[Golden1]

I totally agree with the lack of pride in Connecticut observation. I think, and it's just my opinion, that the source for lack of pride is a combo of 3 things...
1) No big pro sports teams. We have to go to Boston or NYC for that. But even that is not a big deal.
2) Connecticut was once a powerhouse of industry and that is slowly slipping from our grasps. Around WW 2, CT prospered in making guns and ammo and other defense products. Waterbury was the "Brass City." We then became the insurance capital of the U.S. but the companies are downsizing or moving South to less taxed areas. Which brings us to...
3) No real identity which is pretty much an extension of the above 2 points. This is not about CT being a good place or a bad place to live, it's that the lack of pride has a lot to do with a vague sense of indentity. Texans, right or wrong, have a clear sense of who they are or who they are supposed to be. Same can be said for a handful of other states. CT is a small state with a beautiful geography and some nice New England towns, but overall it's not like what is shown on TV for most of us. Many people (mostly New Yorkers) believe it to be a place of rich, white collar, BMW driving people snobs and it's not the case. There's a stigma for us middle class folks when we say we're from CT when we leave the state. People assume wealth and success when many of us are scrapping by. Not to high jack the thread but how many times have you been to some state/region and people made assumptions about where you live based on television or some odd observation only it's not how you felt or live at all? I guess the same could be said for an intelligent, educated person living in what is considered a backwater Southern state by us in the Northeast.

Threads such as these are fun and sometimes insightful. I like to read people's thoughts and opinions. I've lived in 3 states (NY, NJ and over the past nearly 2 decades CT - wow time flies). Each had their positive and negative attitributes and each have beautiful towns and regions and some truly bad towns and regions. There are people who want to move to CT from other states who believe CT to be an oasis and there are people who want to move out of CT for other states (NC, TN etc etc) because they might be an oasis. What I think is that those people coming or going from CT need new energy. They are seeing life beyond their current state to be better and filled with positive energy. There's a newness to it and everything is glossed over. I know a guy who moved out of CT to Las Vegas last year. He had to go and he loved Vegas. Nothing could sway him. He touched down in Vegas and for months I got emails from him saying how much happier he was and how much better it is out West. It was hard to have a conversation with him because it made me feel foolish for staying in CT. I have gripes about CT and so did he and he left and life got better... but it didn't entirely. After months of saying Vegas was paradise and he met a woman and got a better job and the whole Northeast is this or that, suddenly he was doing a 180 degree turn and saying negative things. Myself and his friends were confused after hearing wonderful things about Vegas and Nevada he now was acting like he hated where he's living. He changed his tune. I guess the gloss or neon lights faded and he was seeing things for what they were or who knows. Anyway, he never moved back to CT though. He moved to Oregon and says he's happy and it's perfect and it's so much better than Vegas (his opinion, not mine). Myself and his friends laugh a bit because we remember what he said when he first moved to Vegas and how he'd never leave (again, his opinion. Vegas is cool by me).

Some moves work out for people and some don't. I think the people who move have to question what motivated them to move in the first place. Was it taxes? Cheap real estate? Or more personal and need a new scene to shake the cobwebs? Sometimes distance puts things into perspective and moving back is the right thing. Sometimes the new town or state is exactly what the person needed and they think everyone who didn't do what they did is foolish. It's all about the individual is I guess what I'm saying. Sometimes the grass is greener for some and not for others.

I, myself, have accepted CT as a home but in truth I don't think it's all peaches and roses and quaint little towns. If I lived in a upscale towns like Westport or Essex I might think differently but I live in a lower middle class town in Northern CT where culture is getting drinks at a chain restaurant. Of course I could drive 25 - 50 miles in any direction and find myself in a new world. I can definitely see why people move out or constantly threaten to move out (I guess that's a lot of us) and on the other hand I can see why there's reason to stay. It's all in what our needs are.

If I had a single gripe about CT though it would be they should fire or do something about the local weatherpeople on the news! Dear lord do they push fear and make a 4 inch snowfall sound epic! And that's if they're right. Anyone else keep tabs on how corrupt these guys are? I think most of us in CT watch the news for the weather so they keep us jumping with "padded" snowfalls. Last week they claimed it would be 6 to 10 inches in Northern CT and snow straight thru the night. We got 2 inches and it stopped snowing within 2 hours after it started. That my friends is crazy unaccountability. But other than that I can live with having to sniff out good pizza where I can find it. CT like everywhere has it's ups and downs. I think what drives me of late and most of us is the economy. If I could only find a cheap state near the shoreline that has a pretty geography and awesome pizza joints I think I would move in a minute

[Golden1]

I would say moving out of one's home state (wherever that may be) is like breaking up with whom you're going out with. Some try to date others and go right back to whom they broke up with a new perspective and hat in hand while others are quite happy dating and never look back. It's all in the individual and in that individual's experiences and needs.

