Towns...5 Best and 5 worst (New Haven, Hartford: jobs, recreation, suburbs)

[madmoney]

How come no one mentioned anything in the Old Lyme/Essex Area?

[akerley]

i have lived (in chronological order) in middletown (born & bred and enjoyed it a lot); haddam (lovely, quaint and small), wallingford (nice, conservative); meriden (a little weird, run-down at that time); rocky hill (smaller then - a tad too busy now); newington (enjoyed it - nice environment to live in); new britain (tried hard not to ever admit this); hartford (near downtown, loved living there); and now bloomfield (taxes are nasty, but living here is quite nice).

convenience is a big factor in any town's ranking (access to highways, cleanliness, services, etc.). i would never go back to meriden or new britain except under duress, but would entertain hartford again in a minute if it made sense overall. wallingford loses out now because i am hartford county-oriented these days, but of the others i think newington could be a contender if thoughts of moving came up.

[gobosox5]

Overall Best:
Trumbull
New Canaan
Wilton
Darien
Monroe

Best Non-Fairifield County:
Cheshire
Simsbury
South Windsor
Glastonbury
Madison

Overall Worst:
Hartford
New Haven
New London
New Britain
Bridgeport

Minues New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport:
New London
New Britain
West Haven
Waterbury
East Hartford

[Megreg]

Originally Posted by 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

I agree, we also live in NC (Melkat - recognize you from LKNM) and I'm honestly not impressed. What you save in housing cost, you end up paying in private school. In addition, you miss out on the old charm homes, neighborhoods, history, culture, ethnic foods (miss great Italian) and the seasons. I didn't want to move here (my husband was transferred) but I would move back to CT in a minute. I grew up in Rocky Hill and although I wouldn't consider it in the 'Top' 5, it surely beats any city or town in NC.. Luckily for us, we will be moving back North within the next few years..

Top 5 (not including Fairfield County)
Glastonbury
Simsbury
New Milford
Avon
Farmington

Worst 5
New Britain
Willimantic
Bridgeport
Norwich (although there is an awesome spa)
New London

[jad2000]

Originally Posted by Megreg

Top 5 (not including Fairfield County)
Glastonbury
Simsbury
New Milford
Avon
Farmington

Why do people keep excluding Fairfield County towns? It's still CT.

[madisonctnurse]

Fairfield is pricey and they do give the whole state 60% of its income tax. I lived in Wilton and would include New Canaan & Greenwich & Ridgefield. Leave out Darien

[jad2000]

Originally Posted by madisonctnurse

Fairfield is pricey and they do give the whole state 60% of its income tax. I lived in Wilton and would include New Canaan & Greenwich & Ridgefield. Leave out Darien

I was never a fan of Darien either. Too congested, incredibly expensive and not what I consider an attractive community.

My top 5 towns in CT

1. Roxbury
2. Avon
3. Greenwich
4. Old Saybrook
5. Sherman

Worst 5

1. Meriden
2. Bridgeport
3. Waterbury
4. Bristol
5. Torrington

[Woodland1]

Everyone has their own opinions, and here is my 2 cents' worth from a "family" perspective, and having lived in many places in CT over the years.
THE WORST (No order):
TERRYVILLE/PLYMOUTH
NAUGATUCK
BRISTOL
NEW LONDON (though this at least has beautiful places and history)
WILLIMANTIC area

THE BEST : I honestly can't even generate a list, b/c so much of what makes a town "nice" is in the eye of the beholder and what you are looking for. Is Avon nice? Yes, beautiful {$$$$} homes, excellent schools, convenience to shopping and amentities and Hartford for work. Is it good for families-- yes, but only if you can afford to keep up with the Joneses next door . Yet, if you are self-employed and run equipment and especially heavy trucks-- FORGET IT, Avon would be among the LAST places to look b/c of their very strict regulations (including what kind of sign you may place on your business) and are very close to eventually banning all truck traffic in the town. Mystic is equally gorgeous and $$$, but there you have to deal with tourist traffic and congestion. It all depends what you are looking for!
Best advice would be to check out a slew of towns and just go into local shops and dining places to get a feel for the environment there. FFLD County is nice if you work in NYC and don't want to live there. But the homes are very very $$$ and the traffic is a nightmare. Again, you have to weigh your preferences. Good luck, it will be what YOU make of it!

[Felicia151]

I am surprised that West Hartford and Middletown were not mentioned as either best or worst cities to live in...which is what?

[JiminCT]

Waterbury
Manchester
East Hartford
Meriden
Ansonia
Naugatuck