[rs1]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I do not see any "hate" being directed towards West Haven at all. It is a fact that the schools in West Haven perform well below the State average on the Connecticut Mastery and Connecticut Academic Performance tests. This is also true for the other towns recommended (east Hartford and Norwalk). Also the article does not give "the numbers". It just references some vague statistics that do not really make sense. If you read the comments that have been added to the article, most people are question the validity of the results. Jay

The article states:
relative safety was measured by the "total crime risk," an index of the combined risks of rape, murder, assault, robbery, burglary, larceny, and vehicle theft. Crime scores were based on demographic and geographic analyses of crime over seven years. School performance was based on state reading and math test scores and came from Great Schools. Zoo data came from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, and museum, theater, park, and recreation information came from InfoUSA. Air quality information came from the Environmental Protection Agency, household expenditures and diversity data were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, and job growth data came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Source: OnBoard Informatics.

When you cite "vague statistics that do not really make sense", what is your basis for making that statement? The test scores you keep mentioning are included in the analysis. You're proving my point, which is that because these rankings, based on a quantitative analysis, don't match some people's preconceived notions, they believe this whole exercise is completely invalid. Should people choose their next home only on the basis of this list? Of course not. They should get opinions from people for the qualitative factors that pure numbers don't capture. However, I don't think it's fair to dismiss this ranking because it doesn't foot with your opinions.

And "hate" was too strong a word, but "negativity" seems fair.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by rs1

Huh? Affordability is not the ONLY criteria. It's not just a ranking of the cheapest places to live.

In the beginning of the article it says the following:

"Bear in mind with this list, the organizing principle was affordability".

[Lincolnian]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

I'm one of the few here who has actually recommended West Haven and i do agree that it's decent considering its affordability, but, there's no way in hell that the "stats" could deem Norwalk to be affordable. By their "criteria", Milford is less affordable than Norwalk. Uhh, no sorry. Wrong.

I just bought a home in West Haven 600 feet from the water with beautiful views of Long Island Sound and Long Island from my front porch. I can walk to several restaurants and pick up the bus on the corner to get around town or go into New Haven. A comparable home in a more affluent nearby community would be 3 to 5 times the price!

The beaches surrounding Bradley Point Park are perhaps the best in Connecticut and filled with local residents in the summer. West Haven also offers numerous festivals, concerts and other activities for the residents throughout the summer and early fall.

The schools, though lower performing than many more affluent cities and towns in Connecticut, reflect more economically and ethnically diverse populations than most of the higher performing districts. Anyone who thinks that poverty does not have an impact on a district's educational performance obviously has not had direct experience teaching in those environments. Regardless, Connecticut's schools perform in the top 10% of all states in the country in general so West Haven's schools would generally outperform the majority of schools in the country.

[Uconn97]

I say, horray! Its about time someone looked at the "other towns" that make up the state of CT and not just the hoity toity ones that everyones always recommending or "trying to get into". Perhaps if more people lived where they could actually afford to live we wouldn't be in the mortgage mess we are in today!

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by rs1

The article states:
relative safety was measured by the "total crime risk," an index of the combined risks of rape, murder, assault, robbery, burglary, larceny, and vehicle theft. Crime scores were based on demographic and geographic analyses of crime over seven years. School performance was based on state reading and math test scores and came from Great Schools. Zoo data came from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, and museum, theater, park, and recreation information came from InfoUSA. Air quality information came from the Environmental Protection Agency, household expenditures and diversity data were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, and job growth data came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Source: OnBoard Informatics.

When you cite "vague statistics that do not really make sense", what is your basis for making that statement? The test scores you keep mentioning are included in the analysis. You're proving my point, which is that because these rankings, based on a quantitative analysis, don't match some people's preconceived notions, they believe this whole exercise is completely invalid. Should people choose their next home only on the basis of this list? Of course not. They should get opinions from people for the qualitative factors that pure numbers don't capture. However, I don't think it's fair to dismiss this ranking because it doesn't foot with your opinions.

And "hate" was too strong a word, but "negativity" seems fair.

The basis for my statements is information available from the Connecticut Department of Education, a source I often reference for people seeking information on schools in the state. The link to that website is below:

Strategic School Profiles by District

As you can see West Haven schools perform significantly below the state averages on standardized tests. This is a fact.

The same goes for other towns on that list. Why were communities with better rated schools systems ignored in this article? Fairfield's schools perform much better than Norwalk and home prices are comparable. so why does the article not identify Fairfield? Similarly, West Hartford schools perform better than East Hartford and home prices there are certainly less than Norwalk's, yet it is not listed. I also think if you looked at the comments posted on this article you will see a LOT of comments questioning this articles recommendations, not only in CT but across the country. Jay

[Uconn97]

I really wouldn't be relying on the "comments section of the article" for any informed decision making. Comments like the one I pulled below just prove the stupidity of people who post on these articles...

"The 3 towns they listed for us don't even rank in the top 40 in the state for school systems but they do rank up there in places where you are most likely to get shot in CT"

[patty4]

Yahoo! Born and raised in West Haven, and proud of it. This city has alot to offer. We have nice beaches, Senior center, senior housing, early childhood programs, new development on Sawmill Rd., a train station on its way, affordable housing, and above all, there are plenty of teachers in our school system that go above and beyond to educate and support our children. Don't knock it 'til you try it!

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by Lincolnian

The schools, though lower performing than many more affluent cities and towns in Connecticut, reflect more economically and ethnically diverse populations than most of the higher performing districts.

Exactly. Which is why i always suggest that people who are hesitant about buying in a town with "marginal" schools look at the data for the particular schools that their children would be attending. It's quite possible that the schools that serve a high-end neighborhood in a marginal town, may in fact be better than the schools in a starter neighborhood of one of the coveted towns.

[MikefromCT]

If cheap, affordable housing were only the basis for determining this study, then maybe that would be a fair assessment in how they came up with these towns. But as somone who knows East Hartford well, I can say that while it does have some decent areas, overall it's not a town I would want to raise a family. Crime is an issue here, has been for some time. And right now the town is fighting tooth and nail to prevent another topless bar - excuse me, "gentlemen's club" - from opening in town. Which is unfortunate, because it seems the town is trying to bounce back. They have Rentschler Field which is great, and they cleaned up the area around Goodwin College near the water, but it seems every time they take a step forward there's something that happens that causes it to take two steps back.

As far as West Haven goes, I don't really know enough about it to form an opinion on it. Norwalk is definitely not affordable for an average, middle-class family. Just because it's cheaper than most other towns in Fairfield County doesn't mean it's inexpensive. Is it cheaper than Westport or Darien? Yes. But it's not cheap.It has nice neighborhoods, many of which are walkable, and they've cleaned up SoNo quite a bit, but I'm still not convinced this town should be ona list if it includes affordability. How are the schools in this town, by the way?

[mels]

As a former West Haven resident, this news is laughable. WH is known locally for its subpar public school system. Due to its crime rate, watch your car insurance premium skyrocket (compared to most other CT towns) when you claim a WH address. This further proves my point that these lists are incredibly flawed. I claimed the same thing when Rocky Hill, Colchester, and Tolland topped other "Best" lists in recent years, so I am not completely biased just because this concerns WH.

Don't get me wrong, I lived in a nice area of WH, but best place to raise kids? HA! Best compared to what?