[julieyogi]

Hello, my family of four is looking to relocate from South Florida to, possibly, Bristol CT...or a surrounding town. We have lived in SoFlo for 3 years and aren't thrilled with the people and realized we don't want to raise our children there. We were born and raised on Long Island. Going back there is sort of out of the question. It is way too expensive and we would really like to have more property. An acre would be amazing. We want the nature-y kind of backyard and plenty of room for the kids to run around. I have a cousin who lives in Bristol. It would be really great to be close to family. She says it is great but i would really like to hear other people's opinions of it. Are there things to do? We like to do outdoors-y things. We like LI bc of all the things there is to do. Is CT like that? How is the job market? My husband is thinking of opening a tax business there. PS- we would be buying not renting a home

[BPt111]

Originally Posted by julieyogi

Hello, my family of four is looking to relocate from South Florida to, possibly, Bristol CT...or a surrounding town. We have lived in SoFlo for 3 years and aren't thrilled with the people and realized we don't want to raise our children there. We were born and raised on Long Island. Going back there is sort of out of the question. It is way too expensive and we would really like to have more property. An acre would be amazing. We want the nature-y kind of backyard and plenty of room for the kids to run around. I have a cousin who lives in Bristol. It would be really great to be close to family. She says it is great but i would really like to hear other people's opinions of it. Are there things to do? We like to do outdoors-y things. We like LI bc of all the things there is to do. Is CT like that? How is the job market? My husband is thinking of opening a tax business there. PS- we would be buying not renting a home

Welcome to Connecticut !


Yes indeed Long Island can be expensive place to live with taxes and buying home in parts of Suffolk and Nassau County.

Bristol is an old New England mill city that has seen its better days with population over 60,000 residents. Schools in general in Bristol are not greatest but it slightly better than other urban areas in the state. Buying home in Bristol area is going far less than Westchester County and Long Island for buying and renting. Some parts of the city are nice on the outer edges while towards the center it appears quite a bit run down along with West End of Bristol. Bristol is okay place but there better towns near Bristol like Southington, Plainville, Burlington etc. The surrounding towns homes range from 300-400k if you can afford it. Job market in CT is okay

I have few questions to break down things more

What your budget on buying a house or renting ?
What your job field ?
What kind of things you looking to do or find fun ?

[julieyogi]

Yes our range is 350k and under. Thanks for the other recommendations. I’m going to transfer my job. But I’m also yoga instructor and would look to pick up a part time gig. My husband is in accounting. Owns a Tax business. We like parks, beaches, hiking, yoga, coffee shops, concerts, vegetarian food, craft beer, bike riding, farms (cows/horses).

[in_newengland]

Maybe Middletown?

[RiskReturn]

I would look into Southington, Farmington, or West Hartford (WH). Your money will go furthest in Southington, schools are better in Farmington/WH. In terms of amenities WH will probably be the closest to LI in terms of convenience, but Farmington and Southington have (or are close to) most of what you'll need as well.

edit: didn't see the acre+ part. Burlington, Canton, Avon, Cheshire are great towns all within 20/30 minutes of Bristol. Avon and Cheshire will probably be the most convenient out of those w/ regards to amenities (+ similar commute times). Burlington is the best commute wise. Farmington has it's fair share of large lots, although I'm not sure about the <350k range.You'll probably have a hard time finding properties in West Hartford to your liking.

There are deals to be had in all towns in this market, so unless you are expecting a 'large' (2500+ sft) or newer home, you should find a nice home under 350k.

[JayCT]

I would not recommend living in Bristol itself if you have children because its schools perform below the state averages on standardized tests. Since you want a large lot, I would recommend looking at towns north of Bristol. Burlington, Harwinton and Canton have very good schools and you should be able to find a nice house on a large lot for your budget.

I will caution you though that these homes will likely not have city sewers, water or gas. They will have septic systems, well water and be oil or propane heat. There is nothing wrong with that but you will have to maintain the septic and well and you may not have water when you lose power.

You could also look at towns like Cheshire, Prospect and Wolcott. Cheshire would be the priciest though since it is the most affluent and has the best performing schools. Southington is a beautiful town but it is more suburban in character so finding a home on a larger lot may be more difficult. Still it is more convenient to shopping and entertainment so it might be worth considering. Good luck, Jay

[hvexpatinct]

Add Watertown to the mix too. Nice homes in your price range, decent access to amenities, nice outdoor activity access, not far from Bristol. Town water/sewer is a possibility. There are nearby breweries and distilleries as well as farmers markets, a great natural foods store, etc. Only downside is middle of the road schools (they would be better than Bristol but not as highly regarded as Farmington)

[basehead617]

I'd forget Bristol itself.

I agree Watertown is a good place to check. For your price point you can get a nice house and an acre and depending on location be close to plenty of amenities (the town itself and adjacent Waterbury have plenty, combined). It's also in Litchfield County and close to outdoorsy things in the other direction. It's less than a half hour from Bristol along backroads.

Schools are middling, but you can't have everything.

It's nowhere near Long Island levels of activity though, but then again very little of Connecticut is. It may seem very rural to you by comparison.

[NewBritainCT_native89]

Bristol is very convenient with retail stores etc especially with lake compounce amusement park.

Also, Bristol public school isn’t the greatest in Connecticut, but I’m sure it’s not the worse. But there are surrounding towns such as Plainville.

[EUPL]

Do not live in Bristol!!!! Try Wolcott Farmington Burlington Plainville any of those are a better choice