California to Connecticut (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose: hardwood floors, transplants, real estate)

[JiminCT]

I've been seeing a lot of plates here from CA. I would think that would be a really easy move for folks coming east (sans weather). Anybody out there contemplating a move to the Nutmeg State?

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by JiminCT

I've been seeing a lot of plates here from CA. I would think that would be a really easy move for folks coming east (sans weather). Anybody out there contemplating a move to the Nutmeg State?

Do you know any of these CA to CT transplants, by chance? Just curious if there are any commonalities in terms of demographics. Retirees? Families? Young? Old? Could they be former CTans returning after a stint in CA? Again, just curious.

[looking4home]

I don't know why anyone would want to move to CT from CA. CT has an equally high cost of living, and even higher taxes. Unless it was a job-related move that couldn't be avoided, it would be a really nutty thing to do. CT is beautiful, in a New England sort of way. But from what I understand, the state is becoming overcrowded and taxes keep going up. Plus, they are starting to have real problems with illegal immigrants, as are other areas of New England. You might as well stay in CA - at least you would have much better weather!

[skytrekker]

Housing prices in Connecticut are much lower then California- this excludes jazzy Fairfield county; towns like Greenwich, Westport, Ridgefield, etc. the remainder of Connecticut (75-80%) is 'cheap'. In greater Hartford the median price for a single family home is 258K- compare that to L.A county (595k) Orange county (600K+) San Francisco (734k) San Jose (761K) San Diego (599k) Sacramento (385K) Modesto (339k)

In towns like South Windsor, Ellington ,Bolton, Vernon-near Hartford, there are excellent schools, local services, very low crime with no gangs a new home (1800-2000 square feet, on a decent size lot) 3 bedrooms 2 baths, fireplace, basement- starting at 240K-285K- taxes 3-4K a year respectively.

On this board I have met two people from southern California on the CT forum who have moved to CT for lower housing, a nice house with a yard, and 'peace'- one who has moved to the Hartford area, the other near the Connecticut shoreline. Both couples are in the process of moving here this month. Eastern Connecticut- midway between Hartford and Providence is very 'popular' with former Californians- you can buy a new colonial 0n 2 acres- in a rural wooded PRIVATE area, 2000+ square feet, hardwood floors, fireplace, 3-4 bedrooms 2.5 baths, double garage,Family room, for around 300-325K- No freeways, no sprawl, strip malls, no gangs, high quality of life, excellent schools, no smog, many trees-, farms;close to beaches, wineries, Hartford, Providence- 80 miles to Boston, 140 miles to NYC .

According to Forbes magazine Connecticut ranks as the 4th best state for 'quality of life factors' California ranks 28th.

Connecticut IS NOT overcrowded- 3.5 million people- an increase of 3-4% since 2000. We have no immigration problem here- we do have some Asians, and people of Middle eastern heritage- but not an influx from Mexico. The only area that might compare with the worse areas of California traffic wise is the I 95 corridor, from west of New Haven through upscale Fairfield county into New York. And even here the towns are beautiful, with a very high quality of life-. Traffic and congestion wise- Hartford has some traffic on the interstates, but is nothing compared to most of California- and the rest of the state is very pleasant- with little sprawl. Zoning laws here are VERY Strict. Traffic and congestion wise- 75% of Connecticut is a breeze to commute in.

The states eastern half -called the so called 'quiet corner' is the least developed space of land between Washington and Boston- there are three towns in eastern CT over 35,000 (Groton, 50K, New London-39K and Norwich 37K. There are forested hills, farms and a very New England charm.

The states NW hills are also mostly rural- with small towns, farms, woods and lakes.

Sales tax is 6% State income tax is 4.5% With No county or local taxes. Real estate is taxed 70% of assessed vales in most towns.
Gasoline is around $2.63 a gallon. Autos are taxed yearly in July by each town.

Connecticut is MUCH cheaper then California. With A much lower crime, gangs zero in most towns, a MODERATE climate. with 3 months of winter. Winters begin in mid to late December and end in late March. This winter we had under 15" of snow.

Great ethnic food from Thai, to Vietnamese, to Brazilian, Italian, Moroccan etc. Great Arts, museums, culture.

