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Hi There,
We are looking to move from CA to CT in the next couple years and are trying to get some info. about CT.
My Husband works as a CT Tech and will need a hospital to work out of. He likes the larger hospitals but will consider a smaller one. Is it hard to find a job in CT in the medical field? Salaries decent?
We have 4 small children and plan on them attending catholic school. Are the schools good in CT? Is tuition reasonable? Are discounts given for multiple children?
Housing and taxes seem high. Are there some reasonble housing markets close to the major cities were DH will need to work. We are looking for a 2500sft home with 4 bedrooms 2 1/2 baths, 2 car garage for less than 450k. Would like to live in a nice safe town. Doesn't have to be big as long as we can easily drive to all the ammenities.
How are the winters? We live in So Cal now so snow is going to be completely new to us. What do you do to enjoy the winters? I don't want to be couped up inside all winter with the kids.
How are people as far as welcoming newcomers? Are people friendly in general?
My family lives in Maine. How long would it take for us to get to say Portland?
In general, we are looking to get out of So Cal because we are sick of the overcrowding/traffic/smog/crime/brown everywhere scenery/no sense of community fast paced life we are living now. We want a better lifestyle for us and our kids and we would like to be close to my family in Maine without actually living there. Love the place but it is too secluded for us.
Connecticut is a small New England state (about 5200 square miles) It is in Southern New England. Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east are also considered part of southern New England. Connecticut is densely populated- with an average of about 650 people per square mile. Nonetheless there are many sparsely populated areas within this small package with beautiful forests, farms, orchards and vineyards.
The state has 5 cities over 100,000, but all have populations less then 150,000. Hartford the state capital in north central CT on the west bank of the CT river has a metro population of about 1.3 million. It is located about 100 from Boston, and 125 miles to mid town Manhattan.
Stamford in southwestern CT- in Fairfield county, population around 125,000 (Fairfield county population over 800K- New Haven about 130K greater 0ver 600k and Waterbury in western CT, population 107,000.
Actually public schools in most towns are of good to excellent quality- so sending your children to private schools may not be something you may need to do. Property taxes are high for a reason- high quality schools and local services.
The medical field in the state has thrived in reason years- I have no idea what the current downturn will do for opportunities in the short term.
Housing prices will vary in the state; with Fairfield county-close to New York having the highest prices (median 440K) The New Haven area will be far less (255K) Greater Hartford 242K and New London Groton 245K.
Homes will be the cheapest in eastern CT- and the eastern suburbs of Hartford. In Tolland county a 3-4 bedroom home 2 baths, garage, basement- on 1 acre can start at 250-299k in several towns that have good schools, and low crime- with quick access shopping and Hartford. The market is under stress here now as in California- I have no idea what the market will be like in a couple of years.
Connecticut is a very nice place to live for families- the quality of life is high, there is much culture, lots of available outdoor recreation in all seasons, fine beaches, great shopping and close proximity to New York and Boston.
We do have a winter here, though it is not the stereotype of deep snows and brutal cold for 6 months. Coastal CT will have the mildest winter- with around 25" of snow a year- temperatures seldom drop to zero in most of the state during the winter overnight except the northwest hills.
Winter begins around Christmas and ends in late March. Springs can be changeable, and cool due to the influence of the chilled waters of the Atlantic nearby. Trees leaf out totally by mid May- July is the hottest month. Humidity here can be very unpleasant at times during the months of July into early August. Mid to late August through late November is warm, to mild to cool and sublime and pleasant.
Portland is about 2.5-3 hours from Hartford.
Last edited by skytrekker; 06-15-2008 at 08:22 PM..
We moved from South FL last August for the same reasons you are considering leaving South CA. I will leave the more technical answers to those who have been in CT longer than I have. As for the getting used to the winter, I can tell you that it took us by surprise. Both my husband and I grew up with snow, he is SD, I in northern Italy. But the temperatures we found here after 12 years in FL were difficult to adapt to. Still, it was not the temperature what got us: it was the darkness, the lack of light that shocked us. When we went back to FL for a few days last December, we realized that not just the short days but also the much lower intensity of the light makes a huge difference in your mood and energy. We hope next winter will be a little better, and then a little better... Still we are planning on a month in FL this summer (can you believe it? it is the hottest time of the year! but we need to absorb as much light and heat as I can if we are to survive next year....)
I live in Glastonbury. This winter I could not understand were everyone was. So I found out that people here just stay inside. We were alone at the park in March when we had the first day of decent sun. Winters can be isolating. It does not help that we live in a place where every place you want to go to you need to go by car. In Europe (on in NYC, for that matter) people crowd the streets all year, but not here. The many towns of CT are not conducive to that life style, and for that I suffer.
But we did start to ski. There are ski resorts 1 hour from Hartford, even without driving all the way to Vermont. Sure, it fits a family where 3 of the 4 members had never put skis on before (not me, I am Italian...), and it does not provide great slopes. Still, it is fun to be on the slopes one hour after leaving home.
