[waterman8]

Hi there,

I am considering a possible relocation from the Midwest to the Bristol area, and was wondering if anyone could provide me some basic information about the surrounding areas, and where the best places to live are within 10-15 minutes from the ESPN campus. I am a new college grad looking for a nice one bedroom apartment complex. Any information I could be provided with would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[TobinJ]

The Bristol area is mostly industrial/mill towns with neighborhood pockets that differ from each other in short distance. You'll find more apartments in 3 family houses than commercial properties but there are a few in Bristol, plainville and southington. This is a rural family area so don't expect too much nightlife or excitement although west Hartford is close by and has a good vibe for 20 something's.

[Mikecg123]

Originally Posted by TobinJ

The Bristol area is mostly industrial/mill towns with neighborhood pockets that differ from each other in short distance. You'll find more apartments in 3 family houses than commercial properties but there are a few in Bristol, plainville and southington. This is a rural family area so don't expect too much nightlife or excitement although west Hartford is close by and has a good vibe for 20 something's.

What is so rural about the 3 towns you mentioned? I think you need to be careful in your usage of 'rural' Those towns are far from the definition of rural. Overdeveloped is more fitting. Go try and look for farms in Southington.

[RogerAnthony]

Bristol is a small city. It is only rural in the Chippens Hill area. It has plenty of apartment complexes as well as multifamily houses.

Check out Bristol Apartments - Rent Apartments in Bristol, CT for some rentals.

[Tom2020]

It has the 1927 Wildcat wooden roller coaster at Lake Compounce. What more does a town need than that??

[formermainer13]

Originally Posted by waterman8

Hi there,

I am considering a possible relocation from the Midwest to the Bristol area, and was wondering if anyone could provide me some basic information about the surrounding areas, and where the best places to live are within 10-15 minutes from the ESPN campus. I am a new college grad looking for a nice one bedroom apartment complex. Any information I could be provided with would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

A few thoughts:

1. If you are a recent college grad, you should look to live in West Hartford or Farmington. More young people, safer and better rentals. Bristol, despite ESPN being there, is not very nice. I think these towns are worth the drive. You may also look to downtown Hartford - while not very nice, it has an increasing number of young people, including some who work at ESPN. Also some good new housing options, including Hartford 21 or Trumball by the Park.

2. There is no place near Bristol that is "rural." Some of the nearby towns are "rural" as far as CT goes, but coming from the Midwest, you will likely laugh at what people here think of as rural. I lived for 10 years in Wisconsin before moving to CT and peoples' ideas of what is "rural" is vastly different.

Good luck!

[cdhpotter]

Plainville, Southington, and Farmington are all good places to look. They're all safe, quiet towns. Southington has a lot of different stores around Queen St, and some great restaurants downtown. Plainville is sort of... plain, but it's safe and quiet. It would probably be my last choice out of the 3. Farmington is closest to Hartford and West Hartford for dining/ nightlife, but traffic backs up in and out of town during rush hours. It has great outdoor recreation with the river and trails. Southington has the best downtown of the 3, but it's really still very small. Bristol has some nice areas and a lot of decent areas, but you really have to be careful.

Wanting to be only 10-15 minutes away really limits you only a few towns.

[Mr_250]

I live in Southington and know a lot of people who work at ESPN. Very close to ESPN. Not a "nightlife" town. There are a couple of bars, plenty of restaurants in downtown Southington (small, but very cute), festivals, and shops. About half way to New Haven and Hartford so you have options. Very safe town as well. Rentals could be tight since there are not too many apartments in town.

[ansky]

Bristol isn't that bad overall. The only real "bad" areas are the housing projects on Davis Drive and Union Street. But it's mostly a blue collar town with a lot of multi-family houses. I know people that have lived in town for 50+ years and never had a problem. Any recent college grad moving to Farmington is going to be bored out of their mind as it's a sleepy, family oriented suburb.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by formermainer13

A few thoughts:

1. If you are a recent college grad, you should look to live in West Hartford or Farmington. More young people, safer and better rentals. Bristol, despite ESPN being there, is not very nice. I think these towns are worth the drive. You may also look to downtown Hartford - while not very nice, it has an increasing number of young people, including some who work at ESPN. Also some good new housing options, including Hartford 21 or Trumball by the Park.

2. There is no place near Bristol that is "rural." Some of the nearby towns are "rural" as far as CT goes, but coming from the Midwest, you will likely laugh at what people here think of as rural. I lived for 10 years in Wisconsin before moving to CT and peoples' ideas of what is "rural" is vastly different.

Good luck!

I agree with your suggestion about West Hartford. It is likely what the OP is looking for.

There are more rural areas north and west of Bristol. Burlington, Harwinton and Plymouth are small towns with a more rural character. The OP should note though that what is rural here in Connecticut may not be the same as what they see in parts of the midwest. Still these towns are less dense and very quiet with little in the way of commercial development. Jay