[KH02]

I briefly have lived in Southington awhile back but was wondering if their were other towns surrounding Bristol with good school systems and low crime that were within a 20 min commute to bristol.

[JayCT]

There are many great towns within 20 minutes of Bristol. A lot would depend on your price range and the type of home you are looking for. Towns that come to mind are the western Hartford surburbs of West Hartford, Famrington, Avon and Simsbury. These have some of the best schools in the area and many people who work in Bristol at ESPN live there. Other towns to look at would be Burlington, Canton and Cheshire. if you give us more of an idea of what you are looking for we can help narrow it down. Jay

[KH02]

We have a budget of about 500K and are looking for a 3 bd 2.5 bath home with preferably HALF an acre though will take a little less land then that. We also dont want any historic homes. Would like the home to be at least 2000 sq feet. We'd prefer good public schools, but if we compromised to actually living in bristol we do have a private school lined up.

Right now my husband commutes 45 min and i cant wait for his drive home to be shorter as we have young children.

[NJNJNJ]

I grew up in Farmington and lived a half a mile from the Bristol border...many times my family runs over to Bristol to run errands. I really enjoyed growing up in Farmington and you could easily get a nice house in your price range...

[davfar]

I think your problem now might be narrowing down your choices. Reg 10 (Harwinton/Burlington) has and excellent school system and both towns are very nice, quiet and have newer developments. Farmington and Southington offer the same things, but with better proximity to the necessities. I think with your budget and what you're looking for you should have no problem whatsoever finding what you want!! Good luck!

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by KH02

We have a budget of about 500K and are looking for a 3-bd, 2.5-bath home with preferably HALF an acre though will take a little less land than that. We also don't want any historic homes. Would like the home to be at least 2000 sq feet. We'd prefer good public schools, but if we compromised to actually living in Bristol we do have a private school lined up.

Right now my husband commutes 45 min, and I can't wait for his drive home to be shorter as we have young children.

You should be able to find properties under $500,000 that are between 2000 - 2500 square feet in Cheshire, Wolcott, and Southington as prices are between $190 and $200/square foot. In Farmington, you will get house sizes closer to 2000 square feet. Lot sizes in Southington will typically be 1/3 to 1/2 acre. In Cheshire and Wolcott, they will be a bit larger. They'll be even larger yet in Burlington and Harwinton.

Southington and Cheshire have a greater percentage of properties with city sewer and city water than Wolcott or Farmington. Burlington and Harwinton are predominantly septic and well.

I'm glad that you're not discounting Bristol (I have extended family there). There are a lot of benefits to having a 5- or 10-minute commute!

[uconn99]

What is so bad about the Bristol School System? I know its not the greatest, but it is far from the worst. If anything kids there have an advantage with diversity.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by uconn99

What is so bad about the Bristol School System? I know its not the greatest, but it is far from the worst. If anything kids there have an advantage with diversity.

You are correct that Bristol schools are far from the worst, but they are hardly the best either. Bristol schools generally score under the state averages on the Connecticut Mastery and Connecticut Academic Performance tests. Class sizes however are reasonable (about 20 students per class). Jay

[KH02]

Schools are my top priority and i will settle for nothing less then the best.
I'm not saying Bristol is bad... its' just not for me and doesnt meet what my requirements for schooling are. As far as diversity, yes bristol is a good school for that.
But diversity isn't really on my list of considerations...

[glxyman21]

Well, for an easy commute into Bristol look into Burlington, Farmington, Southington, Plainville, Wolcott, or Plymouth. These towns all border Bristol and I would rank the schools from best to not best as Farmington, Burlington, Southington, Wolcott, Plainville, Plymouth.

Southington and Farmington will have the most in the way of shopping and amenities near by along with Plainville (I-84 passes through these towns). Burlington is the most rural and very quiet with Wolcott/Plymouth having a rural-ish feel but with a decent sized population (still not much shopping around as most people travel to Bristol if in Plymouth or Waterbury if in Wolcott for shopping needs).

I would say Burlington is the most expensive as they have large lot size requirements Farmington would be second and Southington third. Affordable homes can be had in these communities. I'd say your budget is about right for a newer colonial on a half to 1 acre lot in those three towns. It would be cheaper in the other towns mentioned.

In my opinion; Farmington and Southington are the most family oriented towns with a lot of families, family activities organized by the town and other recreational things. Many nice neighborhoods to be found.