[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Jpierpont

some parts of the region don't see us as being apart of New England.

This is true, though I disagree with those who think that. Geographically, we are. There are even some New Yorkers who consider themselves part of New England.

[politricks]

[quote=MikefromCT;8131736]What, nobody wants to nominate Bridgeport?

But seriously,.....
I'll nominate Bridgeport. The city has two parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. One of which has a beautiful beach where you can sunbath, play volleyball,kayak, etc... Not only that, but very soon they are going to start ferry service to Pleasure Beach (a gem on the coast). Every weekend top artists from Latin America + Jamaica pass through BPT. Up and coming hip hop artists from NYC always play the clubs here before they get big. Now that 2 boots is here we get a lot of really good indie rock bands. The Klein and the Arena get some good shows too.Soon we are going to get an indie movie theater that will be showing documentary, foreign, and indie films. Kids love to visit the zoo. There is a really good fine dining scene here......French, Italian, Spanish, Brazilean, Puerto Rican, Jamaican, Cambodian, Mexican, etc.....During the warmer months you have both Dolphin Cove and Captain Cove for great spots on the water to grab a beer, east some seafood, watch the game, enjoy the the water, both working class and very wealthy boaters dock there boats there. Interesting mix of people. The Bronx is about a 40 minute drive, so NYC entertainment is there too.

[hartford_renter]

Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc

I'd have to say if you take crime out of the question, New Haven would be #1, hands-down. New Haven feels like a much bigger city--with the bars, excellent options of food, museums, arts, and nightlife in general. But, the city has few good neighborhoods that are safe (just 2 come to mind, really--East Rock/Westville).
Hartford has a lot of culture, but is too dead after 6pm to really be in the running, although it is the capital of the state. Plus the crime in Hartford is just embarrassing for a state capital.
Stamford would be the ideal choice, but it doesn't have the action of New Haven, or the cultural attractions as does Hartford. Stamford is by far the safest large city in CT--one of the safest in the US for its size.
So, my pick would be New Haven--just a a bit too much crime here.

Yup.. Have to agree with that 100%. New Haven is the closest thing to most peoples idea of a real city... nightlife, culture, restaurantes.

Hartford's real problem as others have stated is that it does not have the "critical mass" of people it needs to sustain and is ... dead after 6pm each day. Cant really explain on why New Haven is not the same way, maybe because it has Yale University?

[Hartford896]

As the others have said each is a best in a certain area:

New Haven has the edge in terms of culture mostly because of the presence of Yale

New Haven has the best downtown--Stamford's downtown is coming along nicely, Hartford's downtown is unfortunately still a bit of an urban office park (I live there).

Stamford is the safest. I actually feel least safe in New Haven, because it seems the boundaries there between good and bad neighborhoods can be very murky. In Hartford, though the crime rate may be higher in the bad areas than elsewhere, you have a good idea of where to go and not to go.

Bridgeport probably has the best waterfront but is not using it to its potential.

Stamford is probably the most monied, which I like but others might not. From my visits, it appears to have the biggest young professional base. It probably also has the best overall housing stock (Hartford, New Haven, and New London have nice sections--West End, South End, Westville, East Rock, Ocean Beach but a lot of blight too)



My verdict would be the rank Stamford the highest on the whole:

-it's situated between the cultural attractions of New Haven and New York and accessible by train
-it's got the most safe neighborhoods, and many nice older houses
-it's on the water
-it's got the least poverty
-I would wager it has the best public schools should that be a concern

[Hartford896]

Originally Posted by Jpierpont

Those are all rather suburban except for Mystic. I don't think CT has been know for the classic New England village for a whil, some parts of the region don't see us as being apart of New England.

Agree with you on Farmington, Simsbury being surburban, not villages.

Authenticity and what you consider to be authentic or classic is always at issue...if it has curio/touristy type shops in it, is it still classic?

Your answer would qualify or disqualify a place like, say, Essex.

Still if we want to get into the real idea of a village (this might deserve its own thread)...a very little town out in the country WITHOUT a suburban feel, well, there are a few left. When I think of classic New England villages in Connecticut I think of places/towns like:

Lyme (Hamburg)
Bethany
Abington
Pomfret
Hampton
Canterbury
Lebanon
Woodstock
Goshen
Morris
Washington

We're literally talking a village green, a post office, a general store, a church, and a couple of old houses and no definable connection to a city, where once you drive away from the central area you're out in the woods or fields/farms.

There are plenty of places that used to be like this 50 years ago and now the woods are full of subdivisions (like Simsbury). So while you can say they have a village "feel" they also have a population of 25,000; not 2,000 like Lyme.

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by Hartford896

Agree with you on Farmington, Simsbury being surburban, not villages.

Authenticity and what you consider to be authentic or classic is always at issue...if it has curio/touristy type shops in it, is it still classic?

Your answer would qualify or disqualify a place like, say, Essex.

Still if we want to get into the real idea of a village (this might deserve its own thread)...a very little town out in the country WITHOUT a suburban feel, well, there are a few left. When I think of classic New England villages in Connecticut I think of places/towns like:

Lyme (Hamburg)
Bethany
Abington
Pomfret
Hampton
Canterbury
Lebanon
Woodstock
Goshen
Morris
Washington

We're literally talking a village green, a post office, a general store, a church, and a couple of old houses and no definable connection to a city, where once you drive away from the central area you're out in the woods or fields/farms.

