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Hello! My family and I are hoping to move next summer, but we're still trying to figure out where. We've done a ton of research and CT turns up in the top of every list we create. We love what we've seen looking on Zillow, but are looking for some practical and helpful information/advice beyond what kind of housing is available.
First, I feel I should tell you a bit about us. We are a family of 4. My husband and I are both college grads who work in the public schools. We have elementary school aged children. We love nature - hiking, bike trails, kayaking, birds/animals (observing, NOT hunting). We have a wide variety of interests: art, music, sports, exploring new things, etc. We are desperately in need of a quieter, more peaceful existence, where our home can be a private sanctuary but we can still be part of a community of kind and open-minded people.
We are currently in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. The thought of leaving and going somewhere we've never been is terrifying, but this city is sucking the life from us. We will be leaving family, good jobs, and a mid-century house we adore because this place is no longer safe. It is not a place we want to raise our kids. It has become a very divided city and we are on the wrong side of the divide. We want to be somewhere there isn't a war against the family; a place where educated folks aren't the enemy and kids and adults alike are held accountable for their actions. We need a place where our kids can be kids and not be surrounded by foul language and hatred every time we leave the house. We want to live around kind-hearted people who care about each other and support their community even if someone may not have the same opinions - and not because it's an instagram photo op, but because it's genuine.
We know that Connecticut has a high cost of living. Therefore, we would want to be as close to 250,000 for a house as we can, knowing property taxes are high. We want excellent schools. We are hoping to have a little bit of space - 1-2 acres would be good (we would love to be able to do solar panels, a small garden, rain catchment, composting, etc.) We have been looking in the area of Simsbury, Granby, Canton, Barkhamsted, Avon, etc. We are hoping you can give us some advice. We don't want to have to compete with the Jones'. We don't want to be in an area where we are the "poor family" with a 250-300,000 house. We have high educational expectations for our kids but don't want it to be so competitive that they hate school. Our kids are both considered gifted, but also have diverse interests, and want to be able to try new things.
Any advice or information you could provide would be wonderful. We can only do so much research online and thought the best route would be to ask the experts! Thank you so much for your time!
I’m not sure if you mentioned where you’d be working in Connecticut - or if that’s even been a thought yet. Education in the northeast is a high priority but do know that it’s not easy to become an educator in Connecticut, both from a certification and a hiring standpoint. I’m sure others here can offer more beneficial information regarding that.
In terms of housing, 250k will be a starter home in most Hartford metro suburbs with good schools. A little higher in the New Haven area. And up to three times that in the southwest portion of the state. You’ve done your research well enough to realize greater Hartford is probably the best bang for your buck.
The top tier suburbs in terms of affluence and high ranking schools would be Avon, Farmington, Glastonbury, West Hartford and Simsbury. If you’re not a keep up with the Joneses type, they may not be to your liking (also I’m not sure you can get much of a house in those communities for 250k). They are all great places to live though. The second tier towns, which seem to be more to your liking, may be South Windsor, Wethersfield, Canton, Newington, and Rocky Hill. Other, more rural, towns you may like with great schools are Portland, Burlington, Granby, Marlborough, New Hartford and Barkhamsted. Cities with higher crime rates and mediocre performing schools you might want to avoid would be Hartford, New Britain, Bristol, East Hartford, Manchester and Meriden, among a few others.
Definitely land a job before moving though - I can’t stress that enough.
I don’t mean to assume, but I don’t know that it’s possible to find anywhere totally safe or welcoming. More money buys at least the guise of total security from things you don’t like but isn’t actually all protective.
With that said I’m quite familiar with granby and canton (or collinsville) and think those two towns fit nicely with the aesthetic you’re describing. A nice town center with great access to outdoors and recreation. Probably get decent acreage since they are t die though suburbs to a major city. Both approx. 30min to Hartford/West Hartford.
