Norwalk

Located on the northern shore of Long Island Sound, Norwalk has much more of a city feel than its neighboring towns, which are primarily residential. Within Norwalk, you’ll find a range of neighborhoods, including quiet, waterfront villages; suburban-style enclaves; and a very trendy downtown. South Norwalk, originally an industrial seaport, was completely redeveloped in the past few decades into a thriving, vibrant downtown, referred to as SoNo. With plenty of restaurants, shopping, and nightlife in reinvented 19th-century factories, SoNo also boasts all kinds of apartments, including lofts with exposed brick walls and luxury high-rises. Private communities include the grand Wilson Point, where stately, century-old mansions sit next to the Norwalk Yacht Club, founded in 1894, and the lovely Village Creek, which was started as a cooperative community in 1949. Founded as a completely inclusive neighborhood, Village Creek has unpretentious mid-century modern houses set in an unusual, human-scaled layout.