[lasttimewemove]

I originally posted this on the Mass board, but am now looking in CT also and hoping for some local insight We will be coming to look at neighborhoods in October and I am planning our trip. So it would be so helpful to have neighborhoods targeted already instead of traversing the state! thanks. Original MA board post..doctored to suit: Help! My husband and I moved around a lot due to work for about 15 years. Now we have 2 boys (3 and 6) and want to settle in to a great town to give them some stability, at least a home base. We were both raised around the Great Lakes , and want that type of simple childhood for them. Unfortunately, with houses going for $300.00 in Detriot, and IN, IL and WI not having much growth, moving back there just doesn't seem like moving forward. We have lived in San Diego and LA, too flighty for us, and missed seasons/thunderstorms. Lived in Salt Lake City for work for 2 years and really enjoyed the mountains, and the vibe, but missed water. Moved to Portland OR when the kids were really young, and it was just too suburban, postage stamp lots, and again...no water or horizon line. Thought about going up to Hood River since the microclimate there is sunnier, and you get the water element. But then youre over 1.5 hours from any culture and the schools are "ok". Thought about NW Indiana on the lake, in the dunes (family there)..but they are really hit by the economy. We have been in Vancouver BC for a year and adore it, but its just way too expensive. Can't get into our neighborhood for less than 1mill, and thats a fixer. But we love having water all around, and ski slopes within half hour, not to mention great cultural outlets right over the bridge downtown. But still we look out on green. SO! The East Coast, and particularly lower cape, parts of CT (Old Lyme?) has held our interest for 2 years. My contract ends here in July 2010 and then we move. I really want to make it our last move. Please help. What fits? our wish list is: good schools, but not so academically focused that our kids are the ones you hear about breaking down into tears for fear they will fail, great community feel of like minded 30, 40, 50 y/o parents that enjoy being active, are involved in their kids lives and communities, balance work and play, are eco aware, love getting outside, appreciate the arts. Good mix of political views, appreciate nice things but arent a slave to them. We like to really dig into a community, open our house on lazy sunday mornings to any friends that want to drop by for breakfast... House, hopefully with water (pond or river ok!) view (or walking distance) and an acre (or more) for under 650k? Want a huge garden, small chicken coop. Cultural opps within 1.5 hour drive, slopes within 2 hours, airport within 1.5 hours. want a place where the kids all grow up together. I worry that the East will not offer the kind of community center programs the kids love..skate parks, bike parks, wakeboarding, plus all the other ball sports, dramatic play, etc. Galleries and museums to explore? would love to be able to Xcountry ski from my back door! get a little sailboat. Listen to the rain coming in from the screened porch, playing board games with the kids. Want to be involved with the community, and help it grow in its uniqueness. Does this place exist? Really appreciate any input, and thanks in advance!

[kidyankee764]

Many places come to mind in CT. I think it would suit you more than the Cape. Guilford, Madison, and Old Lyme all come to mind. New Haven (where Yale is) is not too far away for museum exploring and the arts, and some of the best Italian food in the country. You would need to travel a bit for big box shopping but I'm not sure if that's an issue for you.

[lasttimewemove]

kidyankee, thank you. I will cross reference with school data and see what comes up. How long of a drive to NYC from this general area? Closest airport would be Hartford? travel distance to there? So New Haven would be the closest cultural destination? we like to feel a million miles away while at home..but able to drive 30 minutes for a great dinner, show. Big box stores: i am fine having Target, Costco, HD, within 20-30 minutes. Any tips on the waterways there? which ones are swimmable, sailable etc? thanks again!

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by lasttimewemove

kidyankee, thank you. I will cross reference with school data and see what comes up. How long of a drive to NYC from this general area? Closest airport would be Hartford? travel distance to there? So New Haven would be the closest cultural destination? we like to feel a million miles away while at home..but able to drive 30 minutes for a great dinner, show. Big box stores: i am fine having Target, Costco, HD, within 20-30 minutes. Any tips on the waterways there? which ones are swimmable, sailable etc? thanks again!

No problem. Guilford and Madison have excellent schools, though I don't think they are the "pressure-cooker" districts you find in other towns like New Canaan and Westport.

