[gongamonga]

We are relocating to CT for my husband's job which is in North Haven. We are looking for a middle class town with excellent schools. One of our children requires some special education services. We have looked at Hamden, Durham, and Southington. Any suggestions? We would prefer a small to medium sized town, low crime rate, etc. Thanks so much for the help.

[glxyman21]

Of those you chose Durham is the smallest around 7,000, and shares a school system with Middlefield and they're both rural-ish type towns but close to a lot. They're considered a bit more upscale but still affordable houses around. The schools are rated very well and have recieved many awards.Crime is very low

Southington is the next largest up and is quite a large residential/bedroom community (40,000). lots in the way of shopping, etc. Housing may be a bit cheaper than Durham or Middlefield, but is still somewhat pricey. Schools are also rated highly with many awards. Taxes might be higher than Durham or Middlefield due to the greater amount of town services that need funding (i. e. staffed fire stations vs. volunteer, etc). Crime is low as well

Hamden is a city of about 60,000. Property here is the cheapest, being a city and next to New Haven there is a higher amount of crime. Schools are okay, but being a not so wealthy city they get more funding from the state and teach a great diversity of children

All towns will accomodate special needs children in some way or another. You can also look at Wallingford, Cheshire and Berlin as alternatives..they're medium in population (20,000-40,000)and mainly residential

[gongamonga]

Thanks for the info. We really liked Southington and Durham. North Branford is also on our list of possibilities. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[JayCT]

from what I hear, Southington High School is not the greatest. It is pretty large and crowded. Plus I would not describe Southington as a rural town by any stretch. For small towns with good schools, I would go with Durham or Middlefield. I would also consider North Branford, but I am not certain about their schools. Other towns to consider are Guilford, Madison and Hadaam. Good luck. Jay