Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I would just live in Farmington, West Hartford, Avon, or Simsbury. You could prioritize proximity to West Hartford depending on how important downtown / good restaurants are. All of these places have great schools. There is no good reason to live any further away than that. I know you can't believe you're only going to have to commute 5-15 minutes to work, but that's what we do around here in non-FFC Connecticut.
Not really... when I worked in Hartford, most people had 30+ minute commutes... many even more. Lots of people came from as far as Harwinton, Plainville and Coventry...
Not really... when I worked in Hartford, most people had 30+ minute commutes... many even more. Lots of people came from as far as Harwinton, Plainville and Coventry...
Some people insist on making their lives unpleasant but it certainly isn't necessary.
As said it really depends on what you value most. Farmington is a fine place to raise a family if you want a nice suburban town and a short commute. If you want a nautical town Essex is very nice and the commute is doable (I know several people that do it every day) but it would be about 45 minutes every day with longer backups in the summer on route 9. To save a few miles there are also several other river towns with good schools. Deep River, Haddam, Chester, and Higganum. All of these are pretty rural with out many amenities thou. Chester in particular is a very pretty little town. As far as trains your best off driving to a station for the most part, From Essex to the station in Old Saybrook really isn't far. Farmington you would go to Berlin or Hartford.
I'm late to the party, so I'll add another vote for Farmington. Or west Hartford. Avon and Simsbury are nice but more rural and further from highways. It may not seem like much but when you add 20 minutes to every trip on 84, each way, you'll wonder why you didn't buy in Farmington.
Also, Avon has a smaller school system so doesn't offer the same variety of AP classes, foreign languages and sports as Farmington and Simsbury. It's not a big difference but there it is.
Last, please know that you are buying into a massive buyers market in the Farmington valley. Prices are at 20 year lows and dropping. It's a bit shocking for those of us who live here. As you look around investigate the long term pricing history of every property you like. There are neighborhoods that are holding value better than average, but you have to have detailed market knowledge or the right agent to know.
In general, avoid homes above $750k, as that market is dying. Supply outstrips demand by such a degree that agents seem to be shuffling listings off and on to give the appearance that the market is less saturated with supply than it is. The $600 - 750k range is fairly healthy but partly because homes that previously sold for $900k have slid into it, so outside and trade up buyers have no incentive to spend more. Seems like you could be okay for awhile if you snag one of those 'former top end, now high middle market' homes now.
I have to assume that prices will continue to slide as insurance companies and related service companies exit Hartford and/or continue to outsource professional work At some point it should level off but we're not there yet. I think it'll be 2019 or so before we see equilibrium in the $750k+ market. And it'll be painful for existing homeowners. Most existing supply will be permanently priced down, I believe. probably another 10% decrease to come with compression in the tier below that will stop all appreciation.
actually, Avon's foreign language offerings are much more robust than Farmington. FHS offers only Spanish, French and two courses of Latin. Kind of disappointing for such a well-regarded school system. Avon offers French, Spanish, 3 courses of Latin, 3 courses in American Sign Language, Mandarin Chinese and also Greek. Avon even expanded Mandarin to start in the middle school with French & Spanish.
Otherwise, be aware of the geography - there are plenty of areas of Farmington that are more difficult commutes into Hartford than from Avon.
The OP is working in Farmington, so Farmington, Avon, Simsbury and West Hartford all provide good schools and short commutes to Farmington.
Interesting. I didn't know that about Farmington language offerings. I have a feeling you could list the pros and cons forever on this topic. Avon has a newer high school principal who is making expanding course selection a priority - and we see it and like it.
Well, my point in driving related to access to 84 (as op is coming from NYC area). Every time I drive the 20 - 25 minutes from my home in Avon to 84 (!) I wonder why we didn't buy in Farmington. It adds up over time.
You can't go wrong with any of these towns, frankly. And that's saying a lot. We're in a little wonderland here, compared to the ritzy but fraught north shore suburbs of Chicago, where we lived for many years. Statistically our old school system was better (academically) but the ground truth is different. We made the right decision to come here. I think that often and even though it's more isolated and I had to work from a Manhattan office for awhile, I wouldn't change a thing.
Thanks so much for the robust an thoughtful answers.
We will likely rent first and then look to buy, our max budget will probably be $800-$900k, but that's still up in the air.
Good points about rural/suburban v. more urban. We're seeking something that would allow us to live in the town and be able to walk to groceries, restaurants, good schools, light shopping. Land and even a spacious home do not make that much of a difference to us at this point. That said, I would like a small patch of grass or a nearby park to play catch with the kids. We'd love to do it with one car, but I suspect that's impossible if I'm tying up the car with a daily commute.
