[Noreastercat]

Can any Connecticut resident give me any information about where to rent a house, condo, etc. outside of Willimantic, Conn.? I don't want to live in Willimantic, but a city near that's rent-reasonable (not cheap). Safety is important, too, as well as grocery store locations, etc. Any newer residences in the area, or are they all old? Cannot locate too much information on the internet about housing, rents especially. Moving from Enterprise, Florida. Thanks to everyone.

[uconn99]

Willimantic is part of the town of Windham.

I would look into renting in Windham, Mansfield, or Columbia.

Why don't you want to live in Willimantic? The hill section is very nice and there are quite a few nice homes for rent or purchase.

Do you have children?

[Jessica Beganski]

The closest city is Norwich and you should be able to find apartments there.

If you don't have to live in a city, I'd suggest Colchester. It's a big town - with a few grocery stores, nice center, very reasonable and convenient. Rentals would be a little bit harder to find - you'd have to search local papers most likely.

Lastly, Willimantic is a section of a larger town - Windham. You wouldn't have to live within that section and there are apartments outside of the area.

[ctcoldplay11]

I agree completely with JB, it's good that you already know to avoid Willimantic - it's not a nice area to live. I'd also suggest Norwich or Colchester for more suitable areas to live.

[JViello]

Oh no...not this again.

Some say Willimantic is a h*ll hole. Other say it's decent and coming back.

I take care of the Willimantic Brewing Company on Main Street and from that perspective can tell you that Main Street is alive and well and coming back very nice.

Willimantic had a large influx of poor Puerto Rican folks (Not saying ALL Puerto Rican's are poor here) and that negatively affected the city. Since then they have done a lot to bring it back.

It all depends on your perspective. Some folks lock their doors and speed through, others raise an eyebrow and wonder what's wrong with the door lockers as they wander the along main street and visits the shops and eateries.

Another close city with lots of rentals is Manchester. You can get to Willimantic in about 20 minutes from Manchester on a leisurely backroad drive.

[Uconn97]

Originally Posted by ctcoldplay11

I agree completely with JB, it's good that you already know to avoid Willimantic - it's not a nice area to live. I'd also suggest Norwich or Colchester for more suitable areas to live.

Blah, blah, blah. Willimantic is fine, gritty in some areas, yes. There are plenty of regular folks and students there. The downtown area is nice. Compared to a lot of CT cities, its a paradise. I would second Manchester as an alternative though.

[Tetto]

Dont be afraid of Willimantic. It's not that bad at all. Granted there are some rougher areas, however if you drive around a little bit, you will find some really nice neighborhoods.

Colchester is also not a bad option, Lebanon (where I live), doesn't have much to offer in the way of rentals. There is a nice apartment complex on route 289 right across from Benders oil though.

[JViello]

Let me tell you something...if Willimantic comes back a little bit more, it's going to be one heck of a place to live!

The number of large victorian homes just waiting for a remodel are incredible. I'm shocked when I drive around the neighborhoods. Many places in the country would KILL for that housing stock.

The surrouding countryside is gorgeous along with being close to the shore and between Hartford and Providence.

I really hope the city continues on it's path.

[uconn99]

JViello, I completely agree with you. The hill section is amazing, just needs a tad bit more of love.

The main problem with Willimantic is the Town leadership is horrible. There is no zoning laws in place to prevent people from painting their house Pink like the one on Valley Street. Things like this need to be in place for a city to thrive IMO.

Main Street, while it is on the rebound still has a long ways to go. IMO there needs to be some national chains located downtown. While small mom and pop shops are great to have, people really want a name brand they know about, especially college kids.

How about a Gap or Old Navy downtown, a starbucks would do wonders for all the college kids. Eastern students need more than one reason to travel downtown except for Blarney's or Main Street Cafe.


People who think Willimantic is unsafe need to travel a bit and open their eyes. Violent crime is near nonexistent in the town. Most of the crime is drug related.

If you have school aged children I would suggest sending them to a private school until High School as the Windham school system does have some issues. The High school is a little better as kids from Columbia attend and make the school diverse. It does offer better college prep classes and athletics than surround towns for the most part.

[adamz]

I'd like to add my voice to those who feel that there is potential in Willimantic. There really are some beautiful sections, and it seems as though it wouldn't take much to bring the city back. It's got a really neat history- I found a site (Thread City - Home) that includes historical articles and discussion, and it's clear that there was a lot more going on when the mills were open and before great swaths of Main street were knocked down as part of "renovation".

One thing that I find incredibly perplexing is the project underway to build a "downtown" for Storrs. If some of the money were put instead into 1) an initial revitalization of Willimantic and 2) extra buses to/ from UConn, I think something good could happen.

Having said that, I do not choose to live there at present.