[ChloeMorgan]

Hi! My family and I are moving to the Hartford area (a place we aren't familiar with at all) in a few months and I was looking for advice on what towns to buy in. My job will be in Newington so I want (with traffic) a maximum 30 minute commute, preferably less. Schools are most important as we have children just starting out in elementary and preschool. We want really good schools! Next would be close proximity to retail and things to do. I don't want to be anymore than 10 minutes to a grocery store and restaurants, less would be better. We are moving from a NYC suburb where everything you could ever imagine and more is 3-4 miles away and walkable. Looking for approximately a 3,000 sq. ft. house. These are the towns we are looking at. I have a few questions, but really just want insight. If you could provide real insight into the pros and cons of each area and sections of town to avoid, that would be great. We are trying to get a feel for what it's really like to live in these places. Thank you so much. We are so excited to move to CT!

Farmington: Are there any shopping centers, retail in Farmington or does everyone have to go to West Hartford?

Glastonbury: A few houses we saw are near the river, is flooding an issue there? Seems the closer you are to Main Street the closer you are to retail, etc.?

West Hartford: This seems the most like where we live now, but we currently live in a new house and really don't want to go back to the radiators and plaster walls that we bought new to get away from, lol. This also seems close to Hartford, which seems like a not great place to live? Are Hartford and East Hartford not desirable for a family?

South Windsor: We fell in love with a house in the $700,000s here, but it doesn't seem like most houses are that expensive (we worry about the old saying that you don't want to buy the biggest or most expensive house in the neighborhood). How are the schools there? What's the overall reputation of South Windsor?

Avon: seems to be a little to far to commute? Saw a house on White Oak Lane a while ago and that area seemed closer to Newington. How's the commute?

Finally, I briefly looked online at Rocky Hill and Wethersfield. Seems like the schools aren't as good as the other towns I mentioned.

Your thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated!

[RogerAnthony]

Why not live in Newington? It will make an easy commute, there is plenty of retail on the Berlin Turnpike, and they have good schools.

In regards to Farmington's retail, Westfarms mall is right on the Farmington/West Hartford line and there is all sorts of shopping around there. It is also an easy drive to Route 6 in Bristol which has stores.

[HumpDay]

Cost of Living is much lower in the Hartford Area compared to the suburbs of NYC. You will only be 2 hours or so from NYC when you move here. They're building the Hartford Line right now where you can take a train from Hartford to New Haven and from there you can take Metro North all the way to NYC.

Hartford is the center city of the metropolitan area and offers lots of jobs. It's known as the Insurance Capital of the World and is home to the countries most renown Insurane Companies such as Aetna, Travelers, The Hartford, and Phoenix Mutual. It's a commuter city and doesn't offer a lot of entertainment like what most major cities offer. People only go into downtown to see a concert, sporting event, or go to a restaurant. The suburbs offer the entertainment. It isn't a very desirable place to live however. The city is plagued with violence and is one of the poorest cities in the country. On the other hand, the Hartford Area however is one of the wealthiest in the country. Downtown Hartford is very nice but many of its neighborhoods aren't that great.

Farmington: There aren't too many retail options since WestFarms (mall) is right on the West Hartford and Farmington line. There are a few restaurants, gas stations, and banks off of CT Route 4 (Farmington Ave) so you won't need to go into West Hartford for everything. Farmington has great access to Interstate 84 which leads to Hartford and has some really nice middle class homes. Schools in Farmington are good as well.

Glastonbury I'm not too familiar with so I can't answer that. Sorry. They do have amazing schools by the way. Glastonbury does have a good mix of old and new houses but houses there are kinda expensive.

West Hartford is by far one of the best areas in the Hartford area. Out of East Hartford, Hartford, and West Hartford...West Hartford has the best schools, shopping, lowest crime, and a urban jewel that offers a lot. Downtown has some new urban shopping centers such as Blue Back Square. Many of Hartford's insurance workers live in West Hartford because it's so desirable. Homes in West Hartford are very close together (similar to homes in the NYC inner suburbs) and many of the homes are built in the 50's and 60's. The West Side of town by the reservior has many beautiful mansions and homes there have more property. Homes there are taken care of well compared to Hartford which is kind of the opposite.