My commute right now in Manhattan is around 25 minutes, but I'm also only going from the upper west side to the Wall Street area--only a few miles on the subway. Would prefer to keep the time of the commute around 30 minutes.
My wife and I are both from small towns in the Midwest, but have lived in Manhattan for almost 20 years. In the end, while the kids are still small (oldest is 9), we want to get them--and ourselves--to a place where we can breathe a little. We hope to live somewhere where we can still enjoy good family activities (sports, kids classes, etc.) and good amenities (restaurants, local art scene, parks), but without some of the extremes of NYC. Schools are paramount, of course, but we also want to live among people who care about their community.
tomhpo - I'd agree, however, that Simsbury and Farmington have more sports than Avon, though Avon probably has more than Canton or Burlington/Harwinton.
renton13 - you're in luck - the Farmington Valley and West Hartford all have an abundance of family activities - sports, music, theater, skating, hiking, canoing/kayaking, and more. The Hartt School at the University of Hartford is a nationally regarded college for performing arts, and their Community Division offers music lessons to young people and teens from all over the region. (It's right on the border of West Hartford and Hartford) And, if you want to start smaller, there are plenty of independent music teachers in the area as well - piano, violin, vocals, guitar, etc. The Rails to Trails hiking/biking trails have trails that go from Farmington all the way up to the Massachusetts boarder and they're usually pretty busy on weekends with decent or better weather.
That said, if you wanted a place to walk to get groceries or to go to a restaurant or two, West Hartford is likely your best option, unless you can find a place in Avon or Simsbury near Route 44 (Avon or Simsbury) or Hopmeadow Street (in Simsbury only) or near the Unionville section of Farmington.
Thanks so much for the robust an thoughtful answers.
We will likely rent first and then look to buy, our max budget will probably be $800-$900k, but that's still up in the air.
Good points about rural/suburban v. more urban. We're seeking something that would allow us to live in the town and be able to walk to groceries, restaurants, good schools, light shopping. Land and even a spacious home do not make that much of a difference to us at this point. That said, I would like a small patch of grass or a nearby park to play catch with the kids. We'd love to do it with one car, but I suspect that's impossible if I'm tying up the car with a daily commute.
My commute right now in Manhattan is around 25 minutes, but I'm also only going from the upper west side to the Wall Street area--only a few miles on the subway. Would prefer to keep the time of the commute around 30 minutes.
My wife and I are both from small towns in the Midwest, but have lived in Manhattan for almost 20 years. In the end, while the kids are still small (oldest is 9), we want to get them--and ourselves--to a place where we can breathe a little. We hope to live somewhere where we can still enjoy good family activities (sports, kids classes, etc.) and good amenities (restaurants, local art scene, parks), but without some of the extremes of NYC. Schools are paramount, of course, but we also want to live among people who care about their community.
Your budget will go VERY far in the Hartford area. You can get a large, newer or completely rehabbed home in a prime location for that budget. I think you should first check out West Hartford. It is suburban but is fairly walkable. You will have no trouble finding a home within walking distance to West Hartford Center at that price. West Hartford Center has a lot of great shops and restaurants and there is a Whole Foods for food shopping. You could likely do it with one car there but given that kids activities require a lot of running around every day, it may be best to plan to have two.
If you want to get back to the quieter more Midwest type of community though, then I would suggest you consider the towns in the beautiful Farmington River Valley. They include towns like Farmington, Avon, Simsbury, Canton and Burlington. The valley has a kind of shang-ra-la feel to it because it is removed from major highways and is sort of isolated from the hub-bub of the rest of metro Hartford. The lots tend to be larger and more upscale and there are excellent schools and plenty of your everyday shopping needs. These towns however are not very walkable so you would definitely need to have two cars there. Still these are close to your job in Farmington and you will get a really nice home in your price range (3,000+ square feet on acre or so lot). Your call if that type of community is right for you. Jay
JayCT - Simsbury definitely has a long walkable downtown area along Hopmeadow Street - they have restaurants, some shops and an IGA market there, I believe. And, as I said a few weeks back in another thread, while Avon does not have sidewalks in much of the town, there are a lot of nice neighborhoods that you can safely walk and/or bike along and not worry about speeding cars running your kids down.
Whole Foods is in Bishop's Corner in West Hartford as well, where there is also a Big Y.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
