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I used to live in nearby Torrington, it's grown since 1985, but I didn't enjoy those drives to work in the snow and night to East Hartford. Rte 202 and 4 were always backed up in the AM. Harwington is a nice small town though.
actually torrington hasn't grown...just has shifted to inner city population. has lost its biggest employers, and has become a "mecca" for welfare and slum lords.
actually torrington hasn't grown...just has shifted to inner city population. has lost its biggest employers, and has become a "mecca" for welfare and slum lords.
Since 1990 Torrington's population has grown about 9% (from 33,687 to 36,704). That is pretty good for Connecticut. While it is true Torrington has lost one of its largest employers, it has not become a "mecca for welfare and slum lords". Have you seen the hundreds of nice new "middle-class" homes that have been built on the Torringford (east side) of town? Also all of the new shopping centers along Route 202. Retailers do not build if there is not a good market for it. Torrington has become an affordable distant suburb of Hartford and the Farmington Valley. Jay
as for the houses, not impressed with them either.
have you seen the downtown?? and the "way of the 2 family" homes...umm, yes, slum lord and welfare.
i have lived here my whole life... the cause is lost. personally i'm looking to retire and join the exodus.
and yes...retail builds where the dollar(welfare or not ) is and what town gives the biggest break.
i don't think it is saying much for a once thriving industrial town of the 50/60's to have walmart now as its biggest employer. and thats all torrington is....
a suburb of hartford and farmington valley??? personally i can think of better places to call that.
as for the houses, not impressed with them either.
have you seen the downtown?? and the "way of the 2 family" homes...umm, yes, slum lord and welfare.
i have lived here my whole life... the cause is lost. personally i'm looking to retire and join the exodus.
and yes...retail builds where the dollar(welfare or not ) is and what town gives the biggest break.
i don't think it is saying much for a once thriving industrial town of the 50/60's to have walmart now as its biggest employer. and thats all torrington is....
a suburb of hartford and farmington valley??? personally i can think of better places to call that.
torrington is sliding fast....
Maybe this is because I am new to the area and I don't know what Torrington once was or maybe because I have lived in lots of different parts of the country, but Torrington does not seem that bad to me.
Wal-Mart, Target, and the retail in that area are nice, clean stores and the shoppers and employees in those stores seem pretty middle class to me.
I've also shopped on the other end of Torrington and while not as nice and new, those areas weren't that bad either.
I don't know any place in America that still has a thriving industrial base. That has gone away long ago. And subdivsions (like those in Torrington), while not attractive to everyone (myself included), are what are typically found in the suburbs.
Maybe this is because I am new to the area and I don't know what Torrington once was or maybe because I have lived in lots of different parts of the country, but Torrington does not seem that bad to me.
Wal-Mart, Target, and the retail in that area are nice, clean stores and the shoppers and employees in those stores seem pretty middle class to me.
I've also shopped on the other end of Torrington and while not as nice and new, those areas weren't that bad either.
I don't know any place in America that still has a thriving industrial base. That has gone away long ago. And subdivsions (like those in Torrington), while not attractive to everyone (myself included), are what are typically found in the suburbs.
Like you said, Torrington isn't that bad. Like most things - ones opinions on towns/cities in CT are subjective. Most people don't seem to get that their way isn't always the correct way. You suddenly see a few people using food stamps and an area is "in decline". Your assesment of torrington is about what i would have typed. Rep points for you.
Connecticut is not a high-growth state, so 9% is pretty good for a small city like Torrington especailly considering similar cities are losing population. You are correct that Torrington's industrial base is going away but then again as CrissCT points out that is true everywhere in this country and has certainly been true in Connecticut that past 30 years. While no likes this trend, it is a fact and some cities will fare better than others because of it. Torrington is going through a transition and it will be interesting to see what it becomes. It certainly is much better off than other small cities. Jay
Connecticut is not a high-growth state, so 9% is pretty good for a small city like Torrington especailly considering similar cities are losing population. You are correct that Torrington's industrial base is going away but then again as CrissCT points out that is true everywhere in this country and has certainly been true in Connecticut that past 30 years. While no likes this trend, it is a fact and some cities will fare better than others because of it. Torrington is going through a transition and it will be interesting to see what it becomes. It certainly is much better off than other small cities. Jay
I don't know much about Torrington other than it's cheaper to live up there. I do know that Waterbury is actually doing pretty well financially, and Bridgeport's housing market isn't taking the huge hit that other cities are facing.
You are correct that Torrington's industrial base is going away but then again as CrissCT points out that is true everywhere in this country and has certainly been true in Connecticut that past 30 years. While no likes this trend, it is a fact and some cities will fare better than others because of it.Jay
Stamford seems to be faring miserably right now, with regard to their industrial vacancy rate. Very, very high.
Stamford’s industrial properties trail only those in decimated Detroit for the highest vacancy rate in metropolitan areas nationally, a new study shows.
Stamford industrial buildings have an estimated vacancy rate of 16.6 percent, according to the National Association of Realtors, behind Detroit’s 18.1 percent figure. By comparison, Hartford’s industrial...............................
InBrief Real Estate (http://www.fcbizj.biz/realestate/com1229008.php - broken link)
i am in my 50's. i grew up in winsted, but all extended family lived in torrington. i married and have lived in torrington since then.
torrington has advertised for mental health and welfare to relocate here. and yes, i know that for a fact, and they came in droves! torrington's segment i think is a bit larger then average...because we took federal money to allow them in.
torrington has a serious drug problem. yes, i know that for a fact.
dealers from waterbury/hartford have relocated here...for a "better" way of life. and yes, i'm aware that all cities/towns have that element of society.
hud opened up, briefly...3600 applications or was it 6300???
main street is "littered" with empty stores in varing states of disrepair, to say nothing of the numerous empty/abandoned factories around town.
i have watched all of this happening since the 70's.
i held out hope...but now the "battle" is lost....to the makings of an inner city.
if you consider torrington in transistion, and believe in a recovery... i hand you the "hope" that i once carried.
personally i think torrington is disgusting.... i prefer a simsbury/farmington/avon/litchfield. those are the types of towns we all should be trying to strive for. unfortunately taxes are beyond my means....so i hang out in the SC forum, and will be leaving this year.
anyone want to buy a house in torrington?
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