[ndp6]

Hi - My husband accepted a job in West Hartford. We are looking to move up to the area shortly with our 3 year old and baby. We are considering Farmington, West Hartford or Avon. Any thoughts on:

-Nursery schools/preschools for our 3 year old??
-good public schools
-thoughts on the communities
-sites to find house rentals, we want to rent a house for a year before buying
-short term apartment rentals (husband will need a furnished apartment to rent for a few months before we move the family up)

thanks!

[AmyBergquist]

Here's a site for various pre-school options in West Hartford... Discovery Project (http://www.whps.org/whecp/guide/05preschool.htm - broken link)

Realtor.com is probably your best bet for finding house rentals, with Craigslist as a close second. Renting for a year is a smart move if you're not sure where you'd like to live, as it gives you time to get your bearings and understand which communities may work best for you. Realize that house rentals do move quickly here, so you really need to stay on top of the market as new things come on.

Regarding furnished, short term rentals, you can try Hartford 21 in Downtown Hartford, although expect it to be pricey. Hartford Connecticut Apartments - Home - Hartford 21 Apartments Execustay is another good option... Hartford Extended Stay, Furnished Apartments & Hartford Corporate Housing

Hope this helps.

[AmyBergquist]

Also, regarding thoughts on the communities.

West Hartford is the most densely populated/least rural of the three towns you mention. It has all of the shopping and restaurants you need, within close proximity of various neighborhoods. There is a good mix of housing here for all budgets. The commute time into Hartford is reasonable. The town is fairly walkable and lots of people seem drawn to that lifestyle.

Avon and Farmington are more rural and offer fewer shopping options than West Hartford. Avon has more shopping than Farmington, I would say, and most of it is consolidated on Route 44. You'll find larger lots and more greenery in both Farmington and Avon, as they aren't as densely developed as West Hartford. Nothing wrong with that though and many prefer the somewhat more rural feel of these towns over West Hartford. Farmington is more affordable than Avon and the taxes are lowest there out of the three towns you mentioned.

Depending on where you are in Farmington or Avon, the commute to Hartford can be something of a pain. Route 4 is the main road into Farmington and Route 44 is the main road into Avon, both get clogged in the rush hour with traffic, Route 4 in Farmington is probably worse than Route 44 in Avon.

All of the towns have nice public parks and sports options for kids, if that's important to you.

[JayCT]

West Hartford, Farmington and Avon are among the best suburbs in the greater Hartford area. The schools are excellent and there is a lot of great family activities. You might want to add Simsbury to the list as well.

To help you find a place, I would recommend getting the help of a realtor. They usually have the best access to house rentals in the area. If you want a recommendation for a realtor, I would say talk to our own Amy Bergquist who posted above (I was going to recommend her even before I saw she responded to you). She knows this area very well and helped some other posters here looking to relocate. She helped me a while back with some questions I had too. You can contact her using the Direct Message system as part of this forum by clicking on her name and then the Send Message icon. Jay

[ndp6]

This is extremely helpful, thank you! I will DM you Amy. Thanks.