[Mauiflower]

We are moving from California to CT sometime next year. I have 2 children ages 2 and 5. My husband will need a job and is willing to commute to NYC if needed. We are looking for a small town that is safe for families, affordable housing, lots of festivals, great "main street" for walking and shopping, lovely town green and excellent schools. We will be taking a trip to CT sometime in September to check things out and look for our new town. Any suggestions/advice on which town to consider???

[KH02]

West Hartford has great schools and a great downtown that would be your best bet, though the commute to NYC would not be doable. It is closer to the Hartford area for employment.

But I warn you not to move before having employment.

what is affordable to you?

[JayCT]

I am not sure what your husband does for a living but I would definitely find a job first and then look for a place to live. If his job requires him commuting to New York, then I suggest looking for a home in the southwest part of the state, namely Fairfield County. Be aware though that this area is very desirable and pretty pricey. Your price range would help narrow the towns down. Jay

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Mauiflower

We are moving from California to CT sometime next year. I have 2 children ages 2 and 5. My husband will need a job and is willing to commute to NYC if needed. We are looking for a small town that is safe for families, affordable housing, lots of festivals, great "main street" for walking and shopping, lovely town green and excellent schools. We will be taking a trip to CT sometime in September to check things out and look for our new town. Any suggestions/advice on which town to consider???

Towns commutable to NYC will not be affordable for the average middle class family - but it all depends on your price range.

You might want to check out the New Haven area - in between Hartford and NYC. Milford is a nice suburb on LI Sound with a nice little downtown. Hartford from Milford would be an hour, and from Milford to NYC on the train would be about 90 minutes (long, but doable). If Milford is too large, look into Woodbridge, Orange or Branford. The area has a ton of culture and great restaurants thanks to Yale and many other universities.

I agree - don't move before getting a job. Good luck with everything.

[jbenton]

My 2 cents would be Milford. It sounds like what you are looking for and is affordable. I am also a CA to CT transplant...I moved here in 2001. Milford is one of my favorite towns and I love the "beachy" quality. If you have any other questions about my move from CA to CT, feel free to e-mail me.

[Mauiflower]

Wow! Thanks everyone for your kind replies to my post.

[seymourct]

Don't move without a job. Feb '09 unemployment for CT without being seasonally adjusted (made to look better for morale etc) is 8.0%. The powers that be play a numbers game and try to seasonally adjust (skew) the numbers and are saying it is only 7.4%. 13 of our 169 towns are in double digits.

The next set of numbers for March will come out on the 16th of April. but here is Feb's numbers by town sorted by rate.

Most Recent Labor Force Data

LMA/TOWNS RATE
Hartford 14
Waterbury 12.9
Bridgeport 12.1
New Britain 11.8
Killingly 11.1
Plainfield 11.1
New Haven 10.6
Sprague 10.6
Thompson 10.5
Torrington 10.4
East Hartford 10.3
Sterling 10.2
Meriden 10
Naugatuck 9.8
New London 9.8
Plymouth 9.8
Ansonia 9.7
Brooklyn 9.7
Putnam 9.7
Winchester 9.7
Stafford 9.5
Voluntown 9.5
Windham 9.5
Thomaston 9.4
Griswold 9.3
Plainville 9.3
Windsor Locks 9.3
East Windsor 9.1
Norwich 9.1
Bristol 9
Canterbury 8.9
Derby 8.8
North Canaan 8.7
Canaan 8.6
Hampton 8.6
No. Stonington 8.6
Chaplin 8.5
Lisbon 8.4
West Haven 8.4
Enfield 8.3
Watertown 8.3
Barkhamsted 8.2
Bethlehem 8.2
Bloomfield 8.2
Stratford 8.2
Seymour 8.1
Deep River 7.9
East Haven 7.9
Somers 7.9
Wolcott 7.9
Beacon Falls 7.8
Bozrah 7.8
Harwinton 7.8
Morris 7.8
Prospect 7.8
East Hampton 7.7
Groton 7.7
Lebanon 7.7
Vernon 7.7
Franklin 7.6
Manchester 7.6
Montville 7.6
Waterford 7.6
Ellington 7.5
Eastford 7.4
Norwalk 7.4
Wallingford 7.4
Westbrook 7.4
Colchester 7.3
Berlin 7.2
Ledyard 7.2
North Branford 7.2
Shelton 7.2
Danbury 7.1
Pomfret 7.1
Preston 7.1
Wethersfield 7.1
Woodstock 7.1
Goshen 7
Middletown 7
New Hartford 7
Newington 7
Portland 7
Stamford 7
Union 7
Coventry 6.9
Litchfield 6.9
Milford 6.9
Southington 6.9
Windsor 6.9
Bolton 6.8
Chester 6.8
Cromwell 6.8
East Lyme 6.8
Norfolk 6.8
Bethel 6.7
Clinton 6.7
Columbia 6.7
Marlborough 6.7
Middlefield 6.7
Monroe 6.7
New Milford 6.7
Kent 6.6
Oxford 6.6
Southbury 6.6
Ashford 6.5
Branford 6.5
Hamden 6.5
Middlebury 6.5
New Fairfield 6.5
Salem 6.5
Suffield 6.5
Woodbury 6.5
East Granby 6.4
Haddam 6.4
East Haddam 6.3
Rocky Hill 6.3
Brookfield 6.2
Durham 6.2
Essex 6.2
Fairfield 6.2
North Haven 6.2
Sharon 6.2
Bethany 6.1
Hebron 6.1
Salisbury 6.1
Stonington 6.1
West Hartford 6.1
Canton 6
Hartland 6
Newtown 6
Andover 5.9
Lyme 5.9
Old Lyme 5.9
Old Saybrook 5.9
Trumbull 5.9
Farmington 5.8
South Windsor 5.8
Tolland 5.8
Warren 5.8
Burlington 5.7
Cornwall 5.7
Granby 5.6
Killingworth 5.6
Willington 5.6
Sherman 5.5
Westport 5.5
Cheshire 5.4
Easton 5.4
Greenwich 5.4
Madison 5.4
Wilton 5.4
Darien 5.3
Guilford 5.3
Orange 5.3
Washington 5.3
Ridgefield 5.2
Roxbury 5.2
Bridgewater 5
Glastonbury 5
Redding 5
Simsbury 4.9
Avon 4.8
New Canaan 4.8
Weston 4.7
Mansfield 4.4
Woodbridge 4
Colebrook 3.8
Scotland 3.5

[Mauiflower]

Thanks Seymourct! That is very helpful information.