[ngtnfdmrt]

How would you classify Newington in regards to sorrounding towns such as W. Hartford, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, etc? I'm just wondering.

[KH02]

If I were to rank them I would put West Hartford higher then the other 3 in terms of shopping, lifestyle, schools etc. But Newington, Rocky Hill and wethersfield are fine towns..

[MikefromCT]

Agree w/KH02, except that Newington does have plenty of dining and retail outlets. Like West hartford they have a nice town center, albeit smaller. But unlike WH, most of Newington's commercial areas are on the Berlin Turnpike, which can be flooded with cars. Still, it's a nice town - well-performing schools, nice public parks and amenities, well-kept neighborhoods, and it's actually pretty inexpensive, which is a plus. You'll get a pretty good bang for the buck there.

[superk]

I think Newington is a little more mix of blue and white collar than the other towns. A little less formal maybe?

[Uconn97]

Lived there for about 3 years and really enjoyed that town. There is diversity in housing, people. The options for shopping and restaurants are plentiful. I was never bored living there!

[JayCT]

Newington is a nice middle-class suburb. It has a lot of nice neighborhoods, good schools and pretty much everything one would need in town or nearby. It does get a bit of a bad rep because of the Berlin Turnpike which runs through a large part of town and some of the less desirable businesses along it. A lot of those places have been redeveloped or replaced over the years but a bit of the history lingers in the minds of old-timers from other areas. Jay

[ctcoldplay11]

To me:
1. Newington
2. West Hartford
3. Wethersfield
4. Rocky Hill

I LOVE Newington. I think it gets completely overshadowed by West Hartford, when it is just as nice as WH, (and arguably goes without the pomp of WH). It's just a nice town, with nice people, nice amenities and nice homes. A quintessential CT town if you ask me. Wethersfield is nice, though it lacks charm to me. I truly dislike Rocky Hill, I feel as though it has no character whatsoever, just a dot on the map. But Newington is truly delightful.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by ctcoldplay11

To me:
1. Newington
2. West Hartford
3. Wethersfield
4. Rocky Hill

I LOVE Newington. I think it gets completely overshadowed by West Hartford, when it is just as nice as WH, (and arguably goes without the pomp of WH). It's just a nice town, with nice people, nice amenities and nice homes. A quintessential CT town if you ask me. Wethersfield is nice, though it lacks charm to me. I truly dislike Rocky Hill, I feel as though it has no character whatsoever, just a dot on the map. But Newington is truly delightful.

While I agree that Newington is a very nice town, I am not sure I would agree that it is a "quintessential" CT town or that it is charming. To me, Wethersfield is a lot more charming. It would be hard to beat Old Wethersfield for charm. I believe it has one of the largest concentration of pre-1900 homes in the country. Jay

[Newington101]

Living in Newington myself, I can't see myself living anywhere else in the state. Newington is like the "in-between" of all the towns sorrounding it. You get a taste of every town all in one in Newington. You have the semi-busy areas like West Hartford, and you have some of the quiet residential areas which resembles Berlin, Wethersfield and Rocky Hill. It's not fully upscale, nor is it countrylike either. You get that mix.

I'll use myself as an example. I work in West Hartford, and do grocery shopping in Berlin. We have the Berlin Turnpike for shopping of all kinds. The Silas Deane Highway is also close, as is the Westfarms Mall. I went to school at Tunxis in Farmington for a short time and that was a convenient commute as well. Newington is just central to everything. If it's not in town, it's surely close by.

I also like the small-town charm Newington posesses. It has a strong sense of community, and the Town Center is quaint and nice to have.

All-in-all, Newington is a wonderful town with everything you'd want in a town and it has everything sorrounding it. The amount of real-estate sales lately shows it is a viable place to live.

[JViello]

Since the Berlin Turnpike in the Newington stretch has been cleaned up and developed...I think the "black eye" of Newington has healed.

Downtown seems to have a few new things moving etc...but it is a strange mix. You have boutiques, restaurants and a manufacturing company all in a row on Main Street? Not the end of the world, but a little strange.

Many of the neighborhoods are well kept and maintained. Older style homes IMO North of 175, larger and newer homes South of 175.

What kept me away from Newington is that to me, it's kind of a suburb's suburb. No real countryside, no real city stuff, just kind of there sandwiched between other towns.

Other than that, it's a nice place.