[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Rich Lee

I'll give you that Tolland County is East of the (Connecticut) River, but I wouldn't call the towns of Tolland or Hebron eastern Connecticut towns. I'm under the impression that Eastern Connecticut is just Windham and New London Counties (not four: those two plus Tolland and Middlesex Counties). Using the same logic, I don't think anyone considers West Hartford or Southington to be Western Connecticut towns.

IMO, anything west of a line from Hartland to Orange is western CT. This is all of Litchfield and Fairfield Counties, western New Haven County and the far western area of Hartford County. Anything east of a line from Stafford to Old Lyme I would consider eastern Connecticut.

[cantgettheyafromheya]

Interesting delineation. I get a kick out of the state's new marketing "regions" concept which was clearly borrowed from NH - it places Tolland in "CT River Valley" and Coventry in something called "Mystic Country".

[karoma83]

Which chiro school did u graduate from? I'm starting on January and still haven't disided on where to go: Parker, Life U, or Bridgeport. Any advice?? Thanks and good luck.

[Richy]

Hi,
In my opinion is Cheshire.It is located in the center of Connecticut, Cheshire is convenient to several smallish urban centers, including New Haven, Wallingford, and Hartford. Most residents are working professionals.

[CaliOrAz]

CT is quite nice for families and those who like the outdoors, but also want to be near civilization. Schools are generally good, especially in the middle of CT and west/south of that. Once you get past Hartford (capital), it's far less dense and expensive, but there aren't many jobs or great schools either.

This is more of a personal opinion than anything but I would avoid Fairfield and New Haven counties for the most part. They are very expensive for one, and you will find some crime-ridden wastelands still (Bridgeport, much of New Haven). The Hartford suburbs (Southington, Simsbury, West Hartford, Avon, Berlin, Rocky Hill, Cheshire, etc.) are beautiful, safe, affordable and close to jobs. I grew up there. Hartford itself is bad, but it's small, and working there is FINE. I can't understand why so many people complain about it.

CT has great scores for income, employment, housing, safety and schools. Boston and NYC are a day trip away. You'll certainly run into some jerks here and there, but it's friendlier than NY or Mass, by a long shot. I live in NY state right now and the people are not exactly jubilant.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by CaliOrAz

This is more of a personal opinion than anything but I would avoid Fairfield and New Haven counties for the most part. They are very expensive for one, and you will find some crime-ridden wastelands still (Bridgeport, much of New Haven). The Hartford suburbs (Southington, Simsbury, West Hartford, Avon, Berlin, Rocky Hill, Cheshire, etc.) are beautiful, safe, affordable and close to jobs. I grew up there. Hartford itself is bad, but it's small, and working there is FINE. I can't understand why so many people complain about it.

Cheshire is in New Haven County.

[keith talent]

I'm from the NYC area and was looking at this thread hoping to find some insight about Conn. for myself. But I could offer you some general information about the area that might be of use, considering I've also spent some time out West.

If you do not need to commute to either NY or Boston, then I would make certain to be looking for at least a 1.5+ hour train ride from either. Google Metro-North Railroad, for maps and skeds, as far as NYC goes. I have investigated such places (and I have a place in the Catskills that's 3 hrs. away) and have learned that prices and tax rates go down dramatically once you're beyond a commutable distance, which seems to be about 1.15 hrs, for most people.

As for the weather, I used to be a weather nut, so I can tell you that the Portland area averages something like 20% of possible sunshine in the winter months, which is hard for us to imagine. The stretch from NY to Boston, within an hour or so of the coast, gets 50% during that period, albeit with cold snaps every other week. The one thing that might be dreary is that in coastal Conn., or any coastal region in the NE, that the slower-to-warm water means spring tends to be raw and come late. It's pretty common to have days in the 50s as late as late May and early June, close to the water. 20 mins inland, it may well be in the 70s. Of course, the slow-to-cool water does take some edge off the cold in the late fall and winter.

Good luck in your hunt. And from what you're looking for, I'd also recommend you check out the Hudson Valley in N.Y. About as close as you might consider would be Cold Spring, with prices and taxes falling faster as you get near Kingston, Rhinebeck, Red Hook, and some other nice towns up that way. If it weren't for the nearly impossible commute, I'd probably live up there myself.

I'd expect there are similarly nice places in the northwest of Connecticut, where there are some mountains. A plus for Conn., and why I'm checking it out, is that it has a reputation for good government, while New York is a corrupt, wasteful disaster! Hence, our higher taxes.

[jamiew29]

If you are really certain you want to live in CT because I actually want out. I have lived in CT all my life and I am 30 years old. I want something new. After awhile it gets boring here. I have 5 kids and we have been to practically all the family activities you can do in CT. I would say stay away from Hartford and surrounding area, New Britain, New Haven, are really bad areas. I wouldn't suggest Windham county either. Stamford and surrounding area a big NO. I guess the best area is New London County and Middlesex County. A really nice town to live in is Canton, CT. Very nice homes, lots of shopping and not to far from a big city. You can get a 3 bedroom for about 150,000 to about 175,000. But I would get a nicer one that is worth 225,000-300,000 or more. I wish you good luck on finding a new home for you and your family.

[kidyankee764]

Why is the Stamford area a big "NO"? If you're okay with a faster pace of life and you can afford it, it's a great area.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by jamiew29

If you are really certain you want to live in CT because I actually want out. I have lived in CT all my life and I am 30 years old. I want something new. After awhile it gets boring here. I have 5 kids and we have been to practically all the family activities you can do in CT. I would say stay away from Hartford and surrounding area, New Britain, New Haven, are really bad areas. I wouldn't suggest Windham county either. Stamford and surrounding area a big NO. I guess the best area is New London County and Middlesex County. A really nice town to live in is Canton, CT. Very nice homes, lots of shopping and not to far from a big city. You can get a 3 bedroom for about 150,000 to about 175,000. But I would get a nicer one that is worth 225,000-300,000 or more. I wish you good luck on finding a new home for you and your family.

So because you have taken your kids to everything there is to take them to in Connecticut you are advising people to not live here? What do you think you are going to find elsewhere that we do not have here? We have tons of things for families here or nearby, more than most. I think you really need to look at what other areas have to offer so you will see how much there is nearby. That said we never ran out of things to do with our kids. We did visit their favorite things more than once or twice. But then again that is just my family.

Also there are many great towns to live in near Hartford, New Britain, New Haven and Stamford. Wethersfield, Newington and West Hartford border Hartford (Newington and West Hartford also border New Britain). Jay