Downtown Stamford
Dinner and drinks on Bedford Street and pickleball in Stamford Town Center
“There are restaurants and bars on almost every street in Downtown Stamford, but Bedford Street is probably the busiest because people can eat outside and walk somewhere else to get drinks,” Auslander says. Lime-green umbrellas shade bistro tables in front of Capriccio Café, a contemporary Italian spot known for thin-crust pizzas and Saturday-morning brunch. Next door, a stone fireplace crackles inside Tigín Irish Pub, where locals have gathered to watch soccer games, sip pints of Guinness and listen to live music since 1997. Bumper stickers, beer signs and dart boards cover the mahogany walls of Brick House, another late-night locale with different drink deals every night and weekend karaoke. Escalators and marble elevators connect Stamford Town Center’s four floors of shopping, home to retailers like Macy’s and Barnes & Noble. Though many stores closed post-COVID, the mall’s former Saks Fifth Avenue converted into the 27-court Pickleball America complex in 2023, slowly ushering in new restaurants and indoor playgrounds. Locals can grab groceries from Target on Broad Street. Downtown Stamford is also home to several large companies, like Deloitte and Henkel, as well as a more colorful corporate citizen: On Washington Boulevard, a 7-foot-tall concrete world championship belt sits outside the 13-story headquarters for World Wrestling Entertainment, which employs over 700 people.
/
Century-old condo complexes and modern high-rises in Downtown Stamford
Young American elm trees, vintage lampposts, and condo and townhouse complexes fill Downtown Stamford’s sidewalk-lined streets. Renovated red-brick buildings from the 1920s have one-bedroom units selling between $250,000 and $400,000. Two-bedroom New Traditional townhouses built during the ’80s are priced between $500,000 and $600,000. Stamford’s tallest building, the 36-story Park Tower, was built in 2009, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows with Long Island Sound views. One-bedroom units can start at $700,000, and three-bedroom options may go for over $1.5 million. As the neighborhood is 80% renters, there are also several apartment complexes, like Atlantic Station, a mirrored, tri-tower building where rent costs between $2,800 and $4,000 per month.
/
The Greenway North Path connects Mill River Park and Scalzi Park
Light-pink cherry trees and black metal benches line the gray stone sidewalks of Mill River Park, a green space at the Rippowam River’s shallow, southernmost end. “This is a park that everyone in the city comes to,” Auslander says. “Kids will run around the water fountain in the summer, and then it becomes an ice-skating rink in the winter, so there’s stuff to do year-round.” Hand-carved horses, rabbits and frogs spin around a carousel, located under a curved wood pavilion. Dogs jump through tire obstacles at the gravel terrain Bark Park. Bright yellow marsh marigolds and purple New England asters are just a few native plants near the river’s rocky shore. Whittingham Discovery Center is a contemporary-style glass and stainless-steel building with exhibits on the history of the Mill River and Connecticut wildlife. For three Thursdays at the end of the summer, a stage at the park hosts the Alive at Five concert series, welcoming local beer tents, food trucks and live music from performers like Lil Jon and The All-American Rejects. Locals can follow the Greenway North Path to Scalzi Park, which brims with tennis, basketball, and sand volleyball courts. A spray park is next to the playground, where the equipment includes plastic rock-climbing walls and twisty slides. The crack of a bat and cheers from the crowd fill the air at the softball fields and Cubeta Stadium, the flagship facility for the Babe Ruth Baseball youth league. The closest Long Island Sound beach is 2 miles east at Cove Island Park.
/
A farmers market in Veterans Park and comedy sets at The Palace
With pocket parks, historic churches and a handful of theaters, Downtown Stamford has numerous community hubs. An American flag waves over the grass and concrete Veterans Park, where the Downtown Stamford Farmers Market happens on Saturday mornings from June through October. Yellow, red and orange picnic tables dot Latham Park, a half-acre green space that hosts chess tournaments every Saturday morning. Both on Atlantic Avenue, The Palace is a renovated 1920s vaudeville theater for comedy shows, musicals and ballets, while Stamford Studios is an NBC-owned production center where programs like "Jerry Springer" and "Maury" used to film and where shows like “Karamo” and “Someone They Knew With Tamron Hall” now produce episodes. Movie buffs can catch indie flicks at the Greek Revival-style Avon Theatre or watch a blockbuster at one of the two AMC theaters. Built in 1868, the Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist is a Catholic, Romanesque Revival-style church on Atlantic Street, offering English, French, Latin and Creole services every Sunday. On Bedford Street, 56 bells chime atop First Presbyterian Church, nicknamed “Fish Church” for its circa-1954 wooden structure that resembles a fish.
/
Stamford Public Schools and the UConn Stamford Campus
Children can attend Davenport Ridge Elementary School, rated a B-minus by Niche, and then Rippowam Middle School, which earns a C-plus. Students may continue to B-graded Stamford High School, where dual-enrollment classes with the University of Connecticut include environmental science, European history and microeconomics. The UConn Stamford Campus is an all-glass, 225,000-square-foot building in Downtown Stamford, where students can choose between 15 bachelor's degree programs, like financial management and political science.
/
A walkable neighborhood with easy access to New York City
“People walk to work in Downtown Stamford, but there are a ton of New York City commuters too because it’s obviously a lot cheaper to live here,” Auslander says. The Stamford Amtrak Station on Washington Boulevard follows the Metro-North Railroad, carrying passengers to New York City in about an hour. The Connecticut Turnpike makes New York City a 40-mile drive south, and New Haven is equidistant to the north. Numerous Connecticut Transit bus stops are in the area. Stamford Hospital is about a mile west, and the Westchester County Airport is 13 miles northeast.