Thank you, kidyankee764! We definitely would be securing employment before going anywhere - we are not the type to leave good jobs with great benefits without the next thing in place. We will be looking for jobs in education. We were hoping to narrow down some potential areas in CT that fit what we are looking for and then get busy looking into jobs. I really appreciate all of your recommendations! You've provided quite a few towns we haven't looked into yet, so that will be our next bit of "homework"! Thanks again!
Thank you tbanks3! I know we will never find absolute safety or friendliness, but life has got to be better than what we are experiencing here. We've been in Columbus a long time, and it is growing quickly and changing from a Midwestern city to something else entirely. To put it plainly, we are democrats in an area that has become quite the opposite and are made to feel unwelcome almost daily. And it's not even because we wear our politics on our sleeves - around here, we know better. It's because we have kayak racks on an older SUV; my husband loves to ride his bike around town, and we take family walks - all of which, somehow, make us a target. Sadly, the last 4 years have created quite the divide in our city. We are just looking for somewhere we can relax and do the things we enjoy. Thank you for letting us know that we may be on the right track with Granby and Canton! It's nice to hear from those who live in CT that what we are able to find on the internet does match up with what we are seeking! Thanks again!
Hello! My family and I are hoping to move next summer, but we're still trying to figure out where. We've done a ton of research and CT turns up in the top of every list we create. We love what we've seen looking on Zillow, but are looking for some practical and helpful information/advice beyond what kind of housing is available.
First, I feel I should tell you a bit about us. We are a family of 4. My husband and I are both college grads who work in the public schools. We have elementary school aged children. We love nature - hiking, bike trails, kayaking, birds/animals (observing, NOT hunting). We have a wide variety of interests: art, music, sports, exploring new things, etc. We are desperately in need of a quieter, more peaceful existence, where our home can be a private sanctuary but we can still be part of a community of kind and open-minded people.
We are currently in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. The thought of leaving and going somewhere we've never been is terrifying, but this city is sucking the life from us. We will be leaving family, good jobs, and a mid-century house we adore because this place is no longer safe. It is not a place we want to raise our kids. It has become a very divided city and we are on the wrong side of the divide. We want to be somewhere there isn't a war against the family; a place where educated folks aren't the enemy and kids and adults alike are held accountable for their actions. We need a place where our kids can be kids and not be surrounded by foul language and hatred every time we leave the house. We want to live around kind-hearted people who care about each other and support their community even if someone may not have the same opinions - and not because it's an instagram photo op, but because it's genuine.
We know that Connecticut has a high cost of living. Therefore, we would want to be as close to 250,000 for a house as we can, knowing property taxes are high. We want excellent schools. We are hoping to have a little bit of space - 1-2 acres would be good (we would love to be able to do solar panels, a small garden, rain catchment, composting, etc.) We have been looking in the area of Simsbury, Granby, Canton, Barkhamsted, Avon, etc. We are hoping you can give us some advice. We don't want to have to compete with the Jones'. We don't want to be in an area where we are the "poor family" with a 250-300,000 house. We have high educational expectations for our kids but don't want it to be so competitive that they hate school. Our kids are both considered gifted, but also have diverse interests, and want to be able to try new things.
Any advice or information you could provide would be wonderful. We can only do so much research online and thought the best route would be to ask the experts! Thank you so much for your time!
I am an artist and musician and want many things you want in regards to music, art and a friendly community. I live in Trumbull a town in Fairfield County but that will be too expensive in retirement. I am looking east of New Haven where it is less expensive. My budget is about the same as yours too. Yale University is in New Haven and they have a great music program. Yale has many free concerts. There is the Guilford Art Center and an art school in Lyme (both east of New Haven) so there are many artists in the area. I am thinking the towns east of New Haven are more peaceful and safe compared Columbus Ohio. I am going to guess that New Haven County will have more job opportunities for you being that you are both in the education field.
Here are crime stats from this site (274 is the US average)
Columbus Ohio........375
Branford.................91
Clinton...................121
North Branford........83
I am going to put Guilford and Madsion in even though they are much more expensive. You might be able to find something in the northern part of the town away from the coast and they have excellent schools.
