[skytrekker]

JV Fox News or should I say FAUX News LOL
Try watching Kieth Olbermann at 8PM on MSNBC M-F and Joe Scarborough from 9-10 MSNBC M-TH- it might be fascinating!

[Whaler0718]

Originally Posted by RobL

Saying one needs a gun to be near Prospect Ave. is definitely over the top. I have lived in WH for 30 years and can tell you that that this is not the case. However, it is frustrating how Hartford has bungled and mismanaged the city over the years, and one wonders if things will ever turn around enough to reverse the bad perceptions of Hartford. Sometimes punks from Hartford target WH for easy marks to steal things from, but the cops are fairly on top of things.

West Hartford is an awesome great place, but I try hard to avoid Hartford. Hartford is a city where people go into work in the day (usually at an insurance company), and then evacuate at night to surrounding towns – it is not like Boston or NYC where folks live there AND work there. Hartford has been very unwelcoming to visitors. For example, you would think that since it is not a Boston or NYC, that there would be plenty of places to park. But this is not the case, parking garages seem to have colluded on high pricing - I once waited for over 45 minutes to get out of a parking garage and was charged for the wait, and meter readers swoop like vultures to ticket cars on the street - there have even been parking tickets issued to cars on the move! Definitely not a good way to say "welcome to hartford".

I would divide WH into 5 parts: Southeast, Northeast (Hartford border areas), Center, Northwest, and Southwest.

Some West Hartford streets bordering Hartford do have lower rents, but that too depends on where you are. The main Hartford "border areas" are marked by Prospect Ave. (northeast) and the Elmwood section (southeast).

Prospect Ave area is historically where the very wealthy folks doing business in Hartford lived - think of Mark Twain, and similar ornate mansions of that era. It is a perfectly respectable place for well-off people to call home. The Northern half of Prospect Ave would get higher marks than the southern half which heads into Elmwood.

The Elmwood area (southeast) is a light industrial area, that gradually blends into what might be called "west hartford proper" as you move west on New Britain Ave towards the posh West Farms Mall. Rents/Property values rise the further west you go. Folks trying to escape the blight of Hartford move into Elmwood to avoid crime and get their kids into the superior schools. This neighborhood has a good mix of single family and multifamily houses. People here are hardworking middle class widely diverse people proud to have left Hartford as reflected by their meticulous lawns. Unfortunately, "spillover" traffic from Hartford results in litter tossed out the window on New Britain Ave. - I have spent many hours cleaning up litter there on the weekends.

The WH Center area is where all the action is. Within a short stroll are high-end restaurants (Grants, Max Oyster Bar, Bricco, Elbow Room, to name a few), coffee shops, and custom boutique shops – very nice indeed. And then there is the soon to be coming Blueback Square which will double the size of the center and upscale it even more.

The northwest area is marked by the Bishops Corner set of stores and shops (Wild Oats, Macaroni Grill, Barnes & Noble, Staples, etc.) – think of it as a mini WH center. The neighborhoods here are quite well-to-do and belong to the Hall High school district. There are a large number of Jewish folks here, and having gone to elementary school here I can say that the residents can be proud of having one of the best education systems in the country.

The Southwest section is where West Farms Mall is. Very suburbia-like with a mix of middle and upper class homes.

Finally, if you’re really into the elite part of town there is the “West of Mountain Road” area. This is as close to a mountainous area as you’ll get in WH. Some homes have spectacular views of Hartford (ironic that it’s pretty to look at, but not to live in isn’t it?). Homes prices range from about of $450,000 to several million dollars. There are established older homes built in the 1930s/40s/50s (e.g. Hunter Drive), and there are newer developments with homes built within the last couple of years.

You might stop to think about why Hartford has suffered. To blame its woes on the city alone is to take the ostrich approach and ignore the state's absurd local rule/property tax structure. You might note--if you bothered to take a little drive east--that the lawns of the West End and, gasp, Blue Hills are as meticulous as those in Elmwood. Undoubtedly schools drive many people out of Hartford, which does nothing to help their poor performance. But the litter on New Britain Avenue is no more spillover from Hartford than yuppies from West Hartford and Avon cruising Albany Avenue for drugs at 3:00 in the morning.

I appreciate it that you recognize that you don't need a gun to cross Prospect Avenue, but you might take a more global view of Hartford's problems. Bloomfield is fighting tooth and nail to keep a halfway house out, a proposal that would never fly in West Hartford. So consider where your neighbors with the coke addictions get taken care of. They're throwing a lot more than trash out their windows when they come into the city for drugs, and they're not going to get treated by a hospice in West Hartford Center.

[RobL]

Originally Posted by Whaler0718

You might stop to think about why Hartford has suffered. To blame its woes on the city alone is to take the ostrich approach and ignore the state's absurd local rule/property tax structure. You might note--if you bothered to take a little drive east--that the lawns of the West End and, gasp, Blue Hills are as meticulous as those in Elmwood. Undoubtedly schools drive many people out of Hartford, which does nothing to help their poor performance. But the litter on New Britain Avenue is no more spillover from Hartford than yuppies from West Hartford and Avon cruising Albany Avenue for drugs at 3:00 in the morning.

I appreciate it that you recognize that you don't need a gun to cross Prospect Avenue, but you might take a more global view of Hartford's problems. Bloomfield is fighting tooth and nail to keep a halfway house out, a proposal that would never fly in West Hartford. So consider where your neighbors with the coke addictions get taken care of. They're throwing a lot more than trash out their windows when they come into the city for drugs, and they're not going to get treated by a hospice in West Hartford Center.

