[Coem]

West Hartford, Avon, Simsbury and Farmington are the most desirable suburbs west of the city of Hartford. Consequently, these are also the priciest places to live. Cheaper, but still nice alternatives would be Wethersfield, Newington, Plainville, Rocky Hill. You may want to avoid Bristol and New Britain, not because they are bad necessarily... in fact parts of those towns are quite nice... it's just those two towns don't have much going for them these days. I grew up in Bristol and it's sad to see it now... no good shops, no good restaurants. Schools were always decent though. I'm not too familiar with the suburbs north and east of Hartford, so I can't give a good opinion on those towns.

[TiZZ]

Windsor, north of Hartford, is another nice suburb to check out. I lived here for nearly 18 years. It is quiet, easy to get around, and populated by people of all backgrounds and cultures. It is a very unique town, and small too (less than 30,000) for a city-bordering 'burb.

No major shopping however, but the consumer's paradises in Manchester, Enfield, and Farmington are only minutes away on the highways.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by Coem

I grew up in Bristol, and it's sad to see it now...no good shops, no good restaurants. Schools were always decent though.

I hear this a lot. I have relatives in three different parts of Bristol: Cedar Lake, Chippens Hill, and north of the center of town. The conversation is always about the downtown with comments about the mall, New Departure, and the empty Chevy dealership.

From what I can tell, the Bristol Centre Mall died of slow death and is being demolished. Investors (Wal*Mart, Home Depot, etc.) decided that the Route 6 corridor was more to their liking.

As for restaurants, they've been hit hard by the declining economy. Unfortunately, chain restaurants continue to thrive. Could it be the $6 cocktails?

I don't know if the downtown will come back. This has plagued other towns and small cities as well.

[NEEDMORESPACE2]

Thanks everyone for you replies.
You've all been very helpful!

[teachernan]

My daughter is interested in having her wedding at the old G. Fox building on Main St., in Hartford, CT. This is now a wedding venue. How safe is it there? I used to work in that building when it was G. Fox and remember that during the day it was fine but not to be there at night. Is it still like that? They suggested that after the wedding reception, if people wanted they could visit many of the bars in the area. There are many people visiting from out of town and I don't want them to have a bad experience.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by teachernan

My daughter is interested in having her wedding at the old G. Fox building on Main St., in Hartford, CT. This is now a wedding venue. How safe is it there? I used to work in that building when it was G. Fox and remember that during the day it was fine but not to be there at night. Is it still like that? They suggested that after the wedding reception, if people wanted they could visit many of the bars in the area. There are many people visiting from out of town and I don't want them to have a bad experience.

Don't venture north of I-84, and you'll be fine. The City Steam Brewery is just south of there, and then you have the eateries of Pratt St. further south. I wouldn't worry at all.

[HumpDay]

Originally Posted by teachernan

My daughter is interested in having her wedding at the old G. Fox building on Main St., in Hartford, CT. This is now a wedding venue. How safe is it there? I used to work in that building when it was G. Fox and remember that during the day it was fine but not to be there at night. Is it still like that? They suggested that after the wedding reception, if people wanted they could visit many of the bars in the area. There are many people visiting from out of town and I don't want them to have a bad experience.

Downtown is pretty safe. More people are walking around in that area than the times when G Fox was still open. That has to do with the number of people now living in downtown and that number has skyrocketed since then. The only bad areas of the city are north of the new baseball stadium in Downtown North and small sections in South End. Besides those areas, you should be fine.

[BPt111]

Originally Posted by HumpDay

Downtown is pretty safe. More people are walking around in that area than the times when G Fox was still open. That has to do with the number of people now living in downtown and that number has skyrocketed since then. The only bad areas of the city are north of the new baseball stadium in Downtown North and small sections in South End. Besides those areas, you should be fine.

North of Insterstate I-84 is consider danger zone and Park St, Maple St, Franklin St areas in South Hartford, Parts of New Britain Ave can be tough too, small sections close to Hartford Hosptial

[Mr_250]

Originally Posted by teachernan

My daughter is interested in having her wedding at the old G. Fox building on Main St., in Hartford, CT. This is now a wedding venue. How safe is it there? I used to work in that building when it was G. Fox and remember that during the day it was fine but not to be there at night. Is it still like that? They suggested that after the wedding reception, if people wanted they could visit many of the bars in the area. There are many people visiting from out of town and I don't want them to have a bad experience.

Went to a wedding there 3 years ago and stayed at a hotel downthere as well. No issues at all. Plenty of people walking around before and after. Like others mentioned City Steam is next door and it's always busy.

Very good venue.