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I can pronounce it (I'm of German heritage) but I'm probably botching the spelling:
Der Hammerskold
I'm in North Haven, but I ride my bike past that when I go to the gym down the street (Club24 on Rte 5) on nice days.
I just joing Club24 and left the Edge in Hamden since I live around the corner now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich Cabeza
I recommend you buy your booze at the Wine Merchant in the plaza where Town Fair Tire is on route 5 right off the exit on the 15. Best prices in town and the delivery truck comes right on time every Wednesday.
What's the wine selection like there? I've been searching for a good place that has a variety, like Coastal in Branford or Grand Vin even.
Thanks everyone, this is great information. The link to the test scores and school information on the CT Dept. of Education website is very useful (@JayCT), as well as the feedback on schools/test scores in the various towns. The only thing I can definitely say is that we will not be sending our kids to Choate @ $40k per year. In addition to test scores, it seems that class size and % of students on free/reduced lunch may be partial indicators when trying to select a school district. I know figures can be skewed but class sizes seem to impact the amount of attention each student receives, and % of students on free/reduced lunch stats seem to often correlate to parental involvement and caliber of student (I hope I don't get lambasted for saying that, but it is just a general sense based on personal experiences).
The feedback on cost of living and "feel" is also helpful. As I suspected, Wallingford sounds like it might be a bit more affordable due to electric rates and housing costs. I suspect our final location decision may end up being based on what we find on the housing market. I believe our move may be 6 months away so I can do online searches for real estate but it may completely change as that time comes. We are seriously considering renting at first too as I mentioned in my original post.
I'm not sure if we would consider towns that are further away and do not border Wallingford but thank you for the input on other options. My job (which I'm sorry I can't say at the moment) would probably be one that I may get called in at random times to problem solve, etc. I may also need to be somewhat of an ambassador to the community and area so it might be easier to live closer and develop ties nearby. So being within about 15-20 minutes would be ideal. This leads to another question which I'll post below...
Further Questions:
1. Does anyone have any insight into the specific school within Wallingford? It appears that the elementary schools are divided up K-2 and 3-5. Next year we would have one at each level. This is different for us as schools here go K-5, 6-8, 9-12. Also, any insight into whether one of the high schools (Mark T Sheehan & Lyman Hall) is better than the other?
2. Rentals: If we were looking for at least a 3 bedroom/1 bath what might we pay monthly (ballpark est.)? Are there other common fees associated with renting? Around here, generally you only have to put up a security deposit equal to 1 month rent.
3. How much cheaper are electric/utility rates in Wallingford vs. surrounding towns? What companies service Cheshire, North Haven and Durham for instance?
4. Of all the places mentioned so far, if you were going to group towns together by affinity how would you group them, and maybe why? This might help me get a picture for how people mentally view the towns and geographic regions around Wallingford. For instance, would you group Wallingford/Cheshire together? If people in Wallingford want to go shopping, do they mostly stay in Wallingford or do they head to North Haven? I know this is subjective but it might help me get a feel for the area. I'm thinking of it like a map where I might color two towns the same color to identify their affinity for something (maybe shared schools).
Again, thanks for the answers so far and for considering these new ones.
Because school systems here in Connecticut are so small and because curriculum is so structured, I would not worry which school in a particular town to look for. They generally tend to be the same education-wise. Also because our towns are so small in area, you do not need to look at which towns are clumped together. People who live in say southern Cheshire would likely shop in Hamden while those in northern Cheshire would go to Southington or Meriden. Again, look for homes and neighborhoods that suit your family and your budget. Jay
Further Questions:
1. Does anyone have any insight into the specific school within Wallingford? It appears that the elementary schools are divided up K-2 and 3-5. Next year we would have one at each level. This is different for us as schools here go K-5, 6-8, 9-12. Also, any insight into whether one of the high schools (Mark T Sheehan & Lyman Hall) is better than the other?
