[JayCT]

Originally Posted by qwertyuiopasdf

Hello!

I'll be a college graduate and I've accepted a job offer in Connecticut. I'm looking for advice about where to move and such. Work will have me traveling back and forth from West Haven and Hartford. So, living somewhere in between would be nice.

I'm looking for a safe neighborhood. I would like to live in a studio/one bedroom/loft and preferably an apartment complex versus a townhouse that is no more than $1100/month. I would like to have a parking spot. I have lived in NYC for my entire life, and attended college in Buffalo, NY. I would like to live in a city but am not opposed to the suburbs. I do not mind a commute of about an hour. A culturally diverse area, particularly with an Asian supermarket would be nice as well. Restaurants and shops within walking distance would be nice. If anyone could recommend neighborhoods to look into I'd appreciate it!

If someone can recommend specific apartments that would be great as well. Somewhere quiet and mostly young professionals instead of families or undergraduates. Included utilities is a plus.

I would recommend you look at the West Lake section of Middletown. There are a lot of nice apartment complexes there and it is right off I-91 half way between Hartford and New Haven. The apartments are mostly exactly what you want with parking. It is not a city but there is a lot of conveniences nearby. Unfortunately there are not any good urban areas with nice apartments in the area but Middletown has a nice downtown area with a lot of small shops, restaurants and bars. It is home to Wesleyan University so there are college related activities also.

Wallingford also has a nice small downtown but again there are not a lot of apartments in the center of town. Good luck, Jay

[Wilton2ParkAve]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

The OP said they would be in Hartford half the time, West Haven the other half.

Traffic from West Hartford to on 84 to 91 (for when the OP needs to get to West Haven) can be horrific, so that's adding on a lot of extra time. West Hartford isn't even between point A and point B either. It's 10 minutes out of the way (each way) without traffic. New Haven is also an easy on-easy off to 91. Believe it or not, a lot of professionals live and work in New Haven.

I never liked Middletown, which is why I rarely recommend it. I find that area to have a greater amount of white trash per capita than others.

I finally had time to digest the full post. I stand by my comments. First requirement is a safe neighborhood. That rules out New Haven. They don't mind a commute of one hour so West Hartford checks the box. West Hartford is much more cosmopolitan and diverse (particularly for Asians) compared with New Haven.

[Stylo]

Want to prove East Rock is not safe before making comments like that?

I know at least half a dozen people that live there that have had ZERO incidences of crime.

[Sigequinox]

Cromwell/middletown. Look at Hunters Crossing apartments (west Lake area). They have studios, but even the 1 bedrooms with 2 balconies are only 900/month and are pet friendly if you want a dog or cat. Your center to a lot of things.

New Haven is a disgusting grimy place. While the NEIGHBORHOODS mentioned are nice, they are a short walk for the creatures of New Haven. Oh and not to mention you will pay more to live in there. Better/more food than middletown/cromwell? Sure, on average (although you will be near great food like Eli Canons, Tandoor, Sushi House, First and Last, etc).

Unless you literally need to try a new restaurant every day for the next year straight, I see no reason to subject yourself to the likes of New Haven. It's only a half hour drive if you want to get food with bf/gf/spouse and I'm sure you will be eating plenty there when in the area for work.

Do yourself a favor and skip New Haven.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Wilton2ParkAve

First requirement is a safe neighborhood.

Neighborhood being the key word. There are plenty of safe neighborhoods in New Haven. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a huge advocate of living in the city with a family. But for what the OP desires, New Haven would be good.

Anyway, I'm not going to go back and forth over which neighborhood would be best for a person I don't even know, because that happens too often on these boards. Give them suggestions, let them decide. /thread.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

The OP said they would be in Hartford half the time, West Haven the other half.

Traffic from West Hartford to on 84 to 91 (for when the OP needs to get to West Haven) can be horrific, so that's adding on a lot of extra time. West Hartford isn't even between point A and point B either. It's 10 minutes out of the way (each way) without traffic. New Haven is also an easy on-easy off to 91. Believe it or not, a lot of professionals live and work in New Haven.

