[france123]

I'll be working in simsbury and teenage kids will go to Northwest Catholic. Where can I find kid friendly suburbs? Looking for newer homes around 450K--- Very concerned about cost of living as TN is much cheaper! I'll be leaving a 200k job here in TN, what would be comparable?

[SwiftCreek]

France123 you have a number of good options.

Simsbury - pricey, top-rated schools, loads of programs and amenities. Cons - not close to highways and be careful where you buy as you might hear airplanes over head (not far from airport).
Avon - pricey, top-rated schools, loads of programs and amenities. Good shopping in town. You are closer to highways and West Hartford.
Farmington - can be pricey, great schools, loads of programs and amenities. Close to shopping and highways.
West Hartford - has everything and is close to highways. More urban though. Great schools too.
Canton - similar to farmington - further west. Property taxes are too high.
Burlington - too far from amenities.
Granby - not bad.
Bloomfield - probably not. However - usually has the #1 high school football program in the state.
Housing market is in a slump. Look in Avon. If you don't find the home you want, consider building. Avon & Simsbury are consistently 2 of the best towns in CT. Check out Connecticut Magazine - Home - Features and check out the town ratings (link on lower right). Good Luck! You'll love CT.

[skytrekker]

I think Swift creek said much....

housing costs in Hartford's west/northwestern suburbs can be high, and compared to TN- you will see some sticker shock. Good thing is, housing costs have stopped rising , and for the Northeast corridor home prices are reasonably priced.

Home prices may drop 10% here in the next 2 years, but compared to some parts of the country this is nothing.

The greater Hartford area has a high quality of life, cultural amenities that are world class, a temperate climate, access to the ocean within an hour with famous urban centers like Boston and New York very close by.

[JayCT]

Simsbury is a small upscale suburb of Hartford located in the Farmington River Valley northwest of Hartford. Other towns in the valley are Farmington, Avon and Granby. All of these towns are wonderful with excellent schools, but they are pricey. To get to them from Hartford you must cross over a small ridge of mountains (Avon Mountain) from West Hartford. There are limited roads that connect the towns and they have a good amount of traffic. The main road is Route 44 and it has been the scene of several bad accidents over the years. Northwest Catholic is located in West Hartford so either you or your kids would have to cross over the mountain daily. West Hartford is a very nice upscale suburb and there are homes in your price range there. Check it out. Jay

[DuaneM]

Above posts have all listed some great towns. Since you will be working in Simsbury if you were to live in West Hartford you would not have to go over the Avon Mountain. There are other ways to get between the two towns.

Currently in West Hartford there are 14 homes for sale in the 425k to 450k range and built between 1911 and 2005.

In Simsbury there are currently 9 homes for sale in the same price range. Built between 1950 to 2007.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by DuaneM

Above posts have all listed some great towns. Since you will be working in Simsbury if you were to live in West Hartford you would not have to go over the Avon Mountain. There are other ways to get between the two towns.

There are??? Are referring to Route 4 (which is a nightmare through Farmington Center) or Route 185 (not much better than Route 44) or Talcott Notch Road (winding residental backroad)? None of these are very convenient and with trucks banned on Route 44 they will not be much better. JMHO Jay

[france123]

I am also going to need corporate furnished apartment for about 5 months- any ideas?

I can see that crossing the mountains might not be a good idea for the teenager but it seems that while all are pricey, Avon and Farmington have lower property taxes than West Hartford..........

[JayCT]

france123 - Your employer may be able to steer you toward a short-term apartment in the area. There are not many in the Farmington Valley that I know of.

Also, have you considered sending your children to public schools? The schools in Avon, Simsbury and Farmington are excellent. I may get flack for this but I would say they are better than Northwest Catholic. Unlike other parts of the country, public schools here in Connecticut are considered to be very good even better than many private schools and in this case the towns you will be working in or near have schools that are among the best in the state. These schools would offer a wide range of class options for your children (Northwest Catholic classes are somewhat limited) with reasonable class sizes. Best of all neither you or they would need to cross the mountain daily and that would be a BIG plus. I would at least consider it. Good luck, Jay

[france123]

My employer has suggested I get an apartment in Simsbury, Avon, or Farmington .....any suggestions?

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by france123

My employer has suggested I get an apartment in Simsbury, Avon, or Farmington .....any suggestions?

Your future employeer did not offer more assistance? Usually they will help with relocations. You could check with a Realtor in the area. Also, I suggest checking craigslist.com for listings as well as the local newspapers. Good luck, Jay