/
Written By
Meghan Baker
Photography Contributed By
Chris Mantz
Video By
Daniel Willingham
Was this overview helpful?
Agents Specializing in this Area
-
Robert Marchesi
Robert Marchesi
Compass Connecticut, LLC
(646) 692-0276
95 Total Sales
1 in Downtown Stamford
$274,000 Price
-
Gary Crawford
Gary Crawford
RE/MAX RISE
(914) 218-6402
39 Total Sales
2 in Downtown Stamford
$212K - $260K Price Range
-
James Gilchrest
James Gilchrest
eXp Realty
(475) 275-9796
8 Total Sales
1 in Downtown Stamford
$330,000 Price
-
Len Schwartz
Len Schwartz
Responds QuicklyKeller Williams Prestige Prop.
(475) 264-6050
146 Total Sales
7 in Downtown Stamford
$118K - $525K Price Range
-
Hy Natarajan
Hy Natarajan
Keller Williams Prestige Prop.
(475) 264-6173
76 Total Sales
2 in Downtown Stamford
$230K - $285K Price Range
-
Justin Bette
Justin Bette
Joseph Bette REALTORS Inc
(860) 590-3710
225 Total Sales
1 in Downtown Stamford
$325,000 Price
Schools
Source:
GreatSchools:
The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare schools within a state based on a variety of school quality indicators and provides a helpful picture of how effectively each school serves all of its students. Ratings are on a scale of 1 (below average) to 10 (above average) and can include test scores, college readiness, academic progress, advanced courses, equity, discipline and attendance data. We also advise parents to visit schools, consider other information on school performance and programs, and consider family needs as part of the school selection process.
View GreatSchools Rating Methodology
- 9th to 12th
- Public
- 6th to 8th
- Public
- K to 5th
- Public
Interested in learning more about homes in this area? Reach out to , an experienced agent in this neighborhood.
Parks in this Area
Mill River Park Playground
Latham Park
- Picnic Area
- Trails
- Multi-Purpose Field
Veterans Park
- Picnic Area
- Trails
Columbus Park
- Picnic Area
- Trails
- Multi-Purpose Field
Scalzi Park
Mill River Park
- Picnic Area
- Trails
- Events
Transit
Crime and Safety
| 1 - Low Crime, 10 - High Crime | Downtown Stamford | US |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 4 | 4 |
| Sexual Assault | 5 | 4 |
| Assault with Weapon | 4 | 4 |
| Robbery | 6 | 4 |
| Burglary | 8 | 4 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 8 | 4 |
| Larceny | 9 | 4 |
| Crime Score | 7 | 4 |
Source: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com
Downtown Stamford Demographics and Home Trends
On average, homes in Downtown Stamford, Stamford sell after 54 days on the market compared to the national average of 51 days. The median sale price for homes in Downtown Stamford, Stamford over the last 12 months is $372,500, down 9% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
Housing Trends
Median List Price
$389,950
Median Sale Price
$372,500
Median Single Family Sale Price
$885,000
Median Townhouse Sale Price
$517,500
Median 2 Bedroom Sale Price
$440,000
Median Change From 1st List Price
0%
Last 12 months Home Sales
129
Median Home Sale Price YoY Change
-9%
Average Price Per Sq Ft
$402
Neighborhood Facts
Number of Homes in Neighborhood
1,630
Number of Homes for Sale
16
Median Year Built
1981
Months of Supply
1.50
Average Single Family Home Size Sq Ft
1,869
On par with the national average
1,927
Average Townhouse Size Sq Ft
2,295
Average 2 Bedroom Size Sq Ft
1,296
Average 1 Bedroom Size Sq Ft
721
Average Studio Size Sq Ft
554
Median Lot Size Sq Ft
6,534
Distribution of Home Values
Homes for Sale
Homes for Rent
Condo Buildings
Interested in learning more about homes in this area? Reach out to , an experienced agent in this neighborhood.
Average Home Value
Property Mix - Square Feet
This Neighborhood Has More Renters
Demographics
Total Population
20,068
Median Age
35
Population Density
41 ppl/acre
Population under 18
18.8%
Below the national average
23.8%
Population over 65
12.5%
Below the national average
19.1%
Finances
Median Household Income
$85,949
Above the national average
$71,702
Average Household Income
$110,728
Education and Workforce
High School Graduates
91.6%
College Graduates
64.3%
Significantly above the national average
34.1%
Advanced Degrees
27.4%
Above the national average
13.3%
% Population in Labor Force
72.6%
Weather
Annual Precipitation
47''
Average Winter Low Temperature
23°F
Average Summer High Temperature
83°F
Annual Snowfall
25''
Area Factors
Very Bikeable
Bike Score®
74
/ 100
Walker's Paradise
Walk Score®
97
/ 100
Excellent Transit
Transit Score®
71
/ 100
Source: Walk Score
Source: Walk Score
Sound Score® measures the noise level of any address. Transit Score® measures access to public transit. Bike Score® measures the bikeability of any address.
Nearby Neighborhoods
East Side Stamford
An industrial neighborhood with beach walkability and downtown Stamford proximity
Glenbrook
Stamford’s residential area known for its transportation access
Harbor Point
Waterfront living with an urban feel in Stamford, Connecticut
The Cove
Relaxing waterside atmosphere close to downtown Stamford
Waterside
An industrial and residential enclave set against the Long Island Sound
Westside Stamford
Bustling Stamford suburb off the interstate with travel convenience into the city
Reviews
Are you familiar with the Downtown Stamford neighborhood? to let others know what life in this neighborhood is like.
Was this page helpful?
