Moving From Northern CA TO Canton CT (Hartford, Groton: real estate, property taxes)

[Rocklin]

Moving from NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TO CANTON CT

My wife and I are big "outside-people" and I was wandering if we were going to be trapped in the house for six months of the year.

Question 1:
How bad are the Mosquitoes? i.e. can we go outside at night and not be eaten alive by them? On a scale from 1-10. 1 being best case
Question 2:
Are there jobs available? I am semi retired (Health Care Analyst) and just looking to make $15-$20K per year. Enough to pay the property taxes.Question 3:

We can handle the cold, but does it stay cold for days on end or does it fluctuate?
Please advise ASAP.....Any commments concerns are welcome !!

[AmyBergquist]

There is not a pervasive mosquito problem. It always depends on how much rain we get and how close you live to water.

Finding a job that pays $15K-$20K shouldn't be too much of an issue. There are a prevalence of healthcare and insurance companies in the greater Hartford area. Tapping into the area Chambers of Commerce and using Monster.com should give you a good start.

Weather varies. Last week we had 3 days of temperatures in the low teens. Today it was 50. Serious cold streaks typically don't last longer than a week. "Spring" starts in mid-April and "winter" starts in mid-November.

[skytrekker]

A repost from another thread.

Rocklin

welcome to the state.

The others have given great information. Your question about being 'stuck' indoors for half the year is queried by many Californians moving here (and we seem to be getting more from the Golden State) The answer is simply no- we have 3 winter months here- from Mid/late December through Mid to late March. We can have mild periods during mid winter like this week- where it will be in the 50s today and a high of 68 tomorrow is forecast- winters here have been progressively becoming milder. December was a cold month, with a foot of snow just before Christmas, that is now mostly melted (with less amounts on the shoreline). Temperatures below zero here are not common like 30 years ago. The mildest part of the state will be along the coast in southeastern CT-from the mouth of the CT river east to the RI Island border- having the mildest winters, least amount of snow, and cooler weather in the summer due to a breeze off the LI and Block Island sound.

I will enjoy the mild weather this week- 60s in January is fine with me. If 'outdoors people' as most are from California, there is a multitude of activities that can be accomplished here for 8-9 months out of the year. We have many excellent wineries in the western and eastern part of the state, great beaches, many fine golf courses,state forests and parks, not to mention world class cultural venues in the visual and performing arts inside when the weather outside becomes disagreeable.

Winter sports are not all that popular here as they where decades ago. The milder climate and unpredictability of snow cover, has shifted this industry further north. So if you do ski, or snowboard Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as Maine is the place to go.


A return to 40 degree weather is predicted next week- so as you can see the winter weather here is variable. This is not a lake affect snow belt area like upstate New York, Nor a long cold snowy winter like northern Vermont, New Hampshire or Northern Maine, where snow and cold predominate all winter( but even here winters are less harsh now).

Southern New England is mild in the winter, considerings its latitude location, primarily which is due to the moderating influence of the Sea. We have relatively early Springs, compared to northern New England. Spring weather can be unpredictable- due to the nearby influence of the still frigid Atlantic- especially in April- with some still chilly days with clouds and rain, and sometimes some flakes of snow can add melancholy to the brain after the chill of winter, but it can turn quickly to sunny bright mild to warm days in the 70s and even 80s. We have warm to hot summers with some periods of unpleasant sultry humidity. The weather here from Mid- late August till late November/early December is usually warm to mild and sublime (this being the 'longest season'-lasting 4 months.

Canton will be inland and west of Hartford- so the climate will be warmer in the summer and slightly colder in the winter then New London or Groton, which are right on the coast.


Health care employment in Connecticut is stable and one of the fastest growing segments of the economy-along with training and education, as well as geriatric services.

As for bugs, mosquitoes; we have them- and they tend to be active between dusk and dawn from June to the first frosts in October. Also there will be more of them if there is a significant amount of rain with standing water.

Good luck and come back for more information from us.

[Rocklin]

I took 3 days and decided to visit before I gave the decision to my boss. I have decided to stay in Sunny CA. The decision was based on the houses that I saw in the area. To get a compariable house in this area I would have to spend well over $750K and pay well over $14000.00 per year in property taxes on just the house. This does not even mention the taxes CT has on autos, boats, and motorcycles. CT must have the highest taxes I have ever seen in my life. All I can say is I will never say anything bad about CA again after seening the life style of the EAST COAST. My suggestion to anyone else that wants to move from WEST COAST to the EAST COAST is to visit first and see for yourself...SCARY !!!!!

[skytrekker]

Good luck to you- I have to disagree with you about housing costs- Canton while high by local standards is much less for a comparable house in the very expensive San Francisco bay area.

Canton and San Ramon can both be considered upscale areas- but comparable home prices in San Ramon are more then double - and perhaps even triple! -compared to Canton.

Examples Single Family Property, Area: San Ramon, County: Contra Costa, Approximately 0.16 acre(s), Lot is 7000 sq. ft., Year Built: 1968, Single story, Garage, Central air conditioning, Fireplace(s) 1,520 Sq. Ft. 4 Bed, 2 Bath $700K

Canton CT Stately 9 room Colonial on nearly 3 acres abutting conservation land. This builder's own home boasts 9 foot ceilings on both levels, crown molding, spacious eat-in Granite and Cherry Kitchen with Stainless Steel Appliances. Professionally landscaped property features stone walls, custom blue stone patio with sitting wall and irrigation system. Attached 3 car garage. Four bedrooms, 3 full baths, Master Bedroom suite with his and hers walk-in closets, whirlpool bath and sitting room. Upstairs office or 5th bedroom, you decide! A must see in one of Canton's most popular neighborhoods!

