[gnatty8]

Is this a nice place to live with 2 small children? Schools good? Any areas to avoid? What would the commute to Berlin be like?

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by gnatty8

Is this a nice place to live with 2 small children? Schools good? Any areas to avoid? What would the commute to Berlin be like?

Bloomfield has some very swanky neighborhoods around Mountain Rd.
And some not so great areas. The educational system has seen some problems.

[JayCT]

Bloomfield is a suburb north of Hartford. To commute to Berlin, you would need to drive through Hartford which during rush hour is not easy. Bloomfield is a nice community but it does have issues. There are better school systems in the area. I know a teacher in the high school and she tells me there are a LOT of issues similar to what you would find in a more urban community.

There are many towns that are closer to Berlin that would be better. I believe several towns were previously suggested including Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, Cromwell, Newington and Berlin.

If homes in these towns do not fit your needs, I would suggest Middletown. It has great amenities like good shopping, restaurants, parks and a nice downtown area. The lower grade schools are okay but the middle and high school can have issues. A lot of people in Middletown send their kids to the parochial high schools there. Good luck, Jay

[CTlibrarian]

As the mother of one small child, I would not choose to live in Bloomfield. It is one of the less desireable suburbs of Hartford, with some of the same urban problems of the big city.

As JayCT said, the commute to Berlin from Bloomfield would be a hassle. Besides the towns mentioned in his post, I would add Southington and Bristol as possiblilites.

[cosmonewman]

I’ll unpack some of what the other posters are trying not to tell you about Bloomfield.

“Urban,” “some not so great areas,” “The educational system has seen some problems,” “…issues similar to what you would find in a more urban community,” and “one of the less desireable suburbs of Hartford, with some of the same urban problems of the big city.” all are code for Black.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by cosmonewman

I’ll unpack some of what the other posters are trying not to tell you about Bloomfield.

“Urban,” “some not so great areas,” “The educational system has seen some problems,” “…issues similar to what you would find in a more urban community,” and “one of the less desireable suburbs of Hartford, with some of the same urban problems of the big city.” all are code for Black.

Approvximately 51% of Bloomfield's population is black, but this does not have anyhting to do with my comments on the "issues" with the school system. Bloomfield's 8th Grade CT Mastery Test Scores indicate that only 38% of the students reached the reading goals, 12% the math goals and 36% the writing goals. This compares to the State averages of 65%, 56% and 61% respectively. This is not good. Also, in talking to a teacher I know in the system, there are a lot of teenage pregnancies, crime, family violence and drug and alcohol problems.

I will agree with one of the other posters in saying that there are many beautiful areas in Bloomfield including Mountain Avenue and Duncaster Road areas. The Cigna campus redevelopment project will create a wonderful new community of homes and recreational opportunities that will be second to none in the Hartford region. JMHO Jay

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by cosmonewman

I’ll unpack some of what the other posters are trying not to tell you about Bloomfield.

“Urban,” “some not so great areas,” “The educational system has seen some problems,” “…issues similar to what you would find in a more urban community,” and “one of the less desireable suburbs of Hartford, with some of the same urban problems of the big city.” all are code for Black.

I feel it is unfair to make that evaluation of what the posters have said.
Manchester is a very diverse community- and I feel it has much to offer.

Your 'all are code for black' is not appropriate and is unfair.

[cosmonewman]

Hey, I call em like I see em. I never said I approve of it but that is how people are. I’m not saying that it is intentional. A lot of racism is hidden so well that you don't even realize it yourself.


Search the Connecticut forum and tell me how often do people here recommend these towns:

Hartford 72% non-white
Bloomfield 54% black.


Versus these:


West Hartford 86% white

South Windsor 91% white

Glastonbury 93% white


#Data from the US Census website American FactFinder


Coincidence?

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by cosmonewman

Hey, I call em like I see em. I never said I approve of it but that is how people are. I’m not saying that it is intentional. A lot of racism is hidden.


Search the Connecticut forum and tell me how often do people here recommend these towns:

Hartford 72% non-white
Bloomfield 54% black.


Versus these:


West Hartford 86% white

South Windsor 91% white

Glastonbury 93% white


#Data from the US Census website American FactFinder


Coincidence?

You make a valid point- and perhaps the 'hidden racism' you speak of might be unintentional- or it may not be.

I worked in Windsor PS- which has a large AA student population - in an alternative education program-and I frankly found many students of all racial and ethnic and religious backgrounds to be smart, many where socially disadvantaged, or with psychological/mental health issues from chemical imbalances or their environments. This prevented them from achieving. We had bright AA kids, bright white kids- all seemingly hurt by a bad environment they had grown up in- no father in the household, and yes racism, mental health issues learning disabilities. Well perhaps kids from lower socio economic status have more problems- America in many ways is not a just society.

I never found the kids- irrespective of their race to be the issue- it was the School system itself with the issue. I worked with many talented kids, that fell through the cracks of society- and believe me I know that that is like.

To pin it all on 'racism' is unfair. Other factors come into play- believe me. When folks here ask a question about a town and the local school system- those on the forum try and answer to the best of their ability. Please forgive us and them for their own prejudices.

[cosmonewman]

I'm not mad or anything and I am not one of those people who blame everything on racism. I just think it is something we should keep in mind as we recommend places to people from other areas.

A few months ago I was looking at real estate and it got me thinking about the issue. I always wondered if the agent was pushing certain areas because of her perception of who I am. (race, income, education, etc.) She never mentioned anything about race but she would say that a certain area might not be for me because it was not a "family neighborhood" or something like that. I still don't know what that means.


Anyhow I did not mean to accuse anyone of being racist.