[jerseymama]

My husband and I have been researching moving from the very expensive Northern NJ area to Eastern CT for years. We are finally ready to do it, as our home is now under contract and we have found new construction in Colchester, Ct. Does anyone have any info. on living in this town? We have a 17 month old daughter and hope to add to our family in the near future, so obviously schools are important. We had considered East Lyme and Hebron, however, it was diffiuclt to find what we were looking for in our price range. I know EL is noted for their schools and Hebron is very much up and coming. From what I can gather so far, Colchester is really booming right now too.

Any advice? We are near contract signing and this is quite a nerve-wracking situation.....we are leaving all friends and family behind!

Thanks!

[skytrekker]

I am one of the eastern Connecticut 'advocates' here.

Colchester (population 15,000) is a 'fast growing' town for Connecticut- but the growth is not spiraling out of control, with endless subdivisions, strip malls, and traffic problems.

The Bacon Academy HS is highly thought of.

They have some new homes, and a few age restricted condo's, but the town is not really all that different from when I knew it years ago. Driving through recently I saw they enlarged the very attractive stone Library, and made improvements on Main Street. The town has lost none of its small town New England flavor.

The town has a nice center green with a Gazebo. There are seasonal festivals. There is also has a winery- with some very good vintages ; see http://www.ctwine.com/priam.html There is a major super market (Super Stop & Shop) Another smaller market, A CVS, A Starbucks, Some good restaurants, A McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts and the town has a decent array of services. There is a nice modern movie- plex- and small store shopping in town. If you want big box stores or a Mall- the Crystal Mall in Waterford, near New London- is about 20- 25 minutes away. Further afield 40-45 minutes away just east of Hartford is the Manchester/ South Windsor complex of shopping offering a more upscale experience.

Devils Hopyard State Park is nearby, for picnics, Camping etc.

Colchester is a nice town- that is A popular place for newcomers from outside of the state- but all of eastern CT is being slowly being 'discovered'- but is still relatively 'unknown'- lets hope we keep it that way.

Colchester is not far from New London/Groton and the beaches on the shoreline- but only 25-30 minutes from Hartford via route 2. You have made a good decision- relax- traffic is a breeze in town- there is no congestion. life is going to be much slower then northern NJ- hope you like it subdued.

[mels]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

I am one of the eastern Connecticut 'advocates' here.

Same here, although I will admit my bias as I moved to the area somewhat recently. In fact I am your neighbor to the north in Marlborough!

I agree with everything sky has said. There is a lot of new construction in Colchester, it has a nice town center, you have grocery shopping in town, and word on the street is that the schools there are solid. If you need access to big box stores, Waterford is a short drive away where they have an OK mall and lots of stores around it (Target, BJs, WalMart...all of the usual big boxes).

Good luck on the move!

[KirbyJRT]

Are you moving just because of the expense of northern NJ? I lived in Colchester for neary 3 years, prior to my divorce. It is a fantastic place to live. Centered between the shore and Hartford. Very convenient place to live, plus there is Harry's. A year or so ago it ended up number 57 in the top places to live in the country. Housing is a mish-mosh, as our realtor referred to it, but that doesn't concern you since you are building new. Good luck with your move. If you are looking for peace and quiet, welcome home. I actually convinced my ex to move from Simsbury to Colchester. She absolutely loves it. So I guess I still have one gold star

[Johnny CT]

Jerseymama,

Welcome to CT!! I have a lot of family in Northern NJ and I have always felt that NJ and CT are like brother and sister states. Culturally the states are very similar.

I will give you this tip, if you miss the city you can drive to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun and catch one of the Chinatown bus to Manhattan. They are only $10 round trip.

Also you might want to keep an eye on what is happening in Norwich. There are a lot of developments being proposed, I believe an amusement park and some hotels.

Best of luck.

[JiminCT]

Good trout fishing nearby in Colchester on the Salmon River. Colchester, Hebron, and Marlborough are developing quite rapidly, but they still keep their agrarian roots somewhat. There used to be a lot of Jewish-owned egg and poultry farms out that way. They sort of had a Catskills like atmosphere out there..complete with farms and resorts in nearby East Haddam and Moodus. Really cool area and quite an easy jaunt to the CT and RI beaches too.

[KirbyJRT]

We all forgot to mention the Air Line Rail Trail. Great place to ride your bike, take a walk, jog and ride horses.

[jerseymama]

Wow....
thanks so much for your input; so much more helpful than just speaking with realtors. I feel much better having an insider's view of the schools and surrounding areas.

[jerseymama]

Originally Posted by KirbyJRT

Are you moving just because of the expense of northern NJ? I lived in Colchester for neary 3 years, prior to my divorce. It is a fantastic place to live. Centered between the shore and Hartford. Very convenient place to live, plus there is Harry's. A year or so ago it ended up number 57 in the top places to live in the country. Housing is a mish-mosh, as our realtor referred to it, but that doesn't concern you since you are building new. Good luck with your move. If you are looking for peace and quiet, welcome home. I actually convinced my ex to move from Simsbury to Colchester. She absolutely loves it. So I guess I still have one gold star

Yes, the expense is part of it; the other part is the "hub-bub". Kind of a rat race here, and up there, you can get so much more for your money. we could never even think of building new in our area now. I am wondering what Harry's is? Thanks for the feedback....so helpful!

[KirbyJRT]

Harry's is a fast food restaurant on the main drag. A "famous" place. Once spring and summer come along it's packed. Old fashioned fast food. Everyone from soccer mom's to bikers grab a bite to eat. Route 85 is a path that people use to hit the Niantic area of the Long Island Sound. One of the reasons we moved there. 30 minutes and I was in my boat fishing. Stripers, Blues, Fluke and the fall brings in the False Albies....