[gnatty8]

My family and I may be moving from Atlanta to Hartford area in the near future. We cannot take Atlanta anymore, and are pretty excited about the move. My potential job would be located in Berlin, and we have 2 children, one in 2nd grade, the other 18 months old. We are looking for areas that have good schools (believe me, in Altanta, this is very important, since there are only a few tiny areas that have decent schools) reasonable housing prices, and equally important, a decent commute to Berlin. My current commute in Atlanta is under 40 miles round trip and takes me 2 hours a day, sometimes more, so this is crucial.

I searched this board already and West Hartford and Glastonbury seem to be popping up a fair bit. What about Newington? Kensington? Meriden? Should any of these be avoided at all costs?

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by gnatty8

My family and I may be moving from Atlanta to Hartford area in the near future. We cannot take Atlanta anymore, and are pretty excited about the move. My potential job would be located in Berlin, and we have 2 children, one in 2nd grade, the other 18 months old. We are looking for areas that have good schools (believe me, in Altanta, this is very important, since there are only a few tiny areas that have decent schools) reasonable housing prices, and equally important, a decent commute to Berlin. My current commute in Atlanta is under 40 miles round trip and takes me 2 hours a day, sometimes more, so this is crucial.

I searched this board already and West Hartford and Glastonbury seem to be popping up a fair bit. What about Newington? Kensington? Meriden? Should any of these be avoided at all costs?

If you will be working in Berlin; your best options for towns, that offer pleasant living conditions with good schools which would be within the shortest commuting distance of the Berlin area ; 1st Kensington, a few miles away and then Newington, Rocky Hill and Cromwell (about 10-12 miles distant)- The commute from Berlin to these towns would not exceed 20 miles round trip. I would avoid Meriden.

Glastonbury is an excellent town with a fine school system ; with higher housing costs just across the CT river from Rocky Hill, which would probably not exceed 25 miles a day round trip.

Traffic here is far less strangling then Atlanta- with even your furthest commute to Glastonbury at most 35 minutes round trip.

[JayCT]

gnatty - Kensington is part of the Town of Berlin. Their schools are the same and are considered good. Rocky Hill is nice with very good schools and a lot of family activities. Wethersfield, Cromwell and Newington are also good. West Hartford and Glastonbury are considered to be among the best suburbs in Hartford. Their schools are consdiered excellent but you will pay more to live there. If you can give us an idea of how much you want to spend and what you expect for the money, we can tell you which of these towns to consider. Jay

[JViello]

I would mirror what both Sky and Jay have to say, and add Southington, Marion and Cheshire to the mix and depending on budget perhaps Farmington. Heck even Glastonbury wouldn't be that bad of a commute - I used to drive from Manchester to Wallingford (35 miles each way) every day in 35 minutes each way with no issues.

As Jay said, your budget guidelines will help us steer you in the right direction.

Commuting here in the Hartford area is NOTHING and I mean NOTHING like Atlanta. I've spent a considerable amount of time in Atl on both business and pleasure...it's just out of control.

Commuting to Berlin from the selected town will be on jam free highways (Unless there is somekind of major accident or the like) or a nice drive among some country back roads.

[mels]

Originally Posted by JViello

Heck even Glastonbury wouldn't be that bad of a commute - I used to drive from Manchester to Wallingford (35 miles each way) every day in 35 minutes each way with no issues.

I drive a similar commute a few days a week and it really isn't bad at all.

In regards to schools, honestly most Connecticut towns have good public schools. Unfortunately a lot of the larger (large for CT!) cities are the areas where education leaves a lot to be desired. Any of the suburbs in the area will likely offer a good solid education. You have many good options for a really reasonable commute, so it really comes down to how much you are willing to spend on a house and how many minutes a day would be your maximum desired commute time.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by JViello

I would mirror what both Sky and Jay have to say, and add Southington, Marion and Cheshire to the mix and depending on budget perhaps Farmington. Heck even Glastonbury wouldn't be that bad of a commute - I used to drive from Manchester to Wallingford (35 miles each way) every day in 35 minutes each way with no issues.

I agree. Southington borders Berlin on the west. Cheshire is immediately south of Southington. Cheshire to Berlin does make an awkward commute though.

BTW, Marion is in Southington.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by Rich Lee

I agree. Southington borders Berlin on the west. Cheshire is immediately south of Southington. Cheshire to Berlin does make an awkward commute though.

BTW, Marion is in Southington.

Yea, now that I think of it, RT10 does really seem to be the only real way up that direction so I would tend to recant on Cheshire myself. As for the Marion thing...LOL I know it's a village inside of Southington but you don't know HOW many people I know from Wolcott or the ski area that say "Marion" instead of "Southington". lol

[gnatty8]

Thanks guys. I am trying to keep housing cost to under $300,000. I understand the cost of living in general to be higher in CT than Atlanta, and my move will be lateral in terms of salary, about $125K plus bonus. I don't expect this to go very far, but anything to escape this traffic!!

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by gnatty8

Thanks guys. I am trying to keep housing cost to under $300,000. I understand the cost of living in general to be higher in CT than Atlanta, and my move will be lateral in terms of salary, about $125K plus bonus. I don't expect this to go very far, but anything to escape this traffic!!

Housing will be higher here, but homes in the upper 200 thousand range can be very nice here. Good luck!

[glxyman21]

Berlin in itself is a nice town. They have a lot of shopping on rt. 15 and many nice neighborhoods. Rt. 9 comes through town and easily connects you to I-84 and I-91. The schools are good as well. small pop. of 18,000

You can also look into Farmington (where rt. 9 ends). Many nice neighborhoods and excellent schools..Traffic can become congested on rt. 4 and rt. 10 as these are the main arteries that lead to I-84. west farms mall is on the outer edge of town, but Avon and West Hartford are a short drive away to tons of things. the town is very suburban, but also rural looking areas. pop. of about 25,000, Voted one of the best towns in CT.

Southington is a nice alternative which is connected to I-84. But also connected to Berlin through a small country back road, rt. 364. Depending where you live in town you wouldn't need to take the highway. Lots of shopping and good schools. Very large population (40,000+) Voted number one in Hartford County for quality of life

These towns can be somewhat pricey for homes, in the 200's you may find a small cape or small raised ranch on a 1/4 - 1/2 acre depending on condition, etc. Nice condo's can be had for $250,000, of which Farmington has MANY condos. Cromwell is also in easy commuting distance from both 91 and rt. 9, though it is a small town both in land and population. It depends on what size community you want to live in, the level of town services, location, etc. Smaller towns will have less town services than larger towns. Though Meriden has much cheaper housing costs, buying there entails getting everything that comes along with Meriden ( Crime in the inner parts, high tax rate, and schools which don't perform well)

Edit: Yeah, Marion is kind of a "unique" village of Southington. It is actually really nice with many colonial era homes and buildings and nicely wooded established nieghborhoods, along with huge stately homes. Funny thing is that they have their own post office of which their mail has to be picked up, no delivery! I have a friend that lives there and they have to go to the post office to get their mail, might be a good way to meet ALL the neighbors