[ChampionSleeper]

I am moving from Phoenix (Tempe) AZ out to the Hartford area for about 9 months to work at the Pratt and Whitney facility in East Hartford. I am looking for advice on where to live; I'm probably looking for a studio apartment but open to other suggestions.

A little about myself:
-I am 26 yr old male, Single and Free! I work as an Engineer (about 2 years experience) for a small Aerospace Company.
- I like the outdoors: Climbing is my main sport, but I also mountain bike, paddle (would like to get more into sea/river kayaking maybe), hike and trail run, and camp.
- I like a good bar (like trying different beers and find breweries to be my favorite bars in general), and good coffee (local coffee shops, not really a chain or starbucks fan)
- If possible I would like to live in an area that has a similar demographic

I visited Hartford recently for 2 days but didn't have time to do any research before going. I briefly looked at suburbs of Hartford, east Hartford, Glastonbury, Manchester, and West Hartford. Nothing jumped out at me (I like Glastonbury best, but did not get a very thorough idea of the place), so I am looking for additional input. I will have about 3 days to find a place once I fly in before my shipment arrives.

My list of desired qualities in a place to live are (in order of importance):
1) Safe, quiet place to live (don't like trying to sleep while kids are screaming and subwoofers are blasting)
2) Reasonable distance to East Hartford Pratt and Whitney Facility ( 400 Main Street, East Hartford, CT 06118). I would like to limit commute time to about 20 minutes each way (maybe 30 for something really nice).
3) Access to outdoor activities (local trail running ,mountain biking, and or paddling would be a huge plus)
4a) Distance to a good indoor rock climbing gym (I visited the stone age gym in Manchester, but would ideally like something larger). Prime Clime in Wellingford Center looks nice.
4b) Distance to coast. I would like to take advantage of living near the coast to go play in the ocean.
5) Local scene- Bars, Breweries, Coffee Shops, Restaurants, etc.

Budget. I don't have a great idea of what typical rent is for a 1 bedroom or studio apartment. I have seen people talk about anything from ~700 to 1000. I am getting a cost of living stipend, so I am not totally opposed to spending some money (but would love to save some of that money for other expenses if possible).

One area that I did not get a chance to look at that I think might fit the bill is Middleton. Looks like it would be about a 20 minute commute to work (from google maps, accurate?), would be about 20 min to the rock gym in Wallingford Center, and closer to the coast than other options.

What do you guys think? I would appreciate thoughts on both towns/cities to consider and specific apartments.

Thanks in advance for your help.
-Paul

[JayCT]

I would recommend you look for an apartment in the Westfield section of Middletown. It has a lot of apartments for rent and there are many young people living there. There are bars downtown to hang out in and you will not be far from the nightlife of Hartford and New Haven. The beaches would be a straight shot down Route 9, the mountain striaght up I-91 plus East Hartford would be about 20 minutes away.

Glastonbury is very nice to but it is somewhat expensive. It is more of a family oriented town and the nightlife for a single person is limited. Still it could be an option. Jay

[ChampionSleeper]

Thanks Jay! Is traffic bad for the Middletown-East Hartford Commute? Also, excuse my ignorance but which mountain are you talking about?

[JayCT]

The traffic is not bad. Traffic gets bad as you get closer to Hartford but you would not have to go near it. You would drive north on I-91 to Route 3 east and cross the Connecticut River to Route 2 west. You will hit a some traffic on Route 2 but you would be exiting that highway only about 2 miles up. The trip is about 12 miles over just about all highway. It may take 25 minutes with traffic.

The mountains I mention would be either the Berkshires in Massachusetts or the Green Mountains in Vermont. Connecticut also has mountains but they are small. Jay

[ChampionSleeper]

Do you think Middletown is a better option than Manchester, Windsor, or Glastonbury?

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by ChampionSleeper

Do you think Middletown is a better option than Manchester, Windsor, or Glastonbury?

Yes. They have a huge Main Street filled with restaurants and bars, many of them geared toward younger, college age people since Wesleyan is here and they make up alot of the clientele in those places. Tons of rentals here, too. The only downside as Jay said it's a bit of a longer commute.

