[transplantct]

I heard Willimantic and Stafford could be two. Any more?


title typo "more of an"

[skytrekker]

Actually Stafford is doing well- Stafford Springs is even better. Willimantic has had problems in the past but is improving.
Dayville in the eastern part of the state has a rather depressed feel, as does Plainfield and Killingly.

[transplantct]

Thanks. That's encouraging. I've seen plenty of affordable housing in Stafford, but was concerned about a remark someone made about that town.

Would anyone have pictures?

[uconn99]

Willimantic has a depressed feel to it because the American Thread Company which was once the largest Mill in the world closed back in the early 1980's.

Things are changing however. The mill has become condo's and new industrial and commercial office space. The mills now look amazing, the best they have in many many years.

Willimantic still has some great houses in the hill section, a good employement base with Eastern Connecticut State as the anchor and not far from Hartford for further employement. Overall Willi is not as bad as people make it out to be and much nicer IMO than Stafford.

[Rich Lee]

To clarify:

Stafford and Windham are towns. Stafford Springs and Willimantic are sections of each, respectively.

[uconn99]

Correct, they are both boroughs.

[davfar]

I've heard that Willimantic has a bad heroine issue.... is that still true?

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by davfar

I've heard that Willimantic has a bad heroine issue.... is that still true?

I know it was true 5 years ago when my girlfriend attended ECSU - but I have friends in Columbia who said the issue is getting a little better. Still, according to them, Willimantic has a ways to go.

[uconn99]

Willimantic had a bad drug problem being in the middle of Boston, New York, Providence, and Hartford. Everything moved through the city and problems happened from that. It wasn't uncommon and I am sure it still isn't that you would see NYC taxi cabs bring dealers to and from the city.

I was born and raised in Willi and it isn't a bad place to live. The hill section is one of the nicest concentrations of Victorian houses in the USA. The Mills are very nice now and main street continues to improve.

The drug problem isn't gone completley but it has come a long ways since the 1980's when State Police would need at least 5 cars to go into Windam Heights.

[yankee.peddler]

Originally Posted by uconn99

Correct, they are both boroughs.

They are not anymore. Stafford Springs was once a borough and Willimantic was once an independent city. Today, they are unincorporated areas of Stafford and Windham respectively.