[gnuf]

Starting a job in the Hartford/Glastonbury area, and my fiance is in New Haven. Meriden seems perfectly situated in between both, but the commute from New Haven all the way to Hartford isn't too bad. We're both young, no kids yet, but schools will be important eventually.

What are your opinions on where we should look to live? Is Meriden a good option, or should we live closer to one and just have a longer commute for the one who draws the short straw?

[JayCT]

Erdien is a small city with some typical urban isses. A good place to look for a plcae between New Haven and glastonbury is Middletown. It is a nice small city with a great little downtown with nice shops and restaurants. Middletown is home to Wesleyan University so there are a lot of activities related to it there as well. It has a large range of housing options.

The Westfield section of the city is a suburban area along I-91 which has a lot of apartment and condo complexes and affords easy access to the Hartford, New haven and Waterbury areas. The West Lake Drive area has a number of large apartment and condo complexes. Many young people live there. Hope this helps. Jay

[gnuf]

Thanks, that's good info. Definitely will look into that area. As an aside, how is the traffic on 91 in the am and pm between Hartford and New Haven? Is the commute all the way back and forth doable?

[JayCT]

Traffic down to New Haven in the morning is not bad until you get to I-95 where it will back up for a mile or two. If your job is in downtown New Haven or in the Long Wharf area you shouldn't have a problem because those exits move. Traffic into Glastonbury is not bad at all. It is a suburban area where there is some traffic but it moves well. I am not sure if you are asking about traffic into Hartford or not, but if you are, traffic is heavy going into the city during rush hour. You would need to allow 10 to 20 minutes to get downtown during rush hour. Hope this helps. Jay

[gnuf]

I was looking at Westfield this weekend, and the apartment complexes dont' seem too bad. Unfortuantely, there appears to be a projects community right next door, and a lot of posters on aptratings.com mention that loitering, hooliganism, and car break ins are not that uncommon.

Any other suggestions? Berlin, Wethersfield, or Newington? Are those nicer neighborhoods?

[JayCT]

gnuf - Are you talking about West Lake Drive? If so, I am not sure what "projects" you are talking about. There are no projects in that area. I lived there for 5 years and still own a place there. I never had a problem. One tenant had a breakin once and that was over 10 years ago. Never saw anyone hanging out. It is a very nice safe area of multi-family homes that is convenient to the highway. Check it out. Jay

[gnuf]

There's apparently Section 8 housing there (the "highlands?") I saw some smaller, pre-fab homes there that are probably what pple are referring to... But you havent' had any problems?

[roadfish]

Gnuf --

Take a ride though Middlefield, Durham, Haddam, Killingworth and North Madison. All are nice towns, fairly rural if you don't care about living a little off the beaten path. Not a bad a commute to either Hartford or New Haven, plenty of back road routes once you get to know the area. Rte 9 to 91 to Glastonbury is a pretty easy ride. A little traffic during the morning and evening rush hours but not terrible. Good Luck

[JViello]

Originally Posted by JayCT

gnuf - Are you talking about West Lake Drive? If so, I am not sure what "projects" you are talking about. There are no projects in that area. I lived there for 5 years and still own a place there. I never had a problem. One tenant had a breakin once and that was over 10 years ago. Never saw anyone hanging out. It is a very nice safe area of multi-family homes that is convenient to the highway. Check it out. Jay

Top of Westlake Drive on the left. Across from Carriage Crossing.

I actually had my car stolen in Carriage Crossing...but it was a very desireable car for a certain group of people (Mazda RX-7 Turbo) so that may not reflect the norm. I never had any break ins or problems other than that.

The walking paths that go all around over to Aetna and such is nice too and shopping is real close by down on RT 372.

[JayCT]

The Highlands is not Section 8 Housing. They are modestly priced single family homes in a Planned Unit Development. I worked with someone that lived there and they had no problems. I lived in Carriage Crossing too, right across from the Highlands. I was one of the first to move in there in 1987 and I or my tenants never had a problem except for the one breakin 10 years ago. That breakin was not related to the Highlands though. It is not an unsafe area at all. It certainly is no less safe than any other suburban area in this country. Jay