Closest airport from, say, Guilford would be BDL in Hartford which is about 60 minutes. NYC airports are about 100 minutes (LGA is a little closer), because you have to cross the bridge to Queens. I lived in southwestern/southcentral CT for years and usually made the trek to JFK instead, because of the cheaper fares and nonstop flights (I prefer nonstop). BDL has more layovers being a smaller airport. But do keep in mind that when you cross the Whitestone to get down to Queens you'll have to pay $8 for a toll. There is also an airport in White Plains (HPN) with JetBlue being their major carrier, but most of their flights operate between NY and FL, and they can be very inexpensive.

New Haven would be about 30 minutes to Guilford on I-95. The towns, from east to west, are New Haven, East Haven, Branford, Guilford, Madison, Clinton and Westbrook. Branford is a very nice town too but is probably more suburban than you want. Guilford and Madison have some beautiful rural areas and scenic beaches.

Waterways - you have the CT river close by and of course, Long Island Sound. The sound will not be as sparkling as Florida water, and I personally don't like to swim in it because it's a little chilly for me, but it isn't bad. There are a ton of people who boat and sail on the sound. There are many beautiful marinas between Branford and Westbrook, my personal favorite being the Brewers Marina in Westbrook. I'm not sure if you have a boat you'll need to dock but if you do, DM me for more info.

New Haven has excellent restaurants, especially along Wooster St and downtown near Yale. But don't forget the suburban restaurants too, as the smallest hole in the wall will surprise you (P&M is an amazing Deli in Branford).

[nico7]

Just wanted to chime in here and say that Guilford is really 15 minutes from New Haven, outside of rush hours (when it is 25-40 minutes on I-95). If commuting to New Haven, the best option is the Shore Line East railroad. You have a nice ride with great scenery and you can read/work while you commute.

[renovating]

You don't say where you will be working??

Your wish list perfectly describes the beautiful rural towns of Kent, Washington, New Hartford and Barkhamsted in the northwest portion of the state. Your water would be lakes though.

I am sure there are more but those are the towns I know of.

[lasttimewemove]

thanks Renovating, nico 7 and kidyankee. I am busily researching the LIsound towns, and will move on to the NE towns next. you really have no idea the stress this relieves, thank you.

renovating: we just need an airport for work...thats why i had the endless ?s about hartford cheers, thanks again!

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

The towns, from east to west, are New Haven, East Haven, Branford, Guilford, Madison, Clinton and Westbrook.

I meant to type "west to east." Oops

[JViello]

Originally Posted by lasttimewemove

kidyankee, thank you. I will cross reference with school data and see what comes up. How long of a drive to NYC from this general area? Closest airport would be Hartford? travel distance to there? So New Haven would be the closest cultural destination? we like to feel a million miles away while at home..but able to drive 30 minutes for a great dinner, show. Big box stores: i am fine having Target, Costco, HD, within 20-30 minutes. Any tips on the waterways there? which ones are swimmable, sailable etc? thanks again!

IMO what you just wrote pretty much sums up most the Hartford and New Haven region/towns surrounding the cities. (Don't get scared by the city "stats", much of it is skewed...just do a quick search here regarding how our small cities get mislabeled by national standards - we discussed it at length)

Keep in mind the Hartford burbs though not on the ocean, are roughly 30 minutes away most times.

Having said all that, I think the town of Colchester would be ideal for you more on the rural side and Glastonbury on a more suburban side. (And I mean New England suburban, and not stamped out tract homes.)

In Colchester, you can get to the ocean in a short drive, Hartford is 20 minutes away, New Haven about 35 via some backroads to 95, both Boston and New York around 1.5 hours and all that the rest of CT, RI, MA, VT, NH and ME has to offer is there for your taking on a day trip or weekend get away.

Colchester itself is a small town with a large green ringed with shops, cafes, restaurants etc with great access.

Glastonbury has been discussed many many times here...do a search and you'll get a pile of info.

Best of luck!

[wavehunter007]

