[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by CelticLion

Manchester has slid in recent years a bit- but it has a fine Main Street and downtown with a very New England 'feel'. The Cheney Mansions off Hartford road add history and charm as well. The town is laid out very attractively as well, with some very upscale areas. Manchester HS has been become rougher, but the schools are not bad.

The shopping offers some of the best in Connecticut, and the Manchester Community College campus is beautiful- the school is the best of 2 year institutions in the state.

Manchester is far more attractive and less 'rough' then Bristol or Meriden. And to lump Manchester in with these two very unattractive towns is wrong.

According to removed, Meriden, Bristol, and Manchester are extremely similar especially when considering housing, retail, and per capita income. As a real estate agent in the area, I have to give a nod to Bristol. I don't know of a comparable area in Manchester that compares to Cedar Lake.

[Jigga2006]

Best:
Avon
Glastonbury
Darien
Simsbury
Milford

Worst:
Hartford
Torrington
Waterbury
Willimantic
New Britain

[mcwsage]

I came across this site on accident...and loved this post but noticed no one had responded in a while..until today! I was so surprised that no one had mentioned Avon or Simsbury before today since I live in "The Valley" and can't tell you how often people contact me (I'm in real estate) for information on Avon, Canton, Simsbury, Farmington and of course West Hartford and Glastonbury too.

There are so many great things about these towns I could write a book!

Michele

[melkat]

Best (excluding Fairfield County)
1.Cheshire
2. Litchfield
3. New Milford
4. Madison
5. Glastonbury

Worst
1. Meriden
2. Naugatuck
3. Bristol
4. Waterbury
5. New Britain

yes CT is overpriced but it is such a wonderful state. I'm sad we left it for NC. To me, now after living here, the things that the state offered are much more important than having a 3x bigger house here..all we have here is strip malls, housing developements and chain restaurants..no culture, no diversity, no history..just boredom

[Dragondog]

Manchester has Birch Mountain, Porter street and the highland Park areas- very nice homes and neighborhoods.

Also melcat- I agree with you; people flock to NC from all over, and then they discover what you have. It is 'cheaper' then Connecticut, but what you have said is largely true of the state- to some however living a rather bland colorless existence is ok if they save a few bucks.

[ToeWhite]

So Torrington's one of the worst eh? I can't say I completely disagree with you, but my perception is clouded by the fact that I was born here and can't seem to get out. Are you also from CT?
So, the Bronx? (that's listed as your location)...compared to Torrington?
I'm looking into NYC as a possible place to move to (better arts community...putting it mildly!) What's your opinion of where you live now?

[Danimal]

Best (no order, excluding Fairfield):

Farmington
West Hartford
Simsbury
Glastonbury
Cromwell

Worst:

Waterbury
Naugatuck
New Britain
Meriden
Bloomfield

I lived in Bristol, moving FROM North Carolina (a rarity, I know). Town was dumpy, but I made many good friends there. They did have a bad small town mentality though. I moved back to NC. It's got its quirks, but it's home.

[BigHouse9]

Originally Posted by CelticLion

Also melcat- I agree with you; people flock to NC from all over, and then they discover what you have. It is 'cheaper' then Connecticut, but what you have said is largely true of the state- to some however living a rather bland colorless existence is ok if they save a few bucks.

That is the thing - it is such a misnomer about NC being cheaper. Yes, RE taxes are less and gas cost less per gallon. But living outside of Raleigh now, I find that it is not as cheap. I make 6K less, so that more than cover the property taxes (about 3K less here but going up). I have to drive more so I end up spending a lot more on gas. All of my utilities cost more. Food costs more. My car insurance was more too and everyone said it would be less!

I think the biggest misconception is that the people are more friendly. Just not true.

It is a cookie cutter existence and I for one cannot wait to move back to CT to get away from the hectic lifestyle.

[Dragondog]

Yep

NC is merely an illusion- smart people see that- those less enlightened will learn the hard way.

[BigHouse9]

Hey, I am all for people if they want to live down there and if it makes them happy. But it is sold as this major utopia and there are a lot of people falling for it.

I have posted it all over these boards, please take a trip (or 2) down there to experience how things are if you are thinking of moving. Spend at least a morning and afternoon checking out the traffic and keep your eyes open for construction. There are plenty of sites that talk about the future construction plans of towns too.