[skytrekker]

Your link provides great information among the top 5% of the population.
We are comparing apples and oranges. The list above shows that the San Francisco bay area ranks first- would we disagree with that/ At least based on per capita income. Hartford at number 6th just behind Boston is not anything to be ashamed of.

You are comparing the link above (the ultra rich) and very small elite communities with very small populations - that are not standardized metropolitan areas. All the towns listed are I believe under 25,000 in population.

If you want to compare them on that merit alone- they are in fact very rich.
The information I posted is for the most part metro areas over 1 million - big difference in comparing a micro geographic economic region, to a macro geographic region- no? These communities represent among the richest in the nation- which accounts perhaps 1-3% of house hold incomes.

Trying to compare Hartford metro - that it fails to 'measure up' seems rather futile- these small towns are in fact very wealthy- but the Hartford metro region does in fact have a larger amount of its population with above average income and wealth- not just a few thousand. To try and make this type of comparison on that merit alone seems pointless and rather subjective.

Because Hartford metro does not have one of these 'wonderfully affluent' enclaves - and that it 'does not measure up' or is a 'bad place' to live is silly. The facts prove otherwise- and making such a comparison is to say the least snobbish.

[jeremeyk482]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

Your link provides great information among the top 5% of the population.
We are comparing apples and oranges. The list above shows that the San Francisco bay area ranks first- would we disagree with that/ At least based on per capita income. Hartford at at number 6th just behind Boston is not anything to be ashamed of.

You are comparing the link above (the ultra rich) and very small elite communities with very small populations - that are not standardized metropolitan areas. All the towns listed are I believe under 25,000 in population.

If you want to compare them on that merit alone- they are in fact very rich.
The information I posted is for the most part metro areas over 1 million - big difference in comparing a micro geographic economic region, to a macro geographic region- no?

Check your populations. Many of the towns have populations over 20,000 and the vast majority have a population of over 10,000. But even then, what's the population of Avon? Of Canton? Of Simsbury? Very similar to the average populations of all of these towns.

Didn't you say that Hartford has some of the richest towns in America? Haven't I proven that what you said isn't true?

[JViello]

Originally Posted by jeremeyk482

Ahh...here we go.

This is a bit dated (1998) but generally, many of the communities were the same in the 2005 list, I just can't find it right now. The only difference is that the prices are much higher now.

http://cp_lai.tripod.com/rich.htm

Oh, look! No Hartford County communities out of 250 towns!

What you said was that some of the Hartford suburbs are among the richest towns in America. You showing me wealthy metro areas is irrelevant as we were talking about specific communities.

Since when does median house pricing soley indicate the total "wealth" of an area? LOL Nice try.

And frankly who cares? Hartford is among one of the richest metros in the country. Period. Moderator cut: personal - off topic

[skytrekker]

Hey JV

how many can buy a house for the median price of 1.5 million dollars? GRIN

I think some should takes some courses in economic geography, as well as demography GRIN

In any case the towns listed at tripod are extremely rich- and on second glance many are part of the New York LI area, Boston, San Francisco bay area, L.A, Orange county, Chicagoland etc-

Even with Brookline MA being so rich, Boston is number 5 and Hartford number 6th for income- so whats the point-?

They are in fact geographically and economically an aberration, not a norm

[Golden1]

Areas surrounding Hartford like Glastonbury, Avon and Simsbury are indeed wealthy, but wealthy for Northern CT. What I mean is yes, you'll find million dollar homes (even more than that) and a population making six figures, but it's still on a whole more affordable and less "big" wealth then the suburbs of NYC (Westchester County etc etc), most of California, Boston area and Fairfield County CT. I could name more but I'd need proof - Seattle area and Chicago area are just guesses. No, matter how you slice it Hartford is not a major city and is third rate. Can this change? Yeah, but politics keeps screwing things up. Hartford as well as any CT city can be fixed from the damage done in the past but for now all we get is baby steps that turn into a step backwards. No CT native can argue there is potential and that potential is squandered by crooked powers that be such as our ex-governor.

But to get back to the topic there is indeed wealth in the surrounding Hartford towns but per capita competing with several major city areas like Boston and NYC I don't know. I believe it is probably less expensive when compared to NYC, Boston and California to buy a home in that region though if that helps anyone. Simsbury, Glastonbury and Avon are sought out areas in Northern CT and have outstanding schools. You can't get much better than those places if you ask me in terms of quality of life if you have the money and need to live near Hartford.

[jeremeyk482]

Originally Posted by JViello

Since when does median house pricing soley indicate the total "wealth" of an area? LOL Nice try.

And frankly who cares? Hartford is among one of the richest metros in the country. Period.

