[Golden]

My husband and I just relocated from Denver, Colorado. We are currently renting a house in Madison. We'd like a newer house with an acre of land or so. With our budget in the 500-600K range we've pretty much ruled out Fairfield County. We're expecing our first child in the spring so a town with young families and good schools is also important. We also decided against the Madison/Guilford/Killingworth area as it seems to seasonal for us. Madison seems very quiet right now but I bet come summer it is crawling with people. Not sure we like either scenario so we started looking a bit closer to Hartford. We found a great newly constructed house in Canton but unfortunately the seller decided to turn it into a rental rather than sell it right now. Guess he thinks the market will rebound next year and he can get more for it then. Yesterday we took a drive up to Granby. Can anyone tell me how it compares with Avon/Canton/Simsbury? What kind of reputation does the town have? I know it ranked #3 in Conn. Magazine's list of towns but still it is hard to get a feel for it just driving through. What is the typical person that lives in Granby? Is it more professionals commuting to Hartford or older couples that have lived there for generations. The town while very cute, seemed a bit sleepy as compared to Avon and Simsbury but I guess it is still close by for shopping and dining etc. Any thoughts would be very appreciated. Thank you.

[Dragondog]

I can understand your misgivings about the shore towns- especially east of New Haven. There are many state parks and beaches- and in the summer traffic and population inflow does increase.


About Granby CT

Primarily a rural residential community, Granby is home for many white collar and professional workers in Greater Hartford's financial and insurance corporate headquarters and industries. Located 13.6 miles north of Hartford, the town is bordered on the east by the towns of Suffield and East Granby, on the south by Simsbury and Canton, and to the west by the towns of Barkhamsted and Hartland. Granby's estimated population: 11,000.

Granby's pace of life is slower then Avon or Simsbury- shopping options are less, but not far way in those aforementioned towns.

[igione]

Hi Golden ~ just sent you a pm. Hope it helps

[dayzend]

Hello,

I currently live in Granby and we are actually considering moving back to Colorado and the Front Range is a definite possibility. We prefer to be in a mountain town but with two young kids it may not be possible at this point. So maybe we can compare notes to help each other.

Granby is a great place for families. The schools are fantastic. Currently one is in Pre School at Valley Preschool and the other in Kindergarten. The pace here is very laid back. If you like open space, hiking and a positive community you will find it in Granby. As you will find with most towns in CT taxes are high, Granby is no different but you get all the town has to offer which is hard to find. In CT taxes include home, cars and any rec. vehicles. (i.e. Home = 400k, 2 cars at 20k each with yearly taxes for all $8,500) Shopping and restaurants are all over the area within a 15-20 minute drive, which includes Hartford. The bonus is you don't have the strip mall congestion of Avon and Farmington along route 44 or 10/202 for your every day life.

So we are contemplating Colorado because we are die-hard mountain west lovers. With the need to balance finances and recreational desires we figure the front range maybe the best move for now with our eye on Pagosa Springs in a few years as either a vacation spot or full time. We lived in Boulder and Denver 10 years ago and are considering going back there. So why did you leave and what can you say about the area, good and bad?

Thanks,
Todd

[Curious in CT]

Hi dayzend,

I don't mean to bud in here but if it makes you feel any better, my husband, our 2 girls ages 2 and 5 and our Alaskan Malamute are moving out to the front range (Colorado Springs) in the first couple weeks of January. It won't be easy....but it does sound like your kids are around the ages of mine. Since my husband has to be out there before I do, he's driving cross country with our 65 lb. dog and I will follow on a plane with our two daughters. Then because we're getting a deal on moving across country from my hubby's uncle, he can't get our furniture moved until mid January. We have to do all this and find a rental prior to moving. Anything's possible!!! Good luck to you if you decide to go back.

[dayzend]

Hi:

As I read your post, all I could think was "I wish them every good thing for their move". Moving back to Colorado is a big decision for our family, as I'm sure it was for yours. We want to make the best decision for ourselves and our kids....Would you mind sharing why you decided to leave CT and go to Co?

Thanks.

[dayzend]

Hi Golden:
I just wanted to add to what my husband said about Granby. First let me tell you a bit about our situation. First, I grew up in Madison and my parents still live there, so we spend a lot of time there in the summer and throughout the year. I couldn't wait to get out of there when I was in my early twenties( i needed some adventure)...but have a much deeper apreciation for what a wonderful place it is now that I am older. Madison does get more busy and congested in the summer. Along with that comes some wonderful, beautiful beach days and a great little downtown area to enjoy. We do not live in Madison because we are not beach people, because I grew up there and wanted "my own" space and because we love Granby!! Traffic congestion is a relative experience.... you will find that Granby is hardly ever "congested". Madison can get congested in the summer, but obvously does not compare in any way to Denver. Granby is less congested than Simsbury, Avon/Canton. If you are concerned about congestion in Madison, you will not like Avon/Canton .... big new malls, lots of traffic. I love that I can shop in Avon/Canton but I would not like the traffic on an every day basis. I would ask you how important is it to be close to shopping ( Gap, Kohls, Limited, Walmart)...I drive 25 minutes for these stores from Granby. Granby does not have strip malls or a lot of shopping...we have a STop and Shop and TJMAxx Granby is sleepy.....yes, that's what is great about it!!!!
Granby is a mix of young families and older retirees. To me this is what makes it interesting. People are involved in the community here and really care about what happens here. Many people value Granby for what makes it special and fight to keep it from becoming like everywhere else in CT. There are beautiful farms, lots of open space, excellent schools, a beautiful new YMCA right in town, hiking, recreation opportunities for kids(little league soccer, etc). I have found the people here to be really nice and if you are open and put a little effort in you will find friends. New Englanders in general are a little harder to get to know(than Coloradans).... but I think if you are patient it can happen.

