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Ummmm -- so it sounds like you live in a wealthy town. And for the rest -- let them eat cake?
No. He lives in Manchester. The point is, sometimes folks have to determine what is important to them. If they want Glastonbury, maybe they have to compromise (2,200-sf Colonial instead of 3,000) if they want Glastonbury schools. Otherwise, they choose a different town, and either 1) get the desired-size house with their children going to public schools or 2) get a smaller house and send their children to private schools.
In my business, I see it all the time. I cannot make the decision for people. As we say, "It is what it is." I happen to live in Cheshire (with supposedly good schools), have no children, and pay $8,600/year in real estate property taxes. My neighbors' children better be doing their homework!
We moved to Raleigh, NC from Stamford, CT about 13 years ago...It took awhile adjusting to the pace. For the first 2 years we went back every other weekend. It depends on your style of life. If you're into the theatre, fine dinning, art, various cultures beside Mexican then you're gonna have some problems adjusting...Culturaly, Raleigh can't compare. It's great if your into college sports. You'll probably socialize with other Tri-State transplants...It's great if your looking into owning a nice sized home. It's bad if you dread driving everywhere...Country miles are vastly different from city miles...In Stamford I could just walk to the deli grab a paper and be on my way...I also lived close to the beach...I don't think the public schools are as challenging. I was lucky to enroll my child in a charter school. People are nice until they notice your accent...If you have one. You may have to tone it down. They also like to take their time getting things done and that can be frustrating when you're paying for a service....Overall, I'll say it's a nice change of pace. You can actually take time and smell the flowers....One last thing, the food...It's all about pork down here...I couldn't believe that I was actually missing bread, hard rolls and bagels...You will definately have to return home to re-charge your creative batteries from time to time....They have a pro-hockey team the Hurricanes which are the transplanted Hartford Whalers...Somethings about the North I don't miss- The noise, traffic, rude salespeople...Hey, it is what it is...I do miss the bakeries and real pizza joints...Pizza Hut is not the way to go...I also miss Stew Leonards....If I could I probably would move back....but now I can't afford too!...I used to wake up on Sunday mornings walk to the florist grab a lobster, she also sold lobsters, pass the newstand pickup The Times, Stamford Advocate, and the NY daily news grab a egg, cheese and peppers on a hard roll...These were all close to my condo...I also don't like the ABC stores...You can't get a really good deal on beer and liquor...It seems like you're doing something criminal....Bottom line is, it's what you make it
13 years ago locals will attest it was a completely different place lol Hard to use a move 13 years ago to describe what it would be like to move there today.
I tend to agree...if it was politic-data.com maybe we can go crazy over it.
Perhaps I should apologize. I made the statement "liberal" in regards to the Courant and it sprang from there. I guess you can't say "liberal" or "conservative" these days without a fight. Sorry.
Sky, the post got deleted before I could read them. I sincerely hope it wasn't an attack on me as I agree with you more than not. We disagree politically, and that is okay and what makes us the USA. I hope you can see that and don't alienate yourself in the process from otherwise well thought out and informative posts.
No harm no foul as they say. Lets help build our state into the great place that it is.
Since you are from beautiful CT, can you please tell me something about Chester. I haven't physically been there yet and have only seen houses on the web, but it seems like a very nice small town. I've posted this question on a CT forum but no responses yet.
Since you are from beautiful CT, can you please tell me something about Chester. I haven't physically been there yet and have only seen houses on the web, but it seems like a very nice small town. I've posted this question on a CT forum but no responses yet.
Sorry no one responded. Maybe you should have started a new thread.
To answer your question, Chester is a small (3,900 residents, 16 square miles) town in the lower Connecticut River Valley. It has a small charming downtown area and some nice rural areas as well. Most residnets work in Chester itself or neighboring towns. During the warm weather the town does attract tourists to its center.
The schools in Chester are very good with the elementary school students perform well above the State average on the Connecticut Mastery Tests. Class sizes are small (well under 20 students per class). Middle and high school students attend Regional District 4 schools along with students from neighboring Deep River and Essex. Winthrop Junior High and Valley Regional High students also score well above state averages on standardized tests. Class sizes in the middle school are around 20 students per class while at the high school class sizes are well under that (generally 12 to 17 students per class).
Please note that the area is relatively rural in character and shopping and entertainment options are limited. There are many great restaurants and local live theater (Goodspeed has a theater in town and nearby in East Haddam), but residents must travel for major shopping and movies. I hope this helps, Jay
Since you are from beautiful CT, can you please tell me something about Chester. I haven't physically been there yet and have only seen houses on the web, but it seems like a very nice small town. I've posted this question on a CT forum but no responses yet.
Chester is a wonderful small "village". In fact I would go so far as to say the pictures don't do it justice.
The lower CT Valley is idyllic as a whole really.
If you have to commute and/or need other specific info, feel free to ask.
My wife and I went down to Raleigh over Columbus Day weekend. We were excited for the possibilty of a new culture and more affordable housing. We were unfortunately disappointed with the housing market. Although you can find cheaper housing, it typically comes with some bizzare accompaniment (near a nuclear plant, or bio-hazard facility, prison in Raleigh, down-trodden homes or excessive pine needles on the roof-tops). The city shows great promise and is certainly clean and has a fun nightlife strip. But that being said, there was not enought intrigue or incentive for us to leave the beauty of New England. Best wishes to you though. Hope this helps.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stellaj
My husband and I are seriously considering a move to Raleigh. Has anyone from Fairfield County moved to North Carolina? Love it? Hate it?
Oh no, excessive pine needles??? That's it, I ain't going.
I think the term is "unkempt". Much like Christmas lights up year round and "parkin" on the front lawn.
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It's gonna take some time