2. Rentals: If we were looking for at least a 3 bedroom/1 bath what might we pay monthly (ballpark est.)? Are there other common fees associated with renting? Around here, generally you only have to put up a security deposit equal to 1 month rent.
3. How much cheaper are electric/utility rates in Wallingford vs. surrounding towns? What companies service Cheshire, North Haven and Durham for instance?
4. Of all the places mentioned so far, if you were going to group towns together by affinity how would you group them, and maybe why? This might help me get a picture for how people mentally view the towns and geographic regions around Wallingford. For instance, would you group Wallingford/Cheshire together? If people in Wallingford want to go shopping, do they mostly stay in Wallingford or do they head to North Haven? I know this is subjective but it might help me get a feel for the area. I'm thinking of it like a map where I might color two towns the same color to identify their affinity for something (maybe shared schools).
Again, thanks for the answers so far and for considering these new ones.
I'll start off.
1) I can't really say one or the other because I do not have kids in the schools but I like the name of Lyman Hall better than Sheehan(sp?), lol that's all I can say about that.
2) We bought so again I'll defer that to another person.
3) I'll put it this way. In East Haven we had an 1100sqft Cape with UI and paid anywhere from 60-200+ depending on the season. We did run two window AC's there in the summer. Now we live in a 2900sqft colonial and out bill for the last two months has been $75 each month. This summer with the central AC running nonstop and a pool filter going, our highest bill was $170. Ask other towns who don't have WE what they pay *smug*.
4) I may actually put Cheshire more affluent than Wallingford because for it's size, Wallingford has a larger mix. There is mostly middle to upper families in the town and more upper in Cheshire I believe. That is not to say Wallingford has bad parts, like I said in an earlier post the town has no areas that I consider bad. There are just spots with less curb appeal which happen to be right outside the center of town between the river and the railroad tracks. It's such a large town that you can find areas that you fit into well no matter what your budget.
I just joing Club24 and left the Edge in Hamden since I live around the corner now.
What's the wine selection like there? I've been searching for a good place that has a variety, like Coastal in Branford or Grand Vin even.
If you go down Rte 5 into North Haven, just past Big Y you'll find Luigi's Pizza and a really nice liquor store that specializes in fine wines and smaller and local varieties. The prices are competitive but they don't get big-box-store sales like the Liquor-Mart type places have. The folks who run the place are awesome, and they have wine tasting every Friday and Saturday.
4. Of all the places mentioned so far, if you were going to group towns together by affinity how would you group them, and maybe why? This might help me get a picture for how people mentally view the towns and geographic regions around Wallingford. For instance, would you group Wallingford/Cheshire together? If people in Wallingford want to go shopping, do they mostly stay in Wallingford or do they head to North Haven? I know this is subjective but it might help me get a feel for the area. I'm thinking of it like a map where I might color two towns the same color to identify their affinity for something (maybe shared schools).
Again, thanks for the answers so far and for considering these new ones.
No, Cheshire is more likely to be grouped with other towns in its "reference" group, like Orange/Woodbridge (together), Farmington or Guilford.
When the newspapers publish CMT/CAPT scores, they usually divide it by the relative wealth of the town for comparative purposes - so, Darien, New Canaan, Greenwich, etc are one group, so the towns can be compared with somewhat similar towns, as it's not fair to compare a town where the median home price is $1 million or so in Greenwich to a town where the median home price is $175,000.
Not sure if Wallingford would be grouped with another town or not - I'd say North Haven, but I think some of NH's supporters might kill me.
I'm guessing that towns outside of Wallingford use CL&P/Northeast Utilities or United Illuminating for their electricity, like most towns do in CT.
I'd say Wallingford and North Haven are about even with regards to shopping, though Wallingford has a "village-ish" area in the town center, while North Haven's center is more municipal-building-oriented.
Wallingford has a "taste of" festival which features local restaurants and food shops, and the center of town is closed down during this festival so that people can walk safely and vendors can set up shop right on the street itself.