[Yankeerose00]

Wow Golden, beautifully written. I totally agree!
I absolutely loathed living in Florida. I had just turned 18 when my family moved there. I was a Jersey girl with lots of family in CT so to say Florida was an adjustment was an understatement. The truth is, I never adjusted. Then I met my husband who even though he was born there, hated Florida also. And we spent years trying to move out of state. I was willing to go anywhere that wasn't there. We ended up in VA and while we do like it here, we both knew that I would not be happy until I was in the northeast once again, preferably MA or CT.
As much as I hated Florida, I could still find nice things to say about it, because I can be ojbective enough to realize that no place is 100% bad or 100% good. And that is what bothered me so much about living in Florida. The people who moved there from anyplace up north acted like Florida was this tropical paradise and the north was this horrible,crowded,dirty place full of mean nasty people. It was such a black and white mentality. Looking back, I wonder if people had to tell themselves that the northeast was so bad just to make themselves like Florida more.

I don't care how much you like humid weather, there was no denying the crime rates in Florida, the high cost of healthcare, car insurance and homeowner's insurance, the threat of hurricanes, the fact that more and more jobs required you to speak Spanish if you were going to be working with the public, the horrible economy that is based on real estate and tourism, the horrible schools, the constant traffic due to the number of retirees making it feel like rush hour all freakin' day long, the cookie cutter subdivisions all over the place, the vast amount of chain restaurants compared to the tiny number of individually owned restaurants, the fact that groceries are NOT cheaper but rather more expensive than they are in the northeast, the lack of farmer's markets, the lack of character and history...I could go on. Sure it's beautiful in the winter, property taxes are low, people seem happier than they do up north because there is a feeling of being on vacation.

But I just couldn't bear to hear anymore of how horrible it is up north and how perfect it was in Florida and that was the mentality of a lot of people. Too much pride.
CT is a fantastic place to live. It truly is. I'm sure I'm going to complain about my property taxes and my electric/oil bill. Who doesn't? But aside from that, there really isn't a whole lot to complain about. Even the amount of snow is no big deal. I agree about the weather people talking like it's Canada. Please.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by Golden1

I totally agree with the lack of pride in Connecticut observation. I think, and it's just my opinion, that the source for lack of pride is a combo of 3 things...
1) No big pro sports teams. We have to go to Boston or NYC for that. But even that is not a big deal.
2) Connecticut was once a powerhouse of industry and that is slowly slipping from our grasps. Around WW 2, CT prospered in making guns and ammo and other defense products. Waterbury was the "Brass City." We then became the insurance capital of the U.S. but the companies are downsizing or moving South to less taxed areas. Which brings us to...
3) No real identity which is pretty much an extension of the above 2 points.

I prefer to think of Ct. residents as maintaining a quiet, mature, reserved pride in their state. If you have to shout about how great your state is, it probably sucks. I'm thinking of a particular state west of the Mississippi that is known for its' braggadocio. The four people i've known from this region who have gone to that state have all wondered what was so great about it. They wouldn't be caught dead living there, let alone exclaim pride in the state. Every thing is subjective..........

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

I prefer to think of Ct. residents as maintaining a quiet, mature, reserved pride in their state. If you have to shout about how great your state is, it probably sucks. I'm thinking of a particular state west of the Mississippi that is known for its' braggadocio. The four people i've known from this region who have gone to that state have all wondered what was so great about it. They wouldn't be caught dead living there, let alone exclaim pride in the state. Every thing is subjective..........

If this is the large state I am thinking of, I wondered the same thing. Years ago my college friend moved there to one of the major "boom" cities. He tried to get me to go. I went out and visited and saw miles of new homes and shopping centers being constructed. I will admit it was dazzeling. But then I looked closer and saw a LOT of problems. Crime was rising, the new homes were cheaply built with little or no character. Public services like water, sewers and highways were not able to meet the demand. And there was little control. I knew it would not last and sure enough a few years later it all came crashing down. Jay

[Yankeerose00]

I prefer to think of Ct. residents as maintaining a quiet, mature, reserved pride in their state. If you have to shout about how great your state is, it probably sucks.

