[Irish49872]

Hi all, looking for find the good the bad and the ugly about Essex and the surrounding area. Have made multiple trips there and love it but would like to hear input from locals about the area.

[JayCT]

The lower Connecticut River Valley is beautiful. It’s quiet and charming. Essex is one of the nicest towns in the area which says a LOT. It has a charming downtown with cute stores and restaurants. It is however a bit touristy in the warm weather months. The only issues I see there is the distance to major employment centers and the lack of every day shopping options. Still I love the area. Jay

[East of the River]

Nice spot not much negative really. I worked in Deep River for a while I drove down from north of Hartford in about 45 minutes, shopping isn't much of a concern for most of town Walmart Stop and Shop staples etc are a few minutes away in Old Saybrook. There is also a good hardware store and IGA in Deep river. For employment Middletown and New London aren't far. There is also a commuter van to Hartford from deep river(or at least there was 8 years ago when a coworker took it daily).