[SWS]

relocating from Kansas City to Greater Hartford area. My husband is starting a new job with a company located in downtown Hartford. What are Marlborough and Coventry like? (town, schools, entertainment, property value, etc.) Are they realistic to commute from to Hartford?

thanks for any input

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by SWS

relocating from Kansas City to Greater Hartford area. My husband is starting a new job with a company located in downtown Hartford. What are Marlborough and Coventry like? (town, schools, entertainment, property value, etc.) Are they realistic to commute from to Hartford?

thanks for any input

Welcome to the Constituion state from the heartland!

Marlborough, in extreme SE Hartford county is a semi rural hilly/woodsy town, with very pleasant enclaves, much scenic beauty and nice neighborhoods. It is located less the 30 minutes from downtown Hartford via the route 2 expressway.

The population is just over 6,000. It has the 'PLayscape' Blish Park Playscape Renovation Website - Save the Playscape!

There is a Senior and Youth Center and a Library. Route 66 is the downtown, with the famous Marlborough Tavern- while the town hall is located on Main street.The town since located so close to Glastonbury and Hartford- will have entertainment/shopping located there-tho the Marlborough Tavern is a famous watering hole and good place to eat with a distinctive colonial feel.

Median home prices will average around 300K. For housing in CT- in Coventry and Marlborough prices will be about double for the same home as compared to KC.

Coventry -located further north and east in Tolland county- East of Hartford via US 44 and I 384 is a smallish bedroom town-home of Revolutionary hero Nathan Hale. Incorporated in 1712, Coventry is "the gateway to Northeastern Connecticut's Quiet Corner". Spread over a 37 square mile area, the semi-rural town of 12,500 offers historic sites, antique shops, two public beaches and a boat launch on Coventry's lake, as well as pleasant places to eat and relax. The commute to Hartford will be about 35 minutes.

The closest shopping will be in Mansfield and Willimantic (to the east), with Manchester and South Windsor (To the west)-offering a much larger selection a bit further away.

The town has new homes of 2000 square feet starting in the upper 290's.

For schools- moderator JayCT can provide exact data.

[mels]

I live in Marlborough. It is a quiet town with not much here (a gym, a couple food places, a small market, a pharmacy). A short drive away in Glastonbury is where most of my grocery shopping is done (10 minute drive) and for all your mall and chain store needs, the Buckland Hills area of Manchester has it all (15 minute drive). Not much for entertainment in town as there are only 6,000 people here. Again, everything you would need is a short drive away. Schools are solid, property values appear to be holding up. There is no bad area or not so nice area, it is all really nice and well kept. Downtown Hartford is about 20 minutes away up Route 2. Most people I know around here work in Hartford or East Hartford, there is even a commuter bus that runs out of the commuter lot directly to Hartford from Marlborough with an hourly schedule during the rush.

There is a lake in town for town residents to use, nice swimming in the summer time (Lake Terramuggus) and a weekly movie night. Plenty of organized sports around for kids and the parks and recreation dept. has many programs available.

I moved here because it is quiet, safe, and you get a rural feel but you aren't far away from anything. I think it is a great town and I am happy with the decision to move here. If you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask!

[BenCT]

Hi SWS,

Here's the breakdown. As Sky noted, both towns are about 30 mins to Hartford one way. Rte. 2 going through Marlborough and rte. 384 connecting to rte. 44 through Coventry. The closest entertainment, shopping, grocery, etc. will be found in Glastonbury by way of rte. 2 and Manchester/South Windsor/Vernon by way of 384 and 84. The Manchester and South Windsor area has become a hub for all amenities.

I'm not sure what type of home you are in the market for but here is quick breakdown of both towns with respect to new construction and a few other measures.

Marlborough-
-you will find most newer homes (10-20 yrs and newer) start in the $350/375k range and go up from there.
-New construction homes unofficially start around $500k.
-There are only 9 homes currently on the market under $300k

Coventry:
-you will find most newer homes (10-20yrs and newer) start to concentrate around the $265/275k level and go up from there
-Most new construction starts around the $350/375k range and goes up from there.
-Currently there are 59 homes on the market under $300k.

You can understand that the price to live in Marlborough is currently much higher than that of Coventry, where in Coventry your choices and ability to own new construction at a competitive price are quite numerous. Coventry has a lot of undeveloped farm land and many new construction projects underway.

Schools- Not too familiar with either but websites with school data are probably best for information.

South Windsor may be a good candidate to consider as it offers convenience, highly ranked schools, and a quiet suburban town close to everything. Commute to Hartford would be 15 mins one way depending on the time of day of your husband's commute.

[JayCT]

Hi SWS - Welcome to Connecticut. I am sure you will like it here. As others have indicated, Marlborough and Coventry are both small somewhat ural communities. Both are very nice towns but Coventry has a supermarket, Marlborough doesn't (people shop in neighboring towns of glastonbury, East Hampton, Hebron and Colchester). Marlborough has direct access to a highway (Route 2), Coventry does not (but is located a short drive off I-84 and I-384).

Marlborough is a bit more upscale than Coventry. It is sort of an extension of neighboring Glastonbury with a number of newer larger homes. The schools in Marlborough are very good, exceeding the state averages on the Connecticut Mastery Tests and having very reasonable class sizes. Marlborough does not have its own middle and high schools. Students go to the RAHM regional schools that are shared with Hebron and Andover. The RAHM schools are also well considered.

You may also want to consider Hebron which is also rural but has a small town center with a small supermarket and other shopping. Homes in Hebron are a little less expensive than Marlborough but the schools are cnsidered to be just as good. Good luck, Jay