[indecisive2012]

Hi all! I have been looking to move back east for awhile now - I still haven't been able to! I want to be reasonably close to Boston (less 3 hours maybe?) but now know that I could never afford it there! ;D

So I am looking at Connecticut mainly, due to homeschool laws which limit me to Connecticut, Delaware, or New Jersey pretty much. We have 3 kids, (5, 4, and 1 in my tummy)

The things I am looking for is

1. safety
2. 4 roughly equal seasons, including a hot summer, mild rainy spring and a snowy winter - but most importantly, I would LOVE to see some seriously red, orange, and yellow foliage during a proper fall!!
4. a LOT of sunny days throughout all seasons! I despise cloudy/foggy/overcast conditions!
5. Away from the coast - don't really enjoy beaches and oceans that much - when I get an itch to be near one I'd prefer to drive to it
6. houses with good lot size or acres available for under 250k-300k.
7. many wide open, grassy spaces and rec areas or rivers/lakes would be a lovely bonus! Maybe some farms and orchards around that are open to the public?

Any ideas around these areas?
Thanks guys!!!

[Stylo]

Safety is a given in pretty much all CT suburbs. The weather is very similar across CT. The coast is generally milder with marginally cooler Spring and early summer close to the water, and warmer winters with less snow. Foliage is something the whole state experiences, as is quite a bit of cloudiness. Where are you moving from? We definitely get our share of overcast skies and given it's such a small state, that doesn't vary much. It'll be similar in NJ and DE as well.

How big of a house do you expect with that budget with how big of a lot? And what are your job needs?

[Csiko]

Originally Posted by indecisive2012

Hi all! I have been looking to move back east for awhile now - I still haven't been able to! I want to be reasonably close to Boston (less 3 hours maybe?) but now know that I could never afford it there! ;D

So I am looking at Connecticut mainly, due to homeschool laws which limit me to Connecticut, Delaware, or New Jersey pretty much. We have 3 kids, (5, 4, and 1 in my tummy)

The only state within 3 hours of Boston is CT. And maybe very northern NJ if you drive like a lunatic.

2. 4 roughly equal seasons, including a hot summer, mild rainy spring and a snowy winter - but most importantly, I would LOVE to see some seriously red, orange, and yellow foliage during a proper fall!!
4. a LOT of sunny days throughout all seasons! I despise cloudy/foggy/overcast conditions!

You can't have both of these unfortunately, in the northeast. Maybe not anywhere. Dunno, maybe Camb or Wave or another denizen of the weather thread could hop in on this one. I think something like 1/3rd of our days are overcast here. (Oh wait, forgot what website we were on). Yes, about 30% of days with precipitation. But you will get all four seasons. And great foliage.

5. Away from the coast - don't really enjoy beaches and oceans that much - when I get an itch to be near one I'd prefer to drive to it

This is going to be hard in all three of those states, as they are all, at max, an hour from the coast at their farthest point.

Based on your budget there are some fairly nice towns in CT that would suit you, but we'd need to know a lot more. See Stylo's post. In addition to that, since you're homeschooling, it's not like you need to worry about how good schools are in the town you move to. But are you looking for something more urban? Boonies? Help us out here.

[indecisive2012]

Sorry all! Yes, a bit of more info might be in order! So...

1. Husband will be working, I'll be at home. He works in IT.
2. I'm looking for a town with historic charm and neighborly ambiance - whether that is found in a suburb or rural, or even a very unique larger city I don't really care. Just as long as it is very scenic and very charming.
3. We are moving from California, specifically Monterey, so for us, 30% days with overcast is a relief to me!! Here it seems like we are constantly under a cloudy, dreary sky! Nothing comes of it, just a constipated sort of blah day. I HATE that. So, if there's cloudy skies during times of precipitation, I don't mind that at all - just when there's overcast for no particular reason.
4. I saw pictures of downtown Norwich? It looked very charming and unique to me - I really love the historic look to the town - at least how the photos looked. What do you guys think?
5. For under 300,000 I am hoping for a half acre or so, over 2,000 sqft with a basement.

Hope that helps!

[Stylo]

In IT, he's going to want to live near one of the larger metros - Stamford/Norwalk, New Haven, or Hartford generally. There are some IT opportunities in Danbury as well. Norwich? Not a great area for him to be career-wise.

$300k for that kind of house prices you out of the immediate Stamford/Norwalk area, but could work in the New Haven or Hartford suburbs. Maybe look into a town like Seymour. It's inexpensive, has a nice little downtown, close to conveniences, and is commutable to a lot of different areas. Nice central location.

[indecisive2012]

Awesome! Thanks for the lead! I was just looking at Kent, and wow - talk about beautiful autumns!! Good gracious! I will go check out Seymour now...

[RogerAnthony]

I'd recommend Litchfield, especially the Northfield section of it.

[Cambium]

See my responses in bold.

Originally Posted by indecisive2012

The things I am looking for is

1. safety: We got plenty areas.

2. 4 roughly equal seasons, including a hot summer, mild rainy spring and a snowy winter - but most importantly, I would LOVE to see some seriously red, orange, and yellow foliage during a proper fall!! Everywhere in CT is 4 seasons, the coast has a bit more summer than inland. (Atlantic waters are much warmer than off CA coast). Colors are weather dependent. This yr is awesome. See our photos in the Photo thread and keep scrolling through them to see all seasons.

4. a LOT of sunny days throughout all seasons! I despise cloudy/foggy/overcast conditions! That wouldn't make a "4" season then. Winters are more cloudy then sunny and that's anywhere in the Northeast. There's a lot of overcast, foggy, cloudy days in late Fall and Winter.

5. Away from the coast - don't really enjoy beaches and oceans that much - when I get an itch to be near one I'd prefer to drive to it. Stay north of Merrit but more I-84 Line IMO.

6. houses with good lot size or acres available for under 250k-300k. Look at the counties of Litchfield, Tolland, and Windham and even northern New Haven, Middlesex or New London.

7. many wide open, grassy spaces and rec areas or rivers/lakes would be a lovely bonus! Maybe some farms and orchards around that are open to the public? See answer #6 and get ready for some little hills everywhere.

[clutchrider]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Safety is a given in pretty much all CT suburbs. The weather is very similar across CT. The coast is generally milder with marginally cooler Spring and early summer close to the water, and warmer winters with less snow.

I would agree from a general standpoint but I also think that CT has a lot of micro-climates. My father lives along the shore and came to help with a project last week and commented how the foliage looks in my town compared to his. We live 15-20 minutes apart and the temperature differences are noticeable year round between the two.

I'm fine with it though because my backyard looks like a painting right now and I wanted to live where I get more snow than I did along the shore. I will say this fall has been spectacular in CT! Given the storms and weather patterns of the past couple of years, I can't recall the last time it was this beautiful at this time of year.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by indecisive2012

Awesome! Thanks for the lead! I was just looking at Kent, and wow - talk about beautiful autumns!! Good gracious! I will go check out Seymour now...

Kent is great but too isolated from job centers. Not great for his line of work.

You could look at the towns east of New Haven and Hartford. Marlborough, Coventry, Killingworth, Durham, Chester, East Haddam, etc.