[Slipperman]

got this from an older thread from March..

favorite towns

pre 1990
Uncasville - grew up there (A - for being home and therefore familiar)
Norwich - first apartment (B - OK)
Rockville - first condo and then second (C+ - Union and Brooklyn St's - not the greatest area)

brief interlude through Long Island and Massachusetts (1990 - 1998)

1998-present
North Haven (B - OK)
New Haven - third condo (B - nice condo on Quinnipiac Ave in what turned out to be not as bad an area as i thought)
Meriden (C- - didn't hate the immediate area but the apartment complex was a dump)
Danbury (B+ - liked it there. everything was so convenient from where i lived)
Middletown (A- - if not for my nitwit neighbor downstairs, i'd love it here)

that said, where i am now (Middletown), i'd say i like the general area more than any individual town. quite a few really nice towns surround where i am (Berlin, Rocky Hill, Cromwell, etc). just beautiful here. but unfortunately, still dealing with that nitwit neighbor.

also - though i've never lived there - the last few years while visiting family during the holidays, i've grown rather fond of Niantic. going strictly by the rides i've taken through town and while visiting my sister who bought a house on Flanders Rd. love the area on the shore.

[dazzleman]

Originally Posted by nep321

I would say Sterling or Voluntown. Extremely peaceful, no corporations, no rich people, no traffic, no New Yorkers. Just natural beauty and silence.

I love the "no New Yorkers" part, even though I'm an ex-New Yorker. There's a reason I left, and I'd never go back.

[dazzleman]

Originally Posted by mkiv808

I like a few towns. I'm fond of Milford, Branford, Guilford and Madison along the coast. I like Old Saybrook and east, but they're too far away from civilization for me. I'm kind of "over" lower FFC. It just doesn't do it for me, although it does benefit from location. Take location away, and I'm just not digging it anymore. I will say, money no object - I'd love to live in Southport along the water. It's breathtakingly beautiful there in the warm months.

I also like the northwest towns - Litchfield, Kent, Washington, Roxbury. Although I wouldn't want to live in them, I like some action and activity. They are great to visit though. If I had tons of money, one of my houses would be a house on Lake Waramaug.

I really like where I am in Milford. I think Madison would be my other choice if I had a job option near there, which I don't. I have to be near lower FFC in my industry.

Southport is beautiful. My brother did a painting of Southport Harbor for me.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by AMSS

It's a huge town - some areas I've been in, I want out of immediately. Some I've absolutely loved. I think people are shocked when they get to New Milford at the diversity in people, education level, socioeconomic background etc.

I guess so. It's the biggest town in CT. Most of people I've known from there are pretty similar. So as to say - not the most worldly people.

Some parts of the north and the more isolated sections are nice. The downtown/green area is attractive, but ultimately nothing worth visiting there. There used to be an amazing restaurant there over 10 years ago, I think it was called Bistro. Nowadays, mediocrity reigns supreme there.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by dazzleman

Southport is beautiful. My brother did a painting of Southport Harbor for me.

Yes, it's amazing. I haven't been in over a month, I wonder if it all looks dead from the storm surge salt water.

[ctwhitechin]

I would have to say Greenwich cause it will be the last town in my rear view mirror when I finally get my house sold

Seriously, Glastonbury is a very nice place to live.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by Slipperman

also - though i've never lived there - the last few years while visiting family during the holidays, i've grown rather fond of Niantic.

Strange isn't it? My wife and I were cruising the shore towns trying to find a church and place for our (modest) wedding and reception. Old Lyme: Eh, too stuffy and elitist for us...Mystic, too touristy. Niantic. Perfect! A seaside "working class" town with nice parks, nice main street...a working living community. We ended up getting married in a historic Portuguese fisherman's chapel and had our reception in another old chapel turned into a B and B. I told my wife years back, "watch, Niantic is on the rise" and sure enough several years later it's just getting better and better.

My favorite towns...I'm torn between the lower CT valley such as Chester/Essex and Southeast CT such as Noank, Stonington.

Can Watch Hill count as CT since it juts back Westward and is technically off the CT coast?

[anon860]

I agree that Southport is beautiful. Stamford and New Haven are by far the most livable towns though, especially for kids, because they are the only areas in Connecticut where you don't have to drive to buy a quart of milk.

Of course, people here have sour grapes about them either because they don't like diversity, or because they are far more expensive places to live than the suburbs, if you are talking about equivalent land size, housing size, and housing quality, etc. Buying a nice house on half an acre in East Rock will cost you $2 million whereas the same can be had in a suburban sprawl town for $200,000. Quality of life is the trade off you make.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JViello

My favorite towns...I'm torn between the lower CT valley such as Chester/Essex and Southeast CT such as Noank, Stonington.

If I ever move anywhere in CT again, it's going to be Essex or Old Lyme.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by anon860

Buying a nice house on half an acre in East Rock will cost you $2 million whereas the same can be had in a suburban sprawl town for $200,000. Quality of life is the trade off you make.

Woah, what? New Haven is not expensive to buy in. Just has high taxes. There's 2 listings above $1MM and both are mansions. (and probably won't get asking price)

Woodbridge, Milford, Guilford, Madison just to name a few are suburbs of New Haven with more expensive real estate.

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