[junk2k06]

Hi there,
Hope soem of you folks should be able to help us. I have a good chance of moving to Wallingford @ BMS. Right now, we live in Princeton, NJ and we rent here for now. Princeton, while not perfect, has a very diverse community which we really like.
While I want to step out of NJ, wife is still hesitant to do so. Few things I am concerned about Wallingford, such as,
1. Housing- we are looking to pay something like 200k for a 2BD/2BA house/townhome in a decent school district. Is it practical? If buying is not an immidiate option for us, how is the situation in rental segment? I pay 950 + electricity for a 1BD/1BA apartment in Princeton. Also, what are the best places to live around Wallingford? The max I want to drive is 30 min.

2. Schools- what are best school districts around? I guess price of residence will proportionally be on the high side as we move to a better school area.

3. Commuting to NYC- does it have to be via Amtrack? I thing it will be pretty darn expensive; correct me if there is different cheaper/efficient route.

4. People- How are the people in general? I have heard some stinky stories about NE folks, please tell me that those are wrong.

5. Other than BMS, are there any other pharma companies around? I am trying to get a gaze at the local pharma market, in case of an emergency.

Hope to heard back back from you all.
Mr. junk!

[shwee]

Originally Posted by junk2k06

Hi there,
Hope soem of you folks should be able to help us. I have a good chance of moving to Wallingford @ BMS. Right now, we live in Princeton, NJ and we rent here for now. Princeton, while not perfect, has a very diverse community which we really like.
While I want to step out of NJ, wife is still hesitant to do so. Few things I am concerned about Wallingford, such as,
1. Housing- we are looking to pay something like 200k for a 2BD/2BA house/townhome in a decent school district. Is it practical? If buying is not an immidiate option for us, how is the situation in rental segment? I pay 950 + electricity for a 1BD/1BA apartment in Princeton. Also, what are the best places to live around Wallingford? The max I want to drive is 30 min.

2. Schools- what are best school districts around? I guess price of residence will proportionally be on the high side as we move to a better school area.

3. Commuting to NYC- does it have to be via Amtrack? I thing it will be pretty darn expensive; correct me if there is different cheaper/efficient route.

4. People- How are the people in general? I have heard some stinky stories about NE folks, please tell me that those are wrong.

5. Other than BMS, are there any other pharma companies around? I am trying to get a gaze at the local pharma market, in case of an emergency.

Hope to heard back back from you all.
Mr. junk!

1) You should be able to find something that fits your budget in Wallingford, Cheshire or North Haven.
2) Don't know enough about schools in the area to answer.
3) Drive down to Union Station in New Haven and take Metro North to Grand Central.
4) People in the Wallingford area are probably a bit less snooty than what I imagine Princeton folks being, but that's only my opinion!
5) Pfizer in Groton (New London), Boehringer Ingelheim in Ridgefield, biotechs in Greater New Haven (many Yale spinoffs), among others.

[Rich Lee]

You could add Hamden as well.

[skytrekker]

Dear Junk

finding a real nice townhouse in Wallingford, North Haven or Hamden should be an easy task at 200K or even less.

People in New England have a somewhat distinctive culture, that will be slightly different then central New Jersey, however I do not feel that it can be called 'stinky'. Reserved, aloof or detached, and sometimes in your face if they become provoked enough would be a better analogy. Some towns in CT could be a wee snooty, but not the towns I mentioned.

Shwee gave examples of BioScience companies.

[junk2k06]

First , thanks to all of you. Since I have never been to Wallingford, I am still wondering about this place, specially about schools. I would really appriciate if someone can shed some lights on school system in those places, compared to the CT state. I am hesitant to leave NJ, if teh school system in those areas are not as good as Princeton area schools.

[skytrekker]

Our other moderator Jayct has much information regarding schools in Connecticut.
As I recall, Wallingford schools preform above the state average. They are quite good.

Wallingford itself is a pleasant New England town, with many nice neighborhoods. Low crime rate and a high quality of life.

[Lizzie007]

you can also check out GreatSchools.net for some school data

[Denise in Fla]

I grew up in Wallingford, lived there for 38 years. If I had to move back to CT that's where I would go. I always felt safe and never had any problems while there.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by junk2k06

First , thanks to all of you. Since I have never been to Wallingford, I am still wondering about this place, specially about schools. I would really appriciate if someone can shed some lights on school system in those places, compared to the CT state. I am hesitant to leave NJ, if teh school system in those areas are not as good as Princeton area schools.

Like New Jersey, there are towns with great schools and towns with lesser schools. It would be hard to compare without knowing what you are comparing them to. I will say Connecticut schools ALWAYS rank at the top of the educational rankings. Wallingford schools are very good but there are towns that are better. I am attaching a link to the Connecticut Department of Education's Strategic profiles for you to look at. I hope it helps. Jay

Strategic School Profiles by District

Strategic School Profiles by School

[junk2k06]

Thanks Jayct. Will look into those deep down. Greatschools link was not very helpful.