[DSD]

My husband and I are planning to relocate from Chicago with our family to CT, where I grew up. I initially wanted to move to Southern CT, especially around Branford or Guilford as I love the coast and wanted to live near the beach or at least a lake. However, our job leads are more in Central CT, so we're now confused about where to look for a suitable town. These are part of our wish list:

a good/ reasonable commute to either Hartford/ New Britain or Wallingford
a community with great schools (three children)
a small town feel with good access to stores and restaurants
reasonably priced homes (we're downsizing from the $500Ks to, ideally the mid-$300Ks and we're more interested in space and a decent lot size rather than a new home -- we're okay with a fixer-upper, in other words)
A decent commute to NYC, as that is a big draw for my husband, who is reluctant to leave a very urban environment.

I have family in North Haven, West Haven, Southington and Plainville and I grew up in New Britain (and definitely do NOT want to move back there or even into a similar community).

As I said, we've considered Guilford, Branford, but I've heard good things on these boards about Glastonbury, Chesire, Milford and Orange. Any advice/suggestions/insights?

Thanks!

[JayCT]

It depends on how accessable to New York you want to be. All of central Connecticut is within two hours of the city so unless you are commuting on a daily basis that area should be fine. All of the communties you mentioned are good and offer different advantages and disadvantages. You really need to decide what is best for you.

I generally recommend living as close to your work as possible. Why spend time daily commuting when you don't have to and being near your kids even when they are in school is really a good thing.

Branford and Guilford are great towns but they are not easily commutable to Hartford or New Britain. don't get me wrong though, a lot of people do this commute but it is not the easiest. Milford and Orange are the same, maybe a little better. Cheshire would be even easier. I am not sure what you will get for $350k in any of these towns.

Glastonbury is a great town and has nice homes in your price range, but it is further from New York than Milford, Orange, Branford and Guilford. Your husband needs to realize that there are trade offs to the urban life. There is a lot less stress living in an area like central CT. Your kids will be better for that. Do you really need to be near 20 different restaurants that serve sushi? Not really but if that is what you love, the suburbs may not be for you. The good thing about CT is you really are not that far from the things you need. JMHO Jay

[JayCT]

It just occurred to me that if you want to be near Hartford or Wallingford and still want a someone urban area, you might consider West Hartford. It has a more urban feel and the Center is great for walking around. The new blue Back Square area is wonderful. The schools are excellent and there are homes in your price range. Just a thought. Jay

[DSD]

Jay --What towns would be a reasonable commuting distance from Wallingford?

[vvolin]

I love Glastonbury, although, having moved myself only last August, I can not tell you how it compares to other communities. Gla. is 10 to 15 minutes from Hartford, depending on where you live. The schools are great, which is essentially the reason why we choose Gla. It has 29,000 inhabitants, if I do not make a mistake. It is small, probably too small for me, but it has access to all kinds of stores, either in town or in the nearby Manchester/South Windsor area. We like good food and good restaurants as well. We find that there are a few good restaurants in town, some really good. Hartford has a much bigger choice. Houses can be costly, but it is possible to find houses in the $300,000 - $400,000 range. We go to NYC relatively often, as we have a small apartment there. By car we reach the Upper East side in 2.5 hours, by train we are in Penn Station in 2hr50min.
Valeria

[Rich Lee]

Southington is a good location for commutes to Wallingford and New Britain. It's not all that bad of a commute to Hartford, either.

[glxyman21]

I would also suggest Southington or Cheshire. They're within 20 minutes commute to Wallingford and New Britain on I-91 and I-84 respectively and maybe about 25-30 to Hartford on I-84. I wouldn't say they have a small town feel as they are quite large suburbs (around 28K for Cheshire and 42K in Southington) There are many nice neighborhoods where you can find homes for $350,000 on atleast a half acre lot, homes in this price range would be slightly older as well..you might find a fixer upper in that price range on an acre lot as well.

Schools are good and there is good shopping locally in both towns while also being near to shopping malls in neighboring Meriden and Waterbury and other shopping districts in Wallingford and Plainville. They're very popular towns with families.

[bibit612]

What about Berlin or Kensington?

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by DSD

Jay --What towns would be a reasonable commuting distance from Wallingford?

It depends what you mean by "reasonable". There are many nice neighborhoods in Wallingford itself and the schols are good. Adjacent to Wallingford are Cheshire, Durham, Middlefield and North Haven. All nice towns with good to excellent schools. Glastonbury is about 30 minutes from Wallingford and West Hartford would be about 40 minutes. Jay

[tpitt]

Wallingford I believe meets all your criteria. Incidentally I lived there for a good number of years. It has that small town flavor you're looking for, and it is mid way to both Hartford and New Haven. (Note: the downtown area is small, population is around 40,000) It is also about mid way from NYC and Boston and 2 1/2 hours from Vermont. Wallingford boarders North Haven so you would be close to your relatives. The east side of town is probably the most desirable real estate wise but it is also costly. I think you could probably find something for $350,000 but not much. Durham which is next to Wallingford is also a nice town. Branford is o.k. but not centrally located and if you have a westerly commute on I95 in the a.m., the traffic is a nightmare. Guilford real estates taxes are out of sight! Check out homes off of West Dayton Hill Rd., in Wallingford. Lovely neighborhood and you might find something in your price range.