South Windsor is a very affluent middle class town that offer great schools and a more quiet lifestyle compared to towns on the west side of the river such as West Hartford. The only shopping areas in town are off of Sullivan Ave and Buckland Rd. There's a lot of high end shopping plazas down by Evergreen Walk. If you want more options then going into Manchester by the mall or Vernon are your best bets. The downsides to South Windsor are that its not walkable and you pretty much need a car to get anywhere. The town has gotten more expensive to live in over the past few decades because it's so desirable. South Windsor has had very little population growth over the past few years so you don't need to worry about more side street traffic or over crowded schools. They're actually rebuilding an elementary school in town.

Avon is a very wealthy town with great schools as well. You're close to towns in the Northwest hills that offer many outdoor recreation activities such as hiking and fishing. I'm not too familiar with the town but driving from Avon to Newington isn't too bad of a commute. At least you don't have to drive on Interstate 84 which is a congested nightmare.

Depending on your budget id recommend either Farmington, West Hartford, Glastonbury, or South Windsor. If you do choose to either live in Glastonbury or South Windsor then remember it's on the east side of the river so your commute may be a little longer with traffic.

Rocky Hill and Wethersfield are ok. Not as good as others towns you've mentioned. They're very close to Hartford and they're not far from Newington.

The town of Newington (which you said you'd be working in) is a pretty nice town. Why not look into Newington? It's very close to West Hartford and offers less shopping options but traffic is less. It's a pretty quiet urban/suburban town and has good schools. It's a cheaper alternative to West Hartford.

[ChloeMorgan]

Thank you both so much for your responses. We did initially look into Newington, but couldn't really find any homes that met our criteria. Most seemed smaller than 3,000 sq. ft. And we ideally want five bedrooms since family will most likely be staying over when they visit. Still not opposed to being that close to work if the right house came on the market!

HumpDay, thank you so much for such a detailed response! West Hartford would probably provide the least amount of shock in terms of moving to a new place for my family. Just really don't want a really old home again. Our first house was 100 years old and we restored it and then got sick of constantly spending all of our time fixing it up, wanted to start a family so we built a new house that looks old. lol If we do focus on West Hartford, are there any areas we should avoid? Should we stay west of certain streets/neighborhoods? Saw some new construction on Brainard, Arlen, bishop, Steele and e. maxwell: are they good neighborhoods?

[Mr_250]

What's your budget?

[ChloeMorgan]

Up to $850,000

[SunFlower33]

Morley School in West Hartford is fantastic. However, I moved out of WH to Newington when my oldest hit middle school, I was horrified at the lack of organization and school-to-parent communication. I moved my family out of West Hartford to Newington.

I think your budget will push you out of the Morley School district - it's much more modestly priced, so I can't speak for the elementary school you'll end up zoned for in an $800k neighborhood.

[ChloeMorgan]

Schools in the area aren't assigned based on location, but based on home price?

[SunFlower33]

Yes they are by location, but if you buy an $800k home, it's likely not in the Morley district. They are very modest 300-500k homes for the most part with the exception of some fewer higher priced homes, all older as you are aware.

There are some much higher priced newer-built homes up the mountain, I'm not sure of school districting.

[HumpDay]

West Hartford doesn't have many places that you should avoid. Prospect Ave divides West Hartford and Hartford. Prospect Ave is mixed. The more north you go the nicer it gets. The southern part of Prospect Ave by New Park Ave is when it starts going downhill. The eastern side of West Hartford (near the Hartford line) isn't that bad. In West Hartford there aren't too many places to avoid but the southeast corner of town by Kennedy Park at night has always been a little iffy to me. Of the low number of crimes that happen in West Hartford, it mostly happens in and around that area. It's mostly committed by people from Hartford but all in all it isn't too too bad.

The area of West Hartford you've mentioned are decent. Many homes in that area are pretty affordable.