[NikkiLucas]

Hello! My boyfriend and I will be moving to Connecticut from California by July. We will be attending Naugatuck Valley Community College then transferring to University of Connecticut. We are going to be living in Beacon Falls for two to three years then moving to Hartford. When we're done with college, we're planning to buy a house- we don't know where yet. So how is living in Connecticut? How are NVCC and UConn? Are Beacon Falls and Hartford good places to live? Pros and cons of living in Connecticut? Any tips or advice? Honestly, any information you give will be deeply appreciated. Thank you!

[basehead617]

Coming from Brentwood, or somewhere like West L.A. in general will be quite a culture shock. There is a lot less going on in CT. The weather will probably be very difficult to deal with. Beacon Falls is an old mill town many many steps down from somewhere like Brentwood. It's not as bad as it used to be, since like other areas of the valley it's undergone a little bit of a revival with people moving out further from Fairfield County - but it's still mostly working class AFAIK. NVCC is at the edge of Waterbury which is a very run-down city. If you've been to bad parts of LA county it won't be overwhelming or anything, but coming from where you're coming from, it will be quite a change.

Hartford is one of the coldest and snowiest major cities in the U.S. It couldn't be more different than West L.A. Also it may be difficult for you to not be near a warm beach you can go down the street to any time you want. There are beaches in Connecticut on Long Island Sound, but for a good bit of the year, it's not really a good time to have a 'go to the beach' day. It will just be a very different living experience than you're used to. Also the amount of upscale shopping and dining that is all around you right now, will be a significant drive away, and even then, you will see less of it than you probably expect (even in New Haven, which for CT is the pinnacle of culture).

It doesn't get much better at UCONN. If you're talking about transferring to UCONN in Storrs, Storrs is an area with absolutely nothing. It's not at all a 'college town' - there's not much there except UCONN and woods. There's been surprisingly little development in Storrs to support the student population. It's also not very close to anything. Hartford is almost 30 miles away.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from coming here, as it sounds like you're definitely coming either way, but Brentwood and the surrounding area (Pacific Palisades, Bel Air, etc.) is one of the best and most beautiful places to live in the country, even the world. You're really talking apples and oranges compared to Beacon Falls or Hartford. There's no way to sugar coat it. There are towns nearby those two areas that are good for a wealthy older family with kids (Woodbridge, Bethany.... Avon, Simsbury, Farmington) but that doesn't sound like your situation at all.

I have to say I'm a little surprised anyone would come 3000+ miles to go to NVCC. Any particular reason it appeals to you?

[NikkiLucas]

Thankfully, the weather won't be a problem. Do you personally have any recommendations for apartments to rent near NVCC? I was only able to find one I liked and that was Beacon Mill Village in Beacon Falls. I've lived and been to bad parts of Los Angeles so that won't be so bad. Is it dangerous though? And a good school? I'm thinking of transferring to UConn in Greater Hartford. It's not really NVCC that appeals to me. It's mostly Connecticut and that was because of Yale when I was younger. My mother would always talk about moving to Connecticut when I was younger so it kind of stuck to me. I'm a little scared now however. Thank you so much for your response! It gave me a much more realistic point of view.

[Capital Guy]

We just moved to CT from out of state as well and looked at a house in Beacon Falls. Compared to a lot of the other towns, Beacon Falls was pretty run down. It had a weird vibe to it. I'd live in Downtown New Haven or one of the nicer suburbs like Milford and commute. We really did not like Beacon Falls at all. Cheshire was pretty nice and we drove through Southbury too which was nice.

I've found CT in general to be a nice well educated and classy state with a lot of top notch suburbs. Beacon Falls is the antonym. Lol

[UconnHusky1]

I actually attended both UCLA and Uconn so maybe I can offer some help...

I lived in Brentwood a few years ago on Barrington Ave. when I was working on my MBA at UCLA. During my Uconn days, I lived in Manchester.

Anyway, these two locations (Naugatuck Valley & West LA) are extreme opposites. What makes you choose NVCC? Perhaps you can attend the community college located in Manchester instead?

I find the area in Manchester and West Hartford to resemble Brentwood/Santa Monica the closest out of the towns here in CT. Manchester also has a bunch of apartments to choose from and it's near Storrs too.

You will definitely miss a bunch that West LA has to offer, but you will soon realize that CT has a ton to offer as well, just need to be patient with our winter. Good Luck!

[UconnHusky1]

Also consider Parkview Apartments in Naugatuck if NVCC is indeed your choice...it's just minutes away from NVCC. Friends lived there before and it wasn't bad at all for the price.

[JayCT]

Waterbury is an old mill city that has seen better days. The same could be said for all of the towns south of it along the Naugatuck River. Beacon Falls is one of those towns. It is not dangerous or really that bad but it is not Brentwood either. As long as you are aware of this you will be fine.

As for Hartford, it is NOT one of the coldest and snowiest cities in the country like basehead617 says. It is cold in the winter and gets some snow but no where near places like Denver or Minneapolis. The greater Hartford area is very wealthy being home to many major insurance, financial and aerospace companies. The city of Hartford itself however is kind of poor. It is small in area (17 square miles) and includes basically the densest part of the metro area (121,000 people) with most of the problem areas you would normally find in a major city within the limits of the city. Because it is so small, the statistics get skewed because they do not include the nicer and wealthier suburbs around it. Don't me wrong though, Hartford has some very nice areas to live including downtown and the West End.

That said there are many nice upscale towns around Hartford to consider. West Hartford is a great town with nice homes and apartments and a great small downtown with a lot of nice shops and great restaurants. You might want to consider living there. It is about 30 miles from Naugatuck Valley so you should be able to commute if you wanted to. Jay

[RogerAnthony]

Originally Posted by NikkiLucas

Is it dangerous though? And a good school? I'm thinking of transferring to UConn in Greater Hartford. It's not really NVCC that appeals to me.

It is a typical community college in that it is basically a glorified high school accepting people who can't get into a real college.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by RogerAnthony

It is a typical community college in that it is basically a glorified high school accepting people who can't get into a real college.

I do not agree. Community college is much more than a "glorified high school". It is a more affordable higher-education option for people. Many go on to more prestigous schools for their Bachelors degree. Nothing wrong with that. Jay

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I do not agree. Community college is much more than a "glorified high school". It is a more affordable higher-education option for people. Many go on to more prestigous schools for their Bachelors degree. Nothing wrong with that. Jay

Agreed. Lots of people take specialized classes at community colleges like nursing, etc. NVCC is not a bad school at all. It's not Wesleyan or Yale, but who cares? Lots of people I know take their core classes at CCs then transfer to more well-known universities.

That said, I see nothing wrong with the OP living in Beacon Falls. It's not the best town CT has to offer, but it's not the worst either. It's a working class, rural town that reminds me of a community you'll find in the midwest. It feels a lot more rural than it actually is because the entire southwest side of town borders the Naugatuck State Forest. Lots of down to earth, non-pretentious, working class folks. Schools are good. It's close to a lot. It wouldn't be my first choice to settle down in, but the OP won't be settling. If you want to search harder for a short-term rental in the nicer towns around Waterbury, look at Southbury, Cheshire, Oxford and Middlebury. These are upper-middle class towns around Waterbury with a lot of single family homes that are more family-oriented, but you can still find some rentals.

Honestly, OP, I'd suggest you look into West Hartford. It's a little more expensive, and the commute to NVCC would be about 45 minutes, but IMO it's so worth the commute. The town is beautiful, lots to do, and close to Hartford. Once you transfer to UCONN in a few years you won't be TOO far from Uconn.