[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

No wonder. Beautiful little spot, but not exactly a bastion of activity.

Very close to DT West Hartford, though.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by chelski19

Mike, thank you! Can't wait to try these. I've only been to Jojo's and I think it's the best I've had yet but I don't often find myself in Hartford. Heard good things about J Rene too I guess I shouldn't complain until I have tried it all.

And I'm in Collinsville.

For what it's worth...I tried out J Rene yesterday as I was waiting for some auto body work to be done across the street. Good espresso, aroma of coffee beans roasting, but beware there's no Wi-Fi!

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by rajmelk

For what it's worth...I tried out J Rene yesterday as I was waiting for some auto body work to be done across the street. Good espresso, aroma of coffee beans roasting, but beware there's no Wi-Fi!

That's exactly what I like about it!

Chelski, definitely check out these places. All of them are great, but J. Rene is probably my favorite. I'm there atleast once a week.

[Sweetcee]

Originally Posted by PhxSuns333

Back in September we made a move here to Connecticut after having a long thought on if we should stay in Arizona, or move closer to some family in Connecticut. We made the move to Milford, CT and now it has been almost 6 months since we arrived.

Since we faced Hurricane Sandy, February Winter Storm, & the recent March Winter Storm and we still love our life here in Connecticut (even after these storms), I can safely say Connecticut will be our home for many years to come.

Milford, Connecticut is one great town, and really has the New England costal town charm we were looking for (I know some here will probably disagree with that statement). The people in Connecticut are very friendly. The towns that I've seen so far have been really nice (Milford, Orange, Guilford, Branford, Hamden, Madison, Clinton, Old Saybrook, Fairfield).

The other thing I've loved about Milford is how much shopping and restaurants there are. I love how I can be in Woodmont and feel like I'm in a very quaint New England town, but drive 10 minutes to all the stores that I shop at (Target, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Stop & Shop, Whole Foods Market, Dick's Sporting Goods, Kohl's in Orange, the movie theater/mall). I love Milford's downtown with all of its shops, restaurants, the green, the harbor, duck ponds, waterfalls, the church. Milford also has very nice beaches (I really love Gulf Beach and Woodmont Beach the best).

My favorite restaurants in Milford include River Street, Bistro Basque, Bridgeport Flyer Diner, Lasse's, Sloppy Jose's, Friendly's, Pop's Family Restaurant, Mr. Mac's Canteen, Kimberly Diner, and Seven Seas. I also love the events Milford has to offer (way more that the suburb of Phoenix I lived in, we'd have to go to the other side of town to go to fun events in Arizona). Milford's fun events that we've been too and liked are: St. Patrick's Day Parade, Wine Trail, Lamplight Stroll, Tree Lighting/Festival of Lights event, and we went to Pumpkins on the Pier 2 with my neighbors and their little kids.

The only negative I give on my life in Connecticut is the terrible drivers (and of course the bad weather we've had recently, but I can tolerate that weather for all of the scenery/beauty Connecticut has to offer).

I would like to thank everyone in Connecticut for making it a great place to live. I look forward to the spring and summer so we can explore more areas of Connecticut and enjoy the great beauty Connecticut has to offer. I also look forward to buying a house here in Milford sometime in the next few years.

Do you have any elementary age children? Of so how are the schools so far?

[PhxSuns333]

I don't have any children yet, however my neighbors have elementary school kids and the elementary schools are very good. Middle schools are pretty good too. Based on tests, the high schools in Milford score above average. The schools in Milford are pretty good (especially at elementary level).

[TiffyGS910]

i am relocating to CT too.. your post made me feel so at ease with my decision.

[Tilt11]

I moved to Connecticut in 98 due to joining the Navy. After boot camp I was stationed in Groton. I was sheltered for the most part from the reality if Connecticut until I left the Navy in 2007. I decided to stay due to a girlfriend instead of moving back to Florida and moved west after finding a job. Rented apt in Milford and Shelton before getting a house in Hamden.

I now have to travel to NY a lot for work and the more I started driving after 2007, the more I hated it. Its not just the horrible or wreckless drivers, its the roads. And traffic is awful most times.

Another thing is the cost of living and taxes. I made a huge mistake in getting the house I got for the price. Homes are way over priced here. I over paid for my house and I partially blame my agent for not doing simple things like checking what the previous home owners paid just 3 years earlier. Mill rates are insane leading to too high property taxes. I dont know how some people get by in this state.

As far as people, eh, not everyone is the same but generally people just aren't that friendly. A lot of snobs too, which generally comes more from those who are well off.

If I didn't love my gf, who has family here and doesn't want to leave, I'd be out of here most likely.

