[AZParents]

We're thinking of moving from AZ to CT in the next 1-2 yrs.
Here are our family's bullet points:

• I am (almost) 36 yrs old and my wife is 33
• We have an 18 month old daughter
• We have a son due this April
• I am originally from upstate New York (near Utica) and I have lived in AZ for about 8.5 yrs
• My wife is originally from Simsbury, CT and has lived in AZ for about 9.5 years
• My family is in NY, wife's parents and 1 brother live here in AZ, while another bro lives in CA and a 3rd bro is in New Britain, CT with his wife and a daughter due this March. Wife has several aunts/uncles/cousins/grandparents in CT and Long Island.
• We have 2 black labs, age 4
• I make about $60k/yr working in IT for an insurance co and my wife makes about $28k/yr working 20 hours per week in the business side of insurance

Here's what we think of AZ:

• The weather is nice about 6-7 mos of the year, the other 5 or 6 are too hot to do much of anything during the day except swimming. Pollution is pretty bad. Air quality is among the lowest in the country. Don't drink the tap water!
• People are very superficial. It seems everyone has a car no more than 2 yrs old.
• It's not as cheap as you may have heard. Cars' registration fee is based on the value/age of the car; our '03 4runner costs $300 to register, and a '98 Lexus is over $100. Car insurance is not cheap. Property taxes are cheap, though. Electric can be over $200/mo for a few mos in the summer.
• AZ is 50th in the country in education. We realize that there are plenty of good schools, especially in the area we live in, but the overall lack of commitment to education by the state concerns us greatly.
• Crime doesn't bother us as we live in a very nice, fairly upscale area. For a big city, we can't complain much about that.
• There are a lot of positives- excellent healthcare (way better than what either of us had back east), shopping and dining galore. "Amenities" such as golf, spas, etc abound.
• All the benefits of a big city - international airport, theater, concerts, pro sports all within 30 minutes of where we live.
• We HATE the landscaping and architecture. BOOORING! Too much stucco and brown everywhere. Very little grass and almost no water features. Also, anyone who tells you maintaining a (rock) yard in AZ is easy is full of it.
• Job opportunities are incredible, with endless companies moving in.
• The people, even though they can be superficial, are very nice. BUT, they are largely from the midwest and our east coast sensibilities don't seem to "jibe" with their sometimes too-passive style.
• It's both relaxing and very hectic, all at the same time (you'd have to live here to understand that one)

We want to move to CT for several reasons:

• Better schools, better schools, better schools.
• Small towns, slower pace.
• Diverse climate. Kids love to play in snow! We know how much changing seasons meant to us when we were kids and we don't want them to miss out.
• Be close to NYC, Boston, and the east coast beaches. We have vacationed in Cali and always wish we were closer to the east coast for places like Washington DC, etc.
• Much family is there.
• Now that we have kids, we don't want them to grow up in a superficial environment like Phoenix/Scottsdale. We want them to be more grounded.
• We love the historic significance of the area. We'd much rather visit an old Revolutionary war period building than Native American ruins or whatever. Call us anglo-centric, but that's the way it is!

We're afraid we may be basing our decision to move on our own nostalgia for the area, and we may be remembering the east coast so fondly not because of what it was, but because it's where we spent our childhood, i.e. if we had lived anywhere we'd remember it fondly because childhood was fun. We have visited the area several times in the last few years, and have always liked it, but we fear we may not be "immersing" ourselves enough to make a really informed decision.

Our questions are these: has anyone else here ever considered or made such a move, and what did you think about when deciding? What are we forgetting about CT that makes it an undesirable place to live (besides the weather and property tax costs)? Is there a general feeling that everyone is getting older and there is no growth at all? Also, we're thinking about Granby, Simsbury, Avon, Canton. Any comments on the job markets or quality of life in those areas? Thanks in advance for any input or advice!

[SeizeTheJourney]

Originally Posted by AZParents

Here's what we think of AZ:

• The weather is nice about 6-7 mos of the year, the other 5 or 6 are too hot to do much of anything during the day except swimming. Pollution is pretty bad. Air quality is among the lowest in the country. Don't drink the tap water!
• People are very superficial. It seems everyone has a car no more than 2 yrs old.
• It's not as cheap as you may have heard. Cars' registration fee is based on the value/age of the car; our '03 4runner costs $300 to register, and a '98 Lexus is over $100. Car insurance is not cheap. Property taxes are cheap, though. Electric can be over $200/mo for a few mos in the summer.
• AZ is 50th in the country in education. We realize that there are plenty of good schools, especially in the area we live in, but the overall lack of commitment to education by the state concerns us greatly.
• Crime doesn't bother us as we live in a very nice, fairly upscale area. For a big city, we can't complain much about that.
• There are a lot of positives- excellent healthcare (way better than what either of us had back east), shopping and dining galore. "Amenities" such as golf, spas, etc abound.
• All the benefits of a big city - international airport, theater, concerts, pro sports all within 30 minutes of where we live.
• We HATE the landscaping and architecture. BOOORING! Too much stucco and brown everywhere. Very little grass and almost no water features. Also, anyone who tells you maintaining a (rock) yard in AZ is easy is full of it.
• Job opportunities are incredible, with endless companies moving in.
• The people, even though they can be superficial, are very nice. BUT, they are largely from the midwest and our east coast sensibilities don't seem to "jibe" with their sometimes too-passive style.
• It's both relaxing and very hectic, all at the same time (you'd have to live here to understand that one)