Friendliness is a hot issue here. I know people on this board will give a different take on this. But I find CT people not very friendly. They are not rude or rough, not in the way you find people in South FL sometimes (many times..) Still, it has not been an easy year in terms of friendships. Cliques are awful in school, even in preschool. People do not take it easy when a stranger dares trying to get into a conversation among established friends. People here call themselves reserved. I think it goes well beyond reservation, but I do not want to insult anyone, so I will stop here.
The final message i want to give you is this. While there are many benefits from living here instead of South FL (public schools vs private schools, nature on our doorstep, more relaxed life style, farms, pick-your-own, CSA's, seasonal changes in the closets - well, it is nice to change your wardrobe every few months - closeness of big cities), I did underscore other aspects: it is much more difficult to travel overseas now compared to being 20 minutes form Miami International (no, Hartford is not international enough to make it easy on us to fly to Italy); it may take longer in CT than it took me to find my circle on friends in FL; public schools may be among the best in the nations, but still they do not compare to the very good private schools we were used to (not your problem, since you have already chosen private anyway); life can be way more rural than I thought I would like....
Still, I did not regret moving. I still think it is better here for my children than it was in rough South FL. It is certainly not better for me, though.... Good luck!
The sun at latitude 41 north from mid November to late January is low in the ecliptic. The low sun angle and short days here during this time can be depressing for someone coming from latitudes further south, especially if its overcast.
However, Seattle Washington at latitude 49 north has even a lower sun then here, and shorter days.
Hi There,
We are looking to move from CA to CT in the next couple years and are trying to get some info. about CT.
My Husband works as a CT Tech and will need a hospital to work out of. He likes the larger hospitals but will consider a smaller one. Is it hard to find a job in CT in the medical field? Salaries decent?
We have 4 small children and plan on them attending catholic school. Are the schools good in CT? Is tuition reasonable? Are discounts given for multiple children?
Housing and taxes seem high. Are there some reasonble housing markets close to the major cities were DH will need to work. We are looking for a 2500sft home with 4 bedrooms 2 1/2 baths, 2 car garage for less than 450k. Would like to live in a nice safe town. Doesn't have to be big as long as we can easily drive to all the ammenities.
How are the winters? We live in So Cal now so snow is going to be completely new to us. What do you do to enjoy the winters? I don't want to be couped up inside all winter with the kids.
How are people as far as welcoming newcomers? Are people friendly in general?
My family lives in Maine. How long would it take for us to get to say Portland?
In general, we are looking to get out of So Cal because we are sick of the overcrowding/traffic/smog/crime/brown everywhere scenery/no sense of community fast paced life we are living now. We want a better lifestyle for us and our kids and we would like to be close to my family in Maine without actually living there. Love the place but it is too secluded for us.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
With a budget of $450k you can forget about lower Fairfield County - unless you will settle with a small starter home or medium sized condo.
I might suggest for you Guilford or Branford - they are very nice towns with great schools close to New Haven (NH has Yale Hospital and St Raphaels). There is also Griffin Hospital not too far away in Derby which is ranked one of the best companies to work for in the nation. I know a few people who turned down offers for more money at larger hospitals because they wanted to work for Griffin. It is a great place. Also Southbury is a beautiful town with top notch schools, close to hospitals in Waterbury, Danbury, New Haven and New Milford.
Most schools in CT are excellent. Our public schools are similar to private schools in other areas of the nation.
You can also check out the Hartford area - your money will go much further than it will in southern CT.
We moved from South FL last August for the same reasons you are considering leaving South CA. I will leave the more technical answers to those who have been in CT longer than I have. As for the getting used to the winter, I can tell you that it took us by surprise. Both my husband and I grew up with snow, he is SD, I in northern Italy. But the temperatures we found here after 12 years in FL were difficult to adapt to. Still, it was not the temperature what got us: it was the darkness, the lack of light that shocked us. When we went back to FL for a few days last December, we realized that not just the short days but also the much lower intensity of the light makes a huge difference in your mood and energy. We hope next winter will be a little better, and then a little better... Still we are planning on a month in FL this summer (can you believe it? it is the hottest time of the year! but we need to absorb as much light and heat as I can if we are to survive next year....)
I live in Glastonbury. This winter I could not understand were everyone was. So I found out that people here just stay inside. We were alone at the park in March when we had the first day of decent sun. Winters can be isolating. It does not help that we live in a place where every place you want to go to you need to go by car. In Europe (on in NYC, for that matter) people crowd the streets all year, but not here. The many towns of CT are not conducive to that life style, and for that I suffer.
But we did start to ski. There are ski resorts 1 hour from Hartford, even without driving all the way to Vermont. Sure, it fits a family where 3 of the 4 members had never put skis on before (not me, I am Italian...), and it does not provide great slopes. Still, it is fun to be on the slopes one hour after leaving home.
Friendliness is a hot issue here. I know people on this board will give a different take on this. But I find CT people not very friendly. They are not rude or rough, not in the way you find people in South FL sometimes (many times..) Still, it has not been an easy year in terms of friendships. Cliques are awful in school, even in preschool. People do not take it easy when a stranger dares trying to get into a conversation among established friends. People here call themselves reserved. I think it goes well beyond reservation, but I do not want to insult anyone, so I will stop here.
