[fishy256]

Hey everyone,

Im moving from space coast Florida to CT to work. I will be working right outside of Hartford.

Ive never been to the New England area. Im looking for a little guidance on places to live and not live. Im not looking to live in the city. I prefer smaller towns. I don't mind competing to work such as a 30 minute drive. Thats no problem. Im an engineer and my wife works in the medical field as a billing and coder.

I do have a few requirements though. Im not sure to seeing homes or places to live without a garage. We both have vehicles(I have a truck that doesn't fit inside a garage) but I need a garage to store my weekend vintage car.

The only other thing is we are not looking to buy at the moment so renting is what I will be doing.

We don't smoke and we don't have a cat or dog.

Can anyone help point me in the right direction where to look for places?

Not looking for anything special really other than the garage to store my vintage car. Not looking for a very big place since its only the two of us plus don't want to have to heat a huge place.

Thanks guys!

f2k

[East of the River]

Originally Posted by fishy256

Hey everyone,

Im moving from space coast Florida to CT to work. I will be working right outside of Hartford.

Ive never been to the New England area. Im looking for a little guidance on places to live and not live. Im not looking to live in the city. I prefer smaller towns. I don't mind competing to work such as a 30 minute drive. Thats no problem. Im an engineer and my wife works in the medical field as a billing and coder.

I do have a few requirements though. Im not sure to seeing homes or places to live without a garage. We both have vehicles(I have a truck that doesn't fit inside a garage) but I need a garage to store my weekend vintage car.

The only other thing is we are not looking to buy at the moment so renting is what I will be doing.

We don't smoke and we don't have a cat or dog.

Can anyone help point me in the right direction where to look for places?

Not looking for anything special really other than the garage to store my vintage car. Not looking for a very big place since its only the two of us plus don't want to have to heat a huge place.

Thanks guys!

f2k

Are you looking for an apartment/Condo or a house? Rental market for free standing houses is a bit tight at the moment but they are out there. Do you have kids in school? (edit just saw it was the two of you) For Apartments with Garages Vintage at the Grove in Manchester may be an option. I also have seen a fair number free standing rentals in Manchester and South Windsor with Garages. Not sure how the rental market in other towns is like right now. For other towns to look into it depends on which town you will be working in driving thru Hartford at rush hour can add 15 minutes or more on to a commute so that may sway the decision a bit.

[East of the River]

Also on the smaller towns it will be hit and miss on rentals, but you may want to look into Windsor Locks (more suburban but small town), East Windsor, Bolton, Tolland, Coventry, Ellington, and East Granby

[fishy256]

Ill be working generally out of East Hartford if that matters. I would prefer a free standing house. The only reason I say that is because of the number of vehicles I have. My 2 vehicles plus the wife.

[floridaboy92]

Check out Middletown, CT. 30 minute commute to Hartford. You are making the right choice leaving Florida. New England is very quintessential, civilized and a fantastic place to start a family. The central Connecticut area is very beautiful, especially in the spring and summer seasons. Best of luck.

[fishy256]

Its not that I have to have rural. I guess my definition of rural is different than most since I'm from Alaska and we only have 100 people in my town and I'm 300 miles from the major city.

So I guess I'm not looking for big city living but outside of it.

Thanks guys so far! What am I going to be looking to spend on a place general in these areas? Im not looking for more room than a normal 2 bed room house.

Thanks guys

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by fishy256

Ill be working generally out of East Hartford if that matters. I would prefer a free standing house. The only reason I say that is because of the number of vehicles I have. My 2 vehicles plus the wife.

If you are going to be working in East Hartford then I suggest living in the suburbs east of Hartford and the Connecticut River. Crossing the river, though not horrible can be difficult during rush hours so why do that unless you have to?

You do not give a budget for what you want and I am assuming you do not have children so good schools are not an issue. I agree with East of the River that Manchester may be a good place to start. It is right next to East Hartford and has a lot of rental properties. South Windsor is a nice town too but more suburban in character and is likely more expensive than Manchester. Another town you might consider is Vernon. It has some nice rentals (the Mansions and Santini Manor are two I hear good things about) and may be more affordable.

Finally if you are looking for a more upscale/affluent town with good schools, a lot of UTC/Pratt professionals live in Glastonbury which is immediately south of East Hartford. Glastonbury is however more pricey than the other towns and rentals there tend to be limited so it may or may not be a good place for you. It all depends on your budget and the type of community you want. Jay

[fishy256]

Thanks guys for the help! Pratt is where I will be.

I do not have children so schools aren't in issue. Im trying to stay in the 1000-1500 area if possible. I know thats kind of difficult in CT. Id prefer to stay closer to the 1000 budget than 1500.

I don't mind the drive really so being over the river isn't a problem as long as I don't have that big city feeling ill be happy.

[Stylo]

There's not really any "big city" living in CT. And unless you're in the cities proper (Hartford, New Haven, Stamford), it doesn't feel like city living in most places. For example, West Hartford is pretty suburban in character with decent size lots in many parts of town, despite having one of the best walkable areas in the state.

[Henry10]

Where you spouse will find employment - that's very important, so some place central (i.e East Hartford, or even Wethersfield, East Windsor -- would do.

Give yourself a year's rental, spouse needs to get a job first, then use that year to check out the areas and pick a town to buy in. As long as you avoid North Hartford going in, and some other shady areas in East Hartford -- you should be fine. Don't over think it. You should not commit now.