I agree 100%. I think that the people who actually live in CT are more reserved and quiet but still proud. They just don't have to beat their chest about it. That's why I would roll my eyes when the transplants in Florida had to rave on and on about it as if it were heaven on earth. I don't know if they were trying to convince me or themselves.
And northern transplants in Florida HATE when they hear someone is moving back north. I swear I never saw a bigger bunch of smug people when we told them we were moving to Virginia. "Oh you'll be back! You'll miss it! You'll see that this is the best state there is!"
People actually said this to me! Not only have I not missed it once in over 4 years, but I hate that so much of my life was wasted in that swamp. I don't know. I think it goes beyond having state pride and becomes almost like they are brainwashed. Their state is the best and everything else sucks.
Oh and I totally agree with you about that state west of Mississippi.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by JayCT

If this is the large state I am thinking of, I wondered the same thing. Years ago my college friend moved there to one of the major "boom" cities. He tried to get me to go. I went out and visited and saw miles of new homes and shopping centers being constructed. I will admit it was dazzeling. But then I looked closer and saw a LOT of problems. Crime was rising, the new homes were cheaply built with little or no character. Public services like water, sewers and highways were not able to meet the demand. And there was little control. I knew it would not last and sure enough a few years later it all came crashing down. Jay

Yeah, i don't want to hurt anybody's feelings or bring out the troll posts, so sometimes it's better to just beat around the bush.

[wavehunter007]

Originally Posted by Yankeerose00

Give me snow and cold any day over hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, earthquakes and mudslides. I'm telling you the northeast is spoiled in terms of weather! The most people can complain about is the cold. Well, unless your house is a box in the alley, I don't see what the problem is.
Try living in some of these so called "paradise" southern states when spring brings about the start of tornado season.
My aunt lives in Tennessee and is moving out. Her house was destroyed a couple of years ago by a tornado and finally I convinced her to come live by me after I move to CT. Snow doesn't rip the roof off of your house! You don't have to run into the basement when it snows and pray that your house is still standing!
Also, hurricanes in FL are nothing to sneeze at. The amount of damage they can do is devastating.
The most I will say for Florida is that it's beautiful in Jan/Feb. High's around 60 or 70 and it's pretty dry. The rest of the year? You can have it.
After doing a lot of research and realizing there is no utopia, we decided that CT is the place for us, winter and all.

To balance things out…let me just mention a few things.

I map climate data and hazards for a company in CT. While it is true that the northeast Atlantic States are less threatened by natural hazards than parts of the south and West (earthquakes)…we are LESS THRENTEND…NOT UN-THRENTENED! There is a big difference. Since our company has to keep track of such issues… here is a little perspective:

TORNADOES: While Tornadoes are uncommon in the East Coast states in general, and in the Northeast even more so…there have been several severe and deadly tornadoes in this region. They’re just less common. Here is a quick run down…yearly for the last 20 years (1996 – 2006)…and the all time biggest events.


2006 – F2 Tornado – Greenwich, CT. July 12, 2006: 5 injuries. A tornado which produced F2 damage across the border in New York entered Greenwich at 4:01 PM, producing F1 damage on the north side of town. It may have briefly touched down a second time just north of the Merritt Parkway

2001 – F2 Tornado – Washington and Torrington, CT. 1 injured. Three tornadoes hit Connecticut. The first, an F1, in Washington, destroys only a few buildings but severely injuries one person. The second tornado, rated an F2, touched down in Torrington near Torrington Middle School, damaging the roof and destroying buildings on the grounds.

1998 – 4 Tornadoes - Stillwater, NY 1 Dead, 17 injured, $6 million Damage.

1995 – F4 Tornado on May 29th – CT/MASS State Line. 3 Dead (automobile lifted 200 feet into air and deposited into hillside, killing occupants). 70 Injured. $20 –25 million Damage (60 homes damaged more than 50% in town of Great Barrington, MA near the CT state line).

1993 – F1 Tornado on September 3rd - Batavia, NY. 2 Dead, 12 Injured.

1991 – F0/F1 Tornadoes on August 17th. Coastal southeast CT/Long Island. Hurricane Bob spawns several weak tornadoes across Long Island/coastal CT and Rhode Island as it makes landfall.

1989 – F4 Tornado on July 10th – Hamden, CT . 19 Injured. A huge tornado levels more than 200 buildings, including Jr. High school and industrial buildings in a densely populated area of south Hamden. Fortunately no one was killed or hurt seriously. Wintness reported seeing cars and parts of buildings rotating in funnel. The scars from this tornado (slabs, gutted buildings) is still visible today.

