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Quality is in the eye of the beholder. Someone may find paradise in Atlanta while others live for the New England way. I think arguing over it is a bit silly.
It is not my beloved Georgia. This isn't about Georgia or the south.
This is about finding quality not quantity. I'm sorry if I offended you or maybe I hit a sore spot.
According to rankings for elementary schools from USA School Rankings
CT is ranked number 3 and Georgia number 39.
One can access middle schools as well at the site.
Sore spot to hit?- or is another motive by the poster the real issue?
so here's a semi-related question: how much money do you think I would have to make in order to live comfortably in the Hartford area? We are a single-income family, and we don't really splurge on much other than eating out at restaurants maybe once a week. In regards to housing, a rough guess would be a $250,000 home in a relatively nice neighborhood (which decent schools). Any insight here for me?
so here's a semi-related question: how much money do you think I would have to make in order to live comfortably in the Hartford area? We are a single-income family, and we don't really splurge on much other than eating out at restaurants maybe once a week. In regards to housing, a rough guess would be a $250,000 home in a relatively nice neighborhood (which decent schools). Any insight here for me?
Maestro
If you put 15-20% down on a home (almost needed again!)
Assuming a 25K down payment (10% down)- 30 year fixed at 6.5% your monthly payment will be about $1420.00- that excludes taxes and insurance- I would add an additional $300 a month for these items-this would bring your monthly payments to around $1720 a month. This amount should take about 35% of your monthly income if you are at 60K a year. That being so, your monthly income should be gross around $5,000, or around 60K a year. I would not have your monthly payments beyond 35% of your income- in the past that amount was 25%- today things have changed.
Housing prices here have stabilized- and its become more of a buyers market. Prices here could decline in the next 2 years- from as little as 5% to as much as 10-15%. No one really knows right now- one thing for certain we will not likely see the large declines other areas are now seeing and will likely continue to see in the next 2-3 years.
There are variables to this- for instance here in Vernon you can buy a new home for 240K- and your down payment above may be higher or lower. Also I took the most conservative route via a mortgage- there are more options, for less of a monthly payment-but be careful.
Taxes vary from town to town. Homeowners Insurance should not be more then $240 a year if away from the shoreline.
Hope this helps! Since you do not live an extravagant lifestyle- in your case this may be doable. If you drive a BMW, like the best things in life , upscale home furnishings, exotic vacations, and like designer clothes- NO, unless you like debt.
Last edited by skytrekker; 09-06-2007 at 05:28 AM..
I'm trying to convince my wife that we should move from Ohio (she's from out here) to CT, specifically the Hartford area. We are flying in to town from Sept. 14-17 in order to learn more about the area and CT itself.
In the 2+ days that we'll be there, what should we do/see to sell her on all that central CT has to offer? I'm talking things to do in Hartford and the neighbhoring areas. I'm open to drive down to the coast or up to the rural areas of NE or NW Connecticut to show her some old-school colonial New England towns/villages.
What do you experts suggest we go do?
Maestro,
Just a few quick notes about your original notes before this thing got lost…
I have a sister-in-law from Ohio. We’ve had many conversations about the differences (the few that exist), and similarities of OH and CT. My brother, sister-in-law and their four kids currently live in Durham, CT.
First, Americans like to find something to spar about, and geography is not exempt. After traveling all over the United States – I have come to the conclusion there is less and less difference about much of the USA. As far as CT and GA – Connecticut being the provincial New England State, and Georgia being the old southern conservative town - people describe both places truly more like “the way is was” than the way it is. I have been to Atlanta many times, and the urban and suburban areas of both CT and GA are becoming shockingly similar – as much as people in both regions want to hold on to regional provincialism. Also Connecticut is the “most southern” New England state. Connecticut is the gray area between New England to the north – and the mid -Atlantic states to the south.
If your moving to most of metropolitan Connecticut (New Haven, Stamford, Hartford), and are expecting to find that goofy Stars Hollow (as depicted on Gilmore Girls) in Connecticut, you may be dissapointed big time. More Connecticut residents read commuter train schedules and walk around in business suites, than wear flannel and have animated conversations with the colorful people of some small town. However, the Gilmore girls are cute! (OK, I’ll get serious and concentrate on the subject).
