[yankee1]

What is New Milford like or Tolland? Schools, safety or kid friendly? My friend is leaving Fairfield to get "more for the money" and was looking into these 2 towns - or maybe something comparable?

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by yankee1

What is New Milford like or Tolland? Schools, safety or kid friendly? My friend is leaving Fairfield to get "more for the money" and was looking into these 2 towns - or maybe something comparable?

New Milford is just outside of Fairfield County's northern boundary but is almost always included for marketing/pricing purposes. Tolland is part of the 57-town Hartford Metro.

If your friend is considering these two towns, how did (s)he select these them? They're not close to each other (over 65 miles apart).

[JayCT]

It does seem a bit odd to be considering two towns that are no where near each other. Both are very nice. New Milford is a small town with a nice downtown area. The schools are very good. Tolland is a bit more rural (no downtown) and has very good schools. Both are great places to live. Jay

[JayCT]

I should add though that both of theses towns offer kind of out of the way and your friend would have to travel for things like major shopping and entertainment choices. These towns would not have the conveniences that Fairfield offers. Jay

[yankee1]

Thanks so much for your input. She was asking about "Family Friendly" places that may be a bit more affordable and one person said to check out Tolland and another person said New Milford. Location is not too much of a concern - their work office is out of their home.

[Rich Lee]

Where are their friends and family? I once found this couple the perfect house equidistant from their jobs (30 miles in opposite directions). The minute the husband found a job in the same town as his wife, they felt their house was far from their activities. They still love the house though...

[yankee1]

I am not sure if there is any bearing on that - the husband's family is in lower Westchester NY and the wife's family is on the South Shore - Massachusetts...........so I think it will boil down to them liking the area - good for kids and price.

[yankee1]

oh! and friends.......Fairfield CT - mostly in the town of Fairfield and surrounding areas (Easton/Wport) etc.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by yankee1

oh! and friends.......Fairfield CT - mostly in the town of Fairfield and surrounding areas (Easton/Wport) etc.

Just leaving Fairfield county would make a drastic change in housing costs. There are many nice towns around the Hartford area (some as nice as Fairfield) that would be less expensive. Comparable towns to Fairfield would be West Hartford (very similar), farmington, Avon, Simsbury and Glastonbury. These have excellent schools and a lot of amentities (shopping, restaurants, entertainment, family activities, etc.). You could find homes in thes towns starting around $250k. Jay

[skytrekker]

If commuting to work is not a problem, I would agree there are many fine towns in the Hartford metro area to live. Jay named a few above, both east and west of the Connecticut river. The cheapest housing- 'the most bang for your buck' will be in Tolland county. Tolland county will offer basic services- supermarkets, etc- but shopping will be limited. The town also is rather rural. One would have to travel to Manchester or South Windsor for more extended shopping needs beyond 'basic necessities'.