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So we have this consultant from Atlanta who comes up here quite often and stays in the Marriott hotel at Rocky Hill. This guy is probably in his mid to late 20's. When asked if he would ever consider moving to CT, he flatly replied, "no!" His reasons?
Winter is a pain to deal with
It's too expensive
He has lived in the Atlanta area since he was 4 years old. I find it funny, because a couple months ago I made a thread entitled "Glad to be back from Atlanta!" My main reasons were the out-of-control, ugly cookie cutout sprawl and severe traffic congestion.
Are people biased in preferring the place where they are already familiar with?
Most likely that's the case. Home is home. Someone's father I know is from Buffalo and he has not been impressed with the Fairfield county region in his two trips. I went to college in Buffalo and would not return there to live. Depressed economy, dirty, run down. Not everywhere but many places. And you don't know what winter is until you spend some time there. The place has a charm to it though and I can understand locals defending it fiercely. It's their home. Once you're set on a lifestyle, it's hard to change unless you're wanting for a change.
I myself like the New England lifestyle and it's hard to imagine myself calling any other place home. Beaches, seafood, Autumn, spending a snow day by the fire reading a good book. It's a lifestyle that for me personally is hard to move away from.
So we have this consultant from Atlanta who comes up here quite often and stays in the Marriott hotel at Rocky Hill. This guy is probably in his mid to late 20's. When asked if he would ever consider moving to CT, he flatly replied, "no!" His reasons?
Winter is a pain to deal with
It's too expensive
He has lived in the Atlanta area since he was 4 years old. I find it funny, because a couple months ago I made a thread entitled "Glad to be back from Atlanta!" My main reasons were the out-of-control, ugly cookie cutout sprawl and severe traffic congestion.
Are people biased in preferring the place where they are already familiar with?
To answer your question, many people prefer what they are comfortable with.
But regarding the cookie-cutout comment, I have a different take. I find the insipid residential architecture in CT the most awful anywhere I have lived. The dominance of "colonial" style (in Texas it’s called "farm house") architecture is oppressive, pretentious and downright unimaginative. Yes, if the house is 200 years old, then great. But it seems around here (the Monroe area) 90% of the boxy, boring homes, even new ones, look exactly the same. It’s like everything around here has to look like it was built in 1780.
A few months ago, I told my realtor that I didn’t want a colonial – I prefer a contemporary, but I’ll take anything that isn’t boring. She was perplexed. Finally, she showed me a contemporary on a few acres in Newtown that looked fantastic from the outside. Then I opened the door, and was like, WTF?? The current owners vandalized the home by adding crown molding, wainscoting, and a fireplace that looked like it belonged to Dolly Madison. To add insult to injury, the placed was polluted with King Louis style furniture - it was like I had stepped into the final scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The realtor defended the owners by saying that colonial was very popular in CT. Really?
Enough of my rant – CT isn’t going to change because I think the homes suck. At least the trees are nice.
A few months ago, I told my realtor that I didn’t want a colonial – I prefer a contemporary, but I’ll take anything that isn’t boring. She was perplexed. Finally, she showed me a contemporary on a few acres in Newtown that looked fantastic from the outside. Then I opened the door, and was like, WTF?? The current owners vandalized the home by adding crown molding, wainscoting, and a fireplace that looked like it belonged to Dolly Madison. To add insult to injury, the placed was polluted with King Louis style furniture - it was like I had stepped into the final scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The realtor defended the owners by saying that colonial was very popular in CT. Really?
That sounds really romantic...but most people, when faced with a typical New England snowstorm, are not spending that day by the fire reading a good book. They're stressing over how they have to get up at the crack of dawn, and go out and plow their way out of their driveway so they and the rest of their family can get to work the next day. Or they're up into the middle of the night doing it over and over again, with each subsequent 4 inches. Or they're calling the oil company to complain about the instant price hike that comes with the first snowfall. Some are trying to -get- to work, some are trying to come home from work. Some are instructed to stay home, and not getting paid for it, thus having to worry about the mortgage once again, thanks to the latest property and income tax increases.
There's a whole lot of things people do on snowy days - relaxing by the fire is not the most common.
That sounds really romantic...but most people, when faced with a typical New England snowstorm, are not spending that day by the fire reading a good book. They're stressing over how they have to get up at the crack of dawn, and go out and plow their way out of their driveway so they and the rest of their family can get to work the next day. Or they're up into the middle of the night doing it over and over again, with each subsequent 4 inches. Or they're calling the oil company to complain about the instant price hike that comes with the first snowfall. Some are trying to -get- to work, some are trying to come home from work. Some are instructed to stay home, and not getting paid for it, thus having to worry about the mortgage once again, thanks to the latest property and income tax increases.
There's a whole lot of things people do on snowy days - relaxing by the fire is not the most common.
Ou-freakin-ch! That must have hit the spot! I hear ya on the driveway thing; mine is 400ft long and a **tch to keep on top of. The tax increase stuff, why, that's just fairness, Malloy style. Learn to embrace it, its here to stay.
No offense to those from Rocky Hill, but if that were my first/only impression of CT - I wouldn't want to live here either. There's nothing special about it.
LOL. Classic contemporary marketing.
16 pics, only 2 of the exterior.
I'm sorry, that's an awful exterior.
I do agree the new cookie cutter colonial developments are ugly.
I prefer a little European/cottage/Nantucket/arts & crafts touch. Basically anything with some architectural interest. My house is pretty "square" but I've been doing a lot with the exterior to give it an interesting touch. You see that more on coastal homes, or in affluent areas like lower FFC.
Of course, that kind of architectural interest is rare in smaller homes in CT. Most are of the generic raised ranch/split level or center hall colonial variety.
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