[mrgmrg]

West Hartford has a crime index 2.5-3x that of Avon or Simsbury. I think that's enough of a difference to be relevant.

[NewJeffCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Very gaudy. Ugly kitchen, and whats with the mirror fireplace? Not at all traditional, IMO, which the OP is looking for.

well, they also said the decor was not important, since they do home staging... the lot had mature trees, though, and the home had 4,100 sq feet of space and over 1 acre of land.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by mrgmrg

West Hartford has a crime index 2.5-3x that of Avon or Simsbury. I think that's enough of a difference to be relevant.

Not when you look at the bigger picture, which you often fail to do.

A disproportionate number of those crimes is theft, which is something that is experienced in every town with large retail centers. West Hartford has one of the largest malls in the state, as well as Blue Back Square. If you look at the stats for violent index crimes, the numbers are well below the state average and even further below the national average.

West Hartford is a very safe town. Stop claiming it's a hotbed of crime - especially when you never - ever - lived in the town. Your claims are irresponsible at best.

[mrgmrg]

I must have missed claiming it was a hotbed of crime--I could have sworn I said it had much higher crime levels than Avon and Simsbury. Or perhaps you are exaggerating, which you often do. Do you live in West Hartford? What qualifies you, as opposed to me, to make claims about its crime levels?

West Hartford has almost 10x the number of burglaries that Avon does. Considering the legal definition of burglary in Connecticut requires breaking and entering, I'm not sure how that figure can be attributed to the Westfarms Mall.

[willow wind]

OP- your price and wants and desires can be found in many towns in the area.

West Hartford would suit you. However, most of the housing stock will be on lots under acre. Not all, obviously, but many. Farmington is another strong possibility and has shopping in town and nearby. Glastonbury might also be worth a serious look.This is also a town where you can find large lots and local shopping.

Other posters have noted other lovely towns. What you won't have to worry about is driving far in distance. The bigger concern is time wasting commuter traffic in some towns.

You'll really need to come for a couple of visits and get a feel for the area. There are so many possibilities that I'm sure one will feel like the right place. Also look up churches in the area. There are so many of so many different kinds. If one seems like a likely one to join, then perhaps living close to that church for services, children's groups, etc. may help to narrow down the housing choices. Good luck

[kidyankee764]

The ignore feature works great. Apologies to the OP for their thread going off topic.

West Hartford is a very safe community to live, so don't take mrgmrg's opinion as the majority - most people would laugh them out of the room. That's not to say you shouldn't look at Avon, Farmington or Simsbury though. All are great towns and are some of the best suburbs in the country to raise a family.

[Wilton2ParkAve]

Originally Posted by mrgmrg

I must have missed claiming it was a hotbed of crime--I could have sworn I said it had much higher crime levels than Avon and Simsbury. Or perhaps you are exaggerating, which you often do. Do you live in West Hartford? What qualifies you, as opposed to me, to make claims about its crime levels?

West Hartford has almost 10x the number of burglaries that Avon does. Considering the legal definition of burglary in Connecticut requires breaking and entering, I'm not sure how that figure can be attributed to the Westfarms Mall.

The second bullet is a complete mis-representation since you are not adjusting per capita. NYC has 49x the number of burglaries that West Hartford does using your methodology!

West Hartford has 2x the number of burglaries that Avon does adjusting for population. Still meaningful, but let's cut out the hyperbole.

[gahr1family]

Pretty house however it's a little too contemporary for my taste. I grew up in a small and quaint New England town where salt box colonials were the norm.

[mrgmrg]

Originally Posted by Wilton2ParkAve

The second bullet is a complete mis-representation since you are not adjusting per capita. NYC has 49x the number of burglaries that West Hartford does using your methodology!

West Hartford has 2x the number of burglaries that Avon does adjusting for population. Still meaningful, but let's cut out the hyperbole.

Thanks for pointing that out--it does make a big difference and I wasn't intending to be hyperbolic.

So we're agreed that West Hartford has twice the burglaries of Avon and that it's a meaningful difference.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by mrgmrg

Thanks for pointing that out--it does make a big difference and I wasn't intending to be hyperbolic.

So we're agreed that West Hartford has twice the burglaries of Avon and that it's a meaningful difference.

Yeah but 2x a small number = still a small number. There are lots of out-of-staters reading these forums...important not to create a false impression.