Guilford.................82
Madison.................28 (hard to believe)
I have friends that live in Durham and they LOVE it. it's very peaceful but you would be further away from New Haven but doable. My husbands uncle (he lived in Middletown) was a principle of two schools in Durham so I know they have very good schools. North Haven and Wallingford where I have cousins and friends would be good too.
Durham................I can't find the crime stats, I bet it is low like Madison (moderators can you help with this?)
North Haven.........126
Wallingford...........80
Let's look and see what $300,000 will get you in all of these towns
Good Schools: Branford, Clinton, Wallingford
Very Good Schools: Durham, North Haven
Among the best in CT, Excellent: Madison, Guilford (you get less house for your money because the school are so good)
"We love nature - hiking, bike trails, kayaking, birds/animals (observing, NOT hunting). We have a wide variety of interests: art, music, sports, exploring new things, etc. We are desperately in need of a quieter, more peaceful existence, where our home can be a private sanctuary but we can still be part of a community of kind and open-minded people."
You described the coastline east of New Haven starting with Branford (then you keep going east). That is what I want in retirement (without the schools) and that is why I will move east of New Haven. I now live in Trumbull, Fairfield County. Fairfield County is a keeping up with the Jonses rate race mad dash to NYC/Stamford.
I’m not sure if you mentioned where you’d be working in Connecticut - or if that’s even been a thought yet. Education in the northeast is a high priority but do know that it’s not easy to become an educator in Connecticut, both from a certification and a hiring standpoint. I’m sure others here can offer more beneficial information regarding that.
In terms of housing, 250k will be a starter home in most Hartford metro suburbs with good schools. A little higher in the New Haven area. And up to three times that in the southwest portion of the state. You’ve done your research well enough to realize greater Hartford is probably the best bang for your buck.
The top tier suburbs in terms of affluence and high ranking schools would be Avon, Farmington, Glastonbury, West Hartford and Simsbury. If you’re not a keep up with the Joneses type, they may not be to your liking (also I’m not sure you can get much of a house in those communities for 250k). They are all great places to live though. The second tier towns, which seem to be more to your liking, may be South Windsor, Wethersfield, Canton, Newington, and Rocky Hill. Other, more rural, towns you may like with great schools are Portland, Burlington, Granby, Marlborough, New Hartford and Barkhamsted. Cities with higher crime rates and mediocre performing schools you might want to avoid would be Hartford, New Britain, Bristol, East Hartford, Manchester and Meriden, among a few others.
Definitely land a job before moving though - I can’t stress that enough.
I second this. You may especially like Canton/Collinsville if you have kayaks on the roof of your car. Good school system, conveniently located to shopping mall and other big stores, large plots of land, bike trail, nice town amenities like a good library, farmers' market in summer, town history museum, restaurants, nice down to earth people.
We know that Connecticut has a high cost of living. Therefore, we would want to be as close to 250,000 for a house as we can, knowing property taxes are high. We want excellent schools.
I think with those constraints a small part of Ct upstate may be the only shot Ct can meet those specifications.
First get job offers, and any certifications needed valid in Ct.
Then ask this question again loaded with that valuable info.
Ct is small geographically which helps, so it may be possible to live somewhere within your budget, but work somewhere else. I'm thinking Northwest Ct may be your best housing option-even with its harsher climate. Far less population density than downstate. In many cases, middle of nowhere. Pretty, but often rural feel to it.
$250k though would take out downstate Ct, in most cases, where towns have excellent school systems.
We moved to CT after a few exploratory trips from the Kansas City metro area where we lived for 6 years, after spending 30+ years in Alaska. Note: We are retired.
Moving to CT has been among our best life decisions. We settled in the Killingworth area and immediately found like minded community. As it turns out we were Yankees after all.
We started in the 250-300K market but depending on where you are a lot in that range is distressed. We didn't want a "fixer" but you might not mind that being younger.
We were looking for some of the same things that you described.
You might want to add Haddam, Chester, Deep River, Killingworth, Guilford and Clinton to your list. I'd add Essex and Old Saybrook but housing is more $$$ in those areas.
Good luck.
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