[JayCT]

I would recommend looking at the suburbs of Hartford. Hartford is a major metropolitain area with about 1 million people and some of the most best suburbs in the country. They are beautiful, have most of what you are looking for in character and has easy access to Bradley Airport for air travel. A lot of towns mentioned here would fit you description.

West Hartford is a mature semi-dense suburb with excellent schools and a great downtown area.

The Farmington Valley towns northwest of Hartford are beautiful. Look into Farmington, Avon, Simsbury, Canton, Burlington and Granby. All very charming and great places to raise a family.

The other good option would be Glastonbury which has excellent schools, nice downtown area and a lot of charm.

Finally if your husband does not mind a longer drive to the airport, you might consider the wonderful shoreline towns east of New Haven. Branford, Guilford and Madison are all very charming and have good to great schools plus you will have access to the beach. You do have a lot of options so you might want to think more about the type of town you want. Jay

[chris410]

Sounds like you have the option and income to live in almost any state in New England with the exception of Maine, as its more then 2 hours away, as long as its near an airport and Umass Amhearst. So i have to wonder why your choosing CT?

I would think being closer to Logan may be of interest to you since your husband will by flying often?

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by chris410

Sounds like you have the option and income to live in almost any state in New England with the exception of Maine, as its more then 2 hours away, as long as its near an airport and Umass Amhearst. So i have to wonder why your choosing CT?

I would think being closer to Logan may be of interest to you since your husband will by flying often?

Well, central Connecticut is close to all NYC airports and everything NYC has to offer, close to Bradley, Providence and not far from Logan, close to UMASS Amherst, close to beaches, and has fantastic public schools. The towns the OP would be considering are manicured, green and active. There is a huge population of young people for when her college students comes home for the summer.

The OP would fit in well here IMO.

[bobtn]

Originally Posted by rajmelk

As much as I like West Hartford, I think Simsbury would better fit the "Currier & Ives" feel the OP is looking for. Also fits many of the other criteria (top schools, short distance to BDL, lot size, median house price, < 1 hr from UMass, etc.)

Simsbury is gorgeous.

[kettlepot]

I'm not a Connecticut resident but lived there in the past. In recent years I have visited many of the areas being described here.

First, I would recommend that you NOT live in Fairfield county - Darien, Weston, New Canann, Westport, etc. Not because these aren't nice towns, but because you don't need to live within, and pay for commuting distance to New York City. If you don't need to live within the New York City commute bubble, and pay the prices for it, then don't.

Also, because of the wealth in many of these Fairfield County Gold Coast towns, the difference in values might be an issue for your children coming from Missouri. Don't get me wrong, the people are kind and decent, but because so many of them have the money, there can be an expectation towards sparing no expense when it comes to the children. So there are the dance lessons, and the tennis lessons, the country club membership, and the senior year trip to Europe, etc. It can just be a bit much. And since everyone else has this, it's difficult for your own children to look around and not compare.

Like the others above, I would recommend the Farmington Valley towns of Avon, Simsbury, etc, though I have heard the traffic into Hartford can be a real bear. I have driven through West Hartford which looked quite nice, and have driven through Bloomfield which was not to the same standard. Check out Glastonbury. All of these will put your husband pretty close to Bradley Airport.

I've investigated Longmeadow, MA which is just south of Springfield, MA, but still close to Bradley Airport. It wasn't classic New England but it was definitely a town that held a lot of charm.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by kettlepot

I'm not a Connecticut resident but lived there in the past. In recent years I have visited many of the areas being described here.

First, I would recommend that you NOT live in Fairfield county - Darien, Weston, New Canann, Westport, etc. Not because these aren't nice towns, but because you don't need to live within, and pay for commuting distance to New York City. If you don't need to live within the New York City commute bubble, and pay the prices for it, then don't.

Also, because of the wealth in many of these Fairfield County Gold Cost towns, the difference in values might be an issue for your children coming from Missouri. Don't get me wrong, the people are kind and decent, but because so many of them have the money, there can be an expectation towards sparing no expense when it comes to the children. So there are the dance lessons, and the tennis lessons, the country club membership, and the senior year trip to Europe, etc. It can just be a bit much. And since everyone else has this, it's difficult for your own children to look around and not compare.

Like the others above, I would recommend the Farmington Valley towns of Avon, Simsbury, etc, though I have heard the traffic into Hartford can be a real bear. I have driven through West Hartford which looked quite nice, and have driven through Bloomfield which was not to the same standard. Check out Glastonbury. All of these will put your husband pretty close to Bradley Airport.

I've investigated Longmeadow, MA which is just south of Springfield, MA, but still close to Bradley Airport. It wasn't classic New England but it was definitely a town that held a lot of charm.

Good post, and as someone who is originally from Fairfield County, I completely agree.

[Stylo]

Although the Hartford area keeps being brought up, I'd like to recommend the Branford/Madison/Guilford area. You could afford Madison, which is incredibly picturesque and has excellent schools.

Tweed Airport in New Haven has direct flights to Philadelphia with connections all over the east coast, or you can travel the hour or so to Bradley.

I can't stress how beautiful that area is if you're looking for picturesque New England! Plus, you're close to the culture/restaurants/shopping of New Haven.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by chris410

Sounds like you have the option and income to live in almost any state in New England with the exception of Maine, as its more then 2 hours away, as long as its near an airport and Umass Amhearst. So i have to wonder why your choosing CT?

I would think being closer to Logan may be of interest to you since your husband will by flying often?

Why not Connecticut? It is a great state with a lot to do for families. Housing prices outside of lower Fairfield County are reasonable. There is a nice easy to get to airport with decent service to most parts of the country. You are not far from the greatest city in the world (New York) so you can go in for a day if you want. You are not far from beaches and mountains. And getting to UMass is a breeze.

Living near Logan means living outside Boston and paying a lot of money for a nice house in a decent town. Not worth it unless you need to live there IMHO, Jay

[JViello]

I'm going to go a little different route on you here. One of the most idyllic places in CT and to a degree New England is the lower CT River Valley. I'm going to recommend Essex specifically which is part of the Essex, Deep River, Chester trio.

All of those town, and Old Lyme as well consistent make the top 3 positions in CT Magazine's best small towns. You honestly just have to experience it. Essex was settled as a fairly rich seaport back in the tall ships era and was home to many sea captains - think CEO of the day - with gorgeous victorian and colonial style classic homes.

Schools are top notch, crime some of the lowest in the state, culture is there, great highway access etc etc

[chris410]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Why not Connecticut? It is a great state with a lot to do for families. Housing prices outside of lower Fairfield County are reasonable. There is a nice easy to get to airport with decent service to most parts of the country. You are not far from the greatest city in the world (New York) so you can go in for a day if you want. You are not far from beaches and mountains. And getting to UMass is a breeze.

Living near Logan means living outside Boston and paying a lot of money for a nice house in a decent town. Not worth it unless you need to live there IMHO, Jay

Valid points, except for living outside of Boston means paying a lot of money for a house in a decent town. You can live 30-40 miles from Logan in southern NH and pay very reasonable prices for a house in a great town with great access to everything. Plus be even closer to Manchester airport. Plus no Income Tax, No Sales Tax, property tax is said to be high, but its on par with CT property taxes. Close to Boston, Close to the seacoast of NH/Maine/North shore mass. Close to the white mountains, Close to the lakes region, Less people cheering for NY sports teams , cheaper gas, Winters that actually get usable snow vs a sloppy mess, the list goes on. Sorry I grew up in CT and NH blows away CT in almost every category with the exception of good pizza!