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Curious to learn a little about wallingford.
I drove to pickup my sister from work their today and I had never been through wallingford till today.
Just interested in general life, schools, downtown etc...kind of people that live their.
How does that compare to something like Southington??
Wallingford is a very nice suburb. The schools are average, and there are currently two high schools that split the town in half. The first is Lyman Hall High School which is a bit bigger, and the second is Mark T. Sheehan High School. They are both fairly decent schools, but I'd have to give an edge to Sheehan High (has a nicer building and better facilities).
There is no real "downtown" but I guess you could consider Route 5 as one. It's basically a retail shopping mecca, you will find anything down there (literally, everything lol). The people are a very diverse mix in Wallingford from professionals to those in poverty. You can find almost every race there, and you can find the affluent and the poor. It's a nice blend of things and it also has direct highway access to Interstate 91 (always a nice thing!) In comparison with Southington, I'd have to give the edge to Wallingford. Wallingford is a bit bigger, but in my opinion much nicer and there is plenty more to do (New Haven is only 10 minutes away).
There sort of is a downtown. On Route 5 in the center of Wallingford (near the train station), take Route 150 east. That's where you'll find town hall, the police station, the post office, an elementary school, etc. North Main Street, which runs parallel with Route 5, is quaint with its older houses (Victorians and Craftsman-style).
Wallingford and Southington are very similar. Their median house price is exactly the same ($280,000), and their populations are close (Southington - 42,013; Wallingford - 45,779). Household income is slightly higher in Southington at $73,357 vs. $70,698 in Wallingford.
It the area where the Town Hall is (North and South Main in the vicinity of Center Street), there are small shops like a typical downtown area. In fact these shops stretch along Center Street (Route 150) from Route 5 to Elm Street. Here you will find small restaurants, banks and retail stores. It is a little more spread out than a typical downtown but it still has that feel. Schools in Wallingford are generally good. I believe they perform around the state averages on tests. Her eis a link to check them out.
Also, Wallingford is home to the internationally famous Choate Rosemary Hall which is an excellent private high school. Many famous and influental people have attended this school. This helps give the center of town a little more upscale appearance and feel.
Wallingford does have its own Municipal Electric Department meaning that you get your electricity from the town not a major utility company like CL&P or UI. This has kept the cost of electricity low for the town but in talking to people I know in town, the prices are suppose to be going up significantly to pay for improvements needed. Finally Wallingford has a diverse housing stock meaning there is everything from modest apartments to sprawling mansions. Jay
Wallingford and Southington would be similar, but there are differences. The times that I've been through both towns, I've found Wallingford to be less appealing visually, and Rt. 5 is more sprawling through most of the town than Rt. 10 in Southington, though this does make for convienence. Wallingford's town center is small, as is Southington's, but Southington has experienced a lot of economic activity in the downtown area which has many nice restaurants and more activity with businesses, and new developments, and interest. Ethnically, Wallingford has a more diverse population while Southington is more homogenious.
Wallingford is truly a middle class town in CT - as other mentioned it has its better and worse areas, overall it has much more of a "town" feel than neighbors Cheshire or Durham, and is less run down than Meriden. Wallingford has a very nice recreation center and the new library is awesome. Community pool is super cheap as well. Choate gives the "downtown" area a sort of college feel.
Both Wallingford and Southington are nice towns to raise a family - not too rich, not too poor, just about right.
Wallingford is truly a middle class town in CT - as other mentioned it has its better and worse areas, overall it has much more of a "town" feel than neighbors Cheshire or Durham, and is less run down than Meriden. Wallingford has a very nice recreation center and the new library is awesome. Community pool is super cheap as well. Choate gives the "downtown" area a sort of college feel.
Both Wallingford and Southington are nice towns to raise a family - not too rich, not too poor, just about right.
Wallingford's rec center is awesome! One of the nicest I have seen in the state. Jay
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