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Hi all! I'm looking at several different job opportunities and one I could apply for is in Storrs. But, as a single 40-something female, I'm not keen on living in a particularly rural area. I keep seeing posts about *families* or grad students asking about places to live--but they don't quite apply to me. So, I thought I'd hop on this forum and ask for suggestions....
(template stolen from another city's forum!):
When are you moving?
Summer/Fall Where are you coming from?
A large city in the south Why are you moving?
For a job Where will you be working?
In Storrs Have you been here yet?
No
Will you buy or rent?
I would prefer to buy If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? Probably a house or townhouse. I know my cost of living is much lower here in the south, but I suspect $250-300K is what I could afford?
Are you married or single? Do you have children?
Single, no kids Do you prefer public or private schools?
Do you have pets?
Yes, cats Do you want or need a yard?
Not particularly. No, let's be realistic...I don't want to do yardwork and would prefer my budget be spent on something other than paying for yard care. So, no, I kinda really don't need a yard unless that really ends up being the best option otherwise for the given area! Are you keeping a car?
Yes, I would imagine I'd need one if I were to be working in Storrs Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet?
More bustling than calm and quiet...I just want *access* to 'stuff' like museums, nightlife, farmer's markets, restaurants, theaters, etc.
What do you want to be closest to? I'd like to be reasonably close to work--like a 30-40 minute drive max? Shopping and services are nice to be near (I like being able to walk to the grocery store, post office, dry cleaners, coffee shop, etc right now).
Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?
I like diversity, but I am not keen on living in an area where I'm the only one without kids or where I am either 20 years younger or older than all of my neighbors! I really don't want to be the old lady amongst a gaggle of grad (or undergrad!) students .
Hope to hear from you about your impressions of good places to live in the area!
You will probably not want to live in the immediate Storrs area if you want to be close to... well, anything. I live there and love it, but it's not for everyone.
20 minutes drive would put you in Manchester, which has access to shopping in a series of large malls, and a small downtown.
30 minutes would take you to Glastonbury, which has more of a town feeling in its center, IMO.
45 minutes (this could depend on time of day) would put you in West Hartford, which has a funky urban character in sections.
I don't now about West Hartford, but condos/ townhomes are probably pretty easy to come by in Manchester and Glastonbury.
First you should realize that here in Connecticut the cities are small in area and are surrounded by independent towns that serve as their suburbs. Hartford itself is 17 square miles with about 120,000 people so it represents just the core urban area of a larger metropolitan area with a population of about 1 million. The towns surrounding Hartford (East Hartford, West Hartford, Wethersfield, serve as its suburbs.
As I gather you know, Storrs is a pretty rural area but it is about 25 miles from Hartford which is the major city in the region. A lot of people I know that work there live in the Manchester-Vernon area where you should be able to find a condo in your price range. Manchester and Vernon are mid-sized towns that are more suburban in character than urban. Manchester is home to one of the largest retail shopping districts in the state, Buckland Hills, so you should be able to find most of what you are looking for there. Depending where you live and work, these towns should be about 20 to 30 minutes away.
If you want a more urban lifestyle though, you will have to travel into Hartford itself. I know a couple of people who work in Storrs that wanted a more urban area and live either downtown or in the West End. I also know a couple that live in West Hartford which is mature suburban community.
For what you're looking for, a more urban environment, close to theater, ( and I'm assuming you mean live theater and not movie theater) , museums, neighborhoods walkable to everything, etc. there are really only two good places in the state for that.
They are the East Rock area of the city of New Haven ( not an option for you) and as Jay suggested the town of West Hartford / and/or the western end of the city of Hartford.
The West Hartford/ Hartford area are the only viable options for you if you're going to work in Storrs and want that more urban feel . It's not necessarily an easy drive out to Storrs in bad winter weather and may be a little longer than you indicated you'd like on any given day.
But Storrs is pretty quiet and the nearby towns suburban. They are perfectly decent places to live but it is suburbia. To get most anywhere you're going to be car dependent and you'd have to cross the CT River to get to cultural events in Hartford. It's not far but maybe not what you have in mind.
The OP could still live in the Manchester area and go into Hartford and West Hartford for entertainment. It is not that far and a lot of people do that. Jay
Why is it that Research I universities almost always seem to be in the sticks?!?!
All righty....driving in bad winter weather will be a re-newed challenge for me (not having driven in snow very often for over a decade now). Several people have mentioned West Hartford.
I think my biggest concern is moving to an area and finding I'm the only adult single there. I live an hour and a half from work now (sans snow) so that I am not surrounded by college kids or families with 2.X kids.
Car dependent is fine, in the end. Although I like being able to pop down to the coffee shop on my corner... I think I'll look a little more closely at Manchester and West Hartford....
The reasons so many major state universities are located in rural areas is that they were usually started as agricultural colleges. I understand your frustration though.
Please note that driving in the winter is usually only a problem during the storm. The roads are very well maintained so most of the time you should not have a problem. Jay
Welcome to Connecticut. I take it that you are from outside the State.