The urban/suburban corridors of Connecticut (I-91 from northern Hartford suburbs south to New Haven, I-95 from Stamford to the eastern coastal suburbs of New Haven, the New London/Groton area, Waterbury…etc.) suffer the same problems that metro Cleveland, Cincinnati, or Dayton do. Stamford is really just an extension of NYC, better get some money and a pacemaker if you want to live there, the stress will wear you down (lol). NW and NE Connecticut are somewhat similar, although NE Connecticut is a bit cheaper to live and moves at a somewhat calmer pace. The upscale areas of NW Connecticut can be very expensive. Both locations have more of that old New England look, than the rest of the state. Coastal Connecticut from Stamford to around Branford (just to the east of New Haven) is crowed, but has excellent educational, health care, and cultural opertunites. One of the top 25 hospitals in the World (Yale New Haven Hospital) is located here.
Along the Connecticut coast to the east of New Haven - has the coastal lowland look most people associate with the Atlantic coast of the US – ramshackle beach cottages, boat yards, small beaches, bait and tackle stores, seafood restaurants - this is the most funky part of Connecticut, and in my opinion, the most fun. Most of the towns to the east of New Haven are small. Old Saybrook, Madison, East Lyme, and of course Mystic are especially nice and fun. Besides the casinos in eastern Connecticut, Mystic is Connecticut only ‘World Class’ vacation area. Of course just over the border is Rhode Island - with big surf and a true coastal feel to it.
Also, as far as education, don’t let anyone kid you – although the urban areas of Connecticut have the same problems that poor areas in another place do - Connecticut as whole has one of the best, if not the best, school systems in the country. Public schools here in most towns are excellent. It is not that hard to understand why – Connecticut is in the heart of an urban educated regions - to the north are the excellent colleges and prep school’s of New England, Connecticut having Ivy league schools, and NYC business colleges, and to the south are the huge research universities like Rutgers (NJ), the University of Delaware (DE), and George Washington University. The down side here is that everyone is quite educated, so job competition is fierce to say the least. I have an MS and have had quite a hard time finding a good job. So be warned, this is not a place for pretenders, at least education wises.
Finally, as far where you should move to CT from Ohio - it depends on where you’re from in Ohio. If you’re from a bigger urban area – then suburban Stamford, New Haven, or Hartford are the best bet. Hands-down Hartford and Stamford has more job opportunities than New Haven. Yet the New Haven area and the eastern coastal towns are way more fun and have a milder climate than northern Connecticut.
Remember, cold and snow increase south to north in Connecticut quite rapidly. Old Lyme (in SE CT) for example, can have bare ground in January and February much of the time, while parts of the far NW and NE hill towns are covered with 2-feet of snow for two months. So if you love winter - stay north NW or NE of Hartford, if you hate winter - stay along the southeast coast from Madison to Rhode Island. Just for comparison – here is some average seasonal snowfalls…
Here is my vote for the best places to live based on access to jobs, prices, climate, and promity to fun….
Central/Northern Connecticut - Cromwell/Rocky Hill – close to metro Hartford job market, moderate housing costs, south of the real heavy snow regions closer to MA, access to the beaches in CT and RI, casinos, Mystic..
Southern/central Connecticut – Branford/North Branford – close to shoreline towns, curual and medical offers in New Haven, less cold/snow than up north, acces to trains to NYC…
Southeast Connecticut – Old Saybrook – New Haven 40 minutes/Hartford 45 minutes, access to beach and boasting in Old Saybrook, the casions, Mystic, Rhode Island beaches, mildest climate in Connecticut – 200 frost-free days a year, gardening from April to late November, only about 15 to 20 inches of snow (in some years almost none), lower costs than upscale Hartford suburbs/shoreline towns closer to New Haven, more mid-Atlantic feel.
Great post Wavehunter. Very informative. I should note that snow fall in the upper Connecticut River Valley around Hartford seems to be less than the areas to the east and west of it. Not sure why, but often schools in the valley towns are not delayed or canceled for snow when others to the east and west are. Jay
if your going to ct in sept drive her up the merrit pkwy. who could resist that beautiful sight? show her some horse farms. i was born in ct (norwalk) spend summers in ohio (sandusky,sycamore) summers in ohio are hotter than ct. fall is the most beautiful time in CT. want to sell her. show her beauty...
your post is accurate to a degree; re:Climate, however the no snow in southeastern CT and 2 feet of snow in northeastern CT is a relatively
uncommon occurance each year- however 6-12" I can buy.
