[pixieshmoo]

My husband and I were both born and raised in NJ and are considering relocating. We have school-aged children, so obviously great school systems are key. We were seriously considering moving to Maine at one point and although we haven't completely tossed the idea, I decided to consider CT and Mass. also, since they are closer to our NJ family and friends (and from what I've heard, offer plenty more job opportunities) Can anyone tell me what they think would be the "best" spots in CT? I don't think we'd want to be as south as Fairfield or New Haven counties however.

Ps. Also, what are some of the quaint towns with good schools?

[Summer77]

Two of my favorite CT towns are Tolland and South Windsor.The schools in both towns are awsome and great places to live and raise a family.

[Bohemian]

Originally Posted by Summer77

Two of my favorite CT towns are Tolland and South Windsor.The schools in both towns are awsome and great places to live and raise a family.

How expensive are those towns? in regards of Housing.

[Summer77]

you can find good houses in the early 200's

[VLYS]

There's plenty of nice towns East of the River
in CT.
Less $$$ than West.

South Windsor, Vernon, Manchester,
Ellington & Tolland have excellent schools.

Ask a Realtor for a relocation pkg for
East of the River.

Good luck!

[DogLady321]

Litchfield county is nice, if you can afford the real estate.
Southbury/Woodbury area very nice as well.

[smarty]

It sounded like towns with higher median real estate value = nicer towns. :-)

[Dragondog]

I tend to agree that towns east of the CT river ( espTolland county) and into the so called 'quiet corner' are great because of lower housing costs, less sprawl and traffic congestion. South Windsor in Hartford country is a great place to live however. But Tolland CT was voted by Money magazine last year as the 29th best place to live in the country. I am in Vernon, a very nice town of 30,000- nearby Ellington and Bolton are more rural- but also outstanding- all these towns have very good schools.

Housing is a 'relative bargain' in eastern Connecticut- with new homes of 1700 square feet in Willington on 1 acre at 289K- older homes can be had for 190-250K.

[glxyman21]

Well if you're looking for towns with good schools that are close to cities (where you might work) look at Glastonbury and Farmington (both are easy commutes to hartford with great schools). Southington, Berlin, and Cheshire (which are close to the cities of hartford, New Haven, Meriden and Waterbury) have good highway access and excellent schools, they're pretty much centrally located in the state, Southington and Cheshire are popular in central connecticut due to the education and what the towns offer, they're connected to 84 and 91 so very easy commutes anywhere . The towns of Old Saybrook and Westbrook are a lot smaller and on the shoreline, but have access to 95 and are close to New Haven and Middletown. The housing costs in all the towns mentioned, except westbrook and Old Saybrook, are around $350-$450,000 for a 3 bedroom 2 bath home on 1/2 acre...Old Saybrook and Westbrook are a tad cheaper due to them being a little farther out from urban centers and less popular

[Dragondog]

In Coventry and Willington CT -20-miles east of Hartford, housing prices are as follows.

3 bedroom raised ranch (new) 2 baths, 1776 square feet family room, double garage fireplace 1 acre wooded lot
priced at 288K

2000 square foor colonial (New) in Coventry- 20 miles east of Hartford, 1 acre, Family room
hardwood floors (1st floor) 3 bedrooms 2.5 baths, fireplace, double garage
320K