[kidscomefirst]

We are really in a need for some advise from all of you. My husband is relocating us to the NY, CT or MA area. It is pretty flexible where we live in the three states but since CT is most like MI, we are considering it the most. I need help with which areas are most kid friendly, and most importantly, SAFE for children. I am looking at great schools, safe neighborhoods and communities that have lots of kids and family activities and atmosphere. Can anyone suggest an area? We were looking in Bloomfield, Stonington, Old Lyme, East Hartford, Wetherfield, Newington and Rocky Hill. Mainly I want Middle to Upper Class, and we would prefer Newer contemporary homes (Newer meaning less than 10 years old homes). Lastly, If I could stay under $300,000 for a house, it would be great, coming from Michigan I am in total shock with the cost of housing in the East. We have 2,000 square feet in a home we built 7 years ago and only paid $140,000! Yikes!~

[KH02]

Under 300K will rule out stonington and old lyme for you if your looking for new construction and 2000 sq feet.
Bloomfield has really high property taxes and their schools stink.
The best town you have listed would be rocky hill I would think for your criteria.
But finding new construction thats also contemporary in design under 300K will be hard.
I did a search on MLS for homes under 300K that are newer in those towns and only found 1 in newington and the rest in bloomfield, which would be a compromise if you're looking for good schools. Though you could always send them to private if you find what your looking for in a town with less then "great" schools.
East hartford and bloomfield dont have desirable schools as all.
Newington, Wethersfield and rocky hill have average schools i would say and are safe in almost all areas of town.
A few of these towns are middle class but certainly not middle - upper class.
Good luck in your search.

[skytrekker]

I would also consider Vernon, South Windsor, Ellington, Bolton, Tolland and Stafford- east of the CT river- great places to live with good to great schools, low crime and access to all greater Hartford has to offer. 300K can buy a nice home.

Rocky Hill and Wethersfield are great choices as well. Housing in central to eastern CT has prices that are the lowest among the Boston to Washington corridor.

I can fully emphasize with your shock about east coast housing prices. 140K here buys a 1000 square foot townhouse condo, in central to eastern CT- in southwestern CT that price will more then double.

Expect to pay triple for a home here as compared to Michigan. Most coastal areas of southeastern CT will be slightly higher - Stonington will be very high- although Waterford, and Groton are relative 'bargains'.

[Geotennis777]

Out of the towns you listed above, I'd have to agree with KH02, Rocky Hill would be your best bet. It's close to Hartford and has a great public school system, houses are very nice.

Check out some of these other towns--Colchester, Cromwell, and Waterford.

Colchester is an up-and-coming bedroom community with a current population of 15,120. Smack dab in the middle of Hartford, Willimantic, Norwich, New London, and Middletown makes it a safe bedroom community for all of those surrounding big towns and cities. It's schools are excellent-new construction just finished on a new Elementary School (beautiful building), and the town also just refinished the Intermediate School (Grades 3-5). There is also a Middle School (Grades 6-8) and a High School (Bacon Academy, Grades 9-12). A major West-East thoroughfare, Route 2 runs through the town giving you easy transportation access to Hartford, Norwich, and New London. The town has many suburban amentities--Starbucks, McDonald's, Wendy's, Dunkin Donuts, Stop and Shop, etc. However, drive 10 minutes outside the center of town and the forests reign supreme. The town is upper-middle class, and new housing developments are always springing up (the town was the fastest growing town in the state in the late 90's, and ranked 57th best in the nation to live in in 2005).

Cromwell is a town in central Connecticut with great schools and a general great quality of life. Its about 15 minutes from Hartford on I-91 (One of the biggest highways in CT). Its population is around 13,000 and it boasts a great school system (Cromwell High School wins many state tournaments for soccer, cross country, etc.) It's relatively more suburban than Colchester, Durham, Hebron, and East Hampton as it has many more shopping amenities.

