[Justsoldmyhouse]

I cover the state of CT and Western Ma in a sales job where I commute from my home in West Hartford. Things in my neighborhood are changing and we heard rumors of a builder buying the lot next door tearing the house down and putting up 4 houses! We have 1/8 acre building lots in this part of town so I just sold my house because we were outgrowing it and of the threat of what is to happen next door. My husband works near route 6 in Farmington. We both hate the taxes here so we began looking for houses in Farmington and Avon and hadn't been impressed. Then we hit on a house we love in Burlington CT!

I am indecisive about moving out there. I did love that it is three minutes from route 4 and the river walking trail and Collinsville Center was adorable. My husband loved the 15 minute commute for him. Yet I am concerned about getting around the state from this vantage point. I make my own appointments so I suppose I could leave later. I heard nightmares about Route 4. Are there shortcuts to avoid this traffic? Thanks for your thoughts!

[CrissCT]

Yes there are shortcuts around Route 4. A lot of people cut over to Bristol and avoid Rte. 4. We love Burlington and as long as you don't mind being a little further from the grocery store (just takes a little more advance planning - and Stop n Shop does deliver to Burlington), it is a great place to live.

[JayCT]

I have a friend that lives in Burlington and loves it. It is a pretty town but a bit quiet. It really is not that far from shopping if you live on the east side of town. As you noted Collinsville is not far and neither is Unionville which both have a lot of nice stores and shops. My friend says that for bigger shopping they head to The Farmington Valley Shoppes which seems to have just about everything you would need. Even West Farms is not really that far. As noted there are ways around Route 4 through backroads. A good map of the area wouold help you figure the best way for you. Jay

[Justsoldmyhouse]

Thank you both so much for your replies. Someone made the point to me that even if we found a house in farmington or avon we'd have to deal with route 4 regardless.

[ansky]

Originally Posted by Justsoldmyhouse

Someone made the point to me that even if we found a house in farmington or avon we'd have to deal with route 4 regardless.

Not necessarily. I have family that have been living in Farmington for 30 years and they never take route 4 anywhere. There are countless back roads you can take. Also I'm not sure how living in Avon would force you to take route 4. It's route 44 that goes through Avon.

[KH02]

I used to drive through Avon all the time and I agre with PP, I never had to drive on route 4, but I did use 44 though it wasn't nearly as bad..

[formermainer13]

If you are concerned about traffic, Burlington/Canton should be avoided unless you dont' need to travel at rush hour. Both towns offer good reasonable housing stock, but a rush hour trip from Burlington/Canton to Hartford will take at least 45-55 minutes on Route 4 or 44. The Route 4/84 exist is especially congested.

That said, if you won't be a rush hour commuter, Burlington is a great town and likely preferable to Canton. Burlington is nearly 1/2 open space so you can be sure that it will retain its rural feel. Canton hasn't been as proactive with maintaining its character and has been subject to lots of recent sprawl and development battles. In other words, Canton likely is not as safe of an investment as Burlington is.

You should also look at Simsbury - a good range of home prices, a beautiful and well-managed town, and much easier access than Burlington or Canton.