[Mitchum]

Hi All,

I may potentially be taking a job at University of Hartford. Can anyone tell me the difference between West Hartford and Hartford's west end. I'm going to be looking for a place to live that is hopefully both urban (at least somewhat urban or a village-type setting) and safe. I've been told that the west end of Hartford is the way to go, however, I'm not sure what constitutes the west end.... and I'm not sure, by looking at mapquest if "West Hartford" on the map means the west end or if it means West Hartford.

I'd be looking to get into a managed apartment building type of setting.... for example, I found one - The Boulevard West Apartments - located on West Boulevard 06105... but I'm not sure if this is the "west end" or not. Can anyone give me an idea of what constitutes the "west end" --- zip codes or streets that border the west end (like, the west end goes from X Boulevard to Y Avenue). And I understand that West Hartford is rather suburban -- can you tell me how suburban? I am used to being able to walk to the local coffee shop, drug store, shopping center, restaurant, post office, etc.

[glxyman21]

West Hartford is a seperate town and is composed mainly of single family homes. The town is walkable, but most of the shops and what not are centered in certain areas (like west Hartford Center). Living in West Hartford or Hartford itself will require you to have a car as things are spread out or concentrated on main commercial roads.

[NJPM]

West Hartford is a completely separate municipality from Hartford. The West End of Hartford is a neighborhood in Hartford, but immediately adjacent to West Hartford. Generally speaking, anything to the east of Prospect Ave is in Hartford.

The West End has a lot of really beautiful homes and some apartments, but if you want to "walk to the local coffee shop, drug store, shopping center, restaurant, post office, etc." the only place you can really do this is by living near the commercial district in the center of West Hartford, which is unimaginatively called West Hartford Center. And even then you are going to need a car because the University of Hartford is in a section of town (right on the border of West Hartford and Hartford) that isn't close to any type of commercial amenities and inconvenient to get to on public transportation. It is nowhere near West Hartford Center.

Both West Hartford and the West End of Hartford are pretty safe. Some other parts of Hartford, however, are really rough.

06105 is a Hartford zip code, by the way.

[hfd]

You may want to consider living in downtown Hartford. There is said to be a shuttle from the Sage Allen apartments to the University of Hartford. There is student housing there for U of H students, and it is only a 2 -3 miles drive to campus.

Living downtown you will be surrounded by restaurants, pubs, coffee shops, theater, etc. There is a lot planned for downtown and it seems to be getting better all the time.

[AmyBergquist]

I moved to the West End of Hartford about 4 years ago and love it. The zip code is 06105, as posted by other users. I would say the neighborhood is very walkable. There are a good variety of restaurants, coffee shops, and stores on Farmington Ave which are easily in walking distance from many streets in the West End. The West End is bordered by Prospect Ave on the West, Woodland Street on the East, Capitol Ave on the South and Bloomfield Ave on the North.

I haven't had any issues with safety since I've lived here. I feel safe walking around outside during the day and night. That being said, it is a city, so common sense is needed.

If you are going to work at UHart, you most likely will need a car. The public buses do go there, but getting there from the West End would be a pain, as you would need to travel into Hartford and then back out again.

There aren't too many managed apartment buildings in the West End. More common are multi-family homes with individual apartments for rent.

Hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions about the neighborhood, I'd be happy to assist.

[hfd]

Parts of the west end are great, but there is need for improvement. A shuttered gas station has been a vacant lot for a few years now, with no plans to develop it. The sidewalks are kind of narrow on parts of Farmington, and with the exception of Braza, most places are putting parking in front of the building.
Evergreen is a problematic street in terms of crime. There is also a vast parking lot behind CVS that could hold a garage which would help in terms of development. I think the neighborhood seems very fragmented. For example, there is a Kenyon Street neighborhood website, that excludes 2/3 of the street, only one of the three blocks. Some parts of the West End consider themselves historic, yet others that are equally as old and historic do not.
You get great house for your money in the West End. Prospect is the border and the prices from one side to the other are amazing. Check out this overpriced house on the WH side and the taxes. http://www.raveis.com/epropdetail.as...ASTKEY=2043233

It is at a busy intersection. For less a few blocks away in the city you get this:
http://www.raveis.com/epropdetail.as...ASTKEY=2106093

On the flip side, car insurance is way lower on the West Hartford side and the schools are better, but taxes are higher. IF you don't have children, the West End is a much better deal.

The city is poorly managed. It has a long record of not being able to develop vacant properties. The Metro area is building like crazy, but the city can't close a single deal. The state is responsible for most of the new development.

For example on Farmington Avenue a few hundred yards they are building condominiums. Why can't something like that be built on the vacant property at Farmington and Girard?