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I lived in New Britain during my first year alive from 1989-1990. My grandma lived around the corner from our apartment until she died in 1996. It wasn't terribly bad until that point, but I wouldn't live there now.
I of course have lived in Newington ever since I turned 1, and am glad my parents made the move in 1990. We occassionally have to go to Hart Street for doctor appts. and it isn't pleasant driving down the streets.
I will agree that the area near CCSU is very nice. It's very similar to both Newington and Farmington, granted it is sandwiched between both towns.
Born and raised in NB until I was 23, Why the hell would anyone want to live in New Britski if they had any other option?!?!?!
Avoid it like the plauge it is. I went back a few years ago having been away for over 10 years Wow what a hole, Aquinis is closed all the windows busted out, EC is surrounded by a fence. Yuck !
East side is gone to crap (where I lived) bad bad bad.
" It's overcrowded and it has the problems normally associated with larger metropolitan areas, including a drive-by shooting in 1993 that left one student dead. "
Why does everyone who hasn't necessary stuck around long enough have to judge the school, by its bad history, I graduated from NBHS, and It has improved severely from its ealy 90's gang runs. I admit It may not be perfect but what you expect from Town funding really. The school has since then implemented a new way to structure the students and has a created a school building for freshmen only which tends to be the highest number of students populaing the school nealy 900+ student coming each fall. The education is at decent levels for having such a high amount of students.
New Britain the city is not a dump- as people make it seem, I'd like to know if anyone actually lives there????
I do and although its got some not very nice parts due to the abandonment of the large factories that reigned here years ago, the town itself has a historic life that carries it through into today. The city has the parks, the museums, the library, the local town-stores where you can find products from groceries, to appliances, furniture to clothing. There are many little shops that bring the flavor of diversity to the city and although the city suffers from high real estate taxes- it is working its way back to bring business, with a newly opened chain of A.J Wright part of the T.J.MAxx corporation- its brought some business back to the dead downtown shopping area. There are several local restaurants that bring in everything, from American Hot dogs/burger joints, to Hispanic latino food, to German traditions at the East Side Restaurant. The city has the CCSU facilities which are accesible from any part of town, its centrally located to give you easy access, to Hartford, Plainville, Newington, Farmington, Kensington even. The city is not dead- it has some local clubs, and bars that bring some night life to the place. Of course in comparison to other cities New Britain is not Hopoping and booming as much as the citizens would like but regardless of that its a great place, to live, work, study, create a family and learn of the History of what this place was. The city is also a very great place for people to find a Church of their liking since there are about 100 churches in the city. Including my own which is the BEST- for Christians looking to follow God. Details? ask me
I don't know, to me New Britain is similar to Meriden. It was once a great and vibrant city built on industry that has since become a train wreck. It was once founded on hard working Polish immigrants, many of which still live in the city, but has since become infested with low income poverty stricken individuals who expand and multiply like a plague turning neighborhoods into urban blight and destroying our schools. That said...
There are some GLORIOUS homes lining Walnut hill park which to me is the jewel of the city, an oasis amidst urban strife. In fact I would say that Walnut hill and the streets immediately adjacent to it could be placed in any top rated city and would fit in well, however venture beyond and it's awful.
My girlfriend has lived in New Britain for the past 4 years or so, first living near Walnut hill park and now living close to CCSU so I am there quite often and we have known people who lived there in the 1940s and have gone to school at the highschool.
The best parts of New Britain
There are a few nice areas of New Britain if one is looking to move there (however I would recommend against it due to the taxes and one of the lowest rated school systems in the state).
1) West of Corbin ave and South of route 72. This is almost an extension of Southington as you come from Southington along reservoir road. Great area, very quiet, large homes near a golf course and easy access to highways. IMO it's the gem of the city in terms of a place to live. It immediately borders both Southington and Kensington which are vastly superior towns. It's much like living near the border of Cheshire in Meriden.
2) Immedialy adjacent to Walnut hill park South of W. Main St. along Vine, Hart, and Lincoln St. There are some magnificent homes here, many large 3000sq ft+ craftsmans. The biggest issue is the proximity to the ghetto. W. Main is awful and the closer you get to it, it degrades rapidly. Also the East Side of the park near the hospital gets pretty shady. As nice as it is immediately around the park I would avoid living here.
3) Far North in New Britain near Westfarms mall and Farmington is a nice area and has good proximity to Stanley Park, which while not as nice as Walnut does have some nice tennis courts and a walking / running path around it. There is a newer condo community built called Bradford Walk that is built half on the Farmington line and half on the New Britain line. To show the disparity, the exact same units are on both sides and the ones in New Britain are going for over $100,000 less. If this doesn't say something I don't know what does. Up north you have good access to the Farmington reservoirs as well which is a really well developed path and running / biking system.
4) Close to Newington. While I am not as familiar in these areas we have visited there from time to time and there are some nicer areas as you get next to Newington's town line but IMO not as nice as the previous 2.
Avoid
- Anything East of Arch St. Visit here and you'll understand. I'm going to go so far as to avoid anything East all the way to Newington.
- Many of the neighborhoods North of East / West Main St and South of CCSU.
The schools as stated previous are nothing to write home about, you have a single option in New Britain High which is a large school. It has made some strides in the past decade or so but it's scores still lag the state by miles. It no longer is the school when I was in high school though were kids would get shot and armed guards and dogs were needed on the roof. They have some GREAT tennis courts out back, too bad they aren't lit though.
