[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Teachers are considered to be white collar. They are well educated and do not get their hands dirty. Jay

I agree. I would never consider a teacher blue collar.

[jjbradleynyc]

Originally Posted by JayCT

In defense of Hartford, it is not the black hole you make it out to be. It is the largest employment center in the state with 108,005 jobs in the city alone. Stamford has only 69,329 jobs in it, while New Haven has 76,686. Hartford is the home of a number of major companies including United Technologies, Aetna Insurance, Travelers and The Hartford Insurance. The Hartford metropolitan area has about 1 million people in it so it is not that small of a city. Yes there are some crummy neighborhoods in the city but the are also some very nice ones. Unlike Stamford, you can find decent reasonably priced housing near the city. To find an affordable home or apartment near Stamford, you have to live pretty far from it. Yes, Stamford is close to the cultural amenities of New York but Hartford has some great attractions as well (museums, theaters, etc.). Like I said not everyone wants to be part of the New York area so unless the OP really wants that there is no reason to rule out Hartford. Jay

Great points, Jay. Hartford does have a large amount of jobs as you pointed out, and it could offer many options when job hunting. Hartford has a ton of big corporations too, as you mentioned, and is not lacking when it comes to prestige.
I love some of the neighborhoods in Hartford, and the housing prices certainly are extremely attractive when compared to homes in the Stamford area. However, the city of Hartford is much more blighted overall than the Stamford area, and has seen "flight" out of the city (as many have over the years) into the suburbs, resulting in a number of declining neighborhoods, not so great schools, decaying infrastructure, and typical inner city struggles. All of that of course leads to less vibrancy, community and culture for a city, and fewer people mean fewer jobs.

I visit downtown Hartford on business a couple times a year, and it really does have a great downtown area, although it pretty much dies out after 5-6pm. The Hartford area is a great choice in terms of cost too, with houses easily costing half (or more) of what they would in the Stamford area.

The OP should check out Hartford...could be exactly what they are looking for.

[MikefromCT]

There's pros and cons to both areas. In some ways they're actually similar - both have kickass downtown areas with good restaurants, shops and bars, high quality of life, low crime.

IMO Stamford is more of a corporate hub - this is the place to be if you want to work in finance and build clientele in and around New York City (complete with train service to Grand Central in under and hour). And RBS and UBS is here which provides a ton of jobs. Stamford to me is alot like White Plains, which I don't mean in a negative way just that the similarities are there. Alot of people will suggest Stamford since it's close to New York, but that doesn't mean you're gonna be there every weekend. I agree that it's nice to be close, but remember, if you do go into the city you're paying not only for train fare and parking, but also cab fare, subway fare, dinner, drinks, whatever entertainment you're going out for,and it ads up. Besides, there's lots to do in Stamford so it's not always necessary.

West Hartford is more an educational hub - if you're looking to teach or take advantage of good schools or continue your education this is a good place. The public schools are great, if you want private schools there's a ton - KingswoodOx ford, Rinebrook School, Northwest Catholic, Hebrew Day School, St. Thomas Apostle, these are just a few. And there's universities here too - UConn, UHart, St. Joseph College. It's expensive here too but the cost of living is MUCH lower. The only thing we don't have that I wish we did is train service to Boston or New York, though both cities are only 2 hours away. It's much quieter up here since it's further from Manhattan (though we do have alot of transplants from here and Boston). And nothing here is really far - beaches, mountains, smaller cities, etc.

Anyway, check out both places if you have a chance and make a decision about your budget. Both places have alot going for them - and so do the towns around them (if you can afford it. )

[teacher/equestrian]

Hi I've posted on another thread but this is great info! Good for jobs and affordable but is New Haven ok for single person gal with ahorse?

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by teacher/equestrian

Good for jobs and affordable but is New Haven ok for single person gal with ahorse?

You might be better off in some of the suburbs:

Milford
Woodbridge
Orange
Branford
Guilford
North Haven
Hamden

etc.