New Haven County · Town guide
Living in Guilford and Madison, CT: Shoreline Towns for a Slower Pace
Two shoreline neighbors: Guilford's historic green and Madison's beaches, with Shore Line East to New Haven.
Living in Guilford and Madison: overview
Guilford and Madison are neighboring shoreline towns east of New Haven. Guilford has 22,108 residents, a median age of 51 and a median household income of $137,8161. Madison has 17,616 residents, a median age of 52 and a median household income of $167,4422.
Madison is smaller and wealthier and 95 percent of its homes are detached, the highest share on this site; 90 percent are owner-occupied. In Guilford the figures are 88 and 84 percent12. Nineteen percent of Guilford residents and 16 percent of Madison residents are 70 or older, older than any town we cover except Southbury.
Guilford has 10,429 jobs and Madison 7,221. The slower pace in the title is visible in the data: an older population, Shore Line East instead of Metro-North and state-park beaches. If you are coming from New York or Westchester, read downsizing from Westchester or Long Island.
| Settlement | Guilford settled in 1639 and named in 1643; Madison (formerly East Guilford) incorporated from Guilford in 18263 CT Secretary of the State list of towns. |
|---|
Guilford and Madison is worth a look if you
- You are moving to a smaller home or a condo near the water
- You want walkable historic town centers
- You work in New Haven, work from home or no longer commute
- You want the shoreline at prices below Fairfield County
Strengths
Trade-offs
- Too far for a daily Manhattan commute
- Shoreline homes may need flood insurance
- Quieter in winter than in summer
Commuting from Guilford and Madison
Neither town is on Metro-North. Shore Line East stops in Guilford and Madison and runs to New Haven's Union Station, where you can change for Metro-North, Amtrak or the Hartford Line4. On our sample Tuesday, four morning trains ran from each town to New Haven6.
Guilford and Madison has no Metro-North station, so the train to Grand Central is not a daily option from here. See the notes below and the commuting guide.
Shore Line East runs four morning trains from each town to New Haven. On our sample Tuesday, Guilford trains left at 6:29, 6:39, 7:11 and 8:06 and took 21 to 24 minutes; Madison trains left at 6:21, 6:33, 7:05 and 8:00 and took 27 to 30 minutes6.
One morning train runs through to Stamford: from Madison at 6:33, an 80-minute ride and from Guilford at 6:39, 74 minutes6. From New Haven, Metro-North to Grand Central takes 88 to 129 minutes on direct trains7, so these are New Haven-area towns, not New York commuter towns. Check the current timetable, which changes8.
Working residents average a 25-minute commute in Guilford and 29 minutes in Madison; 22 and 30 percent work from home12. CTtransit's New Haven division serves both. Parking is free at both Shore Line East stations; CTrail charges only at New London and the two New Haven stations9. Read the New Haven guide and commuting within Connecticut.
| Shore Line East station parking | Free at Guilford and Madison (CTrail charges only at New London, New Haven State Street and New Haven Union Station)9 CTrail Shore Line East parking page, checked Oct 2026. |
|---|---|
| Shore Line East to New Haven | Guilford 21 to 24 min; Madison 27 to 30 min; 4 morning trains from each (Tue Oct 13, 2026)64 Amtrak GTFS, which includes Shore Line East. |
Every Connecticut station side by side: commute times to Grand Central.
Property taxes in Guilford and Madison
| Town | Real estate, FY2027 | Real estate, FY2026 | Motor vehicles, FY2027 | Illustration: tax per $100,000 of assessed value, FY2027* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guilford | 28.40 mills | 27.65 mills | 28.40 mills | $2,840 |
| Madison | 23.06 mills | 22.43 mills | 23.06 mills | $2,306 |
Source: CT Office of Policy and Management, Mill Rates (FY2014 to FY2027 data). FY2027 rates apply to the October 1, 2025 grand list. *An illustration, not a tax bill: each $100,000 of assessed value times the mill rate. Connecticut assesses homes at 70% of market value as of the town's last revaluation (Connecticut General Statutes, Chapter 203 (assessment at 70% and revaluation)), so $100,000 of assessed value is roughly $142,857 of market value at that date. Special taxing districts can add to the rate and a recent sale price is not the town's assessment. Ask the assessor for the actual assessment.
