[kskblue]

OK....same old questions different ways.....Hope someone can help me make some sense of all of this. We are moving back to the East Coast (Originally from NJ). Right now we live in Oklahoma, where real estate is very reasonably prced (read: cheap). I expect to pay a lot more out there, but can not afford more than $300-350 tops...and that is assuming I can afford the taxes as well. Hubby will be working in either Bristol or East Longmeadow.....I am an RN and can work anywhere. Neither of us minds a 30-40 minute commute. That said......

We are looking for a 3 bedroom/2 bath home in a nice, quiet neighborhood. Preferably a newer home, or one that has been renovated in a well-kept area, approx 1600-1800 s.f. My biggest priority is the High School. I have a daughter in HS who is on track to graduate as a junior....she is currently taking junior and senior classes as a freshman. I also have a middle school daughter who also excels academically. She has been playing ice hockey for about 5-6 years, so a girl's ice hockey team would be nice. For this reason we were interested in Simsbury or West Hartford, but think we may not be able to afford these areas? Are there any areas that are comparable academically that are within driving distance of a girl's hockey league and my husband's work and yet affordable?

Also.....what can I expect to pay for property taxes on a $350 house in Hartford county? Are there less expensive counties? I fell so lost right now, any advice is greatly appreciated!!!! Thanks!

KSK

[skytrekker]

The cheapest housing costs are in Hartford county- that also includes property taxes. Even better still is east of Hartford- Manchester- and into Tolland county, where housing is really priced well. A new home can be bought for well under 300K.

[kskblue]

Thanks, Sky...I guess what I really would like to know is more about the high schools in the less expensive areas. Traditionally, the higher the real estate, the better the schools, and vice versa. I am hesitant to move based on price alone as then education will usually suffer. My daughters are both advanced students and I am looking for an excellent school system that is going to offer them opportunities that a lesser school system may not. So while price is definitely a considerations, schools are first and foremost my priority.

Also, right now we are commuting 35 minutes one way for hockey. While I don't mind a 30 min commute to work, I would like to find a girls ice hockey team within a 15-20 minute commute of our home. Anyone who plays (or has a kid who plays) understands how much time gets spend at the rink! Right now she is playing with all boys (2nd year peewee) and we are really loooking forward to finding a great girls' program. So next to schools, that is a very important consideration, as well.

I can find home prices on Realtor.com.....what I am looking for is information from the locals regarding these other issues. Thanks again for your reply.

KSK

[skytrekker]

Look at Vernon- where I live, 17 miles east of Hartford. Rockville HS- where I have taught- good solid school, Mark Warner the former Governor of Virginia is a graduate. Also Manchester- the high school- more diverse- but a solid school.
Bolton HS where I also have taught- small student body 250- in a wonderfully rural area with views, and a great staff-

Try South Windsor or Ellington. great towns, great schools and housing costs that are very affordable.

High housing costs do not always equate to superior education, at least in Connecticut.

[glxyman21]

If you're looking for towns within a 30 minute commute to Bristol, and within your price range, look at Wolcott, Plainville, Farmington, West Hartford, or Plainville, Southington. Burlington is quite rural, sharing a high school with the town of Harwinton, Wolcott would be second up in size from Burlington but have their own highschool of about 1200 students. Southington has a high school of 2,200 student and is noted for their high school sports teams.Farmington is quite a nice town with a good school of about 1,500 students. West hartford is a city of 60,000..many of their homes are on smaller lots than the other towns mentioned but they have two good high schools.

The towns of Vernon, Manchester, Bolton, South Windsor and Ellington are a good 45 minute drive, more depending if there is traffic going through hartford during peak commute times. Bristol lacks a direct highway system..so once you get off you'll take back roads from either Southington or Plainville to get into Bristol. (Farmington, Plainville, Burlington, Southington ,Wolcott border Bristol so you wouldn't need to take the highway most likely)

If your husband will be working in long meadow look at West Hartford, Suffield, Windsor, South Windsor, Granby (Granby and Suffield both have smaller populations/schools) As for girls ice hockey in general..I don't think its that popular of a sport in Connecticut. You will have to contact schools to see if they offer it if it is imperitive to have. (towns with larger schools will be able to offer more alternatives to sport/education since they have the student populations to support many more activities)

You should check to see if your daughter will graduate as a junior by Connecticut school mandates (or mandates set by the town's board of ed). I know people who have moved to the west coast, mid-west or down to Florida and their kids were able to graduate as juniors because their children had earned more credits than were needed. So there might be a discrepency between the two states.

