[Massachusetts Lady]

My husband has recently taken a job in East Hartford, and we will be relocating from Mass. We are starting to get interested in the Sunset Ridge area, so I really need detailed information about this neighborhood. Is there any history of breakins or other crime? What is the story on the park at the top of the hill (Veterans Memorial) -- does it have a good reputation? Is it safe to use? Is there a lot of highway noise? Pros and cons would be most helpful. This looks like a good active forum, so I'm hoping you all can provide me with some answers. Looking forward to joining you in CT!

[skytrekker]

The Sunset Ridge area of East Hartford is the long established part of town with some of the most opulent homes and best neighborhoods. For decades it was the 'place to live', having a great deal of prestige.

Over the years East Hartford has declined for many reasons, and has the issues of any post industrial small city, such as Schools that under perform, plus certain areas of town that have urban issues and some criminal activity. Crime in the Sunset Ridge area including break in/burglaries is likely limited- but I would check with the PD for more detailed/exact information.

Sunset Ridge always had wonderful views of Hartford from many homes, the magnificent late in the day Sunsets, with the Hartford skyline in the backdrop with the Avon ridge, are truly beautiful. The Park at the top I think is still safe- since I do not feel the neighborhoods surrounding it have deteriorated that much, like some other areas of town, but again check with the PD for exact information about Veterans Memorial Park.

Highway noise will be limited to the homes near I 84, which are for the most part a fair distance.

[Srib]

Ditto to everything skytrekker said. Crime in EH is limited to some select areas, but sadly the entire towns reputation has suffered due to these areas. There is very little crime (if any) in the sunset ridge area (I currently live in EH, by the way), but EH PD could probably provide more detail. Sunset Ridge is a very nice area of mostly 1930's and 1940's era homes with some new ones mixed in as land was sold over the years. Most homes feature a lot of character and details as expected of any quality home built in the 40's. Arched doorways, dental and crown molding are all common features you will find in these homes. Most homes are on the smaller side (by todays standards) and tend to have 1-car garages although exceptions exist.

Sunset Ridge neighborhoods incorporate only a few streets off of Silver Lane in EH (more on these below). The veterans memorial park and clubhouse are owned by the town. The clubhouse is rentable to EH residents for events, etc and is used for some town events as well. The area surrounding the park and clubhouse is 18 acres of town owned land. the park is used in the winter by local families for sledding, but since it lacks most amenities associated with a typical park, you won't see many people there except for the occasional dog walker. Views of Hartford from the top of this hill are lovely any time of year.

Highway noise will be most noticable where Ridgewood road curves since I-84 is right behind that curve in the road. Highway noise on sunset ridge drive should be minimal due to the steep slope which provides a natural barrier against 84. Highway noise on Knollwood, Birchwood, Holland and Milwood should be non-existent. Westview should also not be a problem with highway noise.

Let me know if you have any other questions on this area or others in town.

[Boomerang]

I don't know what town in MA you are from, so I can't say if moving to EH would be a step up, or down, or a flat move.

But if I were taking a job in EH, I'd choose to live in one of the nicer towns within commuting distance if financial resources permitted.

No offense intended to anyone currently living in EH - just my opinion as I also know the area quite well.

[Srib]

Actually, did you expect to comment like that and not offend people who live in town?? I think skytrekker and myself have presented an accurate representation on the town and the homes in sunset ridge. There is no reason to NOT live there unless you have a concern about the towns schools. Some of us would rather pay a lot less for a nicer home and not worry about the "reputation" a town may have instead of going to an overpriced "other" town and pay $350K for a 1200 square foot dump.

[mels]

I agree with most of what has already been stated. East Hartford is generally a blue collar town with affordable housing (by greater Hartford standards) to match. I work out of E Hartford, and while it does have its pockets of sketchy areas, it isn’t an unsafe place. There are some less than desirable areas, but that is purely from an aesthetic standpoint. You aren’t getting acres of rolling green hills and plenty of wooded land, the town is mostly developed, and it was developed long ago. I don’t know the town intimately, but I can’t think of any area where I have felt unsafe. The area you are looking at is fine.

Not sure if you have kids or plan on it, but from what I understand the public schools in EH aren’t very good compared to surrounding towns, but whenever you get a town with high quality public schools the housing costs will reflect that.

If you come for a visit, check out The Cookhouse for great brisket (it’s a BBQ place attached to a Harley dealership) or Pho 501, a very popular Vietnamese lunch spot across the street from Pratt & Whitney, just past Coca-Cola heading south on Main St. Can’t go wrong with either!

[kidyankee784]

Originally Posted by Boomerang

I don't know what town in MA you are from, so I can't say if moving to EH would be a step up, or down, or a flat move.

But if I were taking a job in EH, I'd choose to live in one of the nicer towns within commuting distance if financial resources permitted.

No offense intended to anyone currently living in EH - just my opinion as I also know the area quite well.

I would have to agree with this post. I have family in the EH area and they send their kids to private school. They (and their neighbors) constantly say that crime is becoming worse in town (break-ins, vandalism, even some isolated gang-activity). That is enough to make me prefer a neighboring community over EH. I'm not even going to say "No offense" because this stuff is fact - not opinion. People shouldn't be offended. It's not a crime-ridden city like Hartford, Bridgeport and New Haven - but it does have it's issues and unfortunately it seems the issues are becoming more common.

[Boomerang]

Originally Posted by Srib

Actually, did you expect to comment like that and not offend people who live in town?? I think skytrekker and myself have presented an accurate representation on the town and the homes in sunset ridge. There is no reason to NOT live there unless you have a concern about the towns schools. Some of us would rather pay a lot less for a nicer home and not worry about the "reputation" a town may have instead of going to an overpriced "other" town and pay $350K for a 1200 square foot dump. If you actually knew the area you would provide some intelligent comments about living in EH and not just tell people to look elsewhere.

I've known East Hartford since the 50's. Very well; in fact it's very likely I visited the Veteran's clubhouse, and Martin and Wickham parks, walked along Burnside and Silver Lane, shopped on Main Street, all before you were born. I know people who still live there. And work there. And elsewhere in the area.

If You like living there, fine. But maybe someone who's never seen the place might appreciate some varied opinions.

[JayCT]

As Skytrekker and Srib stated, East Hartford is a nice blue collar town with many nice neighborhoods including Sunset Ridge. The homes there are beautiful and modestly priced and are very convenient to the highway, shopping and entertainment.

Schools in East Hartford do not perform well with students scoring under the state average on both the Connecticut Mastery and Connecticut Academic Performance tests. The link below will have more information:

Strategic School Profiles by District

Strategic School Profiles by School

That said, I do know someone who recently transferred their children from Glastonbury to East Hartford and found differences, some good, some bad. They did note that services in the elementary schools for a child that has learning difficulties were lacking and they were very concerned about the middle and high school levels. I hope this helps, Jay

[skytrekker]

Lets try and keep responses objective and on task. Personal attacks will not be tolerated.