[dipsy114]

Hi All,

I will be moving alone from New Jersey to Hartford next week. I will be working in Hartford Downtown. My husband can hopefully relocate to CT only around Christmas. I am temporarily looking at sharing space till end of DEc.

Manchester, Ct is a good place and we would eventually rent there, however till such time I want to know if renting in Hartford Downtown is safe. Also note I wont have a car for the first couple of months. Also how pricey is the parking in Hartford Downtown.

I will need to come to Jersey on weekends to be with my family till things sort out. I am not sure if Manchester has direct buses to NYC for my weekdn trips or even has local transporatation to Hartford Downtown.

Any input would be highly appreciated! thank you.

[KH02]

Since your a woman and alone, I personally would advise against living in Hartford.
Manchester does sound like a better bet for you.
Though I'm unsure of the public transit their. So hopefully someone else can inform you on that.

[JayCT]

I disagree. Downtown Hartford is pretty safe, just stick to the major streets. There is the Residence Inn downtown which I believe caters to extended stays.

Manchester would also be good but it is going to be hard to live there without a car. There are buses into Hartford. Check Connecticut Transit for service but be sure to live near a line into Hartford if you do not have a car.

Also getting to New Jersey will be hard. You would have to take a bus into Hartford, then either another bus to NJ or take Amtrak to New York. From there, depending where you are going you could either stay on Amtrak to Newark or switch to NJ Transit. Good luck, Jay

[uconn99]

Since your a woman and alone, I personally would advise against living in Hartford.
Manchester does sound like a better bet for you.
Though I'm unsure of the public transit their. So hopefully someone else can inform you on that.

Downtown Hartford is fine to live and probably the best option. It is not different than any other urban downtown, just use common sense.

[goldenband]

Another advantage to living downtown is that it's basically the nexus of area public transportation, so you should be able to get most places you'll need to go. For example, if the shopping options in Hartford fall short, there's an easy bus that runs along Farmington Ave. into West Hartford.

[jbheavyhitter]

Hartford 21 is very nice from what I have heard. Most downtown apartment complexes tend to be rather expensive though. Downtown Hartford is safe as long as you stay within downtown and not stray, which I don't know why you would. Bus lines also go from downtown to west hartford(plenty of shopping), rocky hill(strip mall shopping) among other places. I cannot be too sure on how it would get you to train/subway to get back to NJ.

[hartford_renter]

Downtown is generally pretty safe, you can walk around downtown in the day, at night you are generally OK as well.

One thing to note during the weekends in the daytime the downtown is completely dead on Sundays nothing is open it is kind of eary. There are about 2K people with apartments downtown and they probably need more.

Parking downtown is pretty expensive, the dirt lots are the cheapest, I think about 50$ per month or about 5$ per day, there is covered parking too but that is more expensive.

Manchester has a direct bus into downtown, it is pretty convienient and runs about every 25min from 630am to 6pm. You can check CTtransit.com for more info.

[dipsy114]

Thanks a lot everyone! You suggestions were really helpful,however I have discovered a ne w twist to the story. My work location may actually be Southington, CT & not downtown Hartford which complicates the whole thing " me without a car ".

Any new suggestions for places to live near Southington? Manchester is still a option though I will need to car to drive the 20 mile stretch.

[JayCT]

I would not recommend commuting from Manchester to Xouthington. It is a long commute and would involve traveling through Hartford which can be difficult during rush hour. There are many very nice places closer to Southington to live than Manchester. I would recommmend considering Southington itself which has a number of apartment complexes and rentals. I do think that you will need a car there though. You might want to ask your employer about transit bues available to the location you will be working and then look for housing on that route. Good luck, Jay