[CactusAZ]

Hello,

We are relocating to Hartford area in the month of Jan. My husband will be working in downtown. We are looking to rent in a place with good school system before we decide on the place for the home. We have searched online and gravitating towards Avon and Farmington. There are no rentals available now in Avon. There is availability in Forest Park Apartments in Farmington and the school is East Farms. Do you have any reviews regarding this apartments and the community, stores around them. How will be the commute to the downtown?

Thanks,

[reed303]

This website has some ratings and reviews:
Forest Park Apartment Homes Apartments - Farmington, CT 06032 | Apartments for Rent

Some shops & stores (Stop & Shop, CVS, Walgreens, McDonalds, hardware store, Post Office, banks, and more) are about 3 miles west on Rt 4. More restaurants, pizza, and coffee shops on Rt 4 are very near the apts. About 5 miles east is a major mall, Westfarms, See Westfarms
About 7 miles north along US 44 (Albany Av) is a major stretch of shops and stores (WalMart, Staples, Best Buy, Big Y, etc etc)

Downtown would be about 11 miles east via Rt 4 and I-84. At rush hours it can take 45 minutes due to congestion and bottlenecks. There is a section of Rt 4 in Farmington that is currently undergoing realignment and widening. There is a bus on Rt 4 that goes downtown.

East Farms is an excellent school, as are all Farmington schools.

[MikefromCT]

Farmington is beautiful and the schools are top-notch. Having said that, the commute to downtown Hartford can take a while as reed303 pointed out. Taking I-84 is an option as is a bus, but personally I would avoid 84 altogether if I could. Farmington Avenue is a thoroughfare that runs from your town all the way into downtown. I do this and find it way more convenient than getting on the highway.

[CactusAZ]

Thanks for the responses. I am little bit worried about the commute now to the downtown. Do you think following Farmington Ave will shorten the commute time. From what I see is that it should take a longer time since it is Rt 4. Correct me if I am wrong.

[MrGompers]

Originally Posted by CactusAZ

Hello,

We are relocating to Hartford area in the month of Jan. My husband will be working in downtown. We are looking to rent in a place with good school system before we decide on the place for the home. We have searched online and gravitating towards Avon and Farmington. There are no rentals available now in Avon. There is availability in Forest Park Apartments in Farmington and the school is East Farms. Do you have any reviews regarding this apartments and the community, stores around them. How will be the commute to the downtown?

Thanks,

If you are unfamiliar with Hartford generally speaking commuting into and out of Hartford is usually easier from the south and or east. That means you are starting from the south or east of Hartford in the morning. Schools in the suburban towns of CT are all top notch, you have to avoid the cities, generally speaking. Although one exception is West Hartford which some would consider a city.

If your comparison is Arizona you will be in for quite a shock, or to be more precise your kids will be in for quite a shock and will probably find themselves behind in the classroom. I'm sure they will be able to catch up though - most kids can make the adjustment.

Some towns you should also consider are Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, Cromwell, Newington, Glastonbury.
All these towns have fine schools and plenty of rentals. Glastonbury would be #1 for schools, but is also the most expensive.

CT Transit bus system also operates a fairly good express bus system into and out of Hartford for commuters with free parking lots. So that is an option if you don't feel like driving, paying for parking, and your hours are reliable. (Most of the commuter buses leave Hartford by 6:30pm)