I know everyone has been trying to sell you on the center of the State with all it's wealth and things to do, but I will try to give you my best opinion as someone who grew up in the area. The sad reality for Storrs, Ct is that it is very quiet out here. I feel bad for the students that come out here thinking that they are going to have fun coming to a party school only to realize that there is nothing out here but party (and even that has decelerated from the reputation it earned in past decade). The college lives in a strange universe separate from the town where the kids show up, learn and then disappear. There is no real commercial district (unless you want to count the area near the Eastbrook Mall, which is probably the saddest enclosed mall I have ever seen). There are only a few fringe businesses around the school and then it just dips off into residential. There are only 3 gas stations currently operating in a town of 26,000 when school is in session. Such is the sad state of business. In order to address the problem of two separate communities, Mansfield (the town containing Storrs) has decided to build its own downtown from scratch. The first phase is set to be completed this year with an aim at mixed use commercial and residential space. At current, only a couple mixed use commercial/apartment buildings and a garage have been raised, but plans include the construction of an open air shopping center akin to Blue Back Square in West Hartford or Evergreen Walk in South Windsor (although I do not remember if it will be open to traffic). It will have townhouses, more apartments, nature trails and a transportation hub (not sure if they mean long distance bus or local bus). I believe the project is slated to be completed by 2018. "The Oaks on the Square" is now leasing apartments, if you would like to live within walking distance of work. Leases in the current apartments range from $1000 for a 1B Studio to $2700 for a 3B 3B Apartment. The buildings look nice and will overlook a park.
Even though the town lacks night life, there are things to do in the area. The town hosts one of the last drive-ins in the state, with a flea markets on Sundays (and an indoor flea market in neighboring Coventry) There is dining at the Mansfield General Store with live music on Sundays. There is a local farmers market hosting at least a dozen vendors. In neighboring Willimantic, there is the Willimantic Food Co-Op for more fresh local food and Willimantic has a strangely large art community for a town that size, with performances at the Theater Guild and at Uconn's Jorgensen theater. Make time to go eat at the Willimantic Brewing Company (aka WilliBrew or the Main Street Cafe). Willimantic has a nice has a nice main street that has several interesting shops and seems to be on the redevelopment upswing.
If you like sports, there are no major sports teams in Connecticut, but the college teams are quite popular and serve as Connecticut's major sports franchise. UConn has quite a few good teams beyond just the basketball program and young and old both attend.
There are lots of trail parks in Mansfield including the extensive trail system around the Mansfield Hollow Reservoir Lakes. You could literally walk for miles and supposedly these trails link to various other trails in town as part of the Natchaug trail leading up to Massachusetts. I have walked at the various parks and they are all nice and are well traveled enough that you do not feel like you are wandering through the woods.
The area is quiet when school is out of session but there are still, in my best estimate about 10,000 year round residents. Connecticut has very few small towns that feel truly like the sticks. Mansfield has some more suburban areas and farmlands and some areas that feel so separate from everything you wonder where you are. Unlike down the Connecticut River Valley, you will probably find homes in your price range in a nice setting. Houses in Connecticut are expensive, particularly in ritzier and wealthier towns like West Hartford. Property tax is high, but likely lower than in West Hartford.
On the Eastern side of the state (affectionately called the quiet corner), you have to work to make your own fun but there are things to do. The only thing that is lacking is public transportation. If you have no car, you are out of luck, but I'd rather have a car in the country than in the city or the suburbs (there are so many fewer speed traps). The reality for most people is we don't have the time to go out fine dining, seeing shows, going to concerts or going shopping every day of the week. In Connecticut, most people commute to the cities for fun, but don't live there because they're slummy. And when you do want to go somewhere, there are so many places nearby. Mystic Seaport, New London and the Beach are about 45 min away. Hartford is about an hour, Providence is about an hour and fifteen. Boston & New Haven are both an hour and a half in opposite directions. And New York City is about 2 and a half hours away.
Really, the communities are a lot nicer outside of the cities. The white flight created incredibly white and wealthy suburbs and incredibly diverse yet incredibly poor cities. The few cooler cities to live in (like West Hartford) are very pricey, and, in my opinion, the people are stuck up and meaner. Also, with all the people in the valley, weekly commuter traffic is really bad. Heading towards Uconn in the morning may be a drag around rush hour, till you get through Hartford. East of the river, traffic is not so bad unless you head towards Hartford during morning rush hour or leave Hartford during evening rush hour.
If you want something closer to the city, then maybe Glastonbury or South Windsor would be more your flavor as they both have more of a suburb almost-city feel without turning into the hot pile that is nearly every population center in the state. If you want a townsier feel with a real town center then maybe Tolland or Coventry would fit your tastes. Both have suburban with houses tucked away in the woods or suburban neighborhoods without the near ostentatious affluence of near core suburbs of Hartford. If you do look into Manchester, do not live between I-84 and I-384 as this is downtown and this is a slum. The parts of town (it's really a city) that are nice are the borders with Glastonbury, Bolton and South Windsor. The houses are nice, there are real neighborhoods and you are not too far from everything. Overall a win win.
These are just my musings on Connecticut. Hope they help.
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