[Georgina77]

Hi, I am new to the country, moving to Hartford CT for work. I am by myself but may have my adult nephew staying with me off and on. My son will join me next summer for College (maybe community college until we find our feet).
Looking for a safe place to live, well connected by public transport, with a few grocery stores close by. I am Indian and would love a diverse multicultural neighborhood. Looking for an apartment 900-1600$ with a garage. I would need to travel to New Britain for work. Looking forward to suggestions.

[masssachoicetts]

900-1600 is tough.


I would say, New Britain itself, Glastonbury, Middletown, Newington, Wethersfield or Berlin.

A Nice 2 bedroom, with good public transportation, in a great community, with a garage and close range to communicating will run you well over $2000 a month, at the minimum.

CT does poorly in public transportation.. so I would ease that requirement in the burbs.

[bridgerider]

Georgina, most of the major realty websites now have rental features (not sure if I can actually name them here, but I use several). I have found plenty of apartments in the $1100 to 1400 range on those sites, but I'm not looking at New Britain proper. You put in your filters, save your search, and add your email for alerts. A feature of theirs I love allows you to "draw" on the map, the parameter you wish to search.

When I first started looking in CT, I found an ok complex in Newington called Northwood Square. Prices were in the 1100 and up range. It was about 15 minutes by car to NB Hospital, but there is bus service. (My company switched gears when covid hit, so now my search has shifted, too...I just wanted a place to hang my hat for a year while I looked for a more permanent home to purchase.)

What has not been as easy for me to find are the apartments within private homes. They are out there, just harder to find. Craigslist and FB Marketplace are good sources, but beware as there a lot of scammers on there, too.

You might look into carpooling if unable to make a go of it with public transportation. My mother hated driving, and paid a co-worker to drive her every day. It was a great situation for them both; perhaps your employee break room has a community message board to post such a request.

Good luck in your search!

[Georgina77]

Thanks Bridgerider,$1100 to 1400 range sounds good. I will look into it straightaway.
Any other advice...what should I be looking out for while searching for an apartment?

[bridgerider]

Originally Posted by Georgina77

Thanks Bridgerider,$1100 to 1400 range sounds good. I will look into it straightaway.
Any other advice...what should I be looking out for while searching for an apartment?

Check the lease agreement carefully before you sign. Can you commit to a year or more in a place you know little or nothing about? Some leases have shorter or longer terms. A shorter lease, say 8 months, will cost you a bit more monthly, but still way cheaper than breaking a 12 month lease because you found something better. Will the complex need to know about your nephew? - if he will be considered a guest, I don't think so. But some places I've looked at specify number of tenants on the lease agreement.

I think you will love Connecticut. Close enough to NYC & Boston for big city activity, super close to country, shore & small town charm. Two weekends ago, I spent time in New Haven for fun & Avon/Simsbury to consider living there....beautiful, but I didn't see a single bus. Glastonbury is really nice too and I don't know what the public transport is like there. If CT becomes a real home for you, getting a car would really be in your best interest....too many rural stretches between the cities.

***Edited to add: Sorry, I missed the part about your wanting a garage, so I'm assuming you do have a car. Look into a possible "park and ride" parking lot that the public bus system might operate. There are several here in the capital district near Albany, N.Y. It's a great alternative to relying on just a bus or just a car....combines the two.

I'm still in a holding pattern where I work - grateful to have the job, but still no guarantee on when a transfer will finally come thru. It's given me plenty of time to drop some towns off my list, but then I discover a new one & the list grows again. I was sold on the southeast quadrant of the state (still love it), but am falling in love with the Farmington valley region, too. If remote working becomes permanent, my move can happen sooner. Right now, my employer has a 50/50 split on in-office vs working from home, so the commute during winter would be too much.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Georgina77

Thanks Bridgerider,$1100 to 1400 range sounds good. I will look into it straightaway.
Any other advice...what should I be looking out for while searching for an apartment?

I think you need to start by working backwards. I’m not sure where in New Britain you are going to work but you should find what bus routes service it. Then look where those bus routes go and try to find an apartment along it so your commute is easy. Here is a link to CT Transit which runs the bus routes in New Britain.

New Britain is a small city and has some problem neighborhoods so you need to be careful if you find a apartment there. The adjacent towns though are safe so I’d suggest looking in one of them. This includes West Hartford, Farmington, Plainville, Berlin and Newington. The map linked below would be a good start. Good luck, Jay

https://www.cttransit.com/sites/defa...rdsys_2021.pdf

https://www.cttransit.com/services/local-service

[Stylo]

You said garage—so you’ll have a car to drive to work?

[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I think you need to start by working backwards. I’m not sure where in New Britain you are going to work but you should find what bus routes service it. Then look where those bus routes go and try to find an apartment along it so your commute is easy. Here is a link to CT Transit which runs the bus routes in New Britain.


https://www.cttransit.com/sites/defa...rdsys_2021.pdf

https://www.cttransit.com/services/local-service

. Reliance on mass transit will likely limit you to major corridors. I'd also use it for grocery and retail shopping, before signing a lease.

Instacart delivers, btw, from most major supermarkets, but only standard , bar-coded stocked items.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by BobNJ1960

. Reliance on mass transit will likely limit you to major corridors. I'd also use it for grocery and retail shopping, before signing a lease.

Instacart delivers, btw, from most major supermarkets, but only standard , bar-coded stocked items.

The OP asked to be “well connected to public transport”. She did not say who it is for or it purpose. I can only assume it’s for her commute to work but she did also ask for a garage so it’s unclear.

Pretty much everywhere in the world does mass transit limit you to major corridors. I’m not sure what your point is. That’s kind of logical. Jay

[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by JayCT

The OP asked to be “well connected to public transport”. She did not say who it is for or it purpose. I can only assume it’s for her commute to work but she did also ask for a garage so it’s unclear.

Pretty much everywhere in the world does mass transit limit you to major corridors. I’m not sure what your point is. That’s kind of logical. Jay

I want her to look up work, groceries, retail addresses vs a housing complex, as if she is not driving, she must be on bus lines to all.