[mels]

Originally Posted by camben4

You said towns, now what about buying land in the country?

No matter how rural you get in CT, your land will be located in a town. The town that you will pay taxes to, that will provide your fire and police services. We don't do any of that unincorporated area stuff here. "Town" doesn't mean in a town/city, it is the geographic location of the place you'll buy land.

[BenCT]

Coventry, Bolton, and Tolland are solid choices for the atmosphere you are describing. Ellington is also located in proximity to these towns. Also noted was Granby/East Granby and Suffield. More northern towns but having driven through them, do fit the bill as well.

As far as lots go, prices will vary slightly in these towns. I'm not sure if you are looking to buy a lot and use your own plans and builder or if you meant that you wanted new construction (the lot and home are part of a package that a developer offers. The developer/builder builds the house based on his plans). You will also have to consider the restrictive covenants that a developer has in place for a particular subdivision if you plan to use your own builder/plans. Style, size, and color of exterior are all common restrictions. You may also find a lot on a road or street that is not within a subdivison in which case you will have a lot of sway as far as what you build given the you get approval through the town. In most cases, lots in subdivisions will be more desirable and more costly than they will on a normal through street.

Lots in Coventry, Bolton, Tolland, and Ellington all vary in size from approximately .8 acres to 6+ based on the prices I list below. I was able to pull up about 70-80 lots available spread throughout these towns. The price per acre question is not as much a concern as it is per building lot. The reason I say this is that town zoning guidelines dictate what the accepatble minimum size is for a lot which is why I lean towards price per lot vs. per acre.

Coventry- $115-135k
Ellington- $130-160k
Tolland- $105-165k
Bolton- $120-150k

Hope it helps.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by camben4

You said towns, now what about buying land in the country?

Unlike other parts of the country, Connecticut does not have any unincorporated areas. The state is divided up into 169 towns. There are also 9 counties but there is no county level of government. We just have the State and town governments. Connecticut is so small that there is no need for a county government (I think Connecticut itself is smaller than many counties out west).

When you look for real estate you will be looking to live in a particular town. Some towns are more rural than others. The towns mentioned previously are somewhat rural in character meaning they have homes on larger lots, little in the way of commercial development and still have some small farms. Hope this helps explain things. Jay

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by JayCT

The state is divided up into 169 towns. There are also 9 counties but there is no county level of government. We just have the State and town governments.

There are actually 8 counties...

[davfar]

Burlington, Canton, even Berlin sound like they might fit your taste. Canton is really an up and coming town if you consider future resale. All three have a hefty commute with Berlin being the shortest. Berlin is also the geographic center of the state so you know you'll be close to EVERYTHING! It still has some very rural areas.

[mels]

I would by no means call Canton rural, it is Avon Light. I also would consider Berlin purely suburban complete with strip malls and plenty of commercial development.

For commuting to Hartford I would also add Lebanon to the list. Not far away but a very quiet town.

[davfar]

Have you ever been to either town? Yeah along 44 in Canton it's hectic, but North Canton is very rural. Even just off of 44! And Berlin is not that suburban. Off of the Berlin Tpk it's all farmland with a few subdivisions! I'd call those towns more convenient because of those main arteries. One would still have that rural feel with all one's needs just a drive down the road!

[mels]

I wouldn't be commenting on either town had I not been to either. I have worked extensively in both, though moreso in Berlin. Besides the Berlin Turnpike you have the Kensington area, definitely commerically developed with strip malls and manufacturers, definitely not rural. Canton is certainly more rural than Berlin, but I still by no means would call it rural. It is a suburb, albeit a quieter suburb than many in the greater Hartford area.

[davfar]

Well I don't know what to say...maybe we have two different views or rural. Along rte 71 in Berlin...south of Kensington...is very rural in my eyes. Canton north of 44 is rural as well (to me atleast). To each his own.

[Srib]

IMO - Canton is certainly rural, Berlin is suburban. Just because Canton now has a shopping center doesn't make it suburban. Berlin is considered a town within the Hartford metro area, i.e. a suburb of hartford. Berlins population is about twice that of Canton on slightly more land and has a much higher housing density than Canton does.