[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Westport is almost double the mileage, so it's a nice advantage from Madison. 38 miles. Up to OP if worth it.

That may be true but there are no expressways that go directly from Madison to Hartford so the commute time is almost comparable. I’ve worked with people that commuted from Madison and it was close to an hour or more because you must drive on local streets through Durham and Middletown. It slows you way down.

I love the shoreline east area but I wouldn’t recommend it for a person looking to cut down their commute. Jay

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by reslinal

Sorry for the confusing words I used. I meant we prefer places within 5 to 10 minutes drive. My colleagues living in Devonwood told me they usually need to go Avon or WH for shopping needs and it’s usually more than 15 minutes drive.

It depends what they mean about “shopping needs”. There is a beautiful Super Stop & Shop and a bunch of stores (hardware store, pharmacy, banks, restaurants, etc.) in Unionville which is literally 3 miles down Route 4 from Devonwood. You can’t get much more convenient than that.

If you are talking “major shopping needs” (mall, big box stores, clothing, etc.) then you would have to drive but that’s the same as in Westport where you must go to Norwalk. Jay

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by JayCT

That may be true but there are no expressways that go directly from Madison to Hartford so the commute time is almost comparable. I’ve worked with people that commuted from Madison and it was close to an hour or more because you must drive on local streets through Durham and Middletown. It slows you way down.

I love the shoreline east area but I wouldn’t recommend it for a person looking to cut down their commute. Jay

Even so, it’s about 25 minutes shorter.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Firstly, $2m puts you close to the top dog in any one of these towns. You can get a nice huge home for half that. This isn’t Westport - it’s a very different vibe and cost of living.

Second, if you think Wilton is too rural, you will certainly think Avon, Simsbury, Glastonbury, Madison and Guilford are too. West Hartford is where I’d focus, but it’s not uniformly affluent like the OP seems to want. We have a home in Simsbury and while we love it, it’s a pretty rural area. It’s good for now but down the road, we’ll want to be in a more centrally located area.

Aside from that, I might consider instead of relocating all the way to the Hartford area, maybe take a look at Fairfield or Trumbull, where you get a little more bang for your buck. Cheshire, IMO, is beautiful as well with great schools and is (for some reason) very underrated on this forum.

Another thing to consider for the OP, look at property tax rates. Homes are less costly than Fairfield County, but property tax rates in these Hartford area towns can be staggering (especially West Hartford). Might want to compare the difference between just spending the extra dough in Westport vs having a higher tax rate - which are at least double in the Hartford area towns being discussed. See below:

https://joeshimkus.com/CT-Tax-Rates.aspx

While I agree that the Farmington River Valley has rural feel to it and many parts are as far from things as Wilton and Weston, there are areas that are as close to conveniences as most of Westport is. Think of it as Westport north of the Merritt Parkway verses south of it. It’s just a matter of the home you select.

Your point about taxes is also a good one. Just because home prices are less does not mean taxes are. West Hartford is known for higher taxes but most residents there don’t care because they have among the best municipal services (schools, emergency services, parks, libraries, etc.). If taxes are a concern then the OP should concentrate their home search to Farmington. It has among the lowest taxes in the region, if not the state. Jay

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by StevieB160

The East part of Avon puts you pretty close to Corbin Corner which has a bunch of stores (not as many as Route 71) but you are much further away from highways there.

The East part of Farmington is close to I-84 access and close to all the stores/mall on Route 71 where WH, Farmington, Newington and New Brit all come together. Too bad 50 Cent's house is off the market at the moment!

I think you mean that east Avon is close to Bishop’s Corner. Corbin’s Corner is across from Westfarms Mall and that’s not near Avon. Jay

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by reslinal

Thank you. West Hartford definitely has a similar vibe to Fairfield/Westport, it just seems hard to find newish big houses there. We like the feeling of the devonwood neighborhood in Farmington but not its location (too remote for us), are there similar neighborhoods in Avon/Farmington etc but are in more convenient locations?

There are newish big houses in West Hartford, they are desirable and sell fast. You might consider building new there or still consider an older home. There are many that have been beautifully redone. Jay

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...58156959_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/111441677_zpid/

[StevieB160]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I think you mean that east Avon is close to Bishop’s Corner. Corbin’s Corner is across from Westfarms Mall and that’s not near Avon. Jay

Yes, Yes - Bishop's Corner.

[bushewick]

take into consideration the property tax rates in the hartford area (above 2%)

[reslinal]

Originally Posted by ryanthegoldengod

If you value a short drive to everything, I'd look at West Hartford. Or possibly Glastonbury. You said you work in the Hartford area--what town if you don't mind me asking?

It is close to the westfarm mall area in Farmington.

[reslinal]

Originally Posted by JayCT

While I agree that the Farmington River Valley has rural feel to it and many parts are as far from things as Wilton and Weston, there are areas that are as close to conveniences as most of Westport is. Think of it as Westport north of the Merritt Parkway verses south of it. It’s just a matter of the home you select.

Your point about taxes is also a good one. Just because home prices are less does not mean taxes are. West Hartford is known for higher taxes but most residents there don’t care because they have among the best municipal services (schools, emergency services, parks, libraries, etc.). If taxes are a concern then the OP should concentrate their home search to Farmington. It has among the lowest taxes in the region, if not the state. Jay

Can you tell me which areas in Farmington Valley are closer to Westport in terms of convenience? We are very interested as those would be great for our needs!