I generally agree with what you say, although I'm not sure how the lack of halfway houses in WH contributes to Hartford's woes. As for tax structure, it wouldn't be purely a function of how much money is available, but also how the money is (mis)managed. Hartford in this way seems to have 2 problems then. I do know that WH residents are very vocal about how dollars are spent, but I have never seen a town meeting in Hartford so I don't know how it works there.

There is an odd symbiotic/parasitic relationship between the 2 towns - e.g. people want to live 'near' but not 'in' Hartford so that they can work in the city, and some unfortunately go there for unsavory reasons too. None of this changes the fact that many folks don't wish to be in Hartford. I give a lot of credit to the 'pioneers' who are hardy enough to invest in the city believing it will turn around. There have been many false proclamations of a turn around before there, and so it's risky for sure. Let's hope for everyone's sake that things turn around.

[Whaler0718]

I agree about the symbiotic/parasitic relationship. Also, my point about halfway houses is simply that the region relies on Hartford as a dumping ground for its garbage (literally and figuritively) but then lambastes the city as though the city generates all of its troubles from within. I'm just saying that the region should recognize that Hartford has problems to the suburbs don't have to, and for that luxury, the suburbs have to pay. And they do, through the state. I'm just sick of the indignation with which they write the check.

Undoubtedly, Hartford has been poorly managed, and that has contributed to its problems, but that's one small part of a very big problem, and one that is much more complex and deserve more attention than finger wagging and head shaking at Hartford and its residents.

[theresa07]

west Hartford isn't all that bad i live in connecticut myself just 45 minutes from hartford and i have a girlfriend who just moved to hartford and she really regrets it. yes the crime is terrible and the schools are the worst i don't even visit her we just talk on the phone hartford is not filled with activities if thats what your looking for as well. just make sure you really want to move here because it's a very high state in taxes and not really a great state to live.............but good luck!

[JViello]

Originally Posted by theresa07

west Hartford isn't all that bad i live in connecticut myself just 45 minutes from hartford and i have a girlfriend who just moved to hartford and she really regrets it. yes the crime is terrible and the schools are the worst i don't even visit her we just talk on the phone hartford is not filled with activities if thats what your looking for as well. just make sure you really want to move here because it's a very high state in taxes and not really a great state to live.............but good luck!

Where does your friend in Hartford live? What neighborhood?

No activities? She's not looking hard. I can't find the time to do all the things I want to do. Seriously. Right now I'm trying to pick between two home shows, a theater production I've been wanting to see and/or dinner and dancing in the South end (A great Latin act will be in town) for this weekend.

[Whaler0718]

Yeah, I can never understand when people say there isn't enough to do in Hartford. I never seem to make it to the gym b/c there's always something to go to after work every night, from the young professionals event last night to Real Art Ways to a Hartford Symphony concert to TheaterWorks and Hartford Stage productions to just plain old simple happy hour.

I have friends who moved to Boston for two reasons: (1) they think they can't meet new people in Hartford and (2) they said they wanted "more to do." The result: (1) they all hang out with each other (2) at the same two bars.

Oh, and they pay twice as much in rent for half the place.

[Johnny CT]

Originally Posted by theresa07

Hartford is not filled with activities if thats what your looking for as well. just make sure you really want to move here because it's a very high state in taxes and not really a great state to live.............but good luck!

Hartford has a thriving music scene! The city has a huge population from the West Indies and they put on reggae concerts every weekend. Let's not forget the city is almost half Latino and there are live concerts with Salsa, Cumbia, Rock en Espanol, Samba, and just about any other rhythm you can think of going on every weekend! Hartford has great restaurants, you can find authentic Polish, Mexican, Peruvian, Brazilian, Jamaican, Bosnian, and many more cuisines.

The original poster mentioned she has children. If she lives in the Hartford metro she will have easy access to all the cultural activities available in NYC and Boston. There are so many museums and tours in those cities she will do some great things with her kids. There are many other day trip options, a picnic at Tanglewood in the Berkshire mountains to enjoy live classical music, lobster rolls on the coast, hiking in Northwest CT, Yale and some of the best pizza anywhere in the United States in New Haven, and more.....

[Ann8]

I grew up in West Hartford (now live in Washington, D.C.) and always felt then and now that it was a great place to live. If you like the quiet life, go to Simsbury or Farmington or Avon. Very country-like. West Hartford, in my opinion, is more alive--has restaurants, shopping and such a nice downtown center. In fact, we love the town so much, my Mother is planning to move back there after living in Northern Virginia for 25 years. The schools are great and we have always felt that it was very, very safe. Homes really sell quickly within walking distance of the Center which shows that it is a desireable area to be. Hope this helps.

[westender]

Both Hartford and West Hartford have plenty of cultural offerings.

Hartford has the Wadsworth (world-class museum), Trinity College (world-class), the HSO (respectable orchestra), the Bushnell (theater), Connecticut Opera (respectable company), several other equity theaters, a cathedral, several avant-garde arts organizations, like Real Art Ways, and the usual assortment of restaurants and bars. Hartford's street scene does tend to quiet after 6pm except in the bar areas like Allyn Street. If you are going to first Thursdays at the Wadworth, for example, you generally do that and go home. People don't linger downtown, although the city is trying to change that.

However, West Hartford center does have that village component, where people walk around after dinner. Plenty of restaurants there as well.

Prospect Avenue on both the Hartford and West Hartford sides is one of the most desirable and posh streets in the area, if not Connecticut. The dangerous areas are a couple of miles further east, across the proverbial tracks and over the Park River.