Best Small Town? (Hartford, Danbury, West Hartford: relocate, property taxes, travel)

[the bird]

My husband and I are both teachers (secondary and elementary, respectively) and are looking to relocate from Michigan. We have spent some time in CT before and would love to move there and live in a small, quaint town. Any suggestions? Is there a certain geographical area we should be looking in? Will we have a difficult time finding teaching jobs in CT?

[sliver203]

Originally Posted by the bird

My husband and I are both teachers (secondary and elementary, respectively) and are looking to relocate from Michigan. We have spent some time in CT before and would love to move there and live in a small, quaint town. Any suggestions? Is there a certain geographical area we should be looking in? Will we have a difficult time finding teaching jobs in CT?

There are small quaint towns in every corner of Connecticut, though they vary in price.

Generally, when one things 'quaint' in Connecticut, the northwestern Litchfield Hills comes to mind. The area provides rural country living with a sophisticated twist. Sherman, Bridgewater, Roxbury, Woodbury and Washington are all beautiful but very expensive and can be unaffordable for teachers. New Milford has a very nice quaint downtown and has some very country areas - prices are reasonable for its location and the area has many amenities. Besides New Milford, other less expensive and quaint towns are Thomaston, Watertown, Morris and New Hartford. The further south you go on Route 8, the less quaint and busier the towns become.

If you're looking to reside within commuting distance to NYC, you will pay a lot. Small quaint towns in Southwestern CT are (in order from most expensive to least) Weston, Easton, Ridgefield, Newtown and Southbury. Weston's average home price is in the millions, while in Southbury you can get a starter home for 300k. These are also in order regarding distance to NYC - Weston being closer, Southbury requiring a longer commute.

The Central/Eastern CT shoreline has some very appealing towns too. Guilford, Old Saybrook and Madison are my personal favorites but are also pricey. Mystic is nice, can be pricey, but less so than the other three.

If I were to pick a town for you to focus on, I'd say New Milford. If you let me know how much you're looking to spend then I can offer you better recommendations.

[skytrekker]

I would suggest the Hartford area over the towns sliver203 suggested above. Those towns all have much charm- but can be expensive compared to other locations in the Hartford area. Western and southwester Connecticut is charming, but so are housing prices.

Smaller towns also may have less teaching opportunities as well. A list of towns in the Hartford area include West Hartford pop. 62,000- a great place to live with an excellent school system. Rocky Hill, south of Hartford, pop. 17,000, great schools as well, also consider South Windsor pop. 29.000, across the Connecticut River, east of Hartford.

Ellington, pop 15,000, also east of the river, Vernon, population 28,000, Bolton, very small town and rural, east of the river, pop, 5,000. In far eastern Connecticut Putnam,pop. 10,000 very quaint and called the 'Antique Capital of the Northeast.

Somers and Tolland in eastern Connecticut are smaller New England towns under 14,000 population, that offer New England charm, at a far reduced price then the towns named by sliver203. Teachers are needed in the state- so you should be able to secure employment.

There is a plethora of towns in central and eastern Connecticut to choose from that may suit your needs. housing prices while much higher then MI- should be no problem with two salaries combined at 80-85K a year. Housing is a buyers marker here now also- with townhouses available around 150-160K, and new homes starting around 240-280K. Nice starter homes in some towns start around 225K.

The central to eastern shoreline towns suggested are very pleasant- all the way to to Stonington. I would not suggest New London or Groton however. Colchester, pop. 15,000 halfway between Hartford and New London is a popular place for newcomers. Essex, Chester, and Seep River along the lower Connecticut river exude charm, but can be pricey.

[the bird]

Thanks so much for the replies. Sliver, it's funny that you mentioned New Milford because we actually passed through there on our trip to New England last year and we both loved it, but didn't really know too much about the area. With regards to price, we're looking to spend 250-300k. Would it be at all possible to get acreage at this price?

[JViello]

Originally Posted by the bird

Thanks so much for the replies. Sliver, it's funny that you mentioned New Milford because we actually passed through there on our trip to New England last year and we both loved it, but didn't really know too much about the area. With regards to price, we're looking to spend 250-300k. Would it be at all possible to get acreage at this price?

In New Milford or the area? Probably not. That price may get you a fixer upper but more than not, you'll end up in one of the cities such at Torrington or Danbury for that price range.

I would seriously look East of Hartford for that price range. You'll get a lot more for your money and be in proximity of Hartford as well. Coventry, Bolton, Hebron etc or even further East to Woodstock or Pomfret should all have something for you in that price range...it won't be new, it won't be big, but it will be a home on a decent lot in a "quaint" small town.

When you talk home price be AWARE that our property taxes are very high here. My home valued around 300K has taxes at almost $6000 a year. (Yes that's almost $500 a month just for property taxes NOT including vehicles) Granted Manchester has a higher mill rate than the smaller towns, but not as much as you might think. Just be sure to find out the asessed value of the house and mill rate of the town before getting too excited.

