[StevieB160]

CHESHIRE

Best Things in order:

1. Orchards and Farms - While Southington gets nicknamed Apple Valley, I think Cheshire has more orchards even though one recently closed. Picking or farmstand summer through fall and places for school trips. Other places allow picking vegetables or farmstand for that. Flowers too in some of places. There's too many to count. I know Glastonbury has a lot of this in South Glastonbury but few other towns in Central CT have as much varied agriculture.

2. Access to Highways - Not too many towns allow for you to get onto as many highways as quickly as Cheshire. Whichever way you need to go you can be on a major highway going that way in about 10 minutes or less (84, 691, 15, 91). To some people this is not a plus, but it is an important practical benefit if you want to go a lot of places.

3. Roaring Brook Falls - Sort of hidden since its not a state park but short hike to tallest waterfall in the state I believe. Only actually went there a couple times but usually not that busy and if there is a lot of precipitation, its a nice scene. Can be unimpressive if its been dry.

4. Viron Rondo - Not someone who eats at restaurants often but in a town where there aren't too many destination restaurants, this one definitely fits the bill. Amazing how large and busy their parking lot is at all hours. They expanded a few times and seem to be able to fill the restaurant no matter what. Seems like people come here from a decent distance, especially since its right off 691 so I have to list it.

5. Linear Canal - I put this down here at #5 because its quite boring to run on and has many cross streets so its not like you can go several miles without crossing a street. But its good for bikes and kids and the such. Not incredibly scenic but some cool historical aspects with the railroad and can see some turtles and other creatures in places.

*Not listed but there were some times over the last year where I've thought about the ATT Underground Nuclear hardened facility in town, but I don't know how I'd get in so I guess not really much of a benefit.


Worst Things in order:

1. Route 10 Traffic. This is a town where there is one road that everyone has to drive on and it is a pain in the neck. They are always doing work on it and often have one direction closed. There just aren't good alternatives. The backroads don't connect well and rarely is there a good opportunity to use a local knowledge shortcut. Other surrounding towns like Southington, Meriden and Wallingford don't have that one road you have to rely on.

2. No Walkable Downtown - There's no walkable anything really. Again, comparing to neighboring towns, there are walking downtown areas. Now, those downtowns are close so you can go there easily but coming from suburban NJ where most towns had a downtown, its a downside.

3. Ugly Buildings/Abandoned Properties - Compared to other middle/upper class towns in non-FFC, there's a lot of ugly brick buildings on northern part of Route 10 and then several properties where there's been nothing there for many years. If comparing with some other towns like Farmington Valley, Glastonbury, Southbury, the average commercial structure just isn't that nice here.

4. The Whole Foods Desert - Saw this mentioned in another thread recently. Its very weird that I have to travel a half hour to go to Whole Foods. I'm not a Trader Joe's person but that would be just about a half hour too. There have been rumors and talk about a WF for a decade. There's just some things that work best to get there and its a whole production to go if I'm not in the Milford, West Hartford, Glastonbury area for some other reason.

5. Trucks - There are so many trucks on Route 10. They go so slow. I know the facility they are going to pays a lot in taxes to the town but I'd pay a little more in taxes to not have to miss green lights on Route 10 all the time for them to make a 45 second right turn. And they go all night if you live close to the main drag.


I'd be interested to learn about other CT towns like this.

[masssachoicetts]

Simsbury

Best 5 Things.
1. Natural Beauty- The hills are gorgeous. Its so hard to beat.
2. The Town- All local restaurants, shops, pubs and stores.
3. The Main Street- Hopmeadow Ave from Fitzgerald's to the Starbucks is like a Hallmark Movie.
4. The Hiking- I mean, whao...
5. The schools- They are top notch.

Worst 5 Things
1. No Sidewalks outside of Downtown- What is this the 1950s? Like cmon.
2. Town Drama- While I observe, there is a lotttt of town drama. Too much....
3. Lack of Shopping/Access to Shopping- It can take some time to drive to get to a big box store.
4. Too Many Yankees Fans- Lots of NY and NJ transplants so its becoming more 50:50. (jokes... kind of...)
5. Tax Rates- They are a bit too high.


Simsbury needs a few more businesses in their town center and down by the Avon border needs to add more retail/shops/apartments to bring in more tax revenue to keep the rates down. Other than that, great town.