Madison has the lower rate: 22.43 in FY2026 and 23.06 in FY2027, against Guilford's 27.65 and 28.405. Madison homes cost more, so compare bills on specific homes. As an illustration, each $100,000 of assessed value comes to about $2,840 a year in Guilford and about $2,306 in Madison at FY2027 rates.
Both towns have shoreline associations with their own levies. In Guilford, OPM lists Sachems Head, Old Quarry, Guilford Lakes, Indian Cove and Sunrise; in Madison, Kelsey Place Beach, Overshore, Seafields and Lee Manor10. Ask whether an address belongs to one.
Homeowners 65 and older or with a disability may qualify for the state Circuit Breaker credit, with 2026 income limits of $46,300 for a single filer and $56,500 for a married couple11. Read Connecticut property taxes explained, mill rate math and the costs and money hub.
How rates, revaluations and car taxes work: Connecticut property taxes explained.
Schools in Guilford and Madison
Ratings sites weight different things and change their methods each year. For official data on any Connecticut district (enrollment, test results, graduation rates and spending per pupil), use the state's12. Visit schools and speak with the district before you rely on a ranking.
Guilford Public Schools enrolled 3,000 students; the graduation rate was 96 percent and 71 percent of tested students met the math standard and 75 percent the English standard1. Madison Public Schools enrolled 2,464; the graduation rate was 95 percent, with 80 and 81 percent meeting the standards2. State figures are 89, 46 and 50 percent.
Guilford has seven schools: four elementary schools, Adams and Baldwin middle schools and Guilford High School13. Madison has Daniel Hand High School and Polson Middle School and it reconfigured its elementary schools, closing Jeffrey and Ryerson in June 202514. Madison now has two elementary schools, Brown and Neck River, each serving pre-K to grade 5; Polson serves grades 6 to 8 and Hand grades 9 to 1215. Read how to compare Connecticut school districts.
How to compare districts: researching Connecticut school districts.
Housing in Guilford and Madison
Census figures give median owner-occupied values of $515,800 in Guilford and $583,900 in Madison, with median gross rents of $1,717 and $2,02512. Homes in both towns sold in a median of 28 days in 20251617. That is the shoreline at under a third of Westport's single-family median. Beach-association streets need a flood check; read [flood zones and coastal risk](/guides/connecticut-home-insurance-flood-risk/) and [buying a home in Connecticut](/guides/buying-a-home-in-connecticut/).
| Guilford: median sale price, 2025 | Single-family $649,900 (255 sales); condo and townhouse $480,000 (54 sales)16 Full-year 2025 closed sales. |
|---|---|
| Madison: median sale price, 2025 | Single-family $725,000 (214 sales); condo and townhouse $550,000 (42 sales)17 Full-year 2025 closed sales. |
| Typical home value (Zillow ZHVI, all homes) | Guilford $641,321; Madison $725,25118 August 31, 2026. A modeled value for a mid-tier home, not a sale price. |
Census figures give median owner-occupied values of $515,800 in Guilford and $583,900 in Madison, with median gross rents of $1,717 and $2,02512. Homes in both towns sold in a median of 28 days in 20251617.
That is the shoreline at under a third of Westport's single-family median. Beach-association streets need a flood check; read flood zones and coastal risk and buying a home in Connecticut.
Before you buy: how buying a home in Connecticut works and the cost of moving calculator.
Things to do in Guilford and Madison
Start with history. The Henry Whitfield State Museum on Old Whitfield Street in Guilford is a house begun in 1639, Connecticut’s oldest house and New England’s oldest stone house, a National Historic Landmark run by the state19. It sits a short walk south of the Guilford Green. Faulkner’s Island Lighthouse lies about three and a half miles off Guilford20.
Then the shore. Meigs Point Nature Center at Hammonasset in Madison is free, with touch tanks and live animals and is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 to 521.
