[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by mkiv808

Let's put things in perspective too: both areas are MUCH cheaper than southwest CT. You can get a great house with a huge lot for under $400k, which can't be said for other parts of the state.

Depends where. If you're looking in Litchfield, Morris or Goshen, sure. That's not really the case in Washington, Roxbury, Bridgewater or Sherman though. Roxbury reminds me a lot of Redding. Edit to add: Roxbury's home price is 60k higher than Redding, about on par with Ridgefield.

[The Continental]

Well for starters the people aren't real nice or social, and a lot can be strange. Oh and then there's the New Yorkers. If you want that just go live somewhere down SW or in Hudson Valley.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by The Continental

Well for starters the people aren't real nice or social, and a lot can be strange. Oh and then there's the New Yorkers. If you want that just go live somewhere down SW or in Hudson Valley.

Huh?

You need to get out more...

Then again, I've noticed you are an expert on Texas, PA, Atlanta etc so I'm SURE you are dead on with CT.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by The Continental

Well for starters the people aren't real nice or social, and a lot can be strange. Oh and then there's the New Yorkers. If you want that just go live somewhere down SW or in Hudson Valley.

I won't say that they aren't nice, but people in the towns I'm familiar with are certainly reserved and not as social as a bedroom community outside of Hartford or New Haven - so I agree with you there. It has much to do with the rural landscape.

I keep reading that NW CT is overrun with NYers, and while they do have a presence, the majority of people in Litchfield County are locals. Many are just as wealthy as those NYers people are talking about.

[The Continental]

Originally Posted by JViello

Huh?

You need to get out more...

Then again, I've noticed you are an expert on Texas, PA, Atlanta etc so I'm SURE you are dead on with CT.

Hmm perhaps that is due to living in more than one place.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by The Continental

Hmm perhaps that is due to living in more than one place.

I'm not trying to pretend I have the pulse of places I've lived years ago or for short periods of time down to the point I can really comment on local nuance as you seem to be doing (wrongly).

You are wrong about NW CT, most people here agree...really, it's that simple.

Outdoor nut, check out Litchfield, Kent, the Cornwall's, Goshen...perhaps even Salisbury. I don't think you'll be disappointed. In Kent for instance, you can spend a day at a state park with a 200 foot waterfall, visit a covered bridge that ties into the Appalcian trail, go to Main Street to a Panini shop, get some gourmet ice cream, check out some local artwork, visit two the world class chocolatiers, the local organic farm etc all in a town of 3000 people with gorgeous countryside and roads and perhaps then head out after a nice hike to a 5 star French Bistro in Morris.

That's just Kent. There are dozens of small interesting towns and places to hike etc in NW CT.

That should give a little bit of the local vibe.

Belgique Pâtisserie & Chocolatier - Kent, CT

DEP: Kent Falls State Park

Bull's Bridge *Kent, CT**Connecticut's highest peak *- BerkshireHiking.Com

SWEETS | Panini Café & Gelateria

Mountain View Farm

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Winvian: An Extraordinary Litchfield Hills, CT Resort Getaway

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Depends where. If you're looking in Litchfield, Morris or Goshen, sure. That's not really the case in Washington, Roxbury, Bridgewater or Sherman though. Roxbury reminds me a lot of Redding. Edit to add: Roxbury's home price is 60k higher than Redding, about on par with Ridgefield.

You do still get more house/property for the money than Redding or Ridgefield though. The average price points to the stock being very consistent in Roxbury.

I think this idea of the place being overrun by NY'ers is more of a myth than anything. Sure, you'll spot some on the weekends - but like others have said, they're far outnumbered by locals.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by mkiv808

You do still get more house/property for the money than Redding or Ridgefield though. The average price points to the stock being very consistent in Roxbury.

Maybe a little bit, but looking on Realtor.com, differences don't seem to be huge between a home in Redding and a similar home in Roxbury.

[LRPct]

I grew up in NE Ct, Killingly to be exact, 20+ years, and have lived in Florida for a couple years and worked in Monterey Ca for a couple years and lived there full time for 6 months, and have now lived in Salisbury Ct for almost 10 years.

Pretty much everyone here has been spot on EXCEPT for Continental. NE and NW Ct are very similar except NE is more "blue collar" and probably has more opportunities for entry/med level jobs.

NW has a much more relaxed, and outdoorsy recreational feeling. Fewer jobs here also. Although I moved here because my work brought me here. There are the same recreational opportunities available in the NE, you just don't see as many people taking advantage of them there.

and Re: the "traffic" in the NW. Sometimes in the "cities" like Torrington.. lol...

Besides that on WEEKENDS some of the smaller towns and greens seem like they have alot of people/traffic with all the weekenders filling up the area for the short period of time. Most of that is between 10AM and 4-5PM though. most those places will be ghost towns again by 6PM lol. That doesn't bother me though, just a lil slow up as I drive through "town", not like I'm there browsing the local green on the weekend myself, I see it everyday. In the same regard though for example, I like hiking, on weekends during "season" I'd never bother going to the popular / easy to find ones. They are PACKED!! Doesn't bother me though as a local I know TONS of other good trails spots that only see a couple hikers A YEAR and probably see more ATV traffic from the other locals than anything else.

As far as New Yorkers, I live on one of the best / most popular lakes in the NW. Most, prob close to 70% of the homes are 2nd homes. Since the bad economy hit a couple years ago I have definitely seen a HUGE drop off in the occupancy of those homes. They are still taken care of, but the owners just don't get up to them very much at all. People I used to see a couple times a month, I only see a couple times a year now. The ones that came a few times a year, now come once a year... Fine by me lol. I love the peacefulness, even though if they all came every weekend I wouldn't notice THAT much.

As far as NY transplants, the majority I meet are friendly enough. Every great once in a while I might meet one tree hugging, anti noise / anti combustion engine sour puss that might not be in love with either "my loud dirt bike on the street" , actually a 50 state street legal enduro motorcycle, or have negative feelings about all the race cars that may get hauled in and out from my house in between different events / races. I either try to remind them that everyone has different hobbies and that not everyone has the SAME interests, and I do my best to keep mine from infringing on their rights / interests. If they are complete A holes or I'm in a horrible mood, I might just wheelie past their house extra loud, or fire up the unmuffled race car multiple times during the day during "regular maintenance and testing".
No one is perfect..

[anon860]

Both areas have nice sections, and not so nice sections. There are a couple picturesque villages but all of them are extremely car-dependent, and somewhat of a facade in terms of having real community life. Kent, CT is incredibly beautiful for example, but I would never want to actually live there year round.

By far the most desirable property in Northern CT is near the center (e.g., around Hartford, West Hartford, Glastonbury, Wethersfield) though - why not move there, and commute out to the far-out sprawl areas?

Up until a couple decades ago, NE and NW CT were mostly undeveloped farms and that's what they'll be going back to.