[sliver203]

Originally Posted by JViello

In New Milford or the area? Probably not. That price may get you a fixer upper but more than not, you'll end up in one of the cities such at Torrington or Danbury for that price range.

I would seriously look East of Hartford for that price range. You'll get a lot more for your money and be in proximity of Hartford as well. Coventry, Bolton, Hebron etc or even further East to Woodstock or Pomfret should all have something for you in that price range...it won't be new, it won't be big, but it will be a home on a decent lot in a "quaint" small town.

When you talk home price be AWARE that our property taxes are very high here. My home valued around 300K has taxes at almost $6000 a year. (Yes that's almost $500 a month just for property taxes NOT including vehicles) Granted Manchester has a higher mill rate than the smaller towns, but not as much as you might think. Just be sure to find out the asessed value of the house and mill rate of the town before getting too excited.

Actually home prices in Danbury are higher than in New Milford and even Bethel. I guess proximity to New York, lower Fairfield and multiple train stations makes Danbury a bit pricier.

New Milford is absolutely doable for your price range. You can get a small starter home for about $240k tops (~ 3 bed, 1400 sq feet). For 300k you can get a decent modest home of 3 or 4 beds in a good part of town and you can get anywhere from .5 to 1.5 acres for that price range. Gaylordsville, in northern NM, is considered the least desirable area of town and is a bit cheaper. If you're looking to have a large, 2800 square foot home then you will be paying at least $400k.

Again I highly suggest New Milford for you over eastern CT. I know many teachers who teach in Fairfield County (Danbury, New Fairfield, Newtown, Ridgefield, Brookfield) and live in New Milford because the cost is very reasonable for its location. Eastern CT does have some very nice quaint towns, but teacher salaries are a bit lower over there - my wife teaches in Fairfield County and the salary is higher due to the cost of living. If you can work in Fairfield County and live elsewhere then you're doing pretty good.

If you decide against New Milford, then I highly recommend eastern CT for you - more laid back and less "on the go" than the majority of western CT. Skytrekker provided a good list of towns for you if you decide New Milford isn't for you.

New Milford itself is a very large town (largest in sq miles than any other CT town) with a moderate population. There are some very rural areas, but also very suburban ones too. It's a little different than typical CT as you will find a mix between blue collar working class residents and sophisticated, cosmopolitan author-type folks who drink their martinis dry and drive nice cars. On Route 7 you have plenty of shopping - several grocery stores, home depot, a hospital, good restaurants (Cookhouse is very good for BBQ style), and some nice shops downtown. The downtown is very quaint and New Englandy; The movie Mr. Deeds was shot here. If you need more shopping, Danbury is a short drive away with a large mall, more restaurants and basically anything to meet your needs.

If you have anymore questions, I travel up to New Milford often because my good friend and his family live up there, so just let me know.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by sliver203

Actually home prices in Danbury are higher than in New Milford and even Bethel. I guess proximity to New York, lower Fairfield and multiple train stations makes Danbury a bit pricier.

New Milford is absolutely doable for your price range. You can get a small starter home for about $240k tops (~ 3 bed, 1400 sq feet). For 300k you can get a decent modest home of 3 or 4 beds in a good part of town and you can get anywhere from .5 to 1.5 acres for that price range. Gaylordsville, in northern NM, is considered the least desirable area of town and is a bit cheaper. If you're looking to have a large, 2800 square foot home then you will be paying at least $400k.

Interesting...I did a search of New Milford and surrounding area and found more homes from 200-300K than I thought! Most were indeed smaller older homes but I was surprised.

However, only 4 had 1 acre or more per the OPs request. A couple more had .5-.8 acres and the rest were on .2-.3 acre lots.

[Rapunzll]

I'm confused Bird. On the Michigan board, you are wanting to move to Northern Michigan, and live on the Old Mission Peninsula. Which is it?

Good luck either way, but you might find a move easier if you can figure out what part of the country you want to live in.

[the bird]

You're right, I actually posted this on the Michigan, Vermont, and CT boards. We're originally from MI, (and love it here) but the economy is so terrible that the odds of us finding teacing jobs there are very, very slim (haven't been able to find them yet anyway). We love the New England area a lot (VT and CT in particular) so we were trying to feel out those areas before deciding whether or not we want to relocate. I'm surprised that anyone other than myself surfs around multiple state boards. Good eye.

[sliver203]

Originally Posted by JViello

Interesting...I did a search of New Milford and surrounding area and found more homes from 200-300K than I thought! Most were indeed smaller older homes but I was surprised.

However, only 4 had 1 acre or more per the OPs request. A couple more had .5-.8 acres and the rest were on .2-.3 acre lots.

This is the reason why New Milford is currently experiencing rapid growth. The location is great, wedged between the Litchfield Hills and bustling Fairfield County, and very easy access to Danbury area amenities. Home prices have risen in New Milford but not as much as other towns in the area. It's among the least expensive in greater Danbury but IMO, offers so much in the way of leisure and culture - more than most towns in the area.