1988 – F1 Tornado – Hector, NY. 1 Dead, 6 Injured.

1986 – F2 Tornado – Cranston, RI on August 7th. 20 injured. An F2 tornado touch down in Cranston, Rhode Island and begins a five mile (5-miles) path that ends in south Providence. Damage from this twister was extensive: cars were picked up, roofs were taken off homes, streets were blocked by down wires and trees, and fires were ignited.



THE BIGGEST ONES OF ALL TIME……………


1979 - F4 Tornado on October 3 - Northern Connecticut. 3 Dead, 770 injuried. $500 Million in Damage. The Windsor Locks, Connecticut Tornado, an extremely destructive F4 tornado, one of the worst in Connecticut history. The tornado struck Bradley International Airport, destroying more than a dozen airplanes, and narrowly missing a Boeing 727 which was attempting to land. As the tornado moved eastward….it leveled whole neighborhoods, completely destroying more than 125 homes. The towns of Windsor Locks and Suffield were hit hard. People were trapped in the debris for more than 10 –hours. This was the sixth-most damaging tornado (in terms of property damage)… in US history up to that time.


1953 - F5 Tornado on June 9th 1953 – Worcester, MA. 94 Dead, 1795 injured. $300 Million in Damage ($2.5 billion in 2008 dollars). A hot summer afternoon in June, brought a swarm of several weak tornadoes over NJ, NY, CT, and MA. However, one storm became a severe F4/5 tornado over south central Massachusetts. This tornado stayed on the ground for 46-miles (1.5 hours) destroying and leveling communities in central Massachusetts as it passed through. Residents who were on the phone with friends, family, and business in each town along the tornadoes path… later reported they heard people report that something was happening…followed smashing glass and loud screams…then lines went dead.

As the twister approached the City of Worcester it grew even larger to more than a mile wide… riviling the severest of Midwestern twisters. Damage in areas of south central Massachusetts equaled the worst damage in any U.S. tornado in history up to the 1999 Moore-Bridge Creek Tornado in Oklahoma. Assumption College was leveled…,the twister ripped off THREE –LEVELS of the main Building…taking a priest and 2 nuns to there death.. The Burncoat Hill neighborhood was ripped apart, more than 500 homes with homes leveled and people buried in twisted wreckage. However, it was the Uncatena-Great Brook Valley neighborhoods to the east of Burncoat Hill…that were the site of some of the most bizzare and extreme wind damage on US soil. House, churches, and commercial buildings … simply vanished and debris was swept clean from the sites. 45 people alone were killed in Uncatena-Great Brook Valley areas alone. Strange stories of a 12-ton bus, picked up, rolled over 4 times, then thrown 20 feet in the air against the newly-constructed Curtis Apts in a vertical position with occupants still inside. Debris from houses and bodies were blown into Lake Quinsigamond. Several people were never found after this tornado. Airborne debris were scattered out over Massachusetts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean…a distance of 110 miles. There are still scars of the 1953 Worcester Tornado 60 years later in central Massachusetts.

1878 – F4 Tornado - Wallingford, Connecticut. 34 Dead, 400 injured. Tornado levels the north –end of the Town of Wallingford. Whole areas swept clean of structures. 1/3 of the town’s population dies in 31 –minutes in one night.

HURRICANES

If you are interested in Tropical Cyclones (hurricanes) and their history in CT…click here.

VIRGINIA-MASSACHUSETTS.


So while the risk of natural hazards is less lower in the Northeast and Connecticut…there is still some risk here.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by wavehunter007

2006 – F2 Tornado – Greenwich, CT. July 12, 2006: 5 injuries. A tornado which produced F2 damage across the border in New York entered Greenwich at 4:01 PM, producing F1 damage on the north side of town. It may have briefly touched down a second time just north of the Merritt Parkway

I believe that one reached over to New Canaan, but didn't touch down. There was a time period of about 45 seconds where it was just absolutely pitch black, about 10 minutes before the reported touchdown in Greenwich. Scary stuff.

[Cambium]

Originally Posted by wavehunter007

So while the risk of natural hazards is less lower in the Northeast and Connecticut…there is still some risk here.

Yeah, hopefully we get buried in 4 feet of snow. Aside from the high winds and the trees in the northeast, I don't think anyone can compare to the risks of living in other areas.

I really wish this topic was in another thread now..someone start a thread on Weather in NorthEast. The Topic title of this one is just annoying. I am uploading a video of a storm I witnessed in Stamford in 2006. It was INSANE!