[CrissCT]

How would this drive be? These towns seem to have the small town feel we are looking for (on paper at least). They share a school district but are there any major distinctions between the 2? Any insight is appreciated..

[JayCT]

The ride would not be bad. About 15 to 20 minutes depending on where you live and where in Belrin you work. Middlefield and Durham are very nice town with very good schools. Both towns are somewhat rural in character but the homes in Durham tend to be a bit newer than Middlefield. you should note that neither town has much shopping and residents must travel to adjacent communities for food and other necessities. There is a proposal to build a supermarket in Durham but it not certain if it will get approval or not. Since both towns are similar and both are very nice, I would recommend that you should look at homes in both towns and choose the one that best suits your needs. Jay

[CrissCT]

Thanks JayCT! I don't think the lack of shopping will bother me since I grew up in a rural area and it looks like there is shopping in nearby Meriden.

[wanderintonc]

Have you considered just living in Berlin? It's a small town (to me anyways) and is near everything. Or East Berlin? (even smaller).

Middlefield and Durham are nice but...out there. But, the commute wouldn't be too bad from Middlefield, maybe farther from Durham.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by CrissCT

How would this drive be? These towns seem to have the small town feel we are looking for (on paper at least). They share a school district but are there any major distinctions between the 2? Any insight is appreciated..

I give a slight edge to Middlefield primarily because the taxes are less.

[CrissCT]

Originally Posted by wanderintonc

Have you considered just living in Berlin? It's a small town (to me anyways) and is near everything. Or East Berlin? (even smaller).

Middlefield and Durham are nice but...out there. But, the commute wouldn't be too bad from Middlefield, maybe farther from Durham.

Berlin/Kensington are on the list, but so far haven't fallen in love with any of the homes for sale there so just want to expand our options. I'll take a look at East Berlin. Thanks.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by CrissCT

Berlin/Kensington are on the list, but so far haven't fallen in love with any of the homes for sale there so just want to expand our options. I'll take a look at East Berlin. Thanks.

For the record, East Berlin and Kensington are in the town of Berlin.

[CrissCT]

Originally Posted by wanderintonc

Have you considered just living in Berlin? It's a small town (to me anyways) and is near everything. Or East Berlin? (even smaller).

Middlefield and Durham are nice but...out there. But, the commute wouldn't be too bad from Middlefield, maybe farther from Durham.

OK so now I hear that the main road through Berlin is a series of bowling alleys (nothing agains bowling alleys) and Adult bookstores/clubs. So is it really such a nice small town to live in? Cause that certainly doesn't sound like a place I want to raise kids. Are most of the towns in CT the same?

[glxyman21]

Berlin does have the Berlin Turnpike which through the length of the town and into Newington Consists of offices, many big box retailers, restaurants, hotels, a few bowling alleys and there are some adult oriented businesses. Most of it is consentrated on this main road and doesn't spill over into other parts of the town. Honestly, it is not an area of concern. There are many suburban towns in Connecticut that are very popular with families, like Orange, Milford, and Southington, that have adult stores in them. No town can legally block an adult oriented business from opening up as it violates constitutional rights. The only tools available are to limit the size of commercial buildings and the distance such businesses can be located from churhes, schools, or residentially zoned land. They could pop up in any town that doesn't currently have one.

[JayCT]

The Berlin Turnpike was built in the 1920's connecting Meriden to Hartford through the towns of Berlin, Newington and Wethersfield. As part of the main road between New Haven and Hartford, the Berlin Turnpike became an corridor of modest motels, restaurants and auto travel related businesses (drive ins, body shops gas stations, bowling alleys, etc.). In the early 1960's, Interstate 91 was built around the Berlin Turnpike and the area started down hill. A couple of adult businesses moved in as well bars.

About 20 years ago the area started to turn. The value of real estate and the need for quality locations for todays retail stores made the Berlin Turnpike a destination retail area with most national retailers like Walmart, target, Home Depot and Lowes. Only a few adult busnesses remain. Away from the Berlin Turnpike are many nice neighborhoods and homes in all three of the towns it travels to. I doubt you would even notice those businesses anymore. They are very few and very far between. As for the town of Berlin being a family town, those businesses (Walmart, bowling alleys, restaurants, etc.) make it very convenient for today's family. We shop on the Berlin Turnpike a lot even thoughwe do not live near by to aviod the traffic up in the Buckland Hills area of Manchester. The three bowling alleys are a lot of old fashoned fun and the kids love going to them. Also, the new Stew Leonards is a great place to shop for food (meats produce, precooked foods, specailty items, etc.) and a fun place for kids to visit. There are some great old fashoined local places like Doagies hot dogs, the Olympic diner and Mortanson's Ice cream). I would not let a couple of businesses steer you away from the area. JMHO Jay