I can't offer any response regarding CT (though I have visited several times) but as a part-time AZ resident I can say that your list regarding AZ is simply spot on! GREAT list!!!!!

Best wishes in your search and kudos to you for wanting to raise your children in a better environment than the Valley of the Sun.

[mels]

Originally Posted by AZParents

Our questions are these: has anyone else here ever considered or made such a move, and what did you think about when deciding? What are we forgetting about CT that makes it an undesirable place to live (besides the weather and property tax costs)? Is there a general feeling that everyone is getting older and there is no growth at all? Also, we're thinking about Granby, Simsbury, Avon, Canton. Any comments on the job markets or quality of life in those areas? Thanks in advance for any input or advice!

I am originally from New England and lived for a while out west (New Mexico) and eventually made my way to Connecticut.

I will try to answer your questions the way I see it:

Why would CT be undesireable? The weather is a factor for many people, although being in southern New England our real winter weather (bitter cold/snow) is usually from late December to the end of February. This year we haven't had any snow yet and it is forecast to be around 60 this weekend! But that isn't the norm. I don't find winter bothersome here. It isn't the never ending winter that you get in northern New England and upstate NY. I don't find property taxes to be too bad, but that is very dependent on the town you live in. Electricity rates have really jumped in the past year, poising CT to have the highest rates in the US by the end of the year.

I don't get the vibe that the population is growing old/no growth. I am not sure of the unemployment rate, but it seems like most people are working. Hartford is still an insurance and finance city, and in the area St. Paul Travelers, Met Life, MassMutual, UBS, Aetna, The Hartford just to name a few have a large workforce. Monster and CareerBuilder are two websites that have a lot of listings in CT for jobs, so you can see where your field stands for opportunities. Also, it seems like the State of CT is always hiring IT people.

The towns you named are all nice communities with good school systems. Simsbury, Avon, and Canton are considered to be more affluent suburbs while Granby is very nice, but more on the "country" side than the other towns mentioned. I am sure some of the real estate agents on the board can give you more insight there.

[BigHouse9]

You certainly will not have a tough time finding a job in IT for an insurance company out in CT. I know that Travelers is hiring after their off-shoring debacle and you can probably make a lot more than you were getting out there.

We live in NC now and moved down here from CT. My brother lives in Simsbury and loves it. I cannot wait to move back to CT and it looks as if that will be happening in 2007. So many of the things you listed for AZ could be applied to NC as well.

[mcwsage]

"I am sure some of the real estate agents on the board can give you more insight there."

Hello! I'm one of those REA on the board to provide info on CT ONLY, since I find so often that people really don't know all of the great things/places CT has to offer. - Here is a post I wrote for another person who asked me about "The Valley." I figured it was relevant enough to copy and paste it here:


******
Sure! What's wonderful about the Farmington Valley is the close proximity all of the towns are to each other. There is literally an intersection where Simsbury, Avon, and Canton all meet. So you have the luxury of literally driving down the street and being in the next town - so you can take advantage of all of the great things in every town! I can't touch on school systems (as mentioned, I am in real estate) so go to www.greatschools.net for that info, but what I can tell you about is some of the individual great things each town has to offer:

Avon - tons of shopping and dining (Luke's Donut's anyone?); Simsbury - GREAT festivals!!!!, movie theatre, small town shopping on Rt. 10, great exercise facilities, some great dining (Little City Pizza, and don't forget to try Brookside Bagles for some awesome breakfast sandwiches, lunch sandwiches, etc. YUM); Canton - the up and coming town with both remote and non remote housing, some great (new) shopping facilities, cheaper real estate, historic Collinsville section with amazing views of the Farmington River (oh and LaSalle market & deli - a MUST eat at small town) place), and the best utilization of the Farmington River with tubing, cayaking, etc.; Farmington - you can pick either the OLD Farmington which is very expensive or the section called Unionville where there tends to be more affordable housing, RT 4. has some great places to eat (Apricots for more formal dining, or Wood'n Tap for great bar food); and where Farmington and West Hartford meet, there is the West Farms Mall and of course every place you can imagine on "the strip" for shopping and food; which brings me to West Hartford - I used to live in W. Hartford and my husband would drive into Hartford during rush hour and make it there in 13 minutes. Major highways are only minutes away, and then you have the amazing West Hartford Center (don't plan on dinner without a reservation on Friday/Saturday!). So what's great about this area of the state is you can take advantage of all of the great things each town has to offer since they are right on top of each other!!!