You may wonder why we are even considering a move from a place I can speak so highly of. Its complicated. We love the mountain west and vacation there every year. We miss skiing, backpacking and the amazing scenery. my husband may be outsourced in the spring...he works in IT and opportunities are fewer in CT. Also we find CT expensive and think over the long term we may be in a better financial place in CO. Someday our dream is to buy a mountain house. If we decide to actually leave, we will miss Granby and will always have fond, fond memories of what a great place it is!!!

I highly recommend Granby to you.
I would be glad to answer any more questions you may have.
Good Luck!
Megan

[Golden]

Hi,
Thanks for everyone's posts. We have been so all over the map with this move but I feel like we are finally getting somewhere with it. I'll back up for a second and tell you a bit of history for context. I am originally from the suburbs west of Boston. 10 years ago I was working and living in Boston and decided I needed a change. I had been visiting Colorado and fell in love with it and moved there. I met and married my husband there. Recently we moved from Denver to the foothills of Golden to be closer to the mountains. We loved every single second we spent in Colorado. It is an outstanding place to live. I think the only real downside is that the schools are terrible in comparison to here - but to counter that, taxes are so low that you could send kids to private schools. But we didn't have any children when we lived there so it wasn't an issue. About 3 weeks after we moved into our mountain house, where herds of 40 Elk grazed about 5 feet from our back deck, my husband got a job promotion that required us to move here. With the baby on the way and a job he really wanted we decided it would be worth it to come back east even though we were pretty sad to be leaving CO. I still have family and great friends scattered all around New England (Mass/RI mostly). So here we are in a state that I knew because I am a native new englander but realized I really didn't know at all. Since our lives have changed so dramatically recently (move and baby on the way) we found ourselves pretty confused as to where to live and what to look for that would accomodate this change in lifestyle. We've looked in Avon, Canton, Simsbury, Farmington, Granby, E. Granby, Madison, Killingworth and now finally Guilford. We actually liked all the places we looked but never found the just right spot. We've been spending some time in Guilford recently and really like the vibe there. The town seems to have a unique personality - a tiny bit like a coastal Boulder, CO. We like the appreciation for art, and the fact that it is near the water but not a major beach destination town. Also it seems to have year round family residents and a lot of conveniences in town and close to New Haven. So, that's pretty much where we are at the moment and we're feeling pretty good about it. We've got a couple of houses we really like and need to decide which one to shoot for. Hopefully one will work out. But nothing is concrete yet so any insight on Guilford is very welcome.

For those of you going to Colorado, I am very happy for you. I was one of those new englanders that said I never wanted to live in a land locked state but Colorado changed all that. The mountains are so incredible and the weather is about as perfect as it gets. The people are very welcoming and their is a general optimism that seems to wash over the entire state. Possibilities are endless in play, work and life. Youl'll find that almost everyone there is from somewhere else and most of them came because they wanted to live the lifestyle. If you need any specific advice, just let me know and I'm happy to share my experiences.

Best to all.

[Curious in CT]

Hi dayzend,

Sorry for the delayed response. I first fell in love with Colorado about 10 years ago on my first trip out there. Then when I met my husband and had our first child we flew out on a trip and he loved it. We came back from that trip in 2003 thinking we should move out there. But then a little bit of a delay happened.......had another child in 2004. Since then we had it on our minds. Then finally we started the process last year with having my husband apply for the CSPD. Finally everything just recently came together and we're making the big move. Moving out there will be much better for us financially and with all the wonderful recreational opportunities....it's a win-win situation. Everything out there is so fresh and new feeling. We could get into a brand new home no problem. Here in CT it's much more of a challenge trying to find something new in an affordable range. Property taxes out there are incredibly low. And raising a family out there is top notch. Not to mention, my husband's salary will equal what he's making here in CT. Part of us moving is being adventurous and trying something new. We've lived in CT our entire lives and there is just so much more out there to explore. It's a now or never scenerio with us since our kids are still small and will have a much better time adjusting.
We have many, many friends here as well as all of our family, but my brother is out in Colorado Springs with his family so it just makes things much more inviting. It has been one incredible stressful year waiting for all the right things to fall into place but I have no doubt it will all be worth it in the end. I have yet to hear of a person living in Colorado and saying that it's just "o.k." living out there. Every single person I know that knows someone who lives there stresses that they "LOVE IT". I can't wait to feel that way about where I live as well. Good luck with your decision!

[igione]

Hi Golden,
Glad to hear you are feeling that Guilford may be the place for you. I don't know anything about the town, but if you have a good feeling about the place that is all that really matters.
BTW ~ did you ever read the PM I sent you? Hope it was ok.
Good luck with the move and the baby. I bet you would like to get settled and start a home where you can put down roots.