The number of California plates here are numerous- some are returnees- but some are not-

Do PM for more information- pictures, stats, town web sites, real estate info, crime data, etc

[looking4home]

Don't listen to the Realtor - just check out the CT forum. You will read posts from many angry, dissatisfied people who are sick of the high cost of living and traffic, not to mention the dreary weather. In fact, I would rank CT as the most "angry" forum behind the Los Angeles and New Jersey ones. It is definitely a state of have's and have-not's - in fact, there is constant talk on the forum about what towns to avoid as they are too snobby, etc.

CT also has a considerable immigration problem that started back in the '80's with the large influx of Brazilians. As for newer immigrants, mainly Mexican illegals, ask people in Danbury how things are going over there and see what kind of response you get.

[skytrekker]

lookng4home

firstly I am not a Realtor- but a social worker. And a jaded attitude is something I do not have. I do have a degree in Geography
and Sociology-


Secondly the house prices and information I provided can found at Realtor.com- easily available to anyone.

If one wants to trash CT- then why do we have so many Californian plates here? The quality of life is significantly higher here.

Check out the stats at city data on just about any CT town-see the crime stats compared to any other place- much lower then the national average.

I am not angry- you seem to be the one who is angry- firstly by making the accusation I am a Realtor- and by not backing up accusations with information- only insults and total misinformation.

And again- you did nothing to refute the high housing costs in California.

The census figures will again prove you wrong- Connecticut's population growth is near 3- 5% per decade- so all these so called 'immigrants' are in your imagination. I never hear from the Governor, state legislators, or local officials here discuss this 'problem' with illegal immigrants- nor do I hear it in the media- it is perhaps A figment of some peoples imagination, living far away.

Also- 65-70% of those living in the greater Hartford area make enough money to qualify to buy a single family home at the median price of 258K and that is with a conventional mortgage. IN L.A and Orange county about 16% are able to buy a single family home at a median price of 600K- and many must use those funky sub prime no money interest only loans. I think the gap between the haves and have nots is far far bigger then in California. 400K here in the Hartford area you get a huge home-mini mansion in a high quality town with excellent schools and services - in southern California 500K gets you a small 45 year old ranch on a postage size stamp lot in a so so neighborhood.

As for snobs- I have found more snobs in California then just about anywhere across the country. As much as I love California- the culture seems to much based on gross consumerism as its primary value- I prefer not to judge others on what they make, how big their house is, or how jazzy their car is. People here are simply much less materialistic. I would way prefer to live with the old money and 'snobs' in Westport and Greenwich then those in Beverly Hills or Marin county.

I live in an old New England mill town- where I seldom see snobs- mixed working class and professional, and diverse-
New England has a totally different value system then California- to say otherwise is just plain false.

Yes I own a very nice townhouse that is paid for- :-)

[dusesean1986]

There's a ton of folks in California from the Northeast, I'm not sure about vice versa.

[skytrekker]

duesean1986

there are 'a ton of those from the NE' in California- this is correct- in the past tense.

However demographics are quickly changing. I myself love California, spent time there, visited the state- but the costs are far too high.

Now a reverse trend is starting- not only former New Englanders coming back to NE- but even native Californians coming here- that sends and says a powerful message.

[looking4home]

Yeah, the message is that people are rootless, and Californians are the worst. A lot of them are descendents of "Okies" who came to CA during the Dust Bowl in the '30's. It's ingrained in their natures to just pack up the old truck (or new SUV) and look for greener pastures. Seriously, though, without being too offensive but also wanting to tell it like it is, many Californians are searching for something that will take them back to an America they knew as a child. Idealized or not, they want to go back in time when we all felt safer - pre-911 and without so many Third World immigrants whose cultures are just too different from our own Euro-centric ones. It's a very deep, almost primal longing, to want to return to a familiar cocoon and for many, that means New England. Where else to better find the the core American values that made our nation great? So they come looking in every village green, at every town hall meeting, at the outdoor band concert in the park, and in the white, steepled church. Norman Rockwell, where are you???

[dennismpat]

Originally Posted by dusesean1986

There's a ton of folks in California from the Northeast, I'm not sure about vice versa.

When I visited my relatives in New Jersey and NYC, I was surprised at how many California transplants I met there---and these are California natives who moved there voluntarily (not job-related), not former East Coast residents moving back. Most of the ones I spoke with concede that the weather was the hardest thing to get used to, but they managed to adapt. As Skytrekker said, that in itself tells you something!

Another place where I ran into lots of transplanted Californians is Texas.