We, like many people at our stage in life with kids, are looking to move out of the Zurich area to buy affordable housing in Kanton Argau. The area is beautiful, especially around Lenzburg. Can anyone advise of the downsides of living "out in the sticks"? It is so tempting to buy a house there for half of what it costs just 20 minutes closer to Zurich. There seems to be a lot of houses on the market, and the prices are dropping.

First thing, if we are going to consider letting you live with us fine folks in Kanton Aargau, you have to spell it correctly. Over the years, the thought of living in Zürich crossed our minds, but after we looked at the cost of housing, we just couldn't justify giving up space and paying so much for so little. Depending on where you live in Kanton Aargau, the commute to Zürich is painless, though many who live in Kt. Aargau don't commute to Zürich, at least not for work.

There are areas of this Kanton that are really scenic and I suppose there are areas that are remote, what I would refer to as living "out in the sticks". Small villages with limited public transport would fit this description, or areas well outside of the village. It can be a real trek for kids getting to school. Tax rates vary widely and just as in Zürich, low tax areas have higher property prices.

In addition to what is advertised on line, a copy of the local paper, the Aargauer Zeitung is worth picking up to look at the housing section. There are also community papers or regional papers.

Hope you find what you are looking for. There are many members here who live in Kt. Aargau, some for only a short while, others, like us, for years.

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We lived near Lenzburg for some time when our children were small. We liked it; plus - twenty minutes by fast train to Zürich; minus - a bit further from skiing areas than we liked; minus - a bit too much fog in winter; plus - pleasant countryside; plus - much cheaper than Zürich. We only moved away because Mr L was transferred again.

Great.
You save a good deal. You can get close enough to everything to make proximity a moot point.

There are great little towns all over. Actually I like Baden best.

Where I live is very industrial, Spreitenbach, and is full of Auslanders, and is very inexpensive, rent and tax wise. This isn't the ideal family community some may argue, (Particularly the Swiss I dont want to get into why they may argue that, but take a wild black sheep of a guess!!) but I have seen some lovely properties in the area for very cheap, and its proximity to zurich is great. It takes me 15 mins to drive to work. 20 mins on a bad day.

Zurchers honk at you cause you'll have AG plates, but what do they know.
Baden , Lenzburg and tons of villages have great family communities. I cant think of any reason a family would want to choose Zurich over whats available for cheaper just over the border.

3day

I love the multi-quote feature

I just came back from the Media Market in Spreitenbach as I am not afraid to stand next in line at the cashier to a fellow "black sheep". But it is not scenic and not the type of country life the OP is asking about... I would recommend you to look for a place "above the fog"... the locals will know what it means: The valleys are usually very foggy, so the house you want to live in should be high enough to get a scenic view on top of that.

I lived in Fricktal for a little while, Well about threee weeks where I lived it felt a bit strange, a bit like a one street town, but people were very open and friendly, it was like everyone wanted to know who you are? why are you here? and mostly when are you leaving

So I left and I must say I don't miss aarrrrgua

Funny when you see how many people who work in Zurich are actually looking for properties in Aargau. Maybe because it is simply more affordable. There are several foreign families in our village and nobody thinks anything of it. They make an effort to fit in and try to speak the language and nobody expects anything more.

Baden is a great little town. It is compact, has pretty much everything you need but is close enough to Zurich if you need to get there quickly. And within ten minutes by car you can have farms, cows and horses for neighbours. Really the best of both worlds.

Hi, we have only been here around 6 months, and live in a small village approx 3000 residents called Muhen, and we love it!!!!!

We have two children 10 and 8 whom have settled very well in the local school which is the hub of any event.

We came from a large town in Scotland with population of nearly 60,000 so was a big change.

We did contemplate the larger towns/cities but wanted to be able to walk down a street where everyone knows each other but still have the best of both worlds with cities within the hour.

E.g. Aarau, only 10 mins by tram, then we have Zurich within 26 mins, Basel, Bern, Luzern etc approx 1 hr really nothing at all, so can go have lunch in the city a bit of shopping and still come back to a quaint way of life.

Also extremely safe.

Go for it the smaller town/village the better I say IMHO.

Good luck where ever you decide.

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oops, sorry, thought my spelling looked funny...

There is a free newspaper every Thursday called Der Landanzeiger, if you can get a hold of this it is very useful to get to know the area but also useful for house hunting.

Bergdietikon, not far from Zurich, not far from Baden, high and much cheaper housing in a very stylish neighbourhood.

Well, actually there is not really a bad Public House in town that can also connect you with things-going-on!!

Thanks for the plug ...........

I've lived in Aargau for several years now, first in Bellikon and now in Oberrohrdorf. To be very honest I can't think of any downsides of living out here and I certainly would not consider moving back into Zurich city.

I really like living in Baden. I'm lucky enough to be living about a three minute walk from the train station on the river, and I can jump on a train and be in Zurich in less than twenty minutes (with no stops). I can walk through the beautiful old town or get into the hills for some forest hiking, both within minutes. The people at my favorite coffee shop even start making my drink as soon as I walk in through the door.

Something else that hasn't been mentioned is the close proximity to Germany. Waldshut, Germany is a 9 franc return fair, and a 26 minute train ride from Baden. For those of us with Swiss price sticker shock, a little shopping in much cheaper Germany is a good cure. Restaurant meals are about half the price there, and there are significant savings on groceries and household goods as well.

We also lived in the centre of Baden and it was really convenient, but most families live outside of Baden where there is more space and housing is more affordable. The surrounding villages have good access to Baden, some better than others. One important consideration is schools. The OP has not said how old his children are, but I think it is important to look beyond primary school, to see just where your children might be attending school after that, the location of those schools, and how easy it is for kids to get there. For example, I know the kids in our village who attend the Bezirkschule, which is in the next village, have access to a bus but most cycle, and they have a cycle path just for this, so they can avoid the main road. Some villages have better bus service than others, particularly villages where there is a large company with many employees, such as Villigen, home to PSI. Taxes are low there but housing is not as expensive as other villages with low taxes.

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Hi..thanks for the post. Since you wrote it we have found a house that we want to buy (In othmarsingen, right next to Lenzburg), got bank approval for financing, and have agreed with the owners to reserve the house for us! So, the ball is rolling. We would move in during Autumn 2009. Our kids are 9 an 11, my wife is from Scotland (Aberdeen and Glasgow), I am American, so we could be "neighbors" soon!...will keep you posted.

My wife is a dentist in Seon since about 15 years now...

-Karl

Is Spreitenbach more expensive than Zurich? I am now living in Spreitenbach but working in Zurich. I recognize that the withholding tax here is higher than Zurich.

Zurich: Higher rents, compared to AG lower tax.

Spreitenbach: Comparatively much lower rents, higher tax.

Where should you live? Depends on your family situation and income: Highe income, no kids (= smaller flat): probably Zurich
Lower income or the need for a large flat: Spreitenbach

You will need to do the maths for your own situation and after all is it also a lifestyle choice.

How about food in Spreitenbach? Is it cheaper than Zurich? I have just moved to Spreitenbach recently and have no idea about life here. I even have problem with my health insurance, because it is not recognised in canton Aarau.

.....dangerous to drive