Neighborhoods: greens, points and woods
The two towns divide into three kinds of place. The town greens: the Guilford Green and its historic town center and Madison’s center along the Boston Post Road, which made Madison a resort for seasonal visitors, a character it keeps22.
The coastal points and associations: Leete’s Island in Guilford, whose quarried stone went into the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and the lighthouse at Lighthouse Point in New Haven20, plus the associations named in the taxes section. The northern woods: Madison lies between the East and Hammonasset rivers, and Cockaponset State Forest lies partly in the town22. Both towns use the names North Guilford and North Madison for their northern sections, each with its own firehouse; Madison’s is on Opening Hill Road2324.
Hammonasset and the beaches
Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison is Connecticut’s largest shoreline park, with more than two miles of beach, a boardwalk, a campground and wetlands25.
Town beaches are sticker-based and both towns discount for seniors. In 2026, Guilford’s resident sticker for Jacobs Beach and Lake Quonnipaug costs $35 for residents 64 and under and $15 for those 65 and older and veterans26. Madison’s resident parking for East Wharf, West Wharf and the Surf Club costs $40 for the first car and $20 for a second, $10 for residents 65 and older, with a $10 resident day pass27.
Chaffinch Island Park in Guilford is a fishing and picnic spot and Westwoods is a large Guilford Land Trust trail system with approximately 32 miles of trails maintained by land trust volunteers28.
Shopping and dining
The town greens are the shopping cores. Shops open and close, so we do not list individual businesses; walk each green and see what is there. The Madison Beach Hotel is one of Madison’s key employers2.
Healthcare
Yale New Haven’s Shoreline Medical Center at 111 Goose Lane in Guilford has an emergency department open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year29, and it is Guilford’s top listed employer1. VNA Community Healthcare is Madison’s top listed employer2. Yale New Haven Hospital, with 1,541 licensed beds, is in New Haven30.
Employers
Guilford’s key employers include Yale-New Haven Shoreline Medical Center, George Schmitt and Co., Moroso Performance Products, Rea Magnet Wire and American Cruise Lines1. Madison’s include VNA Community Healthcare, Clarity Software Solutions, the Madison Beach Hotel, Camp Laurelwood and the Grove School2. Most working residents commute to New Haven; read working in Connecticut.
History: one town, then two
Guilford was settled in 1639 and named in July 1643 after Guildford in Surrey; the Native American name for the area was Menunkatuck3. Puritans led by Henry Whitfield bought the land from the Quinnipiac, the town joined the New Haven Colony in 1643 and it was one of the few shore towns to escape British attack in the Revolution20.
Madison began as East Guilford, settled by the English in 1641. It was incorporated from Guilford in May 1826 and named after President James Madison3. Early Madison built ships and later became a resort22.
Guilford and Madison side by side
| Measure | Guilford | Madison |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 22,108 | 17,616 |
| Median age | 51 | 52 |
| Residents 70 or older | 19% | 16% |
| Detached homes | 88% | 95% |
| Work from home | 22% | 30% |
| Single-family median, 2025 | $649,900 | $725,000 |
| Condo median, 2025 | $480,000 | $550,000 |
| FY2027 real estate rate (mills) | 28.40 | 23.06 |
| Shore Line East to New Haven | 21 to 24 min | 27 to 30 min |
| Met the math standard | 71% | 80% |
Guilford is cheaper to buy and closer to New Haven; Madison has the lower rate, more detached homes and higher test shares.
Who Guilford and Madison suit
Downsizers get condo medians of $480,000 and $550,0001617, senior beach discounts in both towns and a 24-hour emergency department in Guilford. New Haven workers and hybrid workers are the other natural fit. Neither town suits a daily New York commute.
Read Guilford, Madison and West Hartford for downsizers, the best towns for downsizing, retiring in Connecticut, 55-plus communities in Connecticut and the Milford guide, and compare towns on the comparison hub. Then get matched with a licensed Connecticut agent who works on the shoreline.
Guilford and Madison questions
How long is the train from Guilford or Madison to New Haven?
