[njohnson]

Originally Posted by JViello

on the hiking off 66. I love the jaunt up to the Rock Bluffs near Guido's.

We hiked this one last year again and somehow got lost and ended up on Country Club Road! We didn't even know where we were, had to ask a couple in their house and when they told us we were on the other side of the mountain we nearly died

Originally Posted by Rich Lee

When Route 66 was widened and regraded two years ago from I-691 to Home Depot, it made a tremendous difference. There's very little traffic congestion along this stretch until you get past Home Depot/A&P.

It did make it faster up to around the Red Dog Saloon however it's a bit too much stop and go after that for me.

Now it's a bit late with so much infrastructure already built, it would cost tens if not hundreds of millions to implement a new system however what I think would work well in an ideal situation is what Savannah, GA has done with their route 17, its basically a highway that ends right in town with various exists along the route. It really doesn't destroy the character of town and we all know how picky they are down there with their historical codes.

I would have kept route 66 as is just going between East Main St. in Meriden to Main St. in Middletown and have 691 go below the reservoirs which would give it a much straighter course directly into downtown where it would end with a few exits along the way. If done right it wouldn't be a major eyesore, much like route 9 is hidden along it's route through some picturesque towns.

[tallandbuff]

Thanks for all the info. How is the crime rate in Middletown? Is it safe to walk around the streets?

[njohnson]

I don't know the definite crime numbers but I'd say the vast majority of town is safe to walk around in, even at night however the areas where I would avoid would be around North Main St and the roads parallel to them and the area where Main St. turns into S. Main St. to around Silver St can be downright shifty at night. The further you get away from downtown the more suburban it gets with larger properties and regular families. The crime also tends to go down as house values go up.

[MikefromCT]

I know Middletown pretty well, and if you're downtown you shouldn't be scared to travel through there on foot, even at night. Usually the streets are bustling with people - especially during the spring and summer - so it's not like you'd be the only one walking the streets. Last summer I was at a wedding down there, and the after party was at a hotel around the corner from Main Street. When I left to drive home at 2 a.m., the streets were crowded with people leaving the restaurants and bars. Even late at night this area is well-lit, so you should be fine. You might see or walk past a few rowdy drunks, or see someone trying to write their name in the snow. As for muggings or assaults? They usually don't happen downtown.

But the neighborhood immediately north of downtown can be rough. Still, there's little commercial investment here like there is on Main Street - so chances are you wouldn't even end up here. Areas south of Main are more stable. North of main, not so much.

[tallandbuff]

Ok thank you.

[tree6199]

Middletown is a small city with a thriving Main Street that really is the best part of the town. You can find everything in Middletown from million dollar homes to dumps that your dog wouldn't live in. One nice thing about Middletown is that the highways are very convenient to go almost anywhere. Both New York City and Boston are about 2 plus hours away.

Be careful about your choice of homes. If it looks seedy during the day, stay away at night! Do not live anywhere near the north end of Main St, or in ANY of the side streets in that area. Also I would not live in Westlake, which is near the Cromwell end of Middletown. I wouldn't advise living there. Lots of those apartments have been taken over by the state and are used as subsidised housing now, and there is a lot of crime there. There is even a thriving dog fighting group there.

Nice areas: Close to Weslyan university, on that side of Washington St., there are a lot of cool older homes, some small and some big. You could walk to Main St. I like that area. Pine Street is very nice. The south end of Middletown is pretty nice; the Randolph Road area and the side streets there. Weslyan Hills is a very nice middle income area in the south end of Middletown with middle income homes and condos and apartments with beautiful landscaping and walking and biking paths. I lived there for several years and I loved it. The public schools in Middletown are just O.K. Not great. Not bad.

The Connecticut River is pretty disgusting. It smells of sewage when there is a hard rain. But if you have young children there is a cool museum on Washington St. that is very popular. Middletown is very culterally and nationality diverse, which is really nice. Lots of different people of different races living together. Back in the early 1900's lots of Italians came over and settled in Middletown. Lots of their descendants are still here today.

[wanderintonc]

As a decades-long Middletown resident, I would agree with most all of the above post, with the exception of the section about Westlake. As a 13-year resident of Westlake (until last week, in fact) I found the area to be pleasant, quiet (for the density) and I never had any crime problems, with the exception of the theft of my GPS-which happens everywhere these days. All the apartments are privately owned, not by the state, although of course there are folks on Section 8 (the majority of whom are good citizens). I do know about the dog fighting group, where they are at, but it's not like they impacted my quality of life.

Westlake is a pretty good place to start out-nicest apartments in town by far-good location and country setting. We ended up buying a home not far from the area.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by wanderintonc

As a decades-long Middletown resident, I would agree with most all of the above post, with the exception of the section about Westlake. As a 13-year resident of Westlake (until last week, in fact) I found the area to be pleasant, quiet (for the density) and I never had any crime problems, with the exception of the theft of my GPS-which happens everywhere these days. All the apartments are privately owned, not by the state, although of course there are folks on Section 8 (the majority of whom are good citizens). I do know about the dog fighting group, where they are at, but it's not like they impacted my quality of life.

Westlake is a pretty good place to start out-nicest apartments in town by far-good location and country setting. We ended up buying a home not far from the area.

I agree. There is no serious crime problem in West Lake. I am not sure why the poster would even say that. Yes, there is some crime there, but not more than you would find in a middle-class area. Anyway West Lake is a great place to start out if you want a condo or apartment. Jay

[JViello]

Originally Posted by tree6199

Also I would not live in Westlake, which is near the Cromwell end of Middletown. I wouldn't advise living there. Lots of those apartments have been taken over by the state and are used as subsidised housing now, and there is a lot of crime there. There is even a thriving dog fighting group there.

The Connecticut River is pretty disgusting. It smells of sewage when there is a hard rain.

I would disagree with those two points. Westlake is pretty nice actually, and none of the complexes have been "taken over by the state", that's just outright false. Sorry.

Sewage in the CT river is another falsehood. Perhaps this person was smelling the treatment plant up the river about a mile, but it never makes it way into the river in CT as there have been VERY aggressive measures taken to stop the flow of raw sewage into the river.

Mass is another story, but we are now laser focused on forcing the Springfield area to stop their dumping as well.

Overall the water quality in the CT River has improved dramatically in the last two decades and continues to do so. In fact it's gone from a class D to a class B river in just 30 some years and gained American Heritage Rivers status in 1997.

Here is a federal report on the water quality in the CT River;

http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wrir03-4012...4012report.pdf

Page 21 and up shows contamination levels up to 2000 and the very large strides that were made up to that point. I would love to see a current report based on the trends this report shows.

There is also a website that shows water testing every two weeks - I don't have a link right now. Sorry.

[Connecticut Pam]

Middletown is a nice city. They actually still have a nice downtown area and haven't gone all Mall crazy. There is a large Italian population there and therefore several great Italian restaurants. The school system is good; have never heard any complaints. Wesleyan University is there so there is a big college population. My daughter-in-law is from Middletown and we have friends living there who have just purchased a nice home within the college campus area. You can actually walk through their downtown area and feel like you have gone to the city...I truly think you would like it there.