[Lalalally]

Suburbs of Hartford will be much more affordable than anything within commuting distance of Boston. That's the plus side. The down side is you won't be in or near the outskirts of Boston, a much more vibrant city. Based on the snippet you offered re: your social leanings, I would avoid W. Hartford. IMO and the opinion of many others on this board, it's a GREAT town, but I think it may be a little too lib for you. And taxes in W. Hartford are notoriously high too (although you do get more services -- I believe your tax bill in W. Hartford includes sanitation, water and sewer). Other suburban towns outside of Hartford will likely have private septic & well water, and while neither costs anything (other then biennial septic pumps outs), the repair costs involved for fixes if either goes bad could be astronomical (replacing a bad septic system could be in the 25K range). School districts in the nicer suburbs of Htfd are excellent.

[awt1972]

I can't answer for the Hartford area, as I'm not familiar with it, but if you opt for Boston burbs then Dover sounds like a good match for you and might be worth looking at. We have arguably the best school system in MA, there are some nice but small neighborhood areas, with 1+ acre lots and the town has a lovely rural feel, yet 35/40 min commute into Boston and easy access to all the shopping you could possibly want along Rte 9 or Rte 1 both 10 mins away. The political mix sounds like a good fit, and going thru the gun license process here shouldn't be a problem with the current chief.
Granted its not the cheapest place to live, but there are currently some rentals for families available in your price range.

[kos333]

To echo some other posters... we moved from Southern CT and fell in love with Granby, Simsbury, Avon region. All about 20 min from BDL airport. Quaint, nice towns with Blue Ribbon schools. Your budget will get you a nice farmhouse with a nice yard!

[elinyc]

Others have touched on this, but I want to emphasize how different Hartford and Boston are, so if you care at all about the quality of the city that your suburb surrounds, this is important to keep in mind. Boston is bigger, more interesting, and simply better than Hartford on pretty much every measure, so if the city part is at all important to you, definitely pick Boston (that's for sure what I would do).

As far as politics, I'm from Dallas so am very familiar with Houston too. You'll find that both of the areas you are considering will be generally much more liberal than Houston. Good luck with your move!

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by elinyc

Others have touched on this, but I want to emphasize how different Hartford and Boston are, so if you care at all about the quality of the city that your suburb surrounds, this is important to keep in mind. Boston is bigger, more interesting, and simply better than Hartford on pretty much every measure, so if the city part is at all important to you, definitely pick Boston (that's for sure what I would do).

As far as politics, I'm from Dallas so am very familiar with Houston too. You'll find that both of the areas you are considering will be generally much more liberal than Houston. Good luck with your move!

I disagree with this. Boston like most large cities can be very difficult to live in or near. Congestion, traffic, density, ease of living are not pluses in Boston IMHO. It is also very expensive if you want to be in a town with good schools. Just to be close to an activity that the OP may visit once or twice a month does not mean it is a better city. By your measure, the OP should move to New York. Plus in Hartford you are right between both Boston and New York so you can have access to even more when they want it. JMHO, Jay

[missionhill]

I thought Houston was pretty liberal-- didn't they have a gay woman mayor or something like that? More so than Dallas, anyway.

As to Boston, yes, there's more traffic, but density has its advantages. It enables pub transportation, and many locations there will allow you to cut down on the driving, even to the point of getting rid of the car and using zipcar when you need it. It enables lots of walkable places, and walkability gets high marks these days. But Boston has a lot more of Hartford's advantages than NYC, so if you like the things Hartford has to offer--many beautiful towns around, easy access to parks, mountains, shorelines; New England character--but still want a more vibrant city, then you might pick Boston over New York.

[elinyc]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I disagree with this. Boston like most large cities can be very difficult to live in or near. Congestion, traffic, density, ease of living are not pluses in Boston IMHO. It is also very expensive if you want to be in a town with good schools. Just to be close to an activity that the OP may visit once or twice a month does not mean it is a better city. By your measure, the OP should move to New York. Plus in Hartford you are right between both Boston and New York so you can have access to even more when they want it. JMHO, Jay

Yeah, we definitely disagree on this. Of course Boston (since it's bigger and more dense) has more traffic, but my point was that IF the OP is interested in a vibrant city, then Hartford doesn't even come close to Boston. Like somebody else mentioned, density has a lot of benefits (walkability, public transport, etc.) that exist on a much greater level in Boston than in Hartford. I really do think that Boston ranks better on every single city measure than Hartford (at least all the measures I can think of). I didn't mention NYC since that wasn't even in the pool of options for the OP, plus I do think that Boston has some benefits over NYC as far as cities go anyways. It's all a matter of priorities - I agree that the Hartford area could be better for the OP based on the OP's personal priorities, but IF a quality city is important for the OP, Boston wins hands down. If the nearing city doesn't matter for the OP, then it's a moot point.

[Stylo]

Boston is definitely way more accessible than NYC. I find it inbetween Hartford and NYC on that level.

I love New Haven because of its large-city attributes in a smaller scale, and super easy accessibility. But I have no illusions about it comparing to living next door to Boston.

If I lived 15 minutes from Boston, I would be there all the time. That's me. If someone is only going to visit a few times a month, it's probably not worth it.