[cool_mommy]

I have lived all over CT and I believe that Middlesex County has a nice mix of people. You can find white collar, blue collar, stay-at-home moms, singles and working couples, etc. IMA the people are nice and few are pretentious. This part of CT is central and located between the cities, parks, beaches, and so on. You will have no trouble finding public transportation and many small towns have at least one commuter parking lot where I'm sure there are commuting vans in use (if not a bus). Not to mention that Middlesex County has a pretty low crime rate as well. There are plenty of apartment complexes, condos for rent and rooms for rent. One area in particular that you may want to consider is the area around Wesleyan University in Middletown. There are plenty of rental options and Middletown has come a long way in recent years. You may find more crime there as it is bigger than the surrounding smaller towns but you will also find plenty of shopping, restaurants, a hospital, some nightlife and so on.

Best of luck to you!

[NickL28]

Originally Posted by nowaytoknowyet

For the times I've been in Fairfield county I just about feel like I'm being asked for proof with all the wealth being shown off by some there and I'm going to go and play a round of golf after work lingo.

I currently reside in Ridgefield, NJ (not CT) and it's affluent in these parts.

There's townhomes being built in Cliffside Park, NJ on a "cliff" that are going to have the NYC view and they're going to be priced from $1 million to $2 million! - YIKES!!!!

I've lived in this area all of my life and I'm feeling that I no longer fit here - it wasn't always that way. It all changed when NYC dwellers started buying up real estate in my part of NJ and slowly but surely the middle class is being "attacked" as one needs "THE JOB" as "A JOB" doesn't make too good here.

Plus I'm unemployed and no car (because I couldn't afford keeping one for said unemployment) as the jobs here have fierce competition for each opening and employers drag their feet on any decisions for said openings. I guess this is a price I pay for living in a densely populated area. It sometimes burns me up when people have these great jobs/positions lined up because they are at the right place at the right time or that they have connections in high places.

My plan is to somehow get temporary work here and save up to get out of here so I can reside in an area to which I can be productive for my life and others.

I agree with you about this. The good thing is that the Hartford area & essentially most parts of CT other than Fairfield county don't have that strong NYC influence & the pretentious attitude that goes along with it.

The 'attitude' thing is mainly concentrated to Fairfield county which is part of the NYC metro area and seems to be worse in the suburbs of Long Island, Westchester & Fairfield county. I think some of it is just illusiory and many of these people (especially these 'too cool for school gen y recent grads') are up to their ears in shocking amounts of credit card debt in order to portray this image & will face the consequences in the future.

I still have my apartment in Queens since it is a bargain by NYC standards at just over $800 a month and only a 2 hour drive from the Hartford area. Housing prices seem much more reasonable (300K seems expensive to people I talk to but very cheap compared to what you get anywhere in NYC or NJ) and not rising exponentially as they are in NYC & NJ.

[njguy]

Originally Posted by NickL28

I agree with you about this. The good thing is that the Hartford area & essentially most parts of CT other than Fairfield county don't have that strong NYC influence & the pretentious attitude that goes along with it.

The 'attitude' thing is mainly concentrated to Fairfield county which is part of the NYC metro area and seems to be worse in the suburbs of Long Island, Westchester & Fairfield county. I think some of it is just illusiory and many of these people (especially these 'too cool for school gen y recent grads') are up to their ears in shocking amounts of credit card debt in order to portray this image & will face the consequences in the future.

I still have my apartment in Queens since it is a bargain by NYC standards at just over $800 a month and only a 2 hour drive from the Hartford area. Housing prices seem much more reasonable (300K seems expensive to people I talk to but very cheap compared to what you get anywhere in NYC or NJ) and not rising exponentially as they are in NYC & NJ.

I'm sure you're breathing alot better now and venture to say probably are less stressed.

[dfrench8456]

most of ct is middle class as eveyone else said the rich people live near nyc and in avon i live Eastwindsor ct and believe me its not a rich place.

[bluecountry]

1) Is there any reason why east of the CT river the amount pricey vehicles, or wealth, is dimished? Any reason for this barrier?

2) Middelsex County, is that considered to be part of NY or BOS territroy?
I want myself want a nice down to Earth area...but not something that is more BOS than NY oritentated. I hate BOS teams and want YES, MSG not freaking NESN.