Shopping and decent restaurants aren't a great experience either. Too crowded most often

[LRPct]

Originally Posted by Tilt11

I moved to Connecticut in 98 due to joining the Navy. After boot camp I was stationed in Groton. I was sheltered for the most part from the reality if Connecticut until I left the Navy in 2007. I decided to stay due to a girlfriend instead of moving back to Florida and moved west after finding a job. Rented apt in Milford and Shelton before getting a house in Hamden.

I now have to travel to NY a lot for work and the more I started driving after 2007, the more I hated it. Its not just the horrible or wreckless drivers, its the roads. And traffic is awful most times.

Another thing is the cost of living and taxes. I made a huge mistake in getting the house I got for the price. Homes are way over priced here. I over paid for my house and I partially blame my agent for not doing simple things like checking what the previous home owners paid just 3 years earlier. Mill rates are insane leading to too high property taxes. I dont know how some people get by in this state.

As far as people, eh, not everyone is the same but generally people just aren't that friendly. A lot of snobs too, which generally comes more from those who are well off.

If I didn't love my gf, who has family here and doesn't want to leave, I'd be out of here most likely.

Shopping and decent restaurants aren't a great experience either. Too crowded most often

I dont like any of the above and I dont experience any of it either. Guess you moved to the wrong part of the state. Only one person you can lay that blame on.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Tilt11

I moved to Connecticut in 98 due to joining the Navy. After boot camp I was stationed in Groton. I was sheltered for the most part from the reality if Connecticut until I left the Navy in 2007. I decided to stay due to a girlfriend instead of moving back to Florida and moved west after finding a job. Rented apt in Milford and Shelton before getting a house in Hamden.

I now have to travel to NY a lot for work and the more I started driving after 2007, the more I hated it. Its not just the horrible or wreckless drivers, its the roads. And traffic is awful most times.

Another thing is the cost of living and taxes. I made a huge mistake in getting the house I got for the price. Homes are way over priced here. I over paid for my house and I partially blame my agent for not doing simple things like checking what the previous home owners paid just 3 years earlier. Mill rates are insane leading to too high property taxes. I dont know how some people get by in this state.

As far as people, eh, not everyone is the same but generally people just aren't that friendly. A lot of snobs too, which generally comes more from those who are well off.

If I didn't love my gf, who has family here and doesn't want to leave, I'd be out of here most likely.

Shopping and decent restaurants aren't a great experience either. Too crowded most often

If you find people snobby and unfriendly in Hamden, you won't like it anywhere in the northeast.

Also, if a restaurant is decent - yeah, sometimes it'll be crowded. Otherwise it wouldn't survive. That's kind of stating the obvious. Never found shopping to be "crowded" except for Christmas time. Same everywhere.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Tilt11

I moved to Connecticut in 98 due to joining the Navy. After boot camp I was stationed in Groton. I was sheltered for the most part from the reality if Connecticut until I left the Navy in 2007. I decided to stay due to a girlfriend instead of moving back to Florida and moved west after finding a job. Rented apt in Milford and Shelton before getting a house in Hamden.

I now have to travel to NY a lot for work and the more I started driving after 2007, the more I hated it. Its not just the horrible or wreckless drivers, its the roads. And traffic is awful most times.

Another thing is the cost of living and taxes. I made a huge mistake in getting the house I got for the price. Homes are way over priced here. I over paid for my house and I partially blame my agent for not doing simple things like checking what the previous home owners paid just 3 years earlier. Mill rates are insane leading to too high property taxes. I dont know how some people get by in this state.

As far as people, eh, not everyone is the same but generally people just aren't that friendly. A lot of snobs too, which generally comes more from those who are well off.

If I didn't love my gf, who has family here and doesn't want to leave, I'd be out of here most likely.

Shopping and decent restaurants aren't a great experience either. Too crowded most often

I think you have a really bad case of "the grass is greener somewhere else". It is that false feeling that there are other places that are better than where you are now. This is a bit subjective and maybe there are places that would suit you better but there must be a way to improve on your current situation.

Why are you driving to New York? Aren't there any mass transit options where you are going? I am sorry but most major metropolitan areas of Florida have horrible traffic problems too. Why not consider looking for a new job in Connecticut that does not require driving to NY at all.

Home prices are what the market will bear, meaning that people will pay what they can afford. Pay rates in Florida are much lower so while home prices here are higher, your pay compensates for it. Taxes here are high but you get a lot more for them. There are no tolls on our roads, our schools are among the best in the country and services offered are a lot better here than in Florida any day.

As for paying too much for your house, did you evne ask your agent for comparables? You should have been the one to research home prices. There are many websites available to help you so there really is not much of an excuse. Jay