[Tetto]

I hear ya. My wife and I lived there for 7 years, over off Vernon St (Meadowbrook Fields) and when it was Christmas/Thanksgiving time, the mall area was terrible to navigate. You learned to live your life around the traffic at the Christmas tree shops and Bernies....

[Connecticut Pam]

Originally Posted by original_bookgirl

I've been combing the CT Forums for weeks, trying to discern where the nice parts are. Pretty, trees, nice people??
I'm currently in an ugly place in Ohio, and would like a change of scenery, and attitude. I love New England, but struggle to find a spot where the housing costs won't cause us to end up in a friggin tent. CT seems more reasonable than MA. True? False? Nice parts of New Haven? Is Westville really all that or is it just hype? What's the biggest difference between Westville and East Rock?Thanks for the help guys. I'm just trying to get an upgrade, cuz things are sucking!

Housing costs here in CT have dropped some and are much less expensive when you move more inland and away from the coast. Down in the Fairfield County area, you have to make boku bucks to live. My inlaws live in that area and a simple ranch with front and back porches like my Mother In Law has has been valued at $700,000 which is absurd. The reason this is so high is because she is living right in Fairfield and is close to NYC. Our home which is 45 minutes north in Meriden on the Cheshire/Southington line has a half acre, inground pool, 4 bedrooms, two bathrooms, finished basement and a view to die for has been valued at $400,000 and it is twice the home my Mother In Law has. It is all about location. Meriden itself gets a bad rap...some parts are tough but as you move more towards Cheshire, Southington, Plainville, Plantsville, it gets more country-like and quieter.

The whole state itself, Conn. is beautiful. There is still alot of rural land and the fall foliage is getting absolutely beautiful now. We have a huge open pasture near our home and we see two does and their babies there early in the morning and again at night..very pretty.

So, come visit us, take a look around and I am sure you will find some nice areas that will appeal to you. Good luck.

[JayCT]

I have to agree, it depends what you are looking for. To be close to New York City, the Stamford area is wonderful but very expensive. New Haven is a great city and has wonderful suburbs. I suggest checking out the towns east of New Haven. Branford, Guilford or Madison are great places to live and very attractive.

Hartford is a nice mid-sized city with many nice areas to live in. Outside of Hartford is the scenic Famington River Valley towns of Farmington, Avon, Canton, Burlington and Simsbury. These are just a few suggestions. Jay

[GrotonMan]

My eastern Connecticut commercial:

Eastern Connecticut in general is more affordable than the rest of the state, however you get what you pay for in most cases. Generally the towns that have the lowest costs in the area also are usually somewhat rundown, or have no amenities. (disclaimer: that is how it is no matter where you go in the world). Obviously as others have noted, the closer you are to New York, the more expensive everything gets, and the closest part of CT to Boston isn't really close enough to be affected by it's housing prices. For the lowest rents and housing costs you generally have to end up in a city (which I actually like living in cities but some find it unfortunate). Southeastern Connecticut has some nice, historic, small cities and large towns. For the best housing values check out Groton, New London, Norwich, and Waterford.

Also a key thing to factor in is employment. I am absolutely shocked that nobody has really made a huge deal out of this yet, as usually everybody would caution you to not even think about moving without having a stable job lined up 3 years in advance. If you let us know more information about what your price range is, what kind of career/experience you have, kids/no kids, we can help you select the perfect place for you.

[Leilani Vasquez]

I moved to Western Mass because it's much more affordable than the Hartford area. I still commute in to work though.

[Leeniex]

I prefer towns such as Middlebury/Southbury/Woodbury. Depends on your definition of "nice".

