[SeattleJohanna]

Help! We found out yesterday my husband is being stationed as an instructor at the Coast Guard Academy in New London. We are currently in Seattle.
I am trying to find a neighborhood that is "walkable" and "nature-y" as well as not one of the "bad areas" of New London that I have heard about, but have no idea where they are.
I really want a place where I can find shops, the beach, parks, and maybe even a library within a 1-3 mile walk. We are expecting our first child in July & I have visions of doing nothing but walking around town all day. We are in our late 20s, early 30s. Additionally, we would like to find a house with a bit of a yard & parking. I know some neighborhoods aren't like that.

I was thinking somewhere in central/south New London (don't know neighborhood names) or any of the little towns that are maybe no more than 10-15 minutes away from the Coast Guard Academy.

ANY IDEAS?! I need to go house hunting in a few weeks. (to buy one - but that is a whole other thread...)

Thanks!!!
SeattleJohanna

[skytrekker]

You might consider the Mystic section of Groton and Stonington- Mystic is actually not a town- but A 'census' designated place' the part west of the Mystic river is in Groton, and the 'part' east of the Mystic river 'in Stonington.

Mystic is noted for its Main street and historic charm. Also you might consider the town of Stonington, and Waterford, both very nearby. Another option, which is popular to newcomers to southeastern CT is the town of Colchester, inland from New London about 15 miles that has a pleasant town center, with basic shopping, including some nice restaurants, a Starbucks, and an excellent library.

[corncountrytoct]

We recently moved to "Mystic Country" from Illinois. We were also looking for a walkable neighborhood and found that they are hard to come by. Mystic fits the bill but you will pay for the privilege - I imagine that unless your husband is pretty high up in the ranks for a 30 year old, it's not going to fit your budget. And the rental market is pretty dismal to begin with! Stonington is also very expensive. Waterford is more do-able and all of the "big" shopping - like Target and the mall - is in Waterford.
There is a neighborhood of New London called the sixth district - it is the southern tip of New London - in-between downtown New London and Ocean Beach. That is the most walkable neighborhood we saw. We loved it down there but couldn't find the right house. The schools in New London do not rank well, but we don't have kids yet so figured we have at least five years before we would have to deal with that. I think that the sixth district is the only "nice" are of New London - perhaps with the exception of the tiny neighborhood near Connecticut College, which would be walking distance from the Coast Guard Academy.
You might want to look into Gales Ferry. There are a lot of people from the sub base in that area. You can go for walks, and conceivably you could get a house within walking distance of the library there. We live in Ledyard, which is part of the same municipality as Gales Ferry. We have a walkable subdivision, but you can't get anywhere (like a store) without going on a highway.

[activemom]

I went to college in Seattle and moved here with a newborn. If you are only going to be stationed in New London for 4 years or less, than schools really wouldn't matter. I'm not sure if you owned a house in Seattle- but the houses here are a lot less money than in Seattle. New London has some OK areas- but has a lot of housing projects which has caused the property taxes to skyrocket. Mystic is so very cute...I'm not sure if your housing allowance would afford you to live there, but that would be my vote. I think it is very walkable and has so much character. Downtown Niantic is cute too- there aren't a lot of big houses near the water, mostly small older ones but in great shape. There is a great boardwalk for walking, a great park with a playground, a children's museum and it is only 10 or so minutes to New London. (Plus if you do buy a house, it is in East Lyme which has really good schools.) If you lived near the downtown, there is a CVS and grocery that you could walk to. Plus there are a lot of young families there. It was very much of a culture shock moving here- plus moving with a newborn (that is so much of a live changing moment as well!) Good Luck!

[SeattleJohanna]

I am so thankful for your responses. They are really helping me focus my search. I can't thank you enough. If the New London area is full of people like you, I'm sure I'll be very happy there.
By the way, we're looking to buy something between 200-300K, the less the better for the budget. But, these prices are so much cheaper than Seattle it is almost laughable.
Are there any single family rentals? I haven't found much at all, but maybe I'm not looking in the right places.
-SeattleJohanna

[activemom]

Hi- maybe you're not looking in the right place. I think there are quite a few rentals around. There are a lot of summer rentals so be sure to bypass those as they can get expensive. I lived in Niantic for the first 4 mos that we moved to CT and had a newborn (I delivered at Lawrence and Memorial...GREAT place to have a baby...my second delivery was at Yale and I really appreciated the attention they gave me at L & M compared to the larger Yale hospital.) Downtown Niantic is very walkable- they are even opening a new Irish pub...I just saw construction going on. I walked tons and tons trying to lose the old baby weight when the baby was born. THere is a terrific boardwalk that is a couple of miles round trip. Rocky Neck state park is nearby as is Harkness State park- great places for walking. Try calling a realty office to ask about rentals- that would probably be your best bet. Does your husband have a sponsor with the move? Maybe they could help you out. I know there are some coasties in Niantic as we met a couple (they just retired from the Academy.)