Glastonbury is really nice and they have lots of restaurants as well but it's geared toward a wealthier, more adult crowd IMHO. Windsor is nice, but for a young person looking for things to do I think you'd find it boring as hell. There's really nothing going on except for Buffalo Wild Wings (which I'm not a fan of.) Manchester isn't bad but I'd stay as far away from the mall as possible - traffic over there can be horrible and IMO the town's Main Street has more to offer in terms of restaurants and bars.

Wherever you end up there's alot that's close by - the shore would be about an hour away. If you like hiking you should def. check out Talcott Mountain once you get siutated.

[nep321]

I am 26 years old, male and just moved to Middletown four months ago and regret it. I don't find the downtown to be particularly attractive or appealing. Not gonna lie...there are ghetto people walking those streets during the day and night. I mean, it's a safe city overall and you never really see it on the news, but it's just uncomfortable for me to be in the downtown. I live more toward the west side of Middletown, which is where Jay recommended. This area is much better and nicer and lacks ghetto. It's far more professional, and I would recommend it as well.

Glastonbury is way nicer IMO. Even Vernon and Manchester have a slight edge IMO.

[Quirkiest]

Hi Paul,

I think that you need to choose between Glastonbury and Middletown. Having said this I would also recommend that you consider a part of East Hartford that is close to Glastonbury as well since for one thing it is likely to be more affordable than Glastonbury and for another thing, if you choose to live in Brookside Commons Apartments on Main Street in East Hartford it could take about 10 minutes just to walk to and from work each way. If you decided to move to Glastonbury I'd recommend for you to look for housing that is on Griswold and Prospect Street just because they are the only apartments I'm familiar with in Glastonbury and because I know that they are on the bus line. You could even take a bus to and from work each day for 15-20 minutes from that housing for $1.25 each way. You might be able to save lots of money on gasoline if you choose to walk to work each day. Then you could drive to the West Hartford Reservoir for running and cycling. You could also spend plenty of time, at least a couple of hours (roundtrip) walking from East Hartford through Glastonbury Center when it's warm out.

By the way, I'm a 31 year old male and I live in East Hartford near Glastonbury and I just love going to Glastonbury center, even on foot, especially during the warmer weather!

Paul, I actually had a longer message to you because I was listing places to go for coffee and beer and dining, and giving you more details about the towns. Something happened where the posting was deleted so here is my brief concise version. With all that I typed in my deleted message the above is all you really need to know taking my opinions in mind based on your messages and the messages of others. If you have specific questions let me know, and I can also recommend places for coffee and beer to you if you ask me for such info!

Good luck !!!

Lee

[ChampionSleeper]

Nep- Thanks for the honest review. If you don't like Middletown or wouldn't recommend it, is there somewhere else you think would be better?

Quirkiest- Thanks for the help. Seems like although Glastonbury may not be the most happening place to live, it might be the best option.

On another forum, someone mentioned the Arrigoni Bridge project and that it might make traffic near Middletown pretty congested. Do you guys agree?

If I did take a closer look at Manchester, what areas would be good?

Am I overlooking any good towns/areas? Are Newington, Rocky Hill, or Cromwell worth considering?

[ctcoldplay11]

Middletown is hardly "ghetto". Please refrain from throwing around such insensitive words; you sound like a fool. To the OP, I believe you are being mislead:

Glastonbury is a wealthy, FAMILY suburb. Hardly any singles. If you have a wife, two kids, a dog, by all means Glastonbury would be the first place I would recommend. I think you'd find it boring.

Middletown is awesome. Wesleyan University calls it home. TONS of hip bars and restaurants. Super cool Main Street. It is not at all "ghetto" as a previous poster has so inanely dubbed it. There is some low-income housing near Main Street, which would welcome some riff-raff, but it is hardly the norm. Check it out if you can. I think you'll be impressed!

Manchester would be my other recommendation. Lots of singles. The restaurant/shopping Mecca of Connecticut. Easiest commute to East Hartford, even downtown Hartford (for more clubs/bars/shopping).

Newington, surprisingly, has lots of singles as well. Close to lots of shopping/restaurants/bars. Central Connecticut State University (student population - 12,000) is in the town over; though many older graduate students rent in Newington. I personally love Newington.

I'd say a no-go on Rocky Hill or Cromwell. Both family towns. See Glastonbury, above.

Welcome to Connecticut!