Also, there are a couple of great surrounding towns that are 10 minutes from the Valley and worth the trip for great dining, hiking, swimming/jet skiing (large lake nearby).

Lastly, I've read some comments about the commute into Hartford. No commute into any city during rush hour is going to be fun, but there are options - (1) leave EARLY and not on the hour (don't leave at 7:00 or 8:00 - leave on off times), and (2) if the weather is bad, take the bus - the Walmart in Avon is a pickup/dropoff place, and (3) if you are coming from Simsbury, you have the luxury of taking Rt 185 and getting into Hartford by the Univ. of Hartford (and take a right on Homestead instead of driving all the way down Albany Avenue). No commute is going to be great, and I'm surprised how many people I come across that are willing to add an extra 10 minutes onto a commute to live in a particular area. It's all about personal choice!!!

If you are curious where all the towns in CT are in relation to one another, I suggest going to www.google.com and typing in, for example, "Avon, CT" and zoom out so you can view all of the towns nearby, and then zoom out again to view more towns around the state.

I hope this helps!! Best of Luck to you!!!

*************

Michele P.

P.S. Being so close to Sedona AZ would be difficult for me to give up....CT has always been home to me, but the South West US is just pure heaven!!!! I have family in Santa FE NM and love the smell of the pinon trees....especially in the winter when the city smells from burning to wood for heat....

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by AZParents

We're thinking of moving from AZ to CT in the next 1-2 yrs.

We want to move to CT for several reasons:[list][*]Better schools, better schools, better schools.

[*]Small towns, slower pace.


Our questions are these: has anyone else here ever considered or made such a move, and what did you think about when deciding? What are we forgetting about CT that makes it an undesirable place to live (besides the weather and property tax costs)? Is there a general feeling that everyone is getting older and there is no growth at all? Also, we're thinking about Granby, Simsbury, Avon, Canton. Any comments on the job markets or quality of life in those areas? Thanks in advance for any input or advice!

On schools: Better...absolutely, in a macro sense. However, in a micro sense, some cities/towns are not as fortunate.

On small towns/slower pace: This is not necessarily true along the Interstate corridors. My friends from Mississippi couldn't understand the "rush." They complained that we talked too fast, were too impatient, and drove like we could see the finish line on the horizon.

When advising out-of-state or returning-to-state clients on Connecticut, I mention trends that are occurring: our electric costs have risen at an alarming rate, our population isn't keeping pace with other states (hence our loss of a Congressional district in 2000) but is on par for the Northeast, our population is aging, our highway system is antiquated, and our taxes on corporations is a deterrent to long-term business growth.

On the plus side, our population is the highest educated after New Jersey, our real estate prices rose at a good rate but not exceedingly like other areas of the country, we have the highest per capita income of any state, a minimum wage of $7.65/hour, a fantastic no-smoking policy for all bars and restaurants (excluding casinos) and a great geographical location. NOTE: our weather is far from undesirable. Have you ever tried Detroit (Mich.) or Windsor (Ont.) in mid-January? We have a very mild climate.

[jlhct]

This is an interesting post for me, as I am making the opposite move I'm not married and don't have kids, so I can't comment on the schools situation but i've heard that the education system in AZ needs some work, so I can't say I blame you.

For me, my main reasons for moving are weather, job opportunities and housing. I am really not a fan of winter. Maybe after 8.5 years in AZ like you i'll change my mind, but for now? no I'm ready to experience something different

I live in Fairfield County and have a house here. The amount of taxes I pay in relation to the services I feel I get makes no sense, so thats where AZ gains another point for me. I can have a bigger house and not pay too much more than what I pay now.

I hear many people from AZ say how there are too many strip malls, etc but I see that as being convenient. It seems like I only have a couple of options for shopping, and the options are not that close.

I've also heard how Scottsdale people seem "plasticy" & superficial" but I see that here too, and tend to not be bothered with those kinds of people. I guess i'll have to do the same when I move out there

I think the car registration fees/property taxes sounds like it can be compariable to here. My reg. fee is $85 and my taxes are about $230 on an 02 VW.

I am also in IT as well. I find many of the job opportunities are in the lower part of the county or even in NYC. I've done both those commutes before and they aren't fun. Hartford would be too much of a haul for me, but I can understand you wanting to work there because of where you will be living and your job background. It seems that in AZ, the job opportunities are all over the place.

