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I never said that money or funding is the sole thing that needs to be changed. There must be other factors. But WHY exactly are the schools better in Glastonbury than in Hartford? And how can we make Hartford schools exactly the same as Glastonbury schools? I want precise details, please.
Hartford - crime rate of 52 per 1,000 residents. Violent crime rate is almost 12 per 1,000 residents.
West Hartford - crime rate of 22 per 1,000 residents. Violent crime is a bit less than 1 per 1,000 residents.
Simsbury - crime rate of under 7 per 1,000 residents. Violent crime is 0.25 per 1,000 residents.
So, yes, crime does happen in Simsbury, but only at 1/3 the rate of West Hartford overall and less than 1/3 the violent crime rate.
So, my friend wasn't wrong about leaving WH for Simsbury because of the "riff-raff."
Per City-Data, Simsbury has a 17% lower crime index than Glastonbury. Which is logical, since Glastonbury is more easily accessible. So OP can decide for himself what things are more important to him/her.
I never said that money or funding is the sole thing that needs to be changed. There must be other factors. But WHY exactly are the schools better in Glastonbury than in Hartford? And how can we make Hartford schools exactly the same as Glastonbury schools? I want precise details, please.
We've been struggling with that answer for the last 100 years, so feel free to open up a 10,000 books written on the subject, and get all the precise details you want.
So, my friend wasn't wrong about leaving WH for Simsbury because of the "riff-raff."
This is what makes me shake my head at Simsbury residents sometimes. They really do have this misconception that by being off the beaten path that they're immune to crime. They also think that living close to the city line automatically spells trouble -- like if you live on or near Prospect Avenue, they cower in fear, despite the fact that no home in that area would go for less than $700k. To them, it's "the ghetto." And yet, I've talked to friends in Simsbury who have neighbors whose homes have been burglarized, whose cars have been stolen, and if you talk to some residents they probably knew well the woman who was murdered last year on a nice, quiet residential street. And for the record, the "riff-raff" that they speak of presumably refers to spillover from Hartford (or East Hartford if you're in Glastonbury), but if you visit one of their dive bars like Hoops & Hops, you'll see they have their own brand of unsavory clientele. I love Simsbury, but I'm beginning to wonder some of the people there get these ill-conceived notions that they have. Crime may be lower in Simsbury, but not so much so that it justifies this paranoia or condecension.
If money was the answer, Hartford should be pushing out Einsteins like Pez.
Hartford Educational Budget - $429M
Glastonbury Educational Budget - $99M
Can't be money, what else you got?
NM. This is a no win situation.
Hartford has about 4x the population of Glastonbury, so the budgets are pretty close in the grand scheme of things.
The difference is that if there is a student struggling in Glastonbury, the parents are far more likely to be able to afford the extra help the child needs in Glastonbury. The student in Glastonbury is far more likely to have their own tablet or laptop to be able to do research in the comfort of their own home, and most likely on some form of reliable high speed internet. The student in Hartford is far more likely to have to go to the school library with limited hours, or the city library, and compete for a limited amount of computers using a spotty internet, and you normally have a time limit when using library computers.
The parents of the student in Glastonbury are more likely to be able to afford extracurricular activities like musical instrument lessons, dance lessons, sports camps, summer camps, and other things that broaden their child's educational experience and look good on a college application. (I have a cousin that teaches in FFC and he remarked that a lot of the wealthy towns there have great football teams because the parents pay for their kids to be part of various amateur football associations that give the kids a chance to play football year-round and be more prepared for the rigors of the high school season. Not to mention, being able to afford personal trainers, more expensive/high end health foods and/or organic foods)
Please return to the topic of the OP which is Glastonbury and Simsbury. If you wish to discuss educational opportunities in Connecticut, I suggest you open a new thread. Thank you, JayCT, Moderator
This is what makes me shake my head at Simsbury residents sometimes. They really do have this misconception that by being off the beaten path that they're immune to crime. They also think that living close to the city line automatically spells trouble -- like if you live on or near Prospect Avenue, they cower in fear, despite the fact that no home in that area would go for less than $700k. To them, it's "the ghetto." And yet, I've talked to friends in Simsbury who have neighbors whose homes have been burglarized, whose cars have been stolen, and if you talk to some residents they probably knew well the woman who was murdered last year on a nice, quiet residential street. And for the record, the "riff-raff" that they speak of presumably refers to spillover from Hartford (or East Hartford if you're in Glastonbury), but if you visit one of their dive bars like Hoops & Hops, you'll see they have their own brand of unsavory clientele. I love Simsbury, but I'm beginning to wonder some of the people there get these ill-conceived notions that they have. Crime may be lower in Simsbury, but not so much so that it justifies this paranoia or condecension.
No one said that Simsbury is crime-free. Yet, Simsbury's crime rate is 3 to 4 times less than West Hartford's. This is not "lower." This is a lot lower, way lower.
This doesn't mean that WH is not more appealing than Simsbury or Glastobury for certain people, looking for the certain things.
But for other people, it is, and you shouldn't judge, and call them "paranoid" and "condescending." There is a town for everybody.
For someone moving out of Waterbury, crime-rate in WH is nothing. Yet for someone, moving out of Avon, it is a lot.
OP might see no issue with Glastonbury's 17% higher crime-index than Simsbury's. For most people this is not an issue.
Glastonbury has other obvious advantages and disadvantages from Simsbury. Laying out the facts for the OP to draw its own conclusions -- that's what we're trying to do here.
No one said that Simsbury is crime-free. Yet, Simsbury's crime rate is 3 to 4 times less than West Hartford's. This is not "lower." This is a lot lower, way lower.
This doesn't mean that WH is not more appealing than Simsbury or Glastobury for certain people, looking for the certain things.
But for other people, it is, and you shouldn't judge, and call them "paranoid" and "condescending." There is a town for everybody.
I agree. In addition to living in Simsbury for 16 years I also lived in West Hartford for 17 years. Both towns have their advantages and disadvantages depending upon your lifestyle choices.
I rarely recall anyone in Simsbury deriding West Hartford as being crime ridden. Mostly those of us that prefer Simsbury like it simply because there is less congestion and more outdoor activities and open space. And the small mountain ranges to the east and west of the town are certainly a plus.
Glastonbury in a way offers the best of both. A short ride to downtown Hartford and also a short ride to the rural areas of eastern CT.
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