[kskblue]

glxy and sky....Thank you for the responses. We have narrowed our choices to Bristol or New Wales, PA area (Lansdale, Doylestown)! I have a list of pros and cons for both, and am very confused! LOL The biggest con I can see for CT are the taxes...property, income, and person all seem to be excessive. I am looking into some of the areas you have suggested and am pleasantly surprised at the RE prices.....more reasonable than I would have expected. I am more than willing to commute if it means living in an affordable area with good schools.

Thanks for the advice regarding the HS credit requirements, as well. Graduating as a junior is not our top priority, I only mentioned it to explain that I want a district that is going to challenge both of my daughters. (Even graduating as a senior means graduating at age 17 for my duaghter). I am interested in a HS that offers many AP choices, especially in math and science. Girl's hockey in the HS is not as important, but a good, solid in-house program nearby is a priority. You would be surprised at how much girl's hockey has grown, especially in the NE part of the country (including CT and PA).

I sometimes feel like I should just flip a coin....or maybe just stay where we are...much less stressful! Hahaha. Thanks again....especially for the names of the particular towns to investigate.

By the way....researching different parts of the country for those wishing to relocate could be a big business....I have spent countless hours at this and I am sure there are those who would be willing to pay top dollar to have someone do all this leg work for them.....have a detailed questionaire for the prospective mover to fill out, then supply them with demographics, school reports, real estate reports, tax info, commute info, etc. in a nice neat package.......An at home business that I bet could be quite profitable......Just a thought for you entrepreneurs (sp) out there!

KSK

[Erin1264]

You didn't mention if you were seeking private or public schools. I can't help but think of Pomfret School in Pomfret, CT when you mentioned ice hockey.

It's a small, exclusive private college-prep school in Northeast CT that is phenomenal in academics. They do have an ice hockey program and will cater to your gifted daughters. It's quite pricey and a little further out than what you were looking for, but it was worth a mention. It is also a boarding school.

good luck!
E

[kskblue]

Thanks, Erin. Unfortunately, affording private school is not an option for us. My husband and I will have a combined annual income of approx 125K...barely enough to pay for a house, cars, etc.....but thanks.

KSK

[DuaneM]

As of today there are 30 homes in West Hartford that are between 275k and 350k that have at least 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and a minimum of 1600 sq ft. Taxes range from 4200 up to 6500 per year. Taxes will change this year as we just had new assements and are waiting for the new mill rate. There is an Ice Skating rink in West Hartford along with a great Aquatics facility. Here is the website to the Skating rink and the hockey programs. http://www.skatevmsr.com/Hockeyprograms.htm (broken link) As a resident of west hartford it is a nice town and has a great sense of community.

Simsbury currently has 14 homes with the above criteria and their taxes range from 4600-6700 per year. Simsbury is a bit more rural than West Hartford and a little bit further out but another nice town.

Some other towns to think about are Farmington, Granby, Suffield and of course the ones that have been mentioned by other responses.

Moderator cut: advertising

Good luck on your search!

[uconn99]

Here are a few interesting links that should help finding a team?


http://www.ctpolarbears.com/

http://www.nlgh.com/

http://www.hyha.org/

http://www.whockey.com/state/ct/teams.html

http://dmoz.org/Sports/Hockey/Ice_Hockey/Women/

http://ctstars.org/

http://www.wonderlandofice.com/connecticutgirlshockeyschool.htm (broken link)

http://www.simsburyhockey.com/


If the kids were boy's you wouldn't have a hard time finding a highschool with hockey, there are probably 50 schools with teams. I dont think the CIAC has a girls hockey division for high school. Overall Connecticut is a pretty big hockey state, we still miss our Whalers!


Also, I believe most prep schools have some sort of girls hockey team. You could always have the daughters try and get a scholarship?