In fact 1 foot or more is becoming a more uncommon happening in Northwestern CT , as compared to southeastern Connecticut with no snow.
With climate change/global warming these extremes are becoming less common, with less snow overall. Rain more often in Eastern and southeastern CT- and lighter snow in the NW Hills.
The difference between coastal CT and central CT snow wise is about 10-20" a year- on average. But again these are averages.
Coastal CT is milder- but not extremely so as your posts suggest- Vernon is a zone 6, while New London a zone 6/7.
your post is accurate to a degree; re:Climate, however the no snow in southeastern CT and 2 feet of snow in northeastern CT is a relatively
uncommon occurance each year- however 6-12" I can buy.
In fact 1 foot or more is becoming a more uncommon happening in Northwestern CT , as compared to southeastern Connecticut with no snow.
With climate change/global warming these extremes are becoming less common, with less snow overall. Rain more often in Eastern and southeastern CT- and lighter snow in the NW Hills.
The difference between coastal CT and central CT snow wise is about 10-20" a year- on average. But again these are averages.
Coastal CT is milder- but not extremely so as your posts suggest- Vernon is a zone 6, while New London a zone 6/7.
Both these hardy palms are a wee more hardy in New London. Although the increased heat inland allows faster growth.
Sky,
As you must know – snowfall maps are quite prone to error. There are only two real NWS reporting stations in CT over the last 40 years - NWS Windsor Locks, and NWS Stratford. Average snowfall is 44.7 inches in WL and 24.7 inches in Stratford. So I think its fair to say that coastal CT sees about half of what northern CT sees snowwise. Of course these are only averages. Also, I did not want to kill maestro with data – but you are correct, NE Connecticut gets less snow than NW CT, in some years much less. Also Hartford of course, gets less than the NW hill towns. NE Connecticut is much more influenced by the ocean and a lower elevation than NW Connecticut. I guess you could say the NW hills are Connecticut’s North Dakota (ha).
My comment about snow on the ground in the northern part of the state while coastal CT is bare is based on some experience. My job used to require me to travel long distances north to south across CT. Leaving my house on the shoreline I would see bare ground, and when I reached far northern CT above Hartford, I would see a good foot of snow on the ground. Not all the time mind you, but often. As you say of course, the difference is odd and irregular. For a person like me who hates winter, I would never live north of I-95 just because of the snow, even with all of the advantages that inland CT has.
As far as gardening zones go, well you know that deal. Zone maps are only estimates. Down here on the coast my lowest temp averages about 5 F (in the shade on the north side) in winter. A solid zone 7. I had a conversation with Geoff Fox once years ago at a benefit dinner, when I heard him tell someone that the average lows in coastal Connecticut in late January fall to below zero on average. NOAA and even may own crude measurement say that is completely untrue. Take it form me – coastal Connecticut is no zone 6/7, it’s a solid zone 7 - even before the possible effects climate change (global warming). I tried to tell that to Geoff, but as you know, Channel 8 lives for the 90-days of winter here.
As far as hardiness of the palms that both you and I grow, well that’s more complicated. I don’t know about the wee more hardy part down on the shoreline compared to far northern CT. When the rare, but severe, cold northwest blasts hit Connecticut every 4 or 5 years, the northern high elevation places can get quite a bit colder than the coastal region. The lowest temp ever-recorded in Connecticut history is – 37 F in 1943 in the hills of northern Waterbury. Along the coast, however, there is no record of temps below – 16 F since at least 1900 in New Haven, Bridgeport, or New London. On the few nights that I record temps of 8 or 12 F, weathercasters bark about how it fell to –15 in some hill towns in Northwest Connecticut. So the SE shoreline lows are still about 25 F on average warmer than the NW hills in the dead of winter. To a palm - every degree below 0 is a problem. I suspect that the 40 to 45 F Ocean water (in the dead of winter) just would not support such temps, at least close to the coast. In NE CT were you are, the differences are probably closer to 12 F or so difference. As you know temp wise, eastern CT is more mild than western CT.
By the way, I finally took some pics of my gardens (palms, bananas, bamboo) that I told you about. I will post them here on the garden forum soon. I think you will find them interesting and shocked at what someone can grow in the Tri-state region.
Good luck with your palm, you have about 2 months before frost up there.
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