[loveoutdoors]

Hey! I have been browsing other moving posts and have a few questions. My husband is getting relocated to the Groton area, and we will be moving next month. I am a Special Education teacher and am currently looking for a position. I understand teaching positions are difficult to come by, but we are prepared for a potentially longer search.

We are fortunate to have a couple of contacts in the area, and they have suggested the Colchester area as a nice place to look for a home. We will probably rent the first year so that we get a feel for a perfect fit for our family. We have two elementary-aged children so schools are very important. It would be ideal to find a nice area to rent where we would want to buy in the coming year without changing schools for the kids. I know that is very difficult and perhaps dreaming. We do not need to be in the city but within a decent driving distance (20 minutes). Colchester property taxes seem incredibly high compared to some of the other areas I have researched.

A lot of posters recommended North Stonington, Stonington, East Lyme, and Lyme to others. We would like to stay around $1700/month rent for a 3 bedroom home. I have seen homes in that range in those areas.

My questions for you are.....

What do you think about the East Hampton, Colchester, East Haddam, Bozrah, Salem area? Ideally within 30 to 45 minutes away is max for my husband's commute, and that will give me a wider area to look for positions.

Do the towns of Mystic, Stonington, or along the coast have such a large vacation population that the areas seem too empty to be homey during the fall/winter/spring?

[willow wind]

Simplify life for yourself- stay along the coast. Old Lyme/Lyme is a regional district. It, along with with the East Lyme school district, are the probably the best school districts in south eastern CT.

Salem has only lower grades, as does Bozrah. Upper grades in Salem usually go to East Lyme, Bozrah mostly goes to Norwich. These are tiny towns. East Hampton is just too far out there to be convenient and is not highway accessible, making a commute there tedious and long..

If you lived in East Lyme or Old Lyme, you could expand your search for a teaching position along along the shoreline- from eastward to Stonington and several towns north, then possibly westward, probably as far as Guilford and along the lower RT 9 corridor. You could even look into Norwich which is a good sized school district and a quick commute from East Lyme.

Keep in mind the shore line has different weather than interior areas. When it's snowing or ice north of Ct Rt 82 in winter it's frequently just rain along the coast. Makes for an easy commute.

All the shoreline towns are plenty active in the winter. They are not summer colonies. Once you live there, you'll be more than happy to see the summer visitors leave and the traffic levels go down. The shoreline towns have a life of their own, separate from summer visitors.

[basehead617]

I second everything willow wind said!

[loveoutdoors]

Thank you so much for your thoughts. We do love the idea of being closer to the coast. It is nice to hear about the school districts and easier commute. That is the type of information that you just can't find from reading a map. Are there any areas of Old Lyme and East Lyme that you would avoid?

[willow wind]

There is no place in either of those towns that you have to worry about as far as safety is concerned.

However, in East Lyme, in the southern portion of the town known as Niantic, I would avoid Flanders Rd. itself. The avoidance is only due to heavy traffic. It's a very busy main road.

[ctcoldplay11]

Food for thought:

If you're looking for a teaching position, you'd be limiting yourself by moving to the shoreline. If you lived in the Colchester area, you'd have access to the plethora of school districts in the Greater Hartford Metro, as well as the Middletown/Tolland County/Willimantic areas. Colchester's location is bar none. I guess your move depends on how serious you are about finding employment for yourself!

[loveoutdoors]

Originally Posted by ctcoldplay11

Food for thought:

If you're looking for a teaching position, you'd be limiting yourself by moving to the shoreline. If you lived in the Colchester area, you'd have access to the plethora of school districts in the Greater Hartford Metro, as well as the Middletown/Tolland County/Willimantic areas. Colchester's location is bar none. I guess your move depends on how serious you are about finding employment for yourself!

I absolutely need to find a position. Your comment about Colchester's central location matches my thoughts. Let me ask you this.....It appears that the commute from Colchester to Groton is 35 minutes. Is this accurate? How does this commute change during winter weather?

Quite honestly, I am open to all great ideas. We have not decided on a "perfect" area yet.

Thank you!!!!!

[loveoutdoors]

What are the main rental/property management companies in the area? I have found some rentals listed on main national sites but not a lot of luck finding local sites.

[willow wind]

The reason for that is because house rentals are few and far between. If you would consider a condo you could check with Northeast Property Group in New London. They manage a lot of condo complexes in the region . However, it's very unlikely you would find a true three bedroom condominium.

You're going to find just a handful of homes for rent in any town anywhere in the region. If you check the websites for William Raveis Real Estate and Prudential Ct Realty, you can find through them whatever is listed for rent on the regional multiple listing service.

Virtually all homes are listed by owners themselves or through a local real estate agent. That would mean checking on Craigslist, Hotpads.com, etc. or accessing the MLS system through one of those real estate companies noted above.


Good luck

[loveoutdoors]

willow wind thank you so much for your help!!!!!

Are the areas of Waterbury and Quaker Hill nice?