4 Bed, 3 Bath 599K
3,415 Sq. Ft.
2.78 Acres

Lot size in California is postage stamp- square footage in CT is more then double what you get in California.
Median home price in the San Francisco bay area is near 800K- greater Hartford 260K- that is a scary difference!

Connecticut has no local taxes- except for autos and real estate. California has horrible public schools- Canton's public schools are better then the highest rated private schools in the east Bay area.California has a higher sales tax-and higher income tax.

I would say two homes -one at 1520 square feet- a nice ranch (but basically a California 1960s tract home) hardly luxurious- built on a tiny lot can honestly be priced comparably with a home built in 2005- a veritable huge mansion- on over 2.5 acres half acres at 3420 square feet.......with the home in San Ramon priced a 100K thousand dollars more!

Lets get real here- and post truthful and accurate information- not misinformation; JMO I feel the OP is a fabrication- as is the follow up.

Incidentally the two homes above- source was from todays Realtor.com

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Rocklin

I took 3 days and decided to visit before I gave the decision to my boss. I have decided to stay in Sunny CA. The decision was based on the houses that I saw in the area. To get a compariable house in this area I would have to spend well over $750K and pay well over $14000.00 per year in property taxes on just the house. This does not even mention the taxes CT has on autos, boats, and motorcycles. CT must have the highest taxes I have ever seen in my life. All I can say is I will never say anything bad about CA again after seening the life style of the EAST COAST. My suggestion to anyone else that wants to move from WEST COAST to the EAST COAST is to visit first and see for yourself...SCARY !!!!!

You have to be kidding right? $750k in Canton buys you the top of the line home there. In fact the highest prices there are under $750k. And the taxes are not any where near $14,000. A $709k colonial listed on the MLS has taxes listed as $10,438. Depending on the cars you own, your total local taxes will certainly be less than $12,000. Also you need to consider what you get for your taxes. Schools in Canton are excellent.

As for lifestyle, well I would take the quite Connecticut counrtyside over the hustle and bustle of northern California any day. Our weather may not be as nice year-round but we do not have the constant threat of a major earthquake. JMHO Jay

[Rocklin]

Trust me ! Spend the $1000.00 for a room, plane ticket and auto and see for yourself. You guys must be all realtors. That is the only reason one couldmake up such half/truths.

[skytrekker]

Rocklin

I think there is the strong possibility of you being a troll- The Co Moderator (Jayct) and I are in fact NOT Realtors. We provided more then enough data, facts and information to question the validity of your assertions- you provided no data or facts- just more of the same misinformation. The facts I provided above from Realtor.com where certainly more then enough to dispel your claims as a fairy tale.

If you cannot post honest information here or back up your assertions with facts- do not post on this forum at all. Thanks.

[Bob The Builder]

Originally Posted by Rocklin

Trust me ! Spend the $1000.00 for a room, plane ticket and auto and see for yourself. You guys must be all realtors. That is the only reason one couldmake up such half/truths.

Rocklin

I assume you are living in Rocklin. I am not a Realtor. I was born and raised in Nor Cal. I lived in SF and Napa Valley. I am now living in Italy with my wife and three small children. I went to CT last fall to take a look for myself.

First of all, if you think the property taxes are high in CT, you should take a look at Westchester County NY.

Secondly, if you are living in Rocklin, are you trying to compare Rocklin Real Estate with real estate in a branded CT town? 750k can get you a great place in a secondary or tertiary town.

Thirdly, CT is not CA. You are shocked at the costs in CT because in CA you are constantly assuring yourself that CA is the most expensive housing market in the universe. This misconception as caused many in CA to grossly overpay for their homes.

Finally, if you monitor the CT board vs the CA board, you will notice that CT people communicate differently from people on the CA board. CT people are "obsessed" about their children, schools, test scores etc. CA is "obsessed" about their stuff, single life, shopping, the value of their homes etc. Very seldom is there even a mention of schools in the CA board.

I say these things not as a judgment of CA or you. Perhaps you don't have children. I do know that CA has some issues with the school system that are not correctable due to the demographics, prop 13, teachers union, a lack of political will and a population that thinks a state educational ranking 49th out of 50 is ok. CA just has different priorities than CT.

If you ask yourself why you thought about moving to CT from CA, you might have thought 1) you could get a Garage Mahal for half the cost and 2) you could live exactly the same CA lifestyle much cheaper than in CA. Be honest, did schools even enter the equation? The history? Hockey? The proximity to NY? Guggenheim? Broadway? Washington DC? These things do not matter to the typical CA person and that is ok.

When I moved to Italy, it was not the same as CA. Gas was 6 bucks a gallon (now 9). Starbucks is not allowed in Italy at all. It took 2 years to get over the anger that you feel asking why is it so hard and why isn't it like CA. But you balance the good with the bad. History, culture, antiquity, architecture are all valued differently by different people.

[KH02]

Rocklin - Visiting Hartford does NOT make you an expert on CT.
Not to mention you picked the major city to visit which is not a reflection on CT. Most of us on this board would tell you we would never consider living in Hartford.
Canton is a beautiful and high end town with wonderful schools and alot to offer.
I am NOT a realtor!!!