[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by hartford_renter

Utah, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas all have good schools and lower property taxes

You might be trying to justify the high taxes because they are necessary for good schools, but this probably is just wishful thinking.

CT could cut spending and still have exceptional schools, other states do

Um, no. As I mentioned above, quality schools are just one of several things taken into account. If you read my previous post again in its entirety, you will see that I mentioned that another reason why the states you mentioned have lower taxes is because their communities are new. Wait a few years when defects in the underbelly become apparent. If it's not a tax of some sort, it will have to be paid for one way or another. There is no such thing as free.

Kansas has good schools? Oh, this is news. I have family members teaching in Witchita and from what they've told me their schools are drained of funds and in shambles, and are about to lose even more funding thanks to the fiscal incompetence of Sam Brownback. And from what I understand, Ohio's schools are nothing to brag about, either.

None of the states you mentioned are ones I would ever living in (except for Virginia). If there's any state CT should model itself after, it's New Hampshire: No state income tax, no clothing or alcohol tax, you can hitchhike, you can drive without a seatbelt, you can buy fireworks -- it personifies the state motto of Live Free or Die. They're fiscally conservative but socially liberal. IMO other states would benefit from their way of doing things, including ours.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I agree. Utah is nice but there really is not a lot there. Certainly no world-class city nearby. If you can afford to pay that much for a home, then you should be able to fork over a few thousand more in taxes each year. I am also glad you brought up Katy and The Woodlands in Texas. I had seen that home prices there were comparable to some parts of Connecticut and it is interesting to see that the taxes are as well. Sure you can live somewhere with lower taxes and cheaper homes but are they really equivalent? I don't think so. Jay

We have discussed The Woodlands before. It is one of the most affluent cities in Texas. It pretty much their version of Greenwich. You can't just look at a few towns and draw a conclusion. A similar home in an extremely affluent home in the coastal Northeast states would be far more expensive.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

We have discussed The Woodlands before. It is one of the most affluent cities in Texas. It pretty much their version of Greenwich. You can't just look at a few towns and draw a conclusion. A similar home in an extremely affluent home in the coastal Northeast states would be far more expensive.

No you can't but that is what other posters are doing. The point is that just like anywhere else, there are towns with good schools and towns with bad schools and generally speaking you must pay more for locations with good schools. The Woodlands was mentioned and is one of those places. Jay

[mels]

Originally Posted by hartford_renter

Utah, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas all have good schools and lower property taxes

LOL, Kansas??? Are you aware of the giant tax disaster that state is currently in, courtesy of Governor Brownback? His excessive tax cuts have destroyed the state's finances. Do your homework before holding up that state as a model for the way things should be done.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by hartford_renter

Utah, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas all have good schools and lower property taxes

You might be trying to justify the high taxes because they are necessary for good schools, but this probably is just wishful thinking.

CT could cut spending and still have exceptional schools, other states have done tis

First of all, you are confusing low cost-of-living states verses low taxes. There is a difference and that difference has to do with location and employment opportunities. Second, except for Utah, none of the states listed are in the top half of states with low taxes. And except maybe for Virginia, none of these states appear in the top for quality of schools on any of the lists I have seen. Jay

[NewJeffCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

We have discussed The Woodlands before. It is one of the most affluent cities in Texas. It pretty much their version of Greenwich. You can't just look at a few towns and draw a conclusion. A similar home in an extremely affluent home in the coastal Northeast states would be far more expensive.

The more affluent area in TX is within Houston itself - the Bellaire section of Houston - I did a comparison here several months back - you get more house for your money in Westport than you do in Bellaire, and with lower property taxes in Westport. Or, the University area of Dallas where the median home price is well north of $1 million (I think it's $1.9 million?)

The Woodlands is more comparable to West Hartford because WH is mostly homes on small lots, like The Woodlands. Though The Woodlands is 105,000 to 110,000 people all in one big subdivision and the homes are generally newer and bigger than WH and the lot sizes in The Woodlands are often smaller.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by NewJeffCT

The more affluent area in TX is within Houston itself - the Bellaire section of Houston - I did a comparison here several months back - you get more house for your money in Westport than you do in Bellaire, and with lower property taxes in Westport. Or, the University area of Dallas where the median home price is well north of $1 million (I think it's $1.9 million?)

The Woodlands is more comparable to West Hartford because WH is mostly homes on small lots, like The Woodlands. Though The Woodlands is 105,000 to 110,000 people all in one big subdivision and the homes are generally newer and bigger than WH and the lot sizes in The Woodlands are often smaller.

I'm not sure what point you're trying to get across here. If it's to say there are more expensive areas in Texas than in CT - be mindful that you're cherry picking sections of cities and comparing them to actual cities in another state. If I wanted to do the same, I'd choose Conyers Farm or Belle Haven in Greenwich, where the average home is well north of several million. Similar comparisons can be made using sections of other CT communities as well.