[keagan35]

I posted a thread a yesterday but it seems most of the replies where about something far beyond what i was asking about. I am moving to the Hartford area, for better or worse, and I am looking for help with where I should look to live. I will be working in South Windsor so, not knowing the area, should I live in West Hartford or Manchester? I am single, young, professional and enjoy being close to the things that a city has to offer such as theaters, arenas, bars, etc. If Hartford has a "hip" scene where is it and where should i live to be close to it? If not, then where is the closest place to it? One last thing, I would apprecite it if the replies answered my question(s). I have very limited amount of time to find a suitable home. Thanks so much everyone.

[Babydoll9983]

Originally Posted by keagan35

I posted a thread a yesterday but it seems most of the replies where about something far beyond what i was asking about. I am moving to the Hartford area, for better or worse, and I am looking for help with where I should look to live. I will be working in South Windsor so, not knowing the area, should I live in West Hartford or Manchester? I am single, young, professional and enjoy being close to the things that a city has to offer such as theaters, arenas, bars, etc. If Hartford has a "hip" scene where is it and where should i live to be close to it? If not, then where is the closest place to it? One last thing, I would apprecite it if the replies answered my question(s). I have very limited amount of time to find a suitable home. Thanks so much everyone.

Please refer to other postings about this, this conversation has been discussed to near death. Here, I will even reference some for you.

//www.city-data.com/forum/conne...ce-please.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/conne...-hartford.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/conne...nty-house.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/conne...-thoughts.html

Have fun

[Appias]

Look into the Western parts of Hartford or the neighboring town of
West Hartford. Manchester is quieter than both, better suited for families as is Glastonbury in my opinion.

[tryingtomakeitinCT]

I read your other post and the first thing I have to say is PLEASE be careful about Hartford. Most of the posters on this forum are older and go into Hartford for happy hour then return to their suburb before it gets too late. Hartford is not what a lot of people make it out to be on this forum. Please do yourself a favor...go to one of the local CT news station websites (wfsb.com, nbc30.com) and do a search for Hartford. You will find all the news related to Hartford and all the shootings, drug busts, etc and can form your own opinion on whether or not to live there. You can also search youtube and get an idea of what the city is like.

As for a "hip" scene in Hartford...it is mostly a happy hour scene and then people leave, there really isnt much "hip" in Hartford. There are theaters in Hartford...the bushnell and Theaterworks. Theater works is more "hip" IMO than the Bushnell. For arenas, there isnt much and it depends on what you are looking for....we dont have any major sports teams...but there is Rentchler (sp?) field in E. Hartford where Uconn holds football games, and for concerts there is the XL Center, the Webster and the Comcast theater all in Hartford.

It seems based on what you are looking for, nice "hip" bars and a good scene...that you would love West Hartford!!! There are also some nice bars/resturants on Farmington Ave in Hartford and living in W. Hartford they would be a breeze to get to. Also downtown W. Hartford has a great bar scene...much more hip, classier and MUCH safer than going into downtown Hartford. I am around the same age as you and most people I know rarely go into downtown Hartford anymore....they have migrated to West Hartford.

I dont know what your budget is for rent, but there are gorgeous apartments in Blue back square in West Hartford...although they are pricey! Here is a link:
Blue Back Square | Live Here | Apartment

I also know people who live on and around Farmington Ave in West Hartford and the rents arent as pricey as blue back square. The only thing is the commute from West Hartford to S. Windsor may be rough...as you will be crossing from one side of the CT river to the other and will have to deal with the downtown Hartford traffic. But I do have a friend who works in Manchester and lives in W. Hartford....for her the commute is worth it to live in W.Hartford.

If you are looking for a somewhat cheaper rent and an easier commute, then I would go with Manchester...although there isnt much to do there. Downtown now has some good resturaunts but nothing like W. Hartford... and Manchester is mostly chain resturaunts....like TGI Fridays, Outback, Olive Garden etc...there really isnt a scene in Manchester. As far as S. Windsor itself...it's more of a family town...very safe, very pretty but no real bar scene or entertainment. If you want quiet though it's great!

I encourage you to google image search and youtube the two towns and see which one looks like it would better suit you! Personally, I'd go with W. Hartford for what you are looking for...but thats just my opinion! Good luck!