There are plenty of places that used to be like this 50 years ago and now the woods are full of subdivisions (like Simsbury). So while you can say they have a village "feel" they also have a population of 25,000; not 2,000 like Lyme.

Well, the towns that you speak of are most likely to be found in Eastern CT, particularly along the shoreline. Other similar towns can be found dotted throughout the state.

I admit that Farmington and Simsbury are suburbs, but they've also set aside huge amounts of open space that are restricted from development so they still have a rural feel, even if it doesn't fall within the population limitations you mentioned. This is especially true of Simsbury - to the point where they've been accused of having an anti-development bias. Every year when the town votes on the budget one of the items on the agenda is the acquisition of large swaths of land to restrict it from development - and the town council always OK's the purchase, defecit or not. It's unrealistic to expect that these towns perpetuate modest populations of 2,000 or less. They haven't been this low since the 1920s.

You might want to give Tolland a look - there's about 12,000 people (more than what you had stated) but it does still fit the description of what you spoke of earlier - town green, one post office, one or two churches, etc.

Re: Bridgeport - I was just kidding. Actually I think this city is in much better shape now than it was 15 years ago. They still have a long road ahead of them in terms or improvements - structural, economic, environmental and eleswhere - but they're on the right track. That it's close to New York City is a huge asset. It's also the last frontier in terms of affordable real estate in lower Fairfield County, and I would not be surprised if that changes in the next few years.

[john_starks]

i vote New Haven

[Hartford896]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

Well, the towns that you speak of are most likely to be found in Eastern CT, particularly along the shoreline. Other similar towns can be found dotted throughout the state.

I admit that Farmington and Simsbury are suburbs, but they've also set aside huge amounts of open space that are restricted from development so they still have a rural feel, even if it doesn't fall within the population limitations you mentioned. This is especially true of Simsbury - to the point where they've been accused of having an anti-development bias. Every year when the town votes on the budget one of the items on the agenda is the acquisition of large swaths of land to restrict it from development - and the town council always OK's the purchase, defecit or not. It's unrealistic to expect that these towns perpetuate modest populations of 2,000 or less. They haven't been this low since the 1920s.

You might want to give Tolland a look - there's about 12,000 people (more than what you had stated) but it does still fit the description of what you spoke of earlier - town green, one post office, one or two churches, etc.

Re: Bridgeport - I was just kidding. Actually I think this city is in much better shape now than it was 15 years ago. They still have a long road ahead of them in terms or improvements - structural, economic, environmental and eleswhere - but they're on the right track. That it's close to New York City is a huge asset. It's also the last frontier in terms of affordable real estate in lower Fairfield County, and I would not be surprised if that changes in the next few years.

Whoa, whoa....It wasn't my query to begin with, and I set no 'limits' rather I was offering the other poster an answer to his question about whether there were any legitimate "New England villages" left in Connecticut. There are and I listed some of them. I never said I expected Simsbury and Farmington to perpetuate such populations. They were much too close to Hartford, once interstates were built and sprawl began, to ever stay small. My only point was I agreed with Peirpont that these were suburbs now, even if they are woodsy they're filled with houses out in those woods. For a town to remain truly village size it must be isolated in a way that most of the ones I listed are isolated: 40-50 miles by back roads from metro areas. So I made the list to demonstrate that yes, there are still some little towns in the state like that. That was all.

I suspect many of these isolated places will perpetuate their tiny populations for decades (as they have), because highways and rails won't be built through them, and they are far from any major area of employment. A place like Hampton or Morris may remain <5,000 forever as it is simply too far away to be an easy commute anywhere. Or, put another way, if it hasn't happened already, it's probably not going to happen.

Tolland is cool, but in many ways it's going to be the next Simsbury. Population has soared over the last decade, I think 3-5K new residents. Again, it was inevitable, it's right off 84.

Agree on Bridgeport.

[Kaskada]

I would say Stamford is the best city in CT.

The nightlife is great, one of the few downtown that doesn't become a ghost town at night, albeit some parts certainly do. During the summer months every Thursday on Columbus Park in downtown an open air concert is held, completely free, safe, and lots of fun.

Every November the city hosts the most spectacular Thanksgiving Day parade, perhaps in all of New England and its particularly nice for kids since it also includes gigantic helium balloons.

The city has an exciting cultural offering, with two theaters where live performances are often held. The old town hall is currently being converted into a museum, although I don't remember what it will be about. At the Ferguson Library in downtown they have a small model of what it will look like once the conversion is completed.

Basically, this city has a little bit of everything. Good and varied gastronomy, nice mix of new and old architectural gems, great shopping, nice mix of people, etc.

And, when the itch to visit NYC and take advantage of everything that metropolis offers, as we all know is of world class status, all one has to do is take the express train from the Stamford station. A good 30 to 40 minutes later you are at Grand Central Station in midtown Manhattan with the entire world at your feet.

While other cities in CT have plenty of merit and offers similar and/or different things, nothing beats the extreme proximity and ease to NYC that Stamford offers, the safety, the lack of truly rundown areas, etc. Plus, whatever Stamford lacks is more than made up by its extremely easy access to NYC.