[DorothyGardiner]

Hi there,

We are a middle aged married couple who have a job lined up in Hartford, CT. We are interested in buying a home in Windham or Woodstock - we are accustomed to driving more than 45 minutes to work so distance is not a priority since we also are looking to buy a home that is for retirement. We are Californians but we have lived back east in Maine and NH so we know what it is like there on the other coast. What other areas commute friendly are there in CT that have homes on lots larger than 1/2 acre? We like to live in country type of towns but not isolated ones. We are not "old" yet, and we will be moving with my 23 year old son - so some proximity to "life" is good but not crazy get drunk or stoned stuff - thank goodness my son is straight edge - but he likes to go out to shows, concerts, the beach, hiking, biking, working out, etc. the healthy lifestyle stuff. Is there any body of water in Windham or Woodstock that is for swimming? We don't want to pay a bunch for a house either so living in fancy areas is out. thanks for any valuable info in regards to what areas are safe and good to grow old in that have property and you have your neighbor near but not on top of you type of areas.

[KaoCT]

There are more than a few lakes and ponds to swim in but Woodstock, to me, is very isolated. What about Willington? It has access to I-84, very country, not fancy-schmancy at all, big home lots, reasonably priced, close to UConn and Mansfield Hollow. I used to live there and absolutely loved it.

Or maybe Ashford?

[mlassoff]

Coventry?

[kidyankee764]

I would suggest you check out the Burlington area. It feels isolated and rural, but you're close to Hartford/West Hartford/Farmington/Bristol for nightlife and shopping, you're a stone's throw from the Litchfield Hills for hiking, kayaking, biking, etc, and it's a very scenic town.

You might also like the Granby area - very beautiful.

[JayCT]

While it is a beautiful area, Woodstock is more than an hour from Hartford. Windham is a bit closer but still kind of away from larger towns that your son may want to be near. Fortunately, you can live in a nice rural area and still be in a reasonable commute to Hartford. Coventry has a beautiful lake as does towns like Andover, East Hampton and Hebron. Plus home prices east of the Connecticut River tend to be lower. Still these are small towns and your son may find them dull. Jay

[DorothyGardiner]

How about Plainfield in the Eastern part of CT or Clinton down south near the ocean? Are these two nice and safe to live in and not too pricey? I know that these two are very different from eachother but both have some nice homes with some property for sale and they sound like good places to live.

[willow wind]

Plainfield is an economically depressed, partly rural, partly old mill town, very blue collar. . It's not physically attractive and has a very minimal amenity level. It's a drive to anything . There's really nothing to do out there. It's sort of rough around the edges but not unsafe.

You might find Clinton very enjoyable. Many, many other retirees there, thus lots of organized services for the very elderly ( when that time comes) . There are tons of things to do, close to everything. On Long Island Sound, close to state parks for lake swimming, lots of tidal rivers for kayaking,etc. Clinton has all your basic shopping, plus outlet malls. New Haven, Middletown are not quite half an hour away for major hospitals, a 24 hour medical clinic is just twelve minutes away in Essex.

Clinton has many housing options from waterfront mansions, to typical McMansion neighborhoods, to starter homes and many just middle of the road neighborhoods. You can be in town on a small lot or further north in town on large, multi acre lots. It's perfectly safe.

[willow wind]

I should add that Plainfield is not commutable to Hartford. It's just too far out there without decent highway access.

Clinton is about 55 minutes to Hartford. Many people in that town do commute into Hartford. Personally I'd consider it to be too far but you might not.

You also might want to consider the very pretty river towns, like Chester, Deep River, Essex and Haddam.
They're quiet, totally safe and while there is not a lot going on in any of them, they're close enough to Middletown or to the shore for entertainment. Lots of state forest lakes for swimming in any of them.

[sun]

The Colchester-Hebron area offers a commute to Hartford on CT Route 2, and Killingworth is south of Middletown with a commute to Hartford on CT Route 9 to Interstate 91.
And if your family would like the convenience of being closer to Hartford for those winter commutes, then the geographic center of the state is in eastern Berlin near the Cromwell boundary.

[DorothyGardiner]

Thank you all for your real good in depth insight about commutes and towns. My husband and I will be planning a trip to CT in a month to see most, if not all of these town mentioned in the thread. Do any of you know which towns have the lowest taxes? Which ones have casinos or racetracks in them, besides Thompson? We want to stay away from these areas due to the traffic and commotion.