[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by seymourct

Derby has a lot of very lovely sections, especially up on the hill! As it is one of the smaller towns (from a square mile land area perspective) they have done quite a bit in the last 5 years and more is coming.

However, I will admit that there seems to be a mindset that folks from Derby and the town as a whole get a bad rap, not fair at all, but hard to stop negative rumors.

The news I heard about the downtown revitalization is that the developer and the town had a falling out and are headed to mediation. They want to do great things, but when the developer was finally allowed access to the back of the property (once some of the buildings were torn down) he apparantly had to revise his plans to accomodate the sheer drop off of the hillside down to the water's edge. Plus a few business owners have yet to be re-located out of the redevelopment area.

I'm not sure of the condition of the former buildings, but I think it's a shame that they tore down such awesome architecture instead of gutting and redoing them. Any idea on what the new buildings will be like? - hopefully not plywood and siding!

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

I'm not sure of the condition of the former buildings, but I think it's a shame that they tore down such awesome architecture instead of gutting and redoing them. Any idea on what the new buildings will be like? - hopefully not plywood and siding!

I could be wrong, but i think the developer is Starwood-Ceruzzi. That company is probably best known for constructing Stop&Shop's.

[uswith6]

Originally Posted by mewith3

adjustment?

I realize to a degree you get what you pay for, so there are things that Ct has is closer to than those states that you moved from. In general, how tight did you have to pull the "wallet strings"

Thanks!!

Anyone else want to comment on how long it took you to adjust to the cost of living increase?

Thanks

[seymourct]

I think it was supposed to be residential/retail mix, some quick scanning of the minutes of Derby redevel. meetings shows discussions of parking being changed due to the sheer cliff that the old buildings sat on that still needs to be built up. The retaining walls need work,and also the Army Corps of Engineers have a say due to the fact that the river has a levee there. Lets not forget the flood of 1955.

The old buildings were beautiful, but I don't suspect they were up to code, or even if the brick/mortar would have stood up to being powerwashed.

It goes on that when they ammended plans they changed the number of residential units, which changed the govt. funding of the plan, which leaves someone holding the bag....yadda yadda yadda ... money makes the world go 'round.

Anyway to the OP.... how tight your wallet strings will be pulled depends on where your coming from.

[usmcfamily]

We have been here a year now- moving up from SC. Originally, we thought big salary increase would cover cost of living - we were wrong! I think it will depend on where you live - we bought in Fairfield County for a short commute to work. Almost anywhere else in the state is more affordable. I have found everything here is more expensive than places we have previously lived including San Diego, No. VA, and Hilton Head areas. Expect to be taxed on everything! Oil is efficient but very expensive to heat your home with. My biggest disappointment is that I don't have money leftover to update/decorate my home with!

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by mewith3

Anyone else want to comment on how long it took you to adjust to the cost of living increase?

Thanks

Obviously that will vary a lot. I got a huge pay increase when I moved to CT but it still took several years for our finances to catch up from the hit they took from buying an expensive Fairfield County house. (And I live a long way from work; I simply couldn't afford to buy a house any closer. The long commute adds to the expenses of working and living here.)

[kristin1]

We moved from Bergen County, NJ, so we are very happy with the cost of living in CT! We have a much nicer home with more land than we would have ever been able to afford in NJ, at a big tax cut too .

[mrspink]

Anyone moved from Ohio to CT? (or the midwest in general) Just curious if you had as hard of a time as others adjusting...

How are teaching jobs in CT? They can't be worse than here in Ohio! And what is the appx. salary?

[uswith6]

Originally Posted by mrspink

Anyone moved from Ohio to CT? (or the midwest in general) Just curious if you had as hard of a time as others adjusting...

How are teaching jobs in CT? They can't be worse than here in Ohio! And what is the appx. salary?

State Department of Education (http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/cedar/cedar/staff/salary/staff_salary_02-06.htm - broken link)


Staff Data State Department of Education

try these: hope it helps

we are looking at moving from Michigan - so our change would be similar to yours

[vvolin]

We moved from Fort Lauderdale, FL. Therefore, we already were in an expensive place. However, it was shocking to realize that groceries and alcohol run about 30% higher in Glastonbury, CT. Gas is also much more expensive and so is electricity. We paid much higher property taxes in FL, but we did not have a state tax. On the other hand, you get a lot more house for the same amount here compared to FL. And, finally, in Florida I sent my children to private school at a horrifying $13,000 a year (each...), while here we can count on decent public schools. All in all, I think we still spend more here than in FL, even after counting for a higher salary.