Black Rock is the highest-priced section of Bridgeport, a poor city, but homes are less expensive than in surrounding suburban neighborhoods on the water. That’s largely because Bridgeport’s schools do not perform as well as the suburban schools, and property taxes are higher.
Credit
Gregg Vigliotti for The New York Times
A big jump in the tax rate this year revived calls for Black Rock to secede from Bridgeport and rejoin Fairfield, which it was part of before 1870. Diane Rello, a real estate agent with the Higgins Group who lives in Black Rock, started a Facebook petition to attract support for the idea. However, the petition had only 162 supporters as of Dec. 19, in a neighborhood with a population of about 9,000.
What You’ll Find
A peninsula in southwestern Bridgeport that was once a major port and shipbuilding center, Black Rock is bordered by Black Rock Harbor to the east and the Ash Creek marshlands to the west. Its crowning feature is St. Mary’s by the Sea, a city-owned park with a shoreline walkway offering views of the harbor and Long Island Sound. Sailboats frequently dot the harbor, coming and going from the two yacht clubs, Black Rock and Fayerweather.
Houses are a mix of single- and multi-family homes in an array of styles. A National Register Historic District at the head of the harbor includes many 18th- and 19th-century houses. Higher-priced properties are near the water, as well as on the few streets high enough to give sweeping water views. There are nine condominium complexes and one co-op.
The business district on Fairfield Avenue includes convenience stores, shops and many taverns and restaurants. Newcomers include Nom-eez, serving Vietnamese street food, and Hub and Spoke, with tapas and craft beers. In a more serene waterfront spot on Ferris Street, Bloodroot, a feminist bookstore and restaurantthat will have its 40th anniversary in March, serves vegetarian fare.
The Fairfield Metro rail station on Metro-North’s New Haven Line is on the Black Rock border. A planned pedestrian bridge over Ash Creek will make it easier to walk there. It is expected to be completed in 2019, said Gail Robinson, a resident and an agent with William Raveis Real Estate, who served on the bridge planning committee.
What You’ll Pay
The median sales price for a single-family home through Dec. 8 this year was $260,000, based on sales of roughly 30 homes, according to Ms. Robinson. That price level typically buys an older Cape Cod on a small lot, she said. Twenty single-family homes were listed for sale on Dec. 8, ranging from a 1,100-square-foot Cape at $149,000 to a five-bedroom waterfront colonial at $1.195 million.
The median sales price for multifamilies was $250,000, according to Ms. Rello of the Higgins Group; for condos, it was $113,750.
Credit
Gregg Vigliotti for The New York Times
According to data provided by Ms. Robinson, the median rent for a two-bedroom condo was $1,700 this year, up from $1,500 in 2010.
The Vibe
The lively tavern scene on Fairfield Avenue reflects Black Rock’s free-spiritedness, but the overarching atmosphere is one of a close-knit community. The Harborview Market and cafe, on Harborview Avenue, is the hub for locals, with large communal tables, local artwork on the walls, and musicians serenading Sunday crowds.
The Black Rock Community Council sponsors events like Black Rock Day, each June, with a road race, parade and festival.
The Schools
The Black Rock School, with about 400 students, serves students in kindergarten through Grade 8. Right next door is St. Ann Academy, a Catholic school for prekindergarten through Grade 8.
Students can also apply for acceptance to a new magnet school, the Geraldine Claytor Magnet Academy, opening in Black Rock next year for prekindergarten through Grade 8 and focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
Black Rock residents attend Bassick High School, one of three public high schools in Bridgeport. SAT I scores for the Class of 2016 were 329 in reading, 317 in math and 332 in writing, compared with 494, 508 and 482 statewide. Magnet-school offerings include the Interdistrict Science Magnet Schools, three high schools on a campus that also draws from nearby towns, and the Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture Science and Technology Education Center.
The Commute
Most peak Metro-North trains from the Fairfield Metro station are scheduled to reach Grand Central Terminal in 75 to 90 minutes. A monthly pass is $388.
The History
The Fayerweather Island Light, an octagonal lighthouse marking the entrance to Black Rock Harbor, was built in the 1820s to replace an earlier one destroyed in a hurricane. It was decommissioned in the 1930s. In 2000, the Black Rock Community Council and other groups completed a restoration of it.
