[Cal2020]

I will be transferring to The Hartford in the next six months from out-of-state and working out of the headquarters office on Asylum Avenue in the Hartford Plaza. I am looking to purchase a home in a surrounding town. I don't know much about the area but have been doing online research which seems to suggest that it is beneficial to live in an area that does not involve commuting through downtown Hartford. I am not sure which part of the city where The Hartford is located. Would it be an "easier" commute from places like Avon & Simsbury, or Glastonbury, or a place like South Windsor which I believe is even further out? I realize that traffic is tough anywhere around Hartford. Schools are an important consideration. Anyone have any suggestions for surrounding towns with a better commute to The Hartford? Thanks in advance!

[JayCT]

In order for us to help you we need to know more information. Are you looking to rent or buy? What is your budget and what do you expect for that budget? What type of are do you like, urban, suburban or rural? How long of a commute can you tolerate?

The Hartford is located in the city’s Asylum Hill neighborhood immediately west of downtown. I generally recommend that people live as close to their job as possible and in greater Hartford to avoid any commute that requires you to travel through downtown because traffic heading into downtown is difficult. Why deal with that is you don’t have to?

Given this, I would recommend living west of downtown. I am assuming from the towns you mention that you want a more affluent suburban town. The first town I would consider is West Hartford. It is located a couple miles west of The Hartford campus so your commute would be short. You wouldn’t even have to get on an expressway to get to work. West Hartford is a mature, semi dense diverse affluent community. It has excellent schools, great parks and lots of family oriented activities. West Hartford also has greater Hartford’s best dining and shopping options. It has the region premiere mall, Westfarms. West Hartford Center has an amazing array of small shops and restaurants. It is arguably the best central business district in the state. About the only issue there is West Hartford is it has high taxes. Also because of its density and location next to Hartford, it is not as quiet as some other suburbs. Still it offers so much.

If you want a quieter less dense area, I would then suggest you look at the beautiful towns in the Farmington River Valley. It is just over a line of small mountains/hills west of West Hartford. There are no expressway highways into the valley which while making it harder to commute from, that along with less dense development helps give it a sort of Shang Ra La feel. It is a wonderful place to raise a family. Consider towns like Farmington, Avon, Simsbury, Burlington, Canton and Granby.

Farmington is closest to West Hartford and Hartford. It has very good schools and lower taxes and the Westfarms mall straddles its West Hartford border. There are stores and restaurants around town but not quite as much as you find in West Hartford. You would likely find you going to West Hartford for these things on occasion.

Avon is likely the most affluent town in greater Hartford. A lot of insurance and corporate executives live there. The schools are very good and there is a lot of family activities. You will find most of your every day shopping and dining needs in a nice suburban shopping district that it shares with Simsbury and Canton on Route 44.

Simsbury is a little more diverse than Avon but has what is generally considered to be among the best schools in the state. There are lots of family activities as well as the great Simsbury Farms recreation area.

Burlington is a more rural town which is seeing a lot of new construction. It shares schools with neighboring Harwinton and has less shopping in town. Canton is also smaller but has a cute Mill village, Collinsville. It also offers a great lifestyle shopping center on Route 44. Granby is a nice friendly town located closer to Bradley International Airport. It’s also a bit rural but still very nice. This is just a quick rundown of area towns. I hope it helps. Jay

[hvexpatinct]

Welcome to the area! Asylum Ave is west of downtown so for the best commute you will definitely want to live to the west of Hartford. If looking for dense walkability and municipal infrastructure (public water/sewer, bus transit) West Hartford is your best choice. If you would prefer a larger lot and less density but are okay with well/septic - which are very common here - the Farmington Valley towns are a good choice, and start with Farmington and Avon as they are most convenient. Avon is the most affluent. Farmington also skews upper middle class, and has lower taxes.

