[freckles81]

Currently living in Vernon. Thinking of buying a house but don't want to live in a shady/run down neighborhood. Wondering how East Hartford stacks up. Which places are OK to live in and which areas to stay away from.

[Uconn97]

Let me give you the low down since everyone else will just tell you what sucks about EH.

PROS
Home are relatively affordable
Nice neighborhoods still line the southeast corner and extreme northeast corners of town.
Close/central to everything, hartford, mall, etc
Decent town services - trash, leaf collection are included in your taxes. EH also has a huge inititative/funding in place to repave almost all town roads in the next few years.
Plenty of parks, most have pools, tennis, play areas.

CONS
Like you said, there are some shadier/run down areas so certainly look around and get a feel for the neighborhood before you buy. Crime sats are skewed for the town as a whole based on these areas.
Image - EH has a horrible image. I don't think it merits the image it has, but if image of where you live is important to you, don't buy in EH.
Limited retail/restaurants that i would qualify as places people "go to".
School system is failing - if you have kids or plan to, move or send them to a local catholic/private school.

Good luck!

[JayCT]

There are many areas in East Hartford that are nice. Generally the southern part of town near Glastonbury is very nice as are the neighborhoods east of Forbes and south of I-84. Also much of the northern part of town is nice. It might be easier if you question specific streets and people can comment on them. Jay

[MikefromCT]

UConn pretty much summed it up. I wouldn't say there area MANY nice neighborhoods in EH although some do exist. In fact, I was just in EH last weekend to see a friend of mine who has a house not far from Pratt & Whitney. A decent, well-kept area - mostly split levels and ranch houses from the postwar era.

How about Manchester? It has a few things in common with EH but it's overall a better town. It's also a working-class town that's safer with better schools and nicer neighborhoods. Crime has come down quite a bit, too. Not that it was out of control, but for a while it looked like it could head in that direction. They've also cleaned up Main Street a bit, which boasts some good restaurants and bars. It might be a better option in the long term

[Uconn97]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

UConn pretty much summed it up. I wouldn't say there area MANY nice neighborhoods in EH although some do exist.

False - although subjective. I would argue there are more nicer neighborhoods than not so nice. JMHO of course

Frankly, why not just look in vernon where you currently live?

[Tetto]

Originally Posted by Uconn97

Let me give you the low down since everyone else will just tell you what sucks about EH.

PROS
Home are relatively affordable
Nice neighborhoods still line the southeast corner and extreme northeast corners of town.
Close/central to everything, hartford, mall, etc
Decent town services - trash, leaf collection are included in your taxes. EH also has a huge inititative/funding in place to repave almost all town roads in the next few years.
Plenty of parks, most have pools, tennis, play areas.

CONS
Like you said, there are some shadier/run down areas so certainly look around and get a feel for the neighborhood before you buy. Crime sats are skewed for the town as a whole based on these areas.
Image - EH has a horrible image. I don't think it merits the image it has, but if image of where you live is important to you, don't buy in EH.
Limited retail/restaurants that i would qualify as places people "go to".
School system is failing - if you have kids or plan to, move or send them to a local catholic/private school.

Good luck!

Dont forget: pretty high property taxes for the values of homes... But I like East Hartford overall. You cant find a more convenient town with access to just about everything.

[ctcoldplay11]

I actually really like East Hartford. I think the problem is that it's overshadowed by neighboring towns (Hartford, Manchester, Glastonbury) and not many people think twice about it. But truly, it's not a bad town. Yes, there are some parts worth avoiding, but overall it's truly not bad. It has a kinda urban-suburban vibe to it. As some of the posters have already said, it's literally in the middle of EVERYTHING. You truly cannot go wrong in EH in regards to things to do. Housing is also affordable, and it is served by several highways which allows for easy access to transportation, etc. I encourage you to check out all of the different areas!

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Uconn97

I would argue there are more nicer neighborhoods than not so nice.

I agree too. There are many nice neighborhoods in East Hartford and only a few problem ones. Plus you can't beat the location and home prices. JMHO, Jay

[freckles81]

Originally Posted by Uconn97

False - although subjective. I would argue there are more nicer neighborhoods than not so nice. JMHO of course

Frankly, why not just look in vernon where you currently live?

Just trying to keep my options open in case nothing is available in Vernon or Manchester.

Originally Posted by JayCT

There are many areas in East Hartford that are nice. Generally the southern part of town near Glastonbury is very nice as are the neighborhoods east of Forbes and south of I-84. Also much of the northern part of town is nice. It might be easier if you question specific streets and people can comment on them. Jay

How about Brookfield Drive or Washington Ave?

[Uconn97]

If i had to choose between the two, I would look at Brookfield Drive. Both streets are fine, but Washington would be less desirable as its nearer main street and route 2. Brookfield is off Hills street, all residential.