I understand that Hartford is among the wealthiest metros in the nation, and I touched on that. What I'm saying is the communities around Hartford are not among the richest suburbs in the country. As stated above, they are wealthy for Northern CT and the Hartford area, but compared to the nation as a whole, Avon, Simsbury, Canton, West Hartford and Glastonbury are a little above average. Upper middle class. Nothing to write home about. Period. Moderator cut: personal - off topic

Also, while Hartford is listed as among the wealthiest, keep in mind that other super wealthy metros aren't included because they're satellite cities in the shadows of a larger area, such as White Plains (NYC), Stamford/Bridgeport/New Haven (NYC), Orange County (LA), Fairfax VA (DC) and so on. So these extremely wealthy areas (probably more than double the housing cost and double the average income of the Hartford metro) are automatically excluded from this list that you're clinging onto by a thread.

What sky was doing was comparing Avon to a town like Beverly Hills, Greenwich, Palm Beach or Weston MA by saying "towns around Hartford are among the wealthiest in the nation". You can't compare.

Moderator cut: personal - off topic

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by Golden1

Areas surrounding Hartford like Glastonbury, Avon and Simsbury are indeed wealthy, but wealthy for Northern CT. What I mean is yes, you'll find million dollar homes (even more than that) and a population making six figures, but it's still on a whole more affordable and less "big" wealth then the suburbs of NYC (Westchester County etc etc)

This is from a competitor's web site, but the information isn't proprietary:

http://beta.prudentialct.com/downloads/sfs1stq2007.pdf

There are a few surprises. 1) Bridgeport's median is $250,000 which is higher than that of Bloomfield, Bristol, East Hartford, East Windsor, Enfield, Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Newington, Plainville, Wethersfield, Windsor, and Windsor Locks (13 of 29 towns in Hartford County); 2) Cornwall had the highest median price of all towns at $2,870,000 albeit a result of only two properties selling; and 3) the following town clarifications:

a) Bolton should be Tolland County not Hartford
b) Wilton (Fairfield County) = 0 transactions
c) North Canaan (Litchfield County) = 0 transactions
d) Woodbury (Litchfield County) = 0 transactions
e) Westbrook (Middlesex County) = 0 transactions
f) Woodbridge (New Haven County) = 0 transactions
g) Eastford (Windham County) = 0 transactions

[cool_mommy]

I have lived in CT all of my life, 30 something years. My husband has accepted a great job in Georgia and we can't wait to move. One thing that has always kept us here in CT are the great schools for our children. Well, I have done extensive research into the towns we were looking at in Georgia and their test scores meet and surpass CT. My husband and I were absolutely amazed at the curriculum the schools have to offer our kids in Georgia. They still offer the arts, sports and advanced courses our schools once offered and they start as early as pre-school. The school halls are filled with beautiful and creative works that the children spend a generous amount of time on. Georgia's state lottery funds the "Hope Scholarship", where any child graduating from a GA high school with a "B" average or better can attend a GA public college for free, for their entire college education. Too bad CT doesn't take the earnings from the casinos' slot machines to do the same or maybe take better care of the roads! The property taxes are half of what we currently pay in CT. Food and services are so much cheaper as well. We were told to expect to pay half of our current electric bill. The people are all so open, honest and friendly. They actually make eye contact! The crime rates in our new town and surrounding towns are extremely low and there is a strong police presence. We are selling our newer 2500 square foot home to buy a brand new 3600 square foot home on twice the acreage for 70,000 less. I can't believe we will live about 30 minutes from Atlanta, offering culture, activities and unlimited recreational opportunities. It's unfortunate that CT has little more than casinos to offer. I know there is more to CT than the casinos but there could be even more. CT has gone way down hill over the years and I place most of the blame on the corrupt officials that have served in office over the last two decades or so.

[Golden1]

Yeah, Cool_Mommy, I completely agree with CT being run into the ground. They are trying to take babysteps to fix things and rarely get anywhere.

[RAND915]

I just want to jump in on the whole "booming economy" "so many jobs" etc.

I am looking to start a career...in CT. I have an MBA, extensive work experience...and I am having the most difficult time finding a job. I am using all my contacts/connections and everything. Many of the jobs I'm coming across say that they prefer to hire from within for the position. Basically, if they can't move up someone already there, then they'll take a look at me.

I did not work in Insurance, so trying to get a job at Cigna, UnitedHealth Care, Aetna, and The Hartford is very difficult. Even the positions I'm over-qualified for require multiple years of insurance experience.

Basically, this isn't Boston and its not NY. The job market is tight everywhere - but I feel that up here in Boston there are just more options. To find a good job in CT, you have to do a lot of digging and networking. So many companies I've spoken to have out-of-date websites and some don't even have them! To me, an outsider and current job seeker, it seems there are X companies to work for and there are very limited jobs at these companies. I see a lot of work in Stamford and that area...however I'm going to be way up in Litchfield County and if I'm going commute over an hour and a half to work, I'll just work in NYC....which btw, I've thought about.

Especially from where I am going to live, the jobs are few and far away! I don't want to drive over an hour (no traffic) to work. I spend my days looking up companies I'd like to work for on Hoovers.com and hope that they have some small satellite office in Hartford.

After all this rambling, which most of this post is, I just want those who think getting a job in CT is easy/that there are plenty of jobs around to understand that is not the case. There seems to be an abundance of low-paying low-skill entry-level jobs. However, that is not what I am looking for.

p.s. anyone want to help me find a job???