Plantsville/Southington (Bristol, Hamden, Wallingford: houses, rent, job)

[L14719]

I'm from NJ but looking at a job in Hamden, and I wanted to know what people thought about the Plantsville section of Southington. Specifically:

1) Commute to Hamden, would it be an issue, I figure 20 min.;
2) Area, is it safe for kids:
3) How is the school, I saw there was a mold problem a few years ago;
4) Anything else you want to pass along.

Lookinf st house from $300-$400, can't afford Cheshire.

Thanks.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by L14719

I'm from NJ but looking at a job in Hamden, and I wanted to know what people thought about the Plantsville section of Southington. Specifically:

1) Commute to Hamden, would it be an issue, I figure 20 min.;
2) Area, is it safe for kids:
3) How is the school, I saw there was a mold problem a few years ago;
4) Anything else you want to pass along.

Looking at house from $300-$400, can't afford Cheshire.

Thanks.

1) It's at least 20 minutes depending on time. The center of Hamden to the center of Cheshire is 8 miles. The center of Cheshire to the Southington town line is another 3 miles. This doesn't sound bad until you factor in the traffic on Route 10 through Cheshire by the high school.

2) Plantsville (06479) is an oddly-shaped and oddly-defined part of Southington. But for the most part, it's safe for children.

3) I would suggest calling the Board of Education for specifics.

4) All sections of Southington (Marion, Milldale, Plantsville, and Southington) attend Southington schools.

Are you looking at Plantsville because it's the closest part of Southington to Hamden?

[glxyman21]

I did a quick search and there are 76 properties in Cheshire from $250K-$450K and about 116 in Southington which is about proportionate given their population differences.

I don't think you can go wrong with either town. There really is no difference from Plantsville to Southington. It has a different zip code, its own post office and a little village center. The area is safe for people, it is a traditional suburb. Plantsville has a more Industrial look to it from the past in certain areas.

I don't know about mold in the schools, I doubt this would be true because the town would have to fix problems like that for health and safety reasons. I believe the town is set to renovate the Plantsville school.

The commute would be about 20 to 25 minutes if taking route 10, most of the back up would come in Cheshire near the high school and the other commercial areas. There are back roads that you can take that may be quicker or more direct.

[hurthawk]

We are in Houston, Tx now, but I raised 3 kids in Bristol and then Plantsville. I think Southington/Plantsville is a great place to raise a family. In fact my son and his family still live in Plantsville and he owns and operates his own hair salon their. Trust me, he wouldn't have stayed if he didn't think it would be good for his family. I thought it was close and convient to everything. As far as I know, schools are still great and there are things for families to do and get involved in. I agree with the above post that their is not much difference if any between Southington and Plantsville. In fact you wouldn't even know which town you are in unless you see a sign or you know the area. Plantsville is closer to the main highways though. Good Luck

[JayCT]

Her is a link to the Plantsville School strategic profile from the State Department of Education website. Hope it helps:

http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/d...5/elema356.pdf

[L14719]

Thanks for the great info. I am looking in Plantsville as it seems there were several homes in that section of town that met my criteria for size and price. I looked in Cheshire, and it seems the houses were smaller than Southington in the small price range.

[sun]

What about Wallingford, have you looked into it at all?

[CTlibrarian]

My husband and I like the Plantsville section of Southington, too, and are considering it for our next home.

Be aware that there is a large Superfund area that used to be a landfill. Personally I will avoid houses in that area. Here's a link to the EPA info:

Find New England Sites - OLD SOUTHINGTON LANDFILL

[housemom]

HI. My girlfriend and her husband live in Plantsville and they love it. They have begun revitalizing their downtown area too, which has some nice restaurants. There is a small ski slope area there and lots of wild turkeys right in her backyard. She has trained them to come up to her deck and eat from her hands! I am a realtor and can help you out when you are ready.