[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

Your top picks are rural, which the OP doesn't want.


But wait a minute................................ Did you say Plainville? Sounds like a definite possibility for this OP.

I've always felt Plainville was underrated for a small town. It's convenient, safe, affordable and the schools seem to perform about average.

[hvexpatinct]

Canton isn't much different from Avon these days.. Burlington is pretty affluent too.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by hvexpatinct

Canton isn't much different from Avon these days.. Burlington is pretty affluent too.

You can get a lot for your money in Burlington. It is quite rural though.

And don't let the numbers fool you - there are still many old town regular Joes and Janes in Burlington. Pick up trucks are just as popular as foreign luxury vehicles.

[JayCT]

The OP does not really say the type of community (urban, suburban, rural) they want or what they expect to get for their budget. This would really help us narrow things down a bit.

With your husband working in Simsbury I would recommend staying in the Farmington River Valley. Commuting over the mountain into the valley, particularly in bad weather can be difficult and there are a couple of lower priced towns you may want to consider there. I personally like Granby a lot. It is a nice small town with a friendly atmosphere and some middle class homes. Two other towns to also consider would be Canton and Burlington. These towns have well performing school systems (generally above the state averages on the Connecticut Mastery and Connecticut Academic Performance Tests. Still homes in these towns in your price range will likely mean they will need some work but still could be acceptable.

If your husband does not mind commuting over the mountain, you may then want to consider. A couple of peopel have suggested Windsor which is a nice town but the schools there do not generally perform as well as other towns in the area. You can check school performance on the link below. South Windsor has good schools and a lot of nice amenities but the commute to Simsbury would be difficult requiring your husband to cross the Connecticut River and travel over Avon or Talcott Mountain. During rush hour, I am not sure this can be done in under 30 minutes.

A couple of other towns you might want to consider are West Hartford, East Granby and Suffield. These town would have some homes in the OP's price range, good schools and be within a reasonable commute of Simsbury. Jay

[JayCT]

Forgot to include the link to data on schools here in Connecticut. Jay

State Department of Education - CEDaR

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

Your top picks are rural, which the OP doesn't want.


But wait a minute................................ Did you say Plainville? Sounds like a definite possibility for this OP.

Plainville may be a good option for the OP. It is a nice middle class community and the schools perform fairly well. Jay

[NewJeffCT]

There are plenty of people in Avon, Simsbury, Farmington and West Hartford that don't have nannies and/or drive Range Rovers and BMWs and take ski vacations in the Alps. I've also found that area to be very welcoming overall because a lot of people that relocate for jobs end up in the Farmingon Valley because of the schools. So, outsiders are often welcomed. I'd also look at Canton and Burlington as well. Also note, Farmington and Avon have lower taxes than Simsbury and West Hartford by a fairly substantial margin, so if you can afford a $225,000 home in Simsbury of West Hartford, you can probably get a $250,000 home in Farmington for basically the same payment.

A few possibilities:
23 Litchfield Dr, Simsbury, CT 06070 is For Sale - Zillow

32 Sylvan St, Avon, CT 06001 is For Sale - Zillow

10 Colony Rd, Canton, CT 06019 is For Sale - Zillow

[NewJeffCT]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

Enfield always seemed to me like it's a "middle of the road" type of town. I'm guessing the schools are relatively decent, but i'll defer to others on that.

Enfield schools typically perform below state averages.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by NewJeffCT

There are plenty of people in Avon, Simsbury, Farmington and West Hartford that don't have nannies and/or drive Range Rovers and BMWs and take ski vacations in the Alps.

Yep. This would be the vast majority of people in those towns. Their reputation for uber wealth, IMO and by the numbers, is way overblown.

[hvexpatinct]

Agree that the rep of uber wealth in the FV towns is pretty overblown, but they are still fairly homogeneous upper middle to upper class towns and people there don't go without. I can absolutely see how they might not be viewed as a good fit for someone who is living a simpler lifestyle. I'd love to be up there since the FV is very convenient to my workplace, but those towns aren't a good fit for my family either.