[Swells1117]

Hello, im currently a college student, majoring in medical sciences and going into nursing. Currently live in TX and it sucks!!!!!!! I want to move to hartford, preferably after I graduate. My girlfriend and I are going to check it out over spring break to see what its like up there. Any tips about moving up there? How hard is it to find a nursing job? cost of living compared to TX? any real tips a young person ought to know please!!. . Any replys are appreciated. Thank you

[RogerAnthony]

The cost of living is WAY higher than Texas. Do you want to move to Hartford itself? If so you need to really work hard to find a clean and relatively safe area. If you are open to living in the suburbs there are many nice areas around.

[Swells1117]

Thank you for your input!! I chose Hartford b/c it seems to have the higher population, which i assume intern would mean a higher job availability. . but any suggestions on other cities in conneticut, and still be able to get a decent nursing job. . w/o having to commute more than 18 miles?

[nep321]

I would look into either Hartford or the New Haven area, for healthcare/nursing work. If you're a nurse, I assume you will make a more than adequate income. You shouldn't have that big of a problem finding an apartment. There are numerous complexes in the suburbs. If you want to live in Hartford itself, you must be extremely discriminate of which area to live in. Most of the city is low income residents and isnt that safe. With that said, the cost of living is much higher than in TX, but your income will be much higher as well. People may complain about the cost of living in CT, but the reality is that you would be better off here than in most places in the U.S., due to it having higher pay.

[Kristin85]

The main "hubs" in Connecticut for college students and 20-somethings are New Haven (location of Yale and Southern Connecticut State U.) and Stamford. It will be harder in Hartford to find "niche circles" of friends than in New Haven or Stamford. Rent in both cities is significantly more expensive than in Hartford, but imo it's worth it to have tons of young hang out spots to choose from, to live near a beach, and to be on the Metro North rail line that goes into New York City. SoNo (South Norwalk) is also appealing for young adults because it has its own arts and cultural scene, it is close to Stamford, and it also has the beach/Metro North going for it. Plus, Norwalk is slightly cheaper than New Haven and Stamford.

Nursing jobs seem to be easy to come by in Fairfield County, CT given the large number of classified ads for them. I am not familiar with jobs near Hartford. If you live in New Haven, you could apply to jobs at the Yale-New Haven Hospital. In the Norwalk/Stamford area, you can apply to jobs at Stamford Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, or Norwalk Hospital. There are also many elderly homes that need RNs in the area. I would find it hard to believe that you couldn't find a job in at least one of these places. However, you need to be prepared for a drastic increase in cost of living expenses. A $700/mo. 1-bedroom apartment in TX could (and probably would) cost $1100-1300/mo. in coastal CT.

[Kristin85]

Also, I just looked at full-time nursing jobs with benefits available in Fairfield County. There are:

-10 jobs at Yale-New Haven Hospital
-10 jobs at Greenwich Hospital
-6 jobs at Stamford Hospital
-2 jobs at Norwalk Hospital
-Multiple openings at the Jewish Home for the Elderly in Fairfield (# not listed)
-1 LPN job at Liberation Programs in Stamford (substance abuse facility)

These are just the jobs I found in 5 minutes. There are also jobs available throught the Visiting Nurses Association of CT (Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care -) You will get a job within a few weeks to a few short months if you move here.

[Mixum]

yeah.... dont do it!

[JayCT]

First you should realize that the cities in Connecticut are very small in size and are surrounded by independent towns that serve as its suburbs. Hartford itself is 17 square miles and has some very bad neighborhoods but it also has some very nice ones. Generally people live in the suburbs and commute to Hartford for work. There are several hospitals in the Hartford area including Hartford Hospital, St. Francis, UConn (aka John Dempsey), New Britain, Manchester, Bristol, Meriden (Hospital of Central CT). Most likely the cost of living will be higher here in Hartford but the pay will be higher too.

The suggestions about New Haven and Stamford are good but note that Stamford is one of the most expensive areas of the country. Another option would be Bridgeport which is between Stamford and New Haven. Hospitals there include Bridgeport and St. Vincents. The Bridgeport area is generally less expensive than Stamford but more than New Haven. good luck, Jay

[Swells1117]

Just want to say thank you to all of you for your input. . I really appreciate it. . One more question tho. .

There is still so much i dont know. . one last question i have. . I had talked to my girl friend about "possibly moving" up there before i graduated, and if accepted, attending UCONN to finish my BSN in Nursing. . neither one of us have "degree" jobs. . Tho she does do secretary work in a legal office. . Would it be a suicide mission moving up there with 2 kids before I graduated??

[Swells1117]

In texas. . when getting an apartment, your approval is based on if you make 3 time the rent. Is it the same thing there??