[RogerAnthony]

Thomaston

Best things:
1. Small town atmosphere (everyone knows everyone)
2. Walkable downtown
3. Large number of restaurants
4. No big box stores or large shopping centers
5. Community festivals (fireman's carnival, car show, Christmas lighting)

Worst things:
1. Small town atmosphere (everyone knows everyone)
2. Too many vacant storefronts
3. Litter, especially on Park Street
4. Too many poorly educated / low class people
5. Some sidewalks are in poor condition

[Stylo]

Milford

Best:
1. Walkable, friendly (I know so many shop owners by name now) downtown with good local shops/restaurants, green, duck ponds, harbor, historic homes, events
2. Scenic shoreline, beautiful Audubon Center. Lots of non-crowded beach options. Great kayaking/boating.
3. Nice parks, and hikes
4. Location: Train to NYC, proximity to New Haven. Can have city experience or nature experience in minutes.
5. Diverse socioeconomics, people from all backgrounds

Worst:
1. Truck stop area near exit 40
2. The mall: could be a lot better, needs to be reimagined
3. Littering along 95 and on/off ramps (this is a failure of the state)
4. Some properties on Route 1 are stagnant/vacant and need redevelopment
5. Would love more diversity of restaurants in general. Food is good. Better than when I lived in Danbury. We have great casual food, but I'd like to see more elevated options. New Haven is KILLING it in the food area. We could benefit from just a smidge of that creativity. I believe there is a market for it. Strega was one good opening, I'd like to see more like that.

[SteveM85]

Pros:
Too mumerous to list, these just scratch the surface
-Access to LI Sound and all the activities that go with it
-Food
-Christmastime ambiance and atmosphere
-Warming climate

Cons
-too many traffic lights and congestion
-too many dogs
-too many parents overly obsessed with kids and dogs

Favorite StevieB song:
I Wanna Be the One
Least Favorite:
Spring Love

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

Pros:
Too mumerous to list, these just scratch the surface
-Access to LI Sound and all the activities that go with it
-Food
-Christmastime ambiance and atmosphere
-Warming climate

Cons
-too many traffic lights and congestion
-too many dogs
-too many parents overly obsessed with kids and dogs

Favorite StevieB song:
I Wanna Be the One
Least Favorite:
Spring Love

What town is this? Jay

[masssachoicetts]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

Pros:
Too mumerous to list, these just scratch the surface
-Access to LI Sound and all the activities that go with it
-Food
-Christmastime ambiance and atmosphere
-Warming climate

Cons
-too many traffic lights and congestion
-too many dogs
-too many parents overly obsessed with kids and dogs

Favorite StevieB song:
I Wanna Be the One
Least Favorite:
Spring Love

too many ... dogs?

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by masssachoicetts

too many ... dogs?

Forget Yankee Doodle Dandy, Dogs is now the official state song.
Gold Coast County is overwhelmed with them literally everywhere you look, especially labra and goldendoodles. They’re in fashion due to hypoallergenic properties. Also assieshepards with bluish eyes. It’s all about the optics.

[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Milford

Best:
1. Walkable, friendly (I know so many shop owners by name now) downtown with good local shops/restaurants, green, duck ponds, harbor, historic homes, events
2. Scenic shoreline, beautiful Audubon Center. Lots of non-crowded beach options. Great kayaking/boating.
3. Nice parks, and hikes
4. Location: Train to NYC, proximity to New Haven. Can have city experience or nature experience in minutes.
5. Diverse socioeconomics, people from all backgrounds

Worst:
1. Truck stop area near exit 40
2. The mall: could be a lot better, needs to be reimagined
3. Littering along 95 and on/off ramps (this is a failure of the state)
4. Some properties on Route 1 are stagnant/vacant and need redevelopment
5. Would love more diversity of restaurants in general. Food is good. Better than when I lived in Danbury. We have great casual food, but I'd like to see more elevated options. New Haven is KILLING it in the food area. We could benefit from just a smidge of that creativity. I believe there is a market for it. Strega was one good opening, I'd like to see more like that.

I like your list, except I'd remove worst item 1. It's the right spot for a truck spot, plus Old Gate Lane and the parts of Woodmont Road nearby are long-term industrial anyway, so they could hardly attract higher end uses. I was shocked the Hilton Garden Inn plus Hyatt moved nearby, as the time for new hotels there would have been jai alai's heydey.

[CTartist]

Long Hill & Tashua Trumbull (western side of Route 25)**

Pros:
1) The Mall 5 minutes down Main Street (or less in lower Long Hill)
2) Main Street has many historic homes. Good sense of community with the sidewalks in Upper Long Hill/Main Street. We are walkable to our Town Hall area, Long Hill Green area with stores and restaurants.
3) Pequonnock Valley bike/walking trail.
4) Tashua Knolls Recreation area.
5) Lower pace and less stressful since most of our area is north of the Parkway with good access to Metro North RR, the Merritt Parkway and I-95. Much less traffic on our Main Street than coastal towns of Fairfield County.

Cons:
1) No Coastline ......No Beaches ......No Boats
2) The Mall. It has been terrible for the last 3 or 4 years with the previous owners. Less security presence, more crime and teenagers hanging out in the food court causing all sorts of trouble. And the hole in the Target parking lot so we can't park in that big parking lot. It's insane. Hopefully the new owners will fix all of the above.
3) Boring
4) Boring
5) Did I mention it's boring north of the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield County lol. All of the fun people in Fairfield County are living in the coastal towns/cities.


**Trumbull is basically split in two with Route 25 running through the middle. I have no reason to go to the eastern side of Trumbull and it's even more boring on that side too.

Note: there are some small beaches and boats on the two lakes in Trumbull but most residents don't have access to those. You need to have deeded lake rights.