[radraja]

I'm looking to relocate next year, and Connecticut has always appealed to me. It seems like a really beautiful place, with lots of lakes, nice houses, good schools, etc.

However, I'm not sure which areas will have the most job opportunities in a variety of fields. My first guess was Hartford, but I'm assuming that most people live in suburban towns and commute for work? On that note, my tentative list to look at for housing includes West Hartford, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Manchester, and Burlington.

But I'm also looking for other ideas in different part of the state. Milford, Danbury, Hamden, and Fairfield seem like good choices as well. What are the job opportunties like in these parts of the state?

If anyone can tell me more about the towns I'm looking at, or recommend some nice areas, I'd really appreciate it.

[CoolStrom]

Hi Friend,

Try Milford- you are not in Fairfiled county, but you have a flair of it, plus you are closer to New Haven, Stamford and you can commute to New York city..it is on a shoreline, so its very desierable place and it has one of the biggest conceneration of retail stores including the post mall on Route 1..There is a lot of upscale immigrant population selecting milford..and did i mention nice town green?

HTH, Dhaval

[skytrekker]

Your questions address a broad geographic area in even a tiny state like Connecticut. I see you are in Las Vegas NV- which has been one of the hottest places to live in recent years for job growth and more.

Connecticut has areas that are pricey- but less so then southern California, this being in Fairfield county. The rest of the state has home prices less then Las Vegas.

New Haven being around 290K ,Hartford around 242K and eastern CT about what Hartford is. North western CT in parts is reasonable.

Greater Hartford will have home prices cheapest east of the CT river. Towns like Manchester, South Windsor, Vernon, Ellington, Bolton vary in size, but generally offer a good quality of life, with good to excellent schools, low crime and great local services.

West Hartford, and towns west of Hartford offer perhaps a more upscale ambience, excellent schools but higher home prices.

Rocky Hill was voted as one of the best smaller towns in the USA to live, as was Somers in Tolland county.

Milford and Hamden in New Haven county offer much- with higher home prices, while Danbury and Fairfield in Fairfield county are great places to live with a higher cost of living then areas to the northeast.

[JayCT]

Not knowing what your profession is makes it difficult to comment on job opportunities. There are many jobs in Stamford and they pay very well, but housing is very expensive there and unless you are a top executive, it may be too much. New Haven and Hartford are nice small cities and home prices are a lot more reasonable in relation to pay. Milford is located between Stamford/Bridgeport and New Haven and offers an opportunity to work in either area. Another option may be central Connecticut. Towns like Middletown are located where you could commute to either HArtford, New Haven or Waterbury, plus Fairfield County. Again, not knowing more of what you are looking for makes it difficult to help. Good luck, Jay

[radraja]

Thanks for the input so far.

Business and finance opportunities are what I'm primarily looking for, leaning more towards finance (for the boyfriend). However, he doesn't want to commute to NYC for work everyday. That said, is the Hartford area our best bet? Or are there plenty of financial firms/corporations/etc. in the southern cities as well?

My work is more related to non-profit organizations / public advocacy. A lot of my work is computer based, so location doesn't matter quite as much for me, although being close to a city wouldn't hurt.

As for my current locale...well, the rapid growth we're experiencing in Las Vegas is exactly what I want to get away from. Job opportunities are important, but I'd like a more stable atmosphere to live in.

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by radraja

Thanks for the input so far.

Business and finance opportunities are what I'm primarily looking for, leaning more towards finance (for the boyfriend). However, he doesn't want to commute to NYC for work everyday. That said, is the Hartford area our best bet? Or are there plenty of financial firms/corporations/etc. in the southern cities as well?

My work is more related to non-profit organizations / public advocacy. A lot of my work is computer based, so location doesn't matter quite as much for me, although being close to a city wouldn't hurt.

As for my current locale...well, the rapid growth we're experiencing in Las Vegas is exactly what I want to get away from. Job opportunities are important, but I'd like a more stable atmosphere to live in.

NYC is of course one of the finance capitals of the world (the other is London)
And south western CT -Fairfield county is a region with many finance jobs available, with the outflow from NYC.

New Haven is more health care, bio tech, and academic (Yale)

The Hartford area has jobs in Insurance and Finance- accountants, marketing, sales, Law/legal are a few of the needs of employers, which include Insurance companies, banks, and investment firms. Health care and education are also very much in demand.

Southwestern CT is more hectic then the Hartford area, and housing costs are almost double. Bridgeport/Norwalk/Fairfield (NAR stats 2nd quarter 2007) have the median home price over 475K. Hartford metro is around 242K.

So for cost the Hartford area is far less expensive- has has as many cultural and recreational opportunities and a more subdued lifestyle.

Non profits in the Hartford area are many and varied and have a long history of helping people and animals.