On Shore Line East's schedule for Tuesday, October 13, 2026, Guilford trains took 21 to 24 minutes and Madison trains 27 to 30 minutes, with four morning trains from each town6.
Can you take the train from Guilford or Madison to Stamford?
Yes. One morning Shore Line East train runs through to Stamford: 74 minutes from Guilford and 80 from Madison6.
Which town has lower property taxes?
Madison's FY2027 real estate mill rate is 23.06 and Guilford's is 28.405. Madison homes cost more, so compare bills on specific homes.
What is Hammonasset?
Connecticut's largest shoreline state park, in Madison, with more than two miles of beach25.
Is there an emergency room nearby?
Yes. Yale New Haven's Shoreline Medical Center in Guilford has an emergency department open 24 hours a day29.
Do seniors get beach discounts?
What is Connecticut's oldest house?
The Henry Whitfield House in Guilford, begun in 163919.
Sources
Numbered notes on this page link to the source below. Figures marked To verify come from third-party sources and are still being checked.
- AdvanceCT and CTData, 2026 Town Profile: Guilford↩
- AdvanceCT and CTData, 2026 Town Profile: Madison↩
- CT Secretary of the State, Connecticut towns in the order of their establishment↩
- CTrail Shore Line East, schedules and stations↩
- CT Office of Policy and Management, Mill Rates (FY2014 to FY2027 data)↩
- Amtrak GTFS schedule data (includes Shore Line East), listed by CTtransit↩
- Metro-North official schedule (MTA GTFS feed), weekday of Oct 13, 2026↩
- Shore Line East, schedules↩
- CTrail Shore Line East, Parking (2026)↩
- CT Open Data, Mill Rates for FY 2014 to 2027 (OPM)↩
- CT Office of Policy and Management, Homeowners Elderly/Disabled Circuit Breaker Tax Relief Program↩
- CT State Department of Education, EdSight↩
- Guilford Public Schools, schools↩
- Madison Public Schools, facilities renewal↩
- Madison Public Schools, Schools (2026)↩
- SmartMLS Local Market Update, December 2025 (Guilford)↩
- SmartMLS Local Market Update, December 2025 (Madison)↩
- Zillow Home Value Index, city level, all homes (August 31, 2026)↩
- CT DECD, Henry Whitfield State Museum↩
- Connecticut History (CT Humanities), Guilford↩
- Meigs Point Nature Center↩
- Connecticut History (CT Humanities), Madison↩
- Town of Guilford, Plan of Conservation and Development public workshop notice↩
- Town of Madison, North Madison Firehouse↩
- CT State Parks, Hammonasset Beach State Park↩
- Town of Guilford, 2026 beach stickers↩
- Town of Madison, beach stickers↩
- Guilford Land Trust, Westwoods↩
- Yale New Haven Hospital, Shoreline Medical Center (111 Goose Lane, Guilford)↩
- Yale New Haven Hospital, Saint Raphael Campus history↩
Keep comparing
Other Connecticut towns to compare
-
Photo: John9474, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons N° 01 · Fairfield CountyStamford
A small city with the most direct morning trains to Grand Central of any Connecticut station, its own job base and condos as the entry point. -
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons N° 02 · Fairfield CountyGreenwich
The first stop in Connecticut: four Metro-North stations, the fastest scheduled ride to Grand Central in the state and one of the lowest FY2027 mill rates in the state. -
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons N° 03 · Fairfield CountyDarien
A small town with a top-rated school district, two stations about an hour from Grand Central and parking waitlists to plan around. -
Photo: JohnOwensCT, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons N° 04 · Fairfield CountyNorwalk
A coastal city with neighborhoods for most budgets, South Norwalk's harbor and restaurants and the junction of the main line and the Danbury Branch. -
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons N° 05 · Fairfield CountyWestport
The creative one: a theater, a summer music lawn and a town beach, with two Metro-North stations when you need the city. -
Photo: RGloucester, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons N° 06 · Fairfield CountyFairfield
The balanced choice: beaches, a walkable downtown and three Metro-North stations, a little farther up the line.