town. It has a collection of works by the sculptor of Mount Rushmore, Gutzon Borglum, who was a Stamford resident for ten years.
The Barlett Arboretum and Gardens is ninety one acres of wildflowers, woodlands and walking trails. The splendid natural terrain at inland parks and along the pristine beaches of Long Island Sound offers virtually every activity.
The E. Gaynor Brennan Municipal Golf Course is a public 18 hole, 5900 yard course with a reasonable green fee, restaurant,practice green and a pro shop offering club rentals. Sterling Farms Golf Course is Stamford's most popular course with a driving range, six tennis courts and a restaurant.
The community supports and promotes the arts generously. The Stamford Arts Center encompasses ballet, the symphony and drama. The Connecticut Grand Opera and Orchestra presents a full season of orchestral and operatic performances. The Ferguson Library, Stamford's public library is one of the largest in Connecticut.
Stamford is home to both world class commercial and residential districts, which are both impressive and laid out in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The downtown, streamlined architecture is luxurious space for corporate offices, residential units and retail stores. The Stamford Town Center Mall downtown provides over 100 shops and restaurants nestled in a beautiful indoor environment, and there are dozens more storefronts you can explore in the city center.
Panoramic views of Long Island Sound, pastoral meadows, and thickly-wooded areas provide captivating backdrops for a wealth of residential lifestyles, including elegant contemporary homes, traditional colonials houses, sprawling ranches and deluxe condominiums. A variety of waterfront homes and properties range from inviting cottages to the stately mansions of Shippan Point.
Stamford has one of the highest educated populations in the United States. Nine out of ten Stamford residents are high school graduates. Over forty five percent of the population has a bachelor's degree or higher.
Stamford's dedication to its children and active community involvement is seen in its extensive public school system. The city also has several private schools, two state charter schools and three college campuses including branches of the University of Connecticut, University of Bridgeport and Sacred Heart University.
Stamford's proximity to Interstate 95 and the Merritt Parkway facilitates travel within the city and to outlying areas. Stamford is also within forty five minutes to two hours of six major airports in New York and Central Connecticut.
Located on the main branch of the New Haven Line, public transportation for commuters is easily accessible via three stations on the Metro North Railroad. The average non-stop rail commute to New York City Grand Central Station is forty-five minutes.
The combination of scenic waterfront inlets on the Long Island Sound, the distinctive New England charm, together with this bustling cosmopolitan center makes Stamford one of Connecticut's best cities for your home and family.