The final message i want to give you is this. While there are many benefits from living here instead of South FL (public schools vs private schools, nature on our doorstep, more relaxed life style, farms, pick-your-own, CSA's, seasonal changes in the closets - well, it is nice to change your wardrobe every few months - closeness of big cities), I did underscore other aspects: it is much more difficult to travel overseas now compared to being 20 minutes form Miami International (no, Hartford is not international enough to make it easy on us to fly to Italy); it may take longer in CT than it took me to find my circle on friends in FL; public schools may be among the best in the nations, but still they do not compare to the very good private schools we were used to (not your problem, since you have already chosen private anyway); life can be way more rural than I thought I would like....
Still, I did not regret moving. I still think it is better here for my children than it was in rough South FL. It is certainly not better for me, though.... Good luck!
I will agree with everything you've said. The winter killed us. Like you said, not the cold, but the lack of light. I was wanting to go to bed at 6:00 pm. I gained 12 pounds! It hasn't left yet either. I know why a lot of the locals leave their wonderful state to go south for the winter. I think I will join them this year or I may die. We also miss Atlanta International direct flights to anywhere.
June Solstice the 20th this year -First Day of Summer Northern Hemisphere
Latest Sunset 8:30PM DST June 28th at 41 N (twilight does not fade until 10:30PM DST)
Earliest Sunrise (June 13th) Has occurred 5:15AM DST at 41 N (Twilight begins 3:15AM DST)
September equinox 2008 on the 22nd. First day of Autumn Northern Hemisphere
Day & night are 'equal' all over the earth- daylight lasts 12 hours as does night on average.
Winter Solstice December 21st. First day of Winter Northern Hemisphere
Earliest Sunset December 7th or 8th 2008 4:19 PM EST at 41 N
Latest Sunrise January 2009 3rd of 4th around 7:30AM EST at 41 N
March Equinox 2009 on the 20th First day of Spring Northern Hemisphere
Day and night Equal all over the earth-
That early sunset time throughout November into December can really bother some people; it is completely dark by 5:30 from mid November to late December. Likewise in the morning its dark for most people getting up 6-6:30am.
Last edited by skytrekker; 06-16-2008 at 06:29 AM..
As far as the lack of light, I think I can handle it fairly well. We also experience something similar here in So Cal. Getting up in the early winter it is still dark trying to get the kids up and will end up being dark by the time we leave for work at 5pm. Are there many things to do indoors for the children? Things like skating? Indoor playgrounds/inflatables? Classes like crafts/cooking?
vvolin- you mentioned cliques and it being harder to make friends. Not great but are you talking mostly for adults? How are your children fitting in? Have they been able to make friends easily? Also my kids are Asian and I want to make sure they will be easily accepted.
We are a mixed race couple(I am caucasian and DH is Filipino). Our children were all adopted(one Filipino and 3 Korean). Will we have a hard time fitting in? I know there aren't many Asian families compared to CA but will we have a hard time being included and welcomed? Is there an adoptive community to welcome us?
Love the info on the medical opportunities. We will definitely look into these.
Skytreytrekker-thanks for all the great stats.
Guilford and Branford were mentioned. How far are they from the coast? We aren't expecting to be able to live on the coast but an easy commute would be nice.
Airports aren't a main concern for us as we aren't international travelers but getting to the west coast would be nice if we want to travel to see family or they come to see us.
WOW!!! Love the replies so far-Please keep them coming.
As far as the lack of light, I think I can handle it fairly well. We also experience something similar here in So Cal. Getting up in the early winter it is still dark trying to get the kids up and will end up being dark by the time we leave for work at 5pm. Are there many things to do indoors for the children? Things like skating? Indoor playgrounds/inflatables? Classes like crafts/cooking?
vvolin- you mentioned cliques and it being harder to make friends. Not great but are you talking mostly for adults? How are your children fitting in? Have they been able to make friends easily? Also my kids are Asian and I want to make sure they will be easily accepted.
We are a mixed race couple(I am caucasian and DH is Filipino). Our children were all adopted(one Filipino and 3 Korean). Will we have a hard time fitting in? I know there aren't many Asian families compared to CA but will we have a hard time being included and welcomed? Is there an adoptive community to welcome us?
Love the info on the medical opportunities. We will definitely look into these.
Skytreytrekker-thanks for all the great stats.
Guilford and Branford were mentioned. How far are they from the coast? We aren't expecting to be able to live on the coast but an easy commute would be nice.
Airports aren't a main concern for us as we aren't international travelers but getting to the west coast would be nice if we want to travel to see family or they come to see us.
WOW!!! Love the replies so far-Please keep them coming.
Guilford and Branford are right on Long Island Sound.
Also getting to the west coast is not a problem. You have many airports to choose from - Bradley in Hartford, JFK, LGA, White Plains, Stewart, and if you live in eastern CT, Logan in Boston.
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. What do you do to enjoy the winters? I don't want to be couped up inside all winter with the kids. 
. Love the place but it is too secluded for us.
I know why a lot of the locals leave their wonderful state to go south for the winter. I think I will join them this year or I may die. We also miss Atlanta International direct flights to anywhere.