[Cal2020]

Thanks for the quick replies! I am looking at a budget of up to 350K and would not mind a condo/townhouse to start my time in Connecticut. I am looking for a 30 minute commute or less. I have seen lots about Glastonbury. Is Glastonbury a more difficult commute than the places mentioned above? Are there specific neighborhoods in West Hartford to look for in my price range? I would love to avoid a well & septic, if possible. Is the crumbling foundation problem prevalent in these areas?

[htfdcolt]

West Hartford is great. The majority of the town is developed so you'll have city water & sewer (natural gas lines however...not a given). Look in the Bishops Corner area. You'll find a variety of housing stock, quite a bit within your price range. Not to mention that you'll have great access to shopping as well as West Hartford Center.

[BostonBornMassMade]

If youre young id recommend downtown Hartford. If not that then West Hartford.

[in_newengland]

Farmington is pretty good. Lower taxes and it's very family oriented. There are apartment complexes, big houses, small houses, new houses, old, historic houses, seems like they're always building something. There's still some agricultural land left but a lot more of it is forest and river.

Canton is more rural and also has good schools, like all the suburban towns. I really like Canton and rte 44 with all the shopping (an upscale mall, the big box stores, grocery stores, restaurants, medical, etc.)--goes right through the center. Very family oriented, nice library, and the village of Collinsville is a fun place to go. It has a farmers' market in summer and is a center for kayaking and tubing down the river.

JayCT described the area very well so I don't even know why I'm writing this except that these are two of my favorite area towns.

[hvexpatinct]

Originally Posted by Cal2020

Thanks for the quick replies! I am looking at a budget of up to 350K and would not mind a condo/townhouse to start my time in Connecticut. I am looking for a 30 minute commute or less. I have seen lots about Glastonbury. Is Glastonbury a more difficult commute than the places mentioned above? Are there specific neighborhoods in West Hartford to look for in my price range? I would love to avoid a well & septic, if possible. Is the crumbling foundation problem prevalent in these areas?

The crumbling foundations are not an issue in that area - those are primarily found to the northeast of Hartford.

Whether Glastonbury makes sense is a matter of personal preference. It feels newer and a bit more like a planned suburb than West Hartford. There are a couple of major bottlenecks between G-bury and the west side of Hartford and the routes are pretty limited - Glastonbury is across a river and there are few river crossings in greater Hartford. If you’re okay with a 30 minute commute though you’ll be fine in most parts of town. I would definitely look at Glastonbury before Canton or Burlington as those will be more than 30 minutes from The Hartford.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Cal2020

Thanks for the quick replies! I am looking at a budget of up to 350K and would not mind a condo/townhouse to start my time in Connecticut. I am looking for a 30 minute commute or less. I have seen lots about Glastonbury. Is Glastonbury a more difficult commute than the places mentioned above? Are there specific neighborhoods in West Hartford to look for in my price range? I would love to avoid a well & septic, if possible. Is the crumbling foundation problem prevalent in these areas?

Glastonbury is a beautiful town. It has excellent schools, a great downtown with many nice stores and restaurants, beautiful parks, a great library and two cute branch libraries and lots of things for families to do. A lot of Glastonbury has public water and sewers. But a lot of the town is in well and septic as well so be cautious in your search. MYou should however be able to get a nice home for your budget there.

The problem with commuting to The Hartford from Glastonbury is traffic on Route 2 and I-84 between Glastonbury and Hartford is heavy. It moves slow through East Hartford and then there is about a one mile backup of traffic on the flyover ramp to I-84 westbound to cross the Connecticut River. Once on I-84 westbound, traffic generally moves well but be warned this section of highway is among the busiest and most accident prone in the state. That said, depending where in Glastonbury you live you are talking between a 30 and 45 minute commute. Some days it might take an hour or more.

As I said, Glastonbury is great but there are equally great towns that would give you a shorter, less difficult commute. West Hartford would give you that and much more of it has public water and sewer. I would sugg3st visiting these towns to compare them. Jay

[Cal2020]

You are all awesome, your insight is much appreciated!