[sevdie]

mcwsage,

Thank you so much for all of those details about the Farmington Valley area. You made me hungry talking about all of th food shops in te area. It sounds gorgeous! Thank you for wishing me luck. It is an exciting journey, but I am going to need it!

[stormweary]

After reading this thread I thought i post my query here. My daughter lives in Vernon and is getting married next Sept to a Connecticut boy. She was down here (Florida) for xmas and said she'd love for me to move up there. My son is completing his college next Dec. and after that its open.(she wants both of us to move up there) I grew up in the south but have lived up the east coast as far as West Point N.Y. ( ex-husband was in army) i would love to move closer to my daughter BUT am concerned about expenses and colder weather. I think the weather I could get used to but am concerned about the higher cost of living. Just taking a look or two I can't afford a $300,000 up house but could swing a $1500/month rent (I'm currently paying $1350 for a 3br/2bath house about 1500sq feet.) My kids are grown so i don't have schools to look at. I do adjunct teaching on the college level, fine arts. What would be some choices for me as far as area and being somewhat close to area colleges/universities? UConn seems to be in the middle of no where but read recently where they are trying to build Storrs into a more "college" town. Any advice would be appreciated. thanks in advance!

[mcwsage]

Hi Stormweary!

I wouldn't rule out a home in that area of the state just yet - Vernon, Enfield, and especially Coventry (a lot of graduate degree students that go to UConn will live away from campus in Coventry - my brother did way back when he was in college) - with these places you have a chance of finding a home for $200k (Assume a 7% interest rate (although the rates are lower, I like to provide a cushion), 30 year mortgage of $200k, your monthly mortgage will be roughly $1300).The home will be smaller and most likely 1950s, but the house won't be a dump! In fact, I've seen some cute ones on the market right now.

Michele P.

[mcwsage]

Originally Posted by sevdie

mcwsage,

Thank you so much for all of those details about the Farmington Valley area. You made me hungry talking about all of th food shops in te area. It sounds gorgeous! Thank you for wishing me luck. It is an exciting journey, but I am going to need it!

You are so welcome! I love food so I have each town (pretty much across the state since I'm always on the road for my job!) pinpointed by what's good to eat!! Thank goodness I go the gym!

Best Wishes,

Michele P.

[stormweary]

Thank-you Michele!!
I was getting a little depressed looking at the housing prices. Sometimes, older homes are a good buy especially if they are maintained. I have some time for all this, its just that I had not considered moving to Connecticut until my daughter came for the holidays.

[MrMarple]

I see my old home town, Waterbury, consistently makes the worst list. This doesn't suprise me one bit. I grew up there in the 50's/60's and at that time it really wasn't that bad. However through political mismanagement and the destruction of its industrial base it went right into the porcelain bowl. From my point of view the whole state is not what it used to be. Compared to what it was it is super crowded. You cannot go anywhere without sitting in traffic. This includes the "nice" places such as Avon, Simsbury and such. These former sleepy burgs are now pricey boutique towns with a constant flow of traffic to Bradley and the metro Hartford area. I would recommend for anyone determined to live in Connecticut, if you can afford it, to consider the northwest quarter of the state. I believe that area still retains some of the old Connecticut charm but definitely at a premium price. Just my $0.02. Oh lastly for the individual wondering about the Bronx, NY. Last time I went through that area on the way to JFK it had a similar look to downtown Baghdad, full of burned out cars, trash and angry graffiti.

[sevdie]

I was born in the Bronx and you coudn't pay me to live there. As soon as I was old enough, I moved as far away as I could afford. What towns are in the North west quarter of CT?

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by sevdie

I was born in the Bronx and you coudn't pay me to live there. As soon as I was old enough, I moved as far away as I could afford. What towns are in the North west quarter of CT?

The northwest corner of Connecticut is Litchfield County partially comprised of the following:

ALONG THE NYS LINE (North to South)
Salisbury (pop. 4,202)
Sharon (pop. 3,065)
Kent (pop. 3,080)

JUST EAST OF THE ABOVE (North to South)
North Canaan (pop. 3,429)
Canaan (pop. 1,120)
Cornwall (pop. 1,539)
Warren (pop. 1,339)

JUST EAST OF THE ABOVE (North to South)
Norfolk (pop. 1,702)
Goshen (pop. 2,927)
Litchfield (pop. 8,906)

Kent and Warren are expensive and are known for their out-of-state owners (second homes). NOTE: real estate listings for these two towns are on a regional MLS (CMLS) and not the statewide MLS.

All of these towns tend to experience colder winters than the rest of the Connecticut due to their elevation (the start of the Berkshires).

[Summer77]

Anyone looking for a good town should check out Tolland,CT

[salatheel]

The Northwest corner of Ct. is absolutely gorgeous.