This is a cool post, I'm glad I got to see it!

Good luck with everything!

[AZParents]

The replies are excellent. This place is great!

jhlct - as a single person with no kids, you'll L O V E it here in AZ!! If you'd asked me if I'd ever consider moving prior to having children, I would never have considered it. My wife was even more adamant about staying here. It all turned on a dime as soon as we had our first child. Many priorities changed in our lives without us even realizing it, until we just found ourselves talking about the benefits (as we see them, anyway) of living back in the northeast.

Can anyone expand on the reply about how the utilities costs in CT have risen lately? Does it matter if it's oil, gas, or whatever or is everything going up? How much are your utilities in the coldest winter months? I'll lay out a few basic costs here and if anyone can tell me how they compare to CT we'd love to hear it!

• Digital Cable TV/Phone/High Speed Internet, bundle price through COX communications: $140.00
• Electricity from APS: Average of about $135/mo for 2006 in our 2000 sq foot house. $250+ in summer and around $50-60 in winter.
• 2000 square foot house with no pool in a nice North Phoenix neighborhood on the border of Scottsdale: $420,000-$470,000 (we paid $202,000 for it in 2002)
• Gallon of gas (as of this week): $2.35
• Gas bill for stove, oven, hot water tank, gas fireplace: $60 in winter, $25 in summer. I don't know if the rise in winter is because prices have gone up or it's just we're using that much more, I haven't checked.
• Auto Insurance for 250/500/250 liability with a $250 comp/collision deductible: about $675 for 2 cars every 6 months
• City bill for water, trash pickup, sewer: Approx $45 in winter (not watering back yard) approx $75 in summer (when watering yard 2X per day).

Also, is anyone particularly fond/not fond of any of the 4 towns we're looking at (Avon, Simsbury, Canton, Granby)? Someone said Granby is more rural, we don't want TOO rural but we don't want really busy, either. My wife remembers Simsbury as being a typical mid-size town- has that changed?

By the way - if anyone's thinking "why don't these people as their relatives about this?" it's mainly because they all live in very upscale areas like Greenwich, Westport, etc and her bro who lives in New Britain doesn't like anything except Simsbury, Granby & Colchester.

[jlhct]

AZPar.

I hear ya, and I totally understand how priorities would change with the children. If they didn't, there would be something wrong, right?

This is helping me too, because I'm looking at a house in the N. Phoenix area as well (19th & Union Hills) Do you have any info on that area? I know it's in an older neighborhood, which is still newer than my house LOL

Cable/Internet is about the same for me (110) but I also have a land line - I'm similar in age to you & your wife but I guess still old fashioned LOL ($60)

My Electric bill is about 50-80/month (Less in the winter because I heat with Oil). United Illuminating (my electric company in my part of the state) has just announced the rate increase, here is how it breaks down for this year:

January 1 – March 31, 2007 bills will rise by 24.7% over 2006 rates
April 1 – June 30, 2007 bills will rise by 44.7% over 2006 rates
July 1 – December 31, 2007 bills will rise by 50.0% over 2006 rates


I paid about 70K for my 1000sqft house in 1994 and its on the market for a little over 200K. My taxes are $3700/year

My car insurance will definitely go down (100/300). Currently about $1600/year, will go down to $1000/year in AZ.

My last oil delivery was last month, the cost was about $2.50/gal for about 300 gallons. That should last until March ( I hope, unless the weather gets really cold!)

I agree, this information swapping is GREAT!

[igione]

Hey AZparent,
I currently live in Simsbury and we are actually have our house up for sale because we are about to move to NC (DH is in banking and we are being relocated). I can tell you a lot about how Simsbury has changed over the last 9 1/2 years since your wife left here. Much as changed, and Simsbury has grown a lot in the past decade.
Since 1996 the town has expanded all of it's elementary schools and the Jr. High. The high school has just finished a huge renovation and (if your wife gradauted from SHS) she won't recognize the place.
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra has been coming out to Simsbury for a summer concert series every summer and now a half-shell has been build off Iron Horse Blvd to accomodate them.
The library is about to undergo an expansion, and the main street area now has brick sidewalks and wrought iron lamp posts.
We lost a lot of little stores that your wife may remember, but they have been replaced by a new group of framers, small trendy restaurants, candy stores, jewelers, etc. We even have a Starbucks across from the town hall.
Taxes have steadily gone up. Our house in on the market for $491,000 but the town has it assessed at $222,450 with a mill rate of 35.9 which gives us an annual tax rate of $7,985. If you are familiar with the mill rate way of doing things you know that every 10 years the town re-evaluates property and resets the mill rate. This is the only time the rate goes down (convenient because the value of your house goes up!) and the rest of the time it just gets increased more and more.
If you want more specific info, feel free to PM me. Good luck with your search.