Originally Posted by lasttimewemove

I originally posted this on the Mass board, but am now looking in CT also and hoping for some local insight We will be coming to look at neighborhoods in October and I am planning our trip. So it would be so helpful to have neighborhoods targeted already instead of traversing the state! thanks. Original MA board post..doctored to suit: Help! My husband and I moved around a lot due to work for about 15 years. Now we have 2 boys (3 and 6) and want to settle in to a great town to give them some stability, at least a home base. We were both raised around the Great Lakes , and want that type of simple childhood for them. Unfortunately, with houses going for $300.00 in Detriot, and IN, IL and WI not having much growth, moving back there just doesn't seem like moving forward. We have lived in San Diego and LA, too flighty for us, and missed seasons/thunderstorms. Lived in Salt Lake City for work for 2 years and really enjoyed the mountains, and the vibe, but missed water. Moved to Portland OR when the kids were really young, and it was just too suburban, postage stamp lots, and again...no water or horizon line. Thought about going up to Hood River since the microclimate there is sunnier, and you get the water element. But then youre over 1.5 hours from any culture and the schools are "ok". Thought about NW Indiana on the lake, in the dunes (family there)..but they are really hit by the economy. We have been in Vancouver BC for a year and adore it, but its just way too expensive. Can't get into our neighborhood for less than 1mill, and thats a fixer. But we love having water all around, and ski slopes within half hour, not to mention great cultural outlets right over the bridge downtown. But still we look out on green. SO! The East Coast, and particularly lower cape, parts of CT (Old Lyme?) has held our interest for 2 years. My contract ends here in July 2010 and then we move. I really want to make it our last move. Please help. What fits? our wish list is: good schools, but not so academically focused that our kids are the ones you hear about breaking down into tears for fear they will fail, great community feel of like minded 30, 40, 50 y/o parents that enjoy being active, are involved in their kids lives and communities, balance work and play, are eco aware, love getting outside, appreciate the arts. Good mix of political views, appreciate nice things but arent a slave to them. We like to really dig into a community, open our house on lazy sunday mornings to any friends that want to drop by for breakfast... House, hopefully with water (pond or river ok!) view (or walking distance) and an acre (or more) for under 650k? Want a huge garden, small chicken coop. Cultural opps within 1.5 hour drive, slopes within 2 hours, airport within 1.5 hours. want a place where the kids all grow up together. I worry that the East will not offer the kind of community center programs the kids love..skate parks, bike parks, wakeboarding, plus all the other ball sports, dramatic play, etc. Galleries and museums to explore? would love to be able to Xcountry ski from my back door! get a little sailboat. Listen to the rain coming in from the screened porch, playing board games with the kids. Want to be involved with the community, and help it grow in its uniqueness. Does this place exist? Really appreciate any input, and thanks in advance!

As a person with a background in mapping and climate just a few notes that might help…

Based on what you described…Branford or North Branford would be the best overall fit. Guilford would be another choice (about 15-minutes to New Haven), but is a little more of a preppy town and less a beach/shore town (only has one TINY town beach). Branford seems to have most of the things you want, and there would be a huge number of homes to choose from in the $350,000 to $600,000 range (some very nice ones on this end). You’ll be close enough to access the urban/cultural offerings in New Haven easily…you will have the ability to get to NYC in a little over 90- minutes by Metro North commuter train (and all that NYC offers)…and you will be on the edge of the best side of the Connecticut coast, in terms of beaches/boating (eastern CT has much better beaches than western CT). Branford is a very nice, convient, fun, and laid back town, with a good mix of political views and social awareness in a perfect spot to access all that the Tri-State area has to offer. The only thing that would be missing would be the ski thing. Country ski up in New England (Stow, Vermont/New Hampshire, Maine…etc) is about a 3/4 hour ride up north.

As far as climate goes… the East Coast south of Boston is FAR SUNNIER all than anywhere on the West Coast north of San Francisco (or Vancouver BC) if that is an issue to you. Summers will be hotter than up in the Pacific Northwest and more humid... and winters will be a bit cooler with occasional snow - but much less than you had up in the Great Lakes/Midwest. I pasted a map of sunshine for December (the cloudiest month of the year in the USA) so you could graphically see the difference between Vancouver BC and Connecticut. As You can see, once you get south of New England (Boston)...the East Coast is much sunnier than the West Coast north of San Francisco...



and since you mention gardening...we in southern Ct are Zone 7...




As far as the beach…remember that the Atlantic south of Massachusetts is WARMER than the Pacific around LA/Santa Barbara, CA in summer. In summer the waters in Long Island Sound, on the Rhode Island coast, and on the south shore of Long Island, NY are often in the 75 F range, while the Pacific off Santa Monica struggles to get above 69 F. In fact, if you are a real beach person and enjoy the warm ocean waters…a trip as close as 3/4 hours away to Island Beach, NJ or Ocean City, MD will have 80 F water in summer.

Since you seem to be into the beach/coast…here are some images of the eastern Connecticut coast I just took a few weeks ago (for more pics of the Connecticut coast, go to page 18 of the Phot thread)...












Good Luck.