[eml0907]

My husband has fallen in love with Bloomfield. I'm trying to talk him out of it because I hear conflicting reports in regards to schools, taxes and land values. Can anyone share some insight? I grew up in CT and grew up thinking that Bloomfield was a town to skip since it's not so much a suburb or Hartford, but Hartford proper under a different name and zip code.

[mels]

I think Bloomfield is very much suburban looking. You know when you leave Hartford and cross into Bloomfield, it by no means has an urban feel. I haven't heard great things about the schools, but I don't have any personal experience with them either (just heresay). JayCT is always good for giving the school stats so hopefully he pops into this thread for you. I have seen very nice areas of Bloomfield, as well as ones I wouldn't want to live in...not as in terrible and unsafe, but just not that nice. Most bigger towns have their hit and miss areas, so I wouldn't even call that a "con."

From what I remember, the taxes in Bloomfield are higher than say Windsor, but lower than West Hartford. I don't think they are too crazy, but I do believe they do that separate fire district tax on top of the town mill rate which annoys me. I know a few other towns do that too (West Haven for one).

[eml0907]

I wasn't so much talking the look of the town but rather population makeup. I grew up in Cromwell and would love to move there, but Bloomfield is much more in our price range. That and he wants lots of land which houses there seem to offer.

[Srib]

Bloomfield gets a bad rap like so many other towns that don't have an "upscale" image. It has its nice and not so nice areas and I would agree its very much suburban. The mill rate is 32.5 which is higher than windsors 29, but i suppose its all relative to what the value of the property is. I'm not sure about the specifics surrounding the schools. I have worked and driven all around bloomfield for years. The areas bordering simsbury and windsor have the newer, larger housing stock. Areas closer to hartford are where you have your older, smaller homes. There is Copaco center for shopping as well as the bloomfield center shopping area where you will find all sorts or restaurants, banks, pharmacies, etc within a short distance. Some new upscale housing/townhomes have gone up and continue to be built surrounding the CIGNA campus (on the west hartford side of bloomfield more or less) all surrounding a gorgeous golf course. I'm curious what it is about Bloomfield your husband fell in love with?

[eml0907]

Land! He has a customer out that way and while delivering their car, he saw homes with yards that he fell for. He's not a stats or numbers guy, and goes soley by look.

[JayCT]

Sadly Bloomfield schools have some of the lowest scores on the Connecticut Mastery Test. They are in the bottom five in many areas which means their scores are about the same as towns such as Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport. This is too bad because Bloomfield is a very lovely town. If schools are of a concern to you, I would recommend to look elsewhere. JMHO Jay

[Srib]

If you're looking for a cromwell, you're not going to find it in bloomfield. Bloomfield is 54% black which is what I assume you are getting at.

[eml0907]

We're looking for a nice mix. I'm black and my husband is white and Jewish. We both grew up in towns where we were the minority and want some diversity.

Jay what towns would you suggest? We both work in Hartford and want to keep the commute under 20-30 minutes.

[JayCT]

There are many nice towns in the Hartford area where there are good schools and you can have some property as well. When you say your husband liked the look of the area, where was he exactly. The west side (around Tumblebrook Country Club and Mountain Avenue) is very nice. If you like that area I would recommend heading further north into Granby or East Granby. These are nice somewhat rural towns with good schools and are convenient to the Hartford area.

Another beautiful town is Hebron which is southeast of Glastonbury and neighboring Marlborough. Not sure what you price range is but these are great places to raise a family and have a bit of space between homes. good luck, Jay

[NJPM]

You don't say whether you have kids (or are planning to). But if you do, West Hartford is your location. It has top-notch schools with a STABLE diversity -- religious, racial, ethnic, socioeconomic -- that is very hard to find and a huge source of civic pride. Extremely tolerant community. Beautiful, walkable neighborhoods. Wonderful public amenities.