And here are links to the town's websites:

Town of West Hartford Home Page

Town of Manchester, Connecticut :: Official Government Web Site

PS-looking over the W. Hartford website I totally forgot about their theaters!!! Playhouse on Park: Home Page

[kidyankee764]

You were given some decent info on the other thread, too.

[tryingtomakeitinCT]

Here are some links for apartments in West Hartford and Manchester. I would be cautious with Craigslist as I've known people personally who were taken advantage of with their rents and either didnt move in (after paying a significant application fee then told the apt wasnt for rent...scam) or had to move out due to slumlords. Also, when budgeting, keep in mind that CT has some of the most expensive utility rates (esp. electricity).

West Hartford apartments:
Apartments for Rent in West Hartford | Apartment in West Hartford*Connecticut

Manchester apartments:
Apartments for Rent in Manchester | Apartment in Manchester*Connecticut

[mlassoff]

Originally Posted by tryingtomakeitinCT

I would be cautious with Craigslist as I've known people personally who were taken advantage of with their rents and either didnt move in (after paying a significant application fee then told the apt wasnt for rent...scam) or had to move out due to slumlords.

I'm going to disagree on Craigslist. I prefer to rent from a private landlord than from a large REIT or management corp. I find that private owners are more invested in the condition and quality of their place.

I can't imagine that you wouldn't be able to detect a slumlord when you look at the place unless you are renting site unsceen-- which I would never do.

West Hartford is great. Quite a few nice restaurants, good shopping and opportunities to have happy hour, relax with friends, go to movies, etc. Blue Black Square is nice. I think, in general, the rents will be higher in West Hartford. Manchester has many nice areas and good apartments as well. It is more chain restaurant oriented, but still has smaller places that are cool, fun and interesting. I would not be unhappy in either place.

I went for less expensive rent and live in Vernon-- About 7 minutes from Manchester. I travel a lot for work, so I didn't see spending $1500 a month for a place I am only in 5-6 days a month...

Good luck and welcome to the Hartford area.

[tryingtomakeitinCT]

Originally Posted by mlassoff

I can't imagine that you wouldn't be able to detect a slumlord when you look at the place unless you are renting site unsceen-- which I would never do.

Unfortunatly it did happen to a friend of mine. The apartment was great, everything sounded great...then she moved in and when things needed to be fixed her landloard was no where to be found. When she did find her landlord he didnt want to deal with fixing anything...she moved out and broke her lease and had to pay. Granted this could happen from finding an apartment through the paper too. But with the other problems my other friends have had on Craigslist...it just makes me leery. And most management compainies have 24hr maintenance. I think it comes down to finding the right landlord and also the right apartment (if managed). There are ups and downs to both and you cant always be certain....it's a risk you take.

[mlassoff]

Originally Posted by tryingtomakeitinCT

Unfortunatly it did happen to a friend of mine. The apartment was great, everything sounded great...then she moved in and when things needed to be fixed her landloard was no where to be found. When she did find her landlord he didnt want to deal with fixing anything...she moved out and broke her lease and had to pay. Granted this could happen from finding an apartment through the paper too. But with the other problems my other friends have had on Craigslist...it just makes me leery. And most management compainies have 24hr maintenance. I think it comes down to finding the right landlord and also the right apartment (if managed). There are ups and downs to both and you cant always be certain....it's a risk you take.

There are certainly ups and downs to both. I had friends who had bad experience with 24 hours maintenance. I don't like a lot of people having access to the key to my apartment, which is certainly the case in any place that has a maintenance staff.

When my landlord asked me for references I asked to speak to a couple of his current tenants, to which he readily agreed. If you're well qualified for the apartment and serious about it, most landlords should readily agree!

[JViello]

Keagan, downtown Hartford is as safe if not more so than many other mid sized metros. Don't listen to the misinformation.

The crime in Hartford is isolated primarily to certain neighborhoods South and North of the city. If you are not getting it on with someone elses girl in the West Indian Social club up in the ghetto, you'll be fine.

Now of course a certain poster here will bring up an example or two, and frankly that's any city USA. They simply get a thrill out of complaining how bad it is in this state, and have some elitist mindset that some of us who say different are old and stupid. Far from it. My company services many downtown establishments and know the city and it's coming and going well.

If I were you, I would rent in Manchester a small satellite city that has plenty to keep you busy while you get to know the area better and can settle on your ideal place. Manchester has the biggest selection of newest apartments and stores etc in the area so you'll have the most choices while you search and also a 5 minute ride to work.