Bright Spots
- I will say it again Walnut hill. Amazing 1 mile walk around, individual tennis courts, exercise stations, walk for cancer each summer is amazing, and the Museum immediately adjacent is really top notch. Also plenty of parking. Only down side is that my car was broken into on a street next to it at around 3am. While the park is very safe for most of the time you do get riff-raff late at night who park in the lots and "hang".
- New Britain Rock Cats. Good cheap baseball for those who just want to catch a game. They are always throwing deals and it's easily accessible.
- New Britain is a highly accessible town with close access to highways 84, 9 15, and 91.
I live in New Britain because I went to Central, and recently graduated without enough money to move anytime soon. The only reason I live in NB and not Newington, W. Hartford, etc etc is because I can't afford to live anywhere else.
Quote:
but has since become infested with low income poverty stricken individuals who expand and multiply like a plague turning neighborhoods into urban blight and destroying our schools.
You have a pretty high opinion of yourself, it seems. Based on income, I qualify as one of those "low-income poverty stricken individuals", even though I'm white and a college graduate. That is very unfair to label areas that AREN'T like Walnut Hill as trash dumps. I live south of Central, on Stanley, a block from downtown. I've seen drug deals a block from my apartment, I've called the cops on my neighbors more than twice. New Britain is not my first choice of where to live, but I've never felt threatened by anything or anyone. I really appreciate that it is 10 minutes from almost everything; shopping, the mall, Hartford, West Hartford, the Berlin Tpke, restaurants, etc. Not to mention that I can be on Route 9 or 72 in 30 seconds. I also have a really great landlord who takes care of the property extremely well and has done a lot to keep people from making trouble.
So yes, there are plenty of downsides to New Britain, plenty of old Polish people, Puerto Ricans, and college students. Most people are just trying to make a living though, and I'd much rather live in NB than live in Hartford, New Haven, Meriden, Waterbury, etc.
Just because people aren't wealthy according to your standards doesn't mean that they are "ruining everything."
It has nothing to do with being wealthy. It is a way of life.
You can be poverty stricken and look for a better way of life (such as you are doing by going to college) or you can be poverty sticken and do things to degrade your way of life and that of your community.
Don't preach to me about low income because I never stated I was rich and my girlfriend came from nothing, a drug laden crack house and is now pursuing her 2nd master's degree. We are also both Puerto Rican and she teaches with ESL students so she knows first hand what is going on. Everyone has a choice to make in their lives and you can either take your poverty and complain or you can make something from yourself.
Far too often you see young individuals who have a future and are provided the same education as everyone else make the wrong choice, whether it is getting into drugs or having children at an early age before they can be afforded. It's a cycle I see far too often, girl has children early, drops out to support children, works 3 jobs to support said children, has another child and has no time to teach the children. The family has no time to take care of their property so it's becomes and urban disaster and lowers the property values surrounding. Now the children grow up uneducated and with no attention so they enter the same cycle.
To not see this is naive. Congratulations on your graduation and best of luck.
Far too often you see young individuals who have a future and are provided the same education as everyone else make the wrong choice, whether it is getting into drugs or having children at an early age before they can be afforded. It's a cycle I see far too often, girl has children early, drops out to support children, works 3 jobs to support said children, has another child and has no time to teach the children. The family has no time to take care of their property so it's becomes and urban disaster and lowers the property values surrounding. Now the children grow up uneducated and with no attention so they enter the same cycle.
None of that is unique to New Britain. That happens in every low-income area regardless of the city or state. There aren't exactly people waiting in line to move into NB and re-open factories, create jobs, restore the architecture, etc so unfortunately it's a cycle that is doomed to continue.
"Far too often you see young individuals who have a future and are provided the same education as everyone else make the wrong choice, whether it is getting into drugs or having children at an early age before they can be afforded. It's a cycle I see far too often, girl has children early, drops out to support children, works 3 jobs to support said children, has another child and has no time to teach the children. The family has no time to take care of their property so it's becomes and urban disaster and lowers the property values surrounding. Now the children grow up uneducated and with no attention so they enter the same cycle. "
Well this as noted previously is not something just attacking New Britain, why dont you say this is whats bringing down the culture of the entire nation, everyone is in financial chaos, cant take care of properties with values dropping to nearly nothing, I would know I work in a banking institution handling equities. Even people making half a million dollars a year have lost values in their homes enough to not get any money. So please look at the news and read a newspaper, before pinpointing one very affected city due to lack of jobs, lack of budgetting to give people breaks within the city, High HIGH taxes on properties...I mean the list goes on and on, but a lot of it is widespread beyond New Britain, beyond CT, Beyond the NorthEast.
It was once founded on hard working Polish immigrants, many of which still live in the city, but has since become infested with low income poverty stricken individuals who expand and multiply like a plague turning neighborhoods into urban blight and destroying our schools
lol, "nooooo Connecticut isn't snobby" lol
How could somebody have the b*lls to make a mass generalization like this? Is it a crime to be poor in CT? And how does one "turn a neighborhood into urban blight?" where I'm from, the blight is already there, the poor jus move into it.
Damn. Is classism a word? Because if it this type of hatred was facilitated against a race it would be racism. Get it :
" has become infected with (insert race here) who expand and multiply like a plague turning neighborhoods into urban blight and destroying our schools."
And as residents of this state, how come no one has stepped up and said anything against the comment. Seriously, I look at other boards (hampton roads, atlanta) and no one has said anything close to what was said here.
So when u ask why ppl think Connecticut is so "snobby", here's ur reason.
If u dont have anything nice to say, then maybe u shouldnt speak. Seriously.
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NBHS- and New Britain itself...
