[waste]

Hi,

I will be moving for a job in Hartford, CT, and want to know where I should live. I am a young professional (29, single, m), and coming from NYC. After some reading, I am not too impressed with what I have read about downtown Hartford's "life" on nights and weekends.

I am looking for a city/town with a vibrant young crowd, good nightlife, and good weekend hangout places, or at least with things to do. I am seriously considering New Haven, but the commute seems a little long (esp. with traffic), and I don't know how much of a step-up it would be from Hartford. If anyone has done that commute, please let me know what you think of it (and if there is feasible public transport between the two).

Does anyone have any suggestions as to where would be the best place for me to live? Is New Haven feasible (I will be working fairly long hours)? What are the other places near Hartford that I should consider under the circumstances? Should I consider living in Hartford?

Thank you for any advice!

[KH02]

New haven to Hartford would not be a commute many people would want to make EVERY day...

My opinion is Middletown...closer then New Haven and it has a downtown area with shops and restaurants, and has a young vibe to it as well.

[AmyBergquist]

New Haven to Hartford would be about a 45 minute commute to Hartford, without traffic.

Middletown would be about a 30 minute commute to Hartford, without traffic.

If you're not thrilled with what you hear about Hartford, consider West Hartford.

[Uconn97]

I would agree with middletown, but you may be dissapointed in any CT city since you are coming from NYC. FYI - my wife did the new haven to hartford commute for a few years and it got really old, really fast. Throw in a rainy day or some snow and forget it!

[chicago_bound]

i would suggest west hartford. its right next to hartford and has a great downtown little vibe with shopping, restaurants etc. I agree with the other posters who say new haven to hartford would be a bad idea for commuting. Although New haven is the best city in CT in my opinion.

[Uconn97]

I think West Hartford is a good option as well, but check it out first. I wouldn't exactly say it has a "happening" downtown. Once you've done the few bars and restaurants in the center there isn't much of a nightlife if you really think about it.

[JayCT]

First of all, you will not find anything like the night life in New York anywhere other than a few of the larger citys in this country. Hartofrd is comparable to most other city's of it's size so I would not be swayed by what some people post. New Haven's night life is better, but IMHO only maginally so and certainly not worth the commute. I would have to agree with the others that you might consider one of the smaller towns like West Hartford or Middletown but keep in mind even these places do not have the nightlife of New York. Middletown would allow you access to both Hartford and New Haven though and even help with trips into New York. I lived there when I was young and single for that very reason. Good luck, Jay

[waste]

Thanks to all the posts so far.

To clarify, while I am coming from NYC, I do not expect anything resembling it in CT, so no worries on that account. I am merely looking for a "lively" place with a good number of young people hanging out at night and on weekends -- doesn't even have to be bars (I read elsewhere that Hartford itself is pretty dead in the weekends, which is what prompted my worries). For example, I just like that there are young people hanging out in parks, cafes, and just "outside" in New Haven.

So far, Middletown and West Hartford seem to be the major places to consider. Should Hartford itself be out of the list, or does anyone think it's not that bad (and not much worse than any of the other places mentioned)?

Any further advice is still very welcomed. Thank you all again

[Uconn97]

Okay now that you clarified, I think west hartford would fit the bill and middletown too. I think hartford is fine, but not a ton of people really "hanging" out since retail is limited, there aren't a ton of cafe's and hang out type places etc. I'm hopeful that will change, but for now I just don't see it.

[Jessica Beganski]

I'll jump on the bandwagon too - New Haven's nightlife is better than Hartford's but I also don't think it would be worth the daily commute of 45 minutes plus.

West Hartford would be ideal for you but Middletown would be easier and faster to get to New Haven from, and would be cheaper to live in. It's an eclectic community with Wesleyan in town and some cool places to go to. Neither has a great nightlife feel - but both have walkable downtown areas with restaurants.

The one thing you'll have to get used to in living around here is that you should expect a lot of driving to get to and from nightlife. There aren't too many condensed areas of evening activities that you can walk to and from - unless you like going to the same places night after night.