Waterford is located on the shoreline, next door to East Lyme and Old Lyme. It's home to the beautiful Harkness Memorial State Park (smack dab on the water, beautiful sunsets, etc.) The new houses being built in Waterford are nice and very inexpensive. The town has a wonderful school system, and the town is very safe and has not alot of crime to worry about. Waterford is also home to the area's mall (Crystal Mall) and other shopping amenities such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy. The population is about 18,500 and is the largest town out of Colchester and Cromwell.

Hope this helps!

[kidscomefirst]

Would Bristol, Torrington or Avon make sense. I am confused, some say Crowell is safe with good schools, others say stay away! My kids will only be in 1st grade or preschool and maybe attend until 3rd grade.
As a general rule, is there one area or side of Hartford that is more crime oriented than the other? Or Better to raise a family than another...considering I am coming from Michigan where 3 of our major cities are on the 25 list of "Most Dangerous Cities" released earlier this year~

[KH02]

Avon is a GREAT town. But probably too pricey for your budget. Theirs minimal housing their for under 300K.

Personally I'd steer clear of Torrington (lived their, hated it) and Bristol (my DH works their). Neither have "great" schools and both especially Torrington are a bit run down. Torrington also has minimal highway access and is 45 min to an hour away from any malls etc.

Cromwell is a fine town. I have a friend who owns their. Dont know tons about it, but it's definitly NOT high in crime and the schools are good...dont know about great however.

[skytrekker]

You seem to be geographically spread. Torrington is in the northwest part of the state-ok in sections, in the 'northwest hills'. Housing here is affordable by Connecticut standards.

Cromwell, south of Hartford, about mid mid state, along the Connecticut river is a great choice. Bristol is west of Hartford-

Avon is very upscale and expensive- median home price is over 450K- a new home is over 650K.

All the towns just mentioned have crime rates well below the national average. Crime rates either side of the Connecticut river from Hartford do not vary much. They are below the national average.

Connecticut, USA - Google Maps

Connecticut is a very small state- choices may seem endless, but in fact good and not so good areas run surprisingly close to one another.

Connecticut will have the lowest housing prices in Tolland and Windham counties (east of Hartford)

[KH02]

East of the CT river is ALOT cheaper then WEST. And stay away from southern CT as that is the priciest as well as farmington valley (avon, farmington area.)

Rocky Hill, Cromwell, Colchester and many towns in Tolland county will have cheaper home prices with decent schools.

[glxyman21]

If you could prioritize the type of community; shopping in it or doesn't matter, suburban; rural; city, oceanside or not, ideal population size, close to other employement areas and shopping, etc. As an overall safe bet, Central Connecticut would be a good area. Towns like Farmington, Berlin, Southington, Cheshire, Wolcott, Plainville, Rocky Hill, and Cromwell.

They range from populations of around 15,000 to 45,000. Generally suburban in style with shopping in town (except for Wolcott where you will travel to neighboring towns) They have good to excellent schools, low crime, and good highway access. They range from middle class to upper middle class, but the under $300K budget won't get you much. Plainville and Wolcott will be cheaper but Farmington would be the most expensive, then Cheshire, Southington, Berlin and Rocky Hill/Cromwell. For the type of property you are looking for, a home in the $350K range is more realistic.

[volleyballer]

Originally Posted by KH02

Under 300K will rule out stonington and old lyme for you if your looking for new construction and 2000 sq feet.
Bloomfield has really high property taxes and their schools stink.
The best town you have listed would be rocky hill I would think for your criteria.
But finding new construction thats also contemporary in design under 300K will be hard.
I did a search on MLS for homes under 300K that are newer in those towns and only found 1 in newington and the rest in bloomfield, which would be a compromise if you're looking for good schools. Though you could always send them to private if you find what your looking for in a town with less then "great" schools.
East hartford and bloomfield dont have desirable schools as all.
Newington, Wethersfield and rocky hill have average schools i would say and are safe in almost all areas of town.
A few of these towns are middle class but certainly not middle - upper class.
Good luck in your search.

How do you search the MLS in CT? The best I can find is realtor.com, but is there a better site to search/manage listings?