3) I've lived in Fairfield County and haven't found it to be all that snobby, albeit I've lived in Trumbull. Does the sterotype moreless fit in areas like Grennwich as opposed to Eastern and Northern Fairfield?

[jeremeyk482]

Originally Posted by bluecountry

1) Is there any reason why east of the CT river the amount pricey vehicles, or wealth, is dimished? Any reason for this barrier?

2) Middelsex County, is that considered to be part of NY or BOS territroy?
I want myself want a nice down to Earth area...but not something that is more BOS than NY oritentated. I hate BOS teams and want YES, MSG not freaking NESN.

3) I've lived in Fairfield County and haven't found it to be all that snobby, albeit I've lived in Trumbull. Does the sterotype moreless fit in areas like Grennwich as opposed to Eastern and Northern Fairfield?

Western Connecticut (particularly west of New Haven) is closer to NYC which means a higher cost of living. In wealthier areas, you're more likely to see that Mercedes or BMW.

I would consider Middlesex County half and half. Here is a recent thread that can probably answer your question http://www.city-data.com/forum/conne...ox-bos-ny.html

I don't think Fairfield County is too pretentious. While it's among the wealthiest areas in the nation, I find people here to be somewhat down to earth and modest - with exceptions of course. It's nothing compared to some parts of CA, FL and just outside DC. Northern Fairfield County (Danbury, Bethel, New Fairfield, Newtown, Shelton, Trumbull, Brookfield) is less expensive than lower Fairfield County from Greenwich to Fairfield, so the people are a bit more grounded.

[mels]

Originally Posted by bluecountry

1) Is there any reason why east of the CT river the amount pricey vehicles, or wealth, is dimished? Any reason for this barrier?

2) Middelsex County, is that considered to be part of NY or BOS territroy?
I want myself want a nice down to Earth area...but not something that is more BOS than NY oritentated. I hate BOS teams and want YES, MSG not freaking NESN.

3) I've lived in Fairfield County and haven't found it to be all that snobby, albeit I've lived in Trumbull. Does the sterotype moreless fit in areas like Grennwich as opposed to Eastern and Northern Fairfield?

East of the river (away from Hartford, towards the Quiet Corner) tends to be cheaper because it is less developed. You have to travel much further to get to a more populated area for work. There are some pricier areas east of the river (i.e. Glastonbury) but those areas are close to Hartford. There are also more quiet, small towns east of the river as opposed to the west, which generally means lower prices. It isn't like it is cheaper because it is run down or ugly or anything like that.

After you get out of Fairfield County and southern New Haven County, it is less NY-centric. I think you can get YES in all of CT, no? I don't find any county in CT to exclusively align themselves with Boston. It really is a mix of Boston/NY in the state.

As for Fairfield County snobbiness, there is a lot of wealth in the area so you will get some of the superiority complex that goes with it. Trumbull is on the lesser end while Greenwich would be on the higher end. I lived in Stamford and never felt like the majority of people were snobby in the area. Like anything, a few bad eggs but not the rule.

[Johnny CT]

There are still working class areas in Fairfield County like Bridgeport and parts of Danbury. I would recommend that you check out the Naugatuck Valley area, basically from Bridgeport up route 8 to about Waterbury. You will find many towns like Ansonia, Naugatuck, Waterbury, and Thomaston that are down to earth and not expensive relative to other towns in the area. Plus most of those towns are on Metro-North so you can take the train to places within Connecticut or take it down to the city since you don't have a car. And once you get a car again it won't be too bad a drive to get to North Jersey.

Go to the Connecticut section of Craigs list and then click on the New Haven county link for a better idea on prices.

[joshtpa]

Out of curiousity, what is wrong with having nice things? It does not mean someone is pretentious. I have one of each. This question is wrong. It is like saying is there someplace in Texas without a Pickup. This whole question wreaks a little bit of jealousy.

[BogieOrangeman]

Originally Posted by joshtpa

Out of curiousity, what is wrong with having nice things? It does not mean someone is pretentious. I have one of each. This question is wrong. It is like saying is there someplace in Texas without a Pickup. This whole question wreaks a little bit of jealousy.

I agree, assumptions about people can be very dangerous. It's the whole thing about judging a book by it's cover. Just because someone drives a nice BMW or Mercedes does not necessarily mean that they'll have an air about them.