[kidyankee764]

In VA Beach on average you will have 5% more disposable income than in Hartford. It all depends on your preference though as most taxes aren't factored into this (and CT has very high property tax in most towns). I suggest doing some research on both places to see which suits you best. Good luck!

[pbehson]

I grew up in Ct and moved to Northern NJ with my family to an outstanding school district. Upon graduating I moved to Va Beach, and have lived here for 20 years.

No one can really sell a location as everything is a personal choice. Those who say that education is a problem here needs only to look at our public colleges. The University of Virginia and The College of William and Mary both rank among the top 20 public universities in the nation. I am a graduate of UVA and was admitted to UConn as well. Trust me, the grade school education has to be pretty good here to support an outstanding university system (3 or 4 others are outstanding as well). As a matter of fact, I am a HS physics teacher and have taught at a New England prep school as well. We are pretty good here.

The bottom line is that VB is big. There is traffic. It is actually pretty expensive. The weather is hot and humid in July and August (although it has not gotten out of 70 this entire week). There is plenty of culture, very little "southern heritage" (I have never seen a rebel flag), some poverty, beautiful beaches, decent skiing 2.5 house away (I'm a pass holder), and a vibrant populace. There are very few "small town" neighborhoods with narrow winding roads (which I don't like) but it isn't NYC either.

Visit both. Decide whether you like New England or a larger metro region.

[JayCT]

A former coworker of mine moved down to the VB area several years ago. He recently visited and says he regrets the move. He says the area is "characterless" and the schools are not up to the standards of those found in Connecticut (and he was not talking about the schools in one of the more expensive CT towns). He says that he has been forced to send his child to private schools which is costly. He says that he misses the seasons and being near New york and Boston. He says that Connecticut has wonderful places to live but we do not realise it until we leave. We take it for granted. Anyway, no one can tell you which is better for you. visit each area and decide for yourself. Good luck, Jay

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JayCT

A former coworker of mine moved down to the VB area several years ago. He recently visited and says he regrets the move. He says the area is "characterless" and the schools are not up to the standards of those found in Connecticut (and he was not talking about the schools in one of the more expensive CT towns). He says that he has been forced to send his child to private schools which is costly. He says that he misses the seasons and being near New york and Boston. He says that Connecticut has wonderful places to live but we do not realise it until we leave. We take it for granted. Anyway, no one can tell you which is better for you. visit each area and decide for yourself. Good luck, Jay

A family I know actually recently moved from Glastonbury to the VB area love it - they are good friends of mine and have lived in Glastonbury all their lives until last year (I'm sure you would know their name Jay as they were very active in your town). They are impressed with the local school district, enjoy the *MUCH* cheaper taxes, and the overall lower cost of living in the area. They say the people are friendly and their lives down there are less hectic than in CT. Regarding your coworker who feels the need to send their children to private schools - well I think that is very unnecessary and they are wasting money. The former Glastonbury family I know puts much emphasis on education and, as I said, are very impressed with the schools there. The area is not "characterless," in fact, IMO it has much more character than Hartford. I have visited numerous times and find it quite charming.

Why we here on the CT board feel the need to put down the VA Beach area without firsthand experience is very unfortunate and biased. JMO.

[skytrekker]

Kidyankee, I think a poster above said they found VB to be 'expensive' The 'much cheaper taxes' argument in the end may see things costing more for other items. VB is a military town- with neighboring Hampton Roads and Norfolk- that alone can jack costs up.

It is also a tourist destination- that brings costs higher- from food to services.
I would be wary of the banner- 'much cheaper taxes'- its not always going to guarantee a high quality of life. And taxes can vary- local services can suffer if taxes are kept low.

As far as the city having 'charm and character' this can be a subjective question. Some folks like old and some newer.

And as I alluded to earlier the COL difference between Hartford and VB -even if you include 'higher taxes' is not that much-you certainly are not going to become rich saving an additional 50 bucks a month.

COL according to Place Rated puts Hartford in the lower quarter- VB comes in at 32- not much better. Which means 2 thirds the rest of the nation is cheaper. VB has become more expensive in recent years -

As far as Schools;
Elementary CT ranks 3 Virginia 11
Middle CT ranks 10 Virginia 14
source psk12.com

additionally- in order to remain objective; lets stick with facts and leave 'opinions' out. 'Oneupmanship' and bickering over information is unnecessary and seems counter productive.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

A family I know actually recently moved from Glastonbury to the VB area love it - they are good friends of mine and have lived in Glastonbury all their lives until last year (I'm sure you would know their name Jay as they were very active in your town). They are impressed with the local school district, enjoy the *MUCH* cheaper taxes, and the overall lower cost of living in the area. They say the people are friendly and their lives down there are less hectic than in CT. Regarding your coworker who feels the need to send their children to private schools - well I think that is very unnecessary and they are wasting money. The former Glastonbury family I know puts much emphasis on education and, as I said, are very impressed with the schools there. The area is not "characterless," in fact, IMO it has much more character than Hartford. I have visited numerous times and find it quite charming.

Why we here on the CT board feel the need to put down the VA Beach area without firsthand experience is very unfortunate and biased. JMO.

Kidyankee - i am simply telling the OP what my former coworker told me. He is the one that called it "characterless". Not me. He said you really don't notice how much character Connecticut has until you leave it. I am also just telling you what he said about the schools there and that they are doing private schools. As for your comment on Hartford well that is your opinion. From what I have seen I do not agree with you at all. Also I am not putting VB down and I do not think this Board puts other areas down either. Most posters here provide objective information to assist others. Jay

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Kidyankee - i am simply telling the OP what my former coworker told me. He is the one that called it "characterless". Not me. He said you really don't notice how much character Connecticut has until you leave it. I am also just telling you what he said about the schools there and that they are doing private schools. As for your comment on Hartford well that is your opinion. From what I have seen I do not agree with you at all. Also I am not putting VB down and I do not think this Board puts other areas down either. Most posters here provide objective information to assist others. Jay

I guess we both have our own opinions - it's too bad your friend dislikes VA Beach though. It really is a great place at an affordable price. Hopefully he can make it back to CT shortly.

[bibit612]

VB. I lived in Hartford and have been to VB many times.

[activemom]

I used to live in the Hampton Roads area and now live in SE CT. They are both great places...you just need to think about what you want. VB has tons of traffic and the entire area is strip malls and convenience of shopping and restaurants and all. CT has more of the small town feel than VB does. I have great memories of boating all the time when I lived in Hampton roads...the boating season here is much shorter. However, I absolutely love all of the state parks and hiking that CT has to offer. THere is nothing like this in the VB area...you have to drive to Charlottesville to get something similar and that is a haul from VB. Houses are definitely newer in the VB area- there was much more of a building boom in the past few years than in CT. For the big city feel, I used to go to DC at least one wknd a month when I lived in Hampton roads, but that was 3 1/2 hrs (in no traffic.) It is so great to live in CT where you are halfway between NYC and Boston and you can take the train.

It is a tossup as to where to live. We considered moving back to VB and ended up here. I don't know if we'll stay here forever, but it certainly has a lot to offer for the shortterm. What about trying out Hartford for a few years then retiring in VB?

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by bibit612

VB. I lived in Hartford and have been to VB many times.

Visiting a place on vacation is not like living there. What may seem like nice things on vacation may not be good if you lived there full time. You need to look at the area objectively and see if it fits your needs. That is why many people that move to places like Florida are shocked to find it is not as nice of place to live year round as it is a place to vacation for a couple of weeks. Jay