You don't need to do this. From West Hartford, the best way to get to West Haven is I-84 west (opposite traffic) for a very short stretch, then Rt 9 south to I-91. Very little traffic in the mornings.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

The OP said they would be in Hartford half the time, West Haven the other half.

Traffic from West Hartford to on 84 to 91 (for when the OP needs to get to West Haven) can be horrific, so that's adding on a lot of extra time. West Hartford isn't even between point A and point B either. It's 10 minutes out of the way (each way) without traffic. New Haven is also an easy on-easy off to 91. Believe it or not, a lot of professionals live and work in New Haven.

I never liked Middletown, which is why I rarely recommend it. I find that area to have a greater amount of white trash per capita than others.

Commuting into Hartford from West Hartford would likely not even involve getting on I-84. Most people would just travel down Farmington Avenue, New Britain Avenue, Asylum Avenue or Albany Avenue depending where you live and work. To get to West Haven the OP would likely use Route 9 south to I-91 rather than going through Hartford. Still it is a bit out of the way but many people like West Hartford so it may be worth the extra time.

I am not sure why you don't like Middletown. It is home to a lot of young professionals and college students. I do not think it is white trashy at all. The West Lake area which is where I recommeded has a lot of nice up scale apartment complexes. I lived there when I was young and single and many who work in Hartford or New Haven still do. Wesleyan in Middletown is very well regarded and not a trashy school by any stretch of the imagination. Parts of Middletown are a bit worn like any city in the northeast but its downtown has more of a funky feel. It is not as upscale as West Hartford but it is not as trashy as say New Britain or Meriden. I would not discount it and the location is probably the best for a commute to both Hartford and West Haven.

As for New Haven, it has a lot of good neighborhoods and some not so good. Living there would definitely favor the commute to West Haven but would require a long commute to Hartford. The OP would need to decide which would be more important to them. Personally I would go with being halfway in Middletown but that is just me. If they decide to look in New Haven they shoudl probably stick to East Rock, Wooster Square, Westville or downtown. Jay

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Commuting into Hartford from West Hartford would likely not even involve getting on I-84.

I was referring to when the OP has to commute to West Haven from West Hartford, but as pointed out by another poster, they could always go 84 to 9 to 91. I have no idea how traffic is on 9 though.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

I was referring to when the OP has to commute to West Haven from West Hartford, but as pointed out by another poster, they could always go 84 to 9 to 91. I have no idea how traffic is on 9 though.

Having been on Route 9 on a number of occasions during rush hour recently, I can tell you it moves very well. Still I agree with you that West hartford is a bit out of the way for a commute to West Haven. Still it would be up to the OP to decide if it would be worth it. Jay

[Sigequinox]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

The OP said they would be in Hartford half the time, West Haven the other half.

Traffic from West Hartford to on 84 to 91 (for when the OP needs to get to West Haven) can be horrific, so that's adding on a lot of extra time. West Hartford isn't even between point A and point B either. It's 10 minutes out of the way (each way) without traffic. New Haven is also an easy on-easy off to 91. Believe it or not, a lot of professionals live and work in New Haven.

I never liked Middletown, which is why I rarely recommend it. I find that area to have a greater amount of white trash per capita than others.

I have seen white trash areas in Middletown, but then I have seen a plethora of ghetto trash in New Haven. The west lake area is, for the most part, Cromwell.

Growing up on Long Island, I'm no stranger to the phenomenon of complete ghetto trash abutted to extremely nice and wealthy areas. You could be in Hempstead (as ghetto as New Haven) and then literally cross the town line to a place like Garden City and be in the ritz. It's bizarre and actually quite fascinating from a sociological point of view, but nevertheless, I would not want to live even at the bordering edge on the Hempstead side. So while there are nice neighborhoods in NH, your still an enclave in an otherwise nasty and dangerous city with good food.