[Portland_Bookgirl]

Thanks so much for all the input you guys! Talk about a billion times nicer than my neighbors. If I was anywhere near you right now, I'd be taking you out for a cup of tea or something nice

We're a couple (techie and artist/author who works from home) with a toddler, looking at the New Haven area, and I've been reading lots of posts on city data about New Haven and some of the surrounding small towns that make it sound not so hot. But it didn't make any sense to me. We're originally from the Chicago area, so I really like urban, hubby is less comfy with urban and prefers the suburbs. We're trying to find something resembling a happy medium after I sucked it up for over a year here in beige, boring box-land in the middle of nowhere Ohio where you have to drive an hour to get to _anything_. I want to have a reasonable amount of quiet, but be able to take my little girl out the front door, walk a few blocks to our favorite cafe or bookstore and say hi to neighbors, chat a bit. Lots of thumping will drive me nuts, but the thing is, we live in BFE now and have to deal with it. ( I know, it's the location...)
My Grandpa was from New Hampshire and he was my main person in my life, so I have a natural affection for New England and its values. (work hard, no half assing stuff, be direct, be honest)

For me, it's also about people. I'm totally fed up with the extremely mean for no good reason, who seem to also be amazingly stupid. (I mean, who teaches their kids to play in the road? and not move for cars??) So-- uh...not to sound entirely bitchy, but I reeeeeally want to live by the smart people and their smart kids who aren't trying to be Darwin award winners. And-- dog owners who know that I should not have to ask them to keep their dog's crap out of my yard.
Seriously, you wouldn't believe the truly idiotic conversations I have had with people here...

I'm hoping to be getting a CT driver's license by November!!!

[JViello]

Originally Posted by original_bookgirl

Thanks so much for all the input you guys! Talk about a billion times nicer than my neighbors. If I was anywhere near you right now, I'd be taking you out for a cup of tea or something nice

We're a couple (techie and artist/author who works from home) with a toddler, looking at the New Haven area, and I've been reading lots of posts on city data about New Haven and some of the surrounding small towns that make it sound not so hot. But it didn't make any sense to me. We're originally from the Chicago area, so I really like urban, hubby is less comfy with urban and prefers the suburbs. We're trying to find something resembling a happy medium after I sucked it up for over a year here in beige, boring box-land in the middle of nowhere Ohio where you have to drive an hour to get to _anything_. I want to have a reasonable amount of quiet, but be able to take my little girl out the front door, walk a few blocks to our favorite cafe or bookstore and say hi to neighbors, chat a bit. Lots of thumping will drive me nuts, but the thing is, we live in BFE now and have to deal with it. ( I know, it's the location...)
My Grandpa was from New Hampshire and he was my main person in my life, so I have a natural affection for New England and its values. (work hard, no half assing stuff, be direct, be honest)

For me, it's also about people. I'm totally fed up with the extremely mean for no good reason, who seem to also be amazingly stupid. (I mean, who teaches their kids to play in the road? and not move for cars??) So-- uh...not to sound entirely bitchy, but I reeeeeally want to live by the smart people and their smart kids who aren't trying to be Darwin award winners. And-- dog owners who know that I should not have to ask them to keep their dog's crap out of my yard.
Seriously, you wouldn't believe the truly idiotic conversations I have had with people here...

I'm hoping to be getting a CT driver's license by November!!!

Wallingford or perhaps Hamden seem to fit what you are looking for. Smaller cites that have their own "life" yet happen to be "burbs" of New Haven as well.

Just curious what's setting you on New Haven? Work?

[JayCT]

Within the City of New Haven, there are a couple of lower density urban-villages that may work for you. Check out Westville or East Rock.

Outside the city there are a number of charming smaller communities like you describe. Branford and Guilford come to mind. They have the small charming downtowns that are very walkable like you describe and are known for their family oriented activities. Being an artist, these towns also have a pretty active artist community. JViello's suggestions are also pretty good to consider. Jay

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by original_bookgirl

We're originally from the Chicago area, so I really like urban, hubby is less comfy with urban and prefers the suburbs. We're trying to find something resembling a happy medium after I sucked it up for over a year here in beige, boring box-land in the middle of nowhere Ohio where you have to drive an hour to get to _anything_. I want to have a reasonable amount of quiet, but be able to take my little girl out the front door, walk a few blocks to our favorite cafe or bookstore and say hi to neighbors, chat a bit. Lots of thumping will drive me nuts, but the thing is, we live in BFE now and have to deal with it. ( I know, it's the location...)

I think Hamden would definitely be the best "happy medium" for you in the area directly bordering New Haven. It's an affordable community, but if it is out of your budget, i'd probably suggest East Haven or (some parts of)West Haven. North Haven would be considered the nicest town bordering New Haven, but i don't think it's what you're looking for. Or, maybe it is? Good luck with your move.