Considering moving to Tolland. (Hartford, West Hartford: houses, good schools, place to live)
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I'm considering relocating to Connecticut from Massachusetts. I have many opportunities to relocate work wise, but might consider a position in Newington CT, and thinking about looking a house in Tolland CT. From map quest it appears to be about a little over a half hour drive provided no traffic. How bad is the traffic on 84? And I'd be interested in any feedback about Tolland CT. Thanks.
Tolland to Newington means you have to go through Hartford, during rush hour it is bad. Depending on where in Newington you might be able to take 84, to 2, to 3 to 91 which might add time but less traffic (unless an accident).
If working in Newington, I would look on the west side of the river, it'll make commuting a lot easier.
Tolland is a nice small town with good schools. It's also a short drive back up 84 into Mass if that is why you're looking there.
However, you'd probably need to add 15 minutes or so to you rush hour commute due to traffic. If you want to stay east of Hartford, I would look at South Windsor or Glastonbury to get your closer to Newington.
Otherwise, Newington itself is a perfectly nice town to live in and is wonderfully convenient to 84, Route 9, the Berlin Turnpike and a ton of shopping and resturants. However, you'd likely get a much smaller lot vs Tolland.
Tolland is about 25 miles from Newington. As others noted it is a beautiful town and a great place to live but the commute would likely be about 40 minutes during rush hour because you will have to deal with traffic in East Hartford. You would take I-84 west to Route 15 south to get to Newington and there are some delays near the I-84/Route 15 interchange. Closer towns to consider would be Newington, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, Cromwell and Berlin. These are not as rural in feeling as Tolland but are all very nice towns. If you give us an idea of what your budget is, what you expect for it and what type of community you would like, we may be able to help you find a town you would like closer to your job. Jay
If the reason you considered Tolland specifically is because of its rural feel, I would suggest looking west of the river. You don't want to deal with that commute every day. If a less densely-populated area is what you're looking for, I would consider Farmington. Much closer to Newington and though it's larger than Tolland, IMO a lot of it retains a rural feel and it's a really attractive town.
If the reason you considered Tolland specifically is because of its rural feel, I would suggest looking west of the river. You don't want to deal with that commute every day. If a less densely-populated area is what you're looking for, I would consider Farmington. Much closer to Newington and though it's larger than Tolland, IMO a lot of it retains a rural feel and it's a really attractive town.
I don't consider Farmington to be very rural. It is more suburban and traffic getting out of there can be brutal. I would consider Berlin which is directly south of Newington. The Kensington section of town can have a rural feel but still not as rural as Tolland. Middlefield or Durham would be closer to Tolland in feel, is a bit closer (20 miles or so) and would be a much easier commute. Jay
I don't consider Farmington to be very rural. It is more suburban and traffic getting out of there can be brutal. I would consider Berlin which is directly south of Newington. The Kensington section of town can have a rural feel but still not as rural as Tolland. Middlefield or Durham would be closer to Tolland in feel, is a bit closer (20 miles or so) and would be a much easier commute. Jay
Berlin is NOT rural, especially the Kensington section. Not by a long shot. It WAS rural, until a few decades ago. Today, big, ticky-tacky houses now blanket the hills on what used to be farmland, and frankly it's not nice. Not what they've done to the town. There is zero regard for open space in that town, and it shows, and that's pretty much the opposite of rural. I agree much of Farmington is suburban and traffic can be tricky, but they've also done a good job of preserving open space.
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