North Haven has Universal Drive, which is home to BJ's (similar to Costco), Target, Michael's crafts, Sports Authority, Friendly's, Home Depot, an ULTA, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, a multi-plex movie theatre, and a bunch of other "bigger box" stores.
Wallingford has these kinds of things as well, but spread out along more real estate on Rte 5. I don't recall if they have a movie theatre, but they do have a bowling alley. There are definitely more bars in Wallingford. Both have at least two supermarkets and at least one pet supply store, and both also have the usual Krausen's-type quickie-food marts.
Wallingford has more stately and exquisite Victorian homes, North Haven has fewer steep hills. Wallingford has Archie Moore's, North Haven has J. Roo's. I think North Haven beats Wallingford in the numbers of Dunkin Donuts, while Wallingford boasts more gas stations.
Wallingford has a more pronounced "run down" area than North Haven, but both have "less desireable" neighborhoods that are pretty much equally undesireable. The crime rate is negligible in both; you're not likely to ever hear gunshots in either.
Each town has actual "neighborhoods" where families at least recognize each other, even if they aren't on a first-name basis. Each town's neighborhoods are walkable, most have sidewalks on one side of the street (and some on both sides). Wallingford has Oakdale Theatre, which has hosted some amazing performances over the decades. It used to be an outdoor pavilion-style theatre but now has walls.
Wallingford is an older town, dating back to around 1650. It was made an official village in 1667 and incorporated in 1670. North Haven wasn't settled til well into the 1700's and wasn't incorporated til the 1780's.
Both towns have their own distinctive "feel" to them.
I would not consider North Haven over Wallingford. North Haven is fine, but I think Wallingford is much nicer. This is just my opinion on 'feel'.
The High Schools are actually pretty different for being in the same town.
Lyman Hall is a regional Vo- Ag school, so kids are bussed in from all around. A lot of kids from poorer districts join the vo-ag just to get into a better school. I think that would help explain the SAT numbers. Lyman Hall also has a good number of 'career programs' for kids who aren't college bound- another hit to the SAT numbers if you put any weight on those.
Personally I would want my kids to go to Sheehan. That being said- I know many grads of Lyman Hall who do quite well and I know 2 grads of Sheehan who do not- so it's all what you and your kids make of it. Sheehan also has a pool. Lyman Hall does not. I guess that's only important if your kids have strong feelings about swimming.
Oh- and that middle school is just referred to as "Dag". No one ever says the last name.
Another thing to consider in regard to utilities is that Durham is all on well and septic. In all the other towns you've been considering you'll find some neighborhoods with both city water & sewer, some with one but not the other and some with only well & septic. Very much a mixed bag.
Most homes in the region heat with oil ( ridiculously expensive.) Natural gas is the cheapest and the way to go but hard to find. Some homes may have propane heat but this IMO is not all that much cheaper than oil currently. Others may differ with my opinion.
Just more things to consider when it becomes time to buy a house.
Oh and I forgot to add- if I was relocating to work in Wallingford, I would absolutely, 100 % just live in Wallingford, unless I was having trouble finding the right house for my family. It's a great spot to live. Strong sense of community, nice people, highway access, stores, rural areas, the electric... it really has a lot going for it. It's a great middle class community.
I don't know of any really run down areas like a pp mentioned. Maybe Wharton Brook?
Expect to pay about $1500 or so for a 3 bed rental. We couldn't find a 2 bedroom for $1000 and that was 10 years ago when we looked.
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In addition to test scores, it seems that class size and % of students on free/reduced lunch may be partial indicators when trying to select a school district. I know figures can be skewed but class sizes seem to impact the amount of attention each student receives, and % of students on free/reduced lunch stats seem to often correlate to parental involvement and caliber of student (I hope I don't get lambasted for saying that, but it is just a general sense based on personal experiences).
