[callie4]

Please tell me the good ,the bad and the ugly.Hopefully not to much ugly.We are a family of six thinking of a possible move there.would like to know about the schools,walkability of area,proximity to stores,hospitals and childrens activities.Will be visiting the weekend and would love suggestions on what to see that makes the town great.
Thanks

[MikefromCT]

Bristol is a small city of about 65,000 people. It's a working class town and it's an inexpensive a place to live. Their biggest taxpayer is ESPN which is headquartered there, which I would think keeps property taxes from being really high. Most of the neighborhoods are decent. Avoid the area around Davis Drive - there's an infamous housing project there that's had its share of problems, but none of that will affect you if you're not getting involved with the people who live there. Schools are alright - one of my co-workers is on the town committee and told me they're working on building a new high school since the current one is very old, which can only improve the learning environment for students.

As far as activities, Lake Compounce amusement park is right next door in Southington, that might be of interest.

Most of Bristol IMO is car-oriented. You can find just about anything you may need in town without driving for too long, but you need a car to get pretty much anywhere there.

[nep321]

It's an alright town in most areas. For some reason, the crime rate isn't high. IMO it's not that nice of a city, but you only really get that impression by driving on Route 6 or Route 72 through the city. You may see people walking around that look like they belong on the Jerry Springer show. But other than that, it's not so bad.

[ct4life]

I grew up in Bristol. It's really not that bad a town. Regarding the schools, they aren't building a new high school, they're adding on to Greene Hills Elementary on Pine St. If you drive by there (across from Stop & Shop), you'll see they already bought and demolished two properties and boarded up another one on the corner of Daley St. Then, they are still in the works for a new school up on Chippens Hill on the corner of Clark and Matthews. Right now, it's just an open field.

Otherwise, there are 6 grocery stores throughout town. Most of the shopping areas are on Farmington Ave (rte 6). There are a lot of changes going on. They are extending a "highway" into town..not sure when that will be finished. And they razed a big chunk of downtown that used to be a mall. No idea on what they have planned for that property.

I'd say there are more good areas than bad. Mostly quiet suburban type neighborhoods from the 50s 60s and 70s. But of course there are newer neighborhoods, and older ones. Anyway, I'd say Bristol is a decent town.

[JayCT]

Bristol is a small city that has seen most of its industrial base close or leave. It has a small sowntown but it has seen better days. There are however many strip type shopping centers along Route 6 wth just about anything you would need. It is also the home of ESPN which has a huge facility on the edge of town. The schools in Bristol do not perform well so if schools are important you might consider one of the many beautiful towns nearby. I would consider Southington, Cheshire, Burlington or Farmington. Jay

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

As far as activities, Lake Compounce amusement park is right next door in Southington, that might be of interest.

Lake Compounce is in both Bristol and Southington.

[brasscitybluenwhite]

Bristol is what we'd call in Connecticut a small city. It's not really as urban as many people would think a city would be. However, even though the city seems to be very conservative, it seems diverse and tolerant. There is no "black neighborhood" or "hispanic neighborhood". And It seems like most of the housing units are single-family homes.

I like Bristol but its not one of my favorite cities. I like the unity u feel in Bristol, but to me its a fake city. There isn't many places to eat after 10pm (except for like taco bell and wendy's on Farmington Ave). There doesn't seem to be well-defined neighborhoods, either. All of the neighborhoods seem to be the same. (Although as you go towards Wolcott on route 69, the houses seem to be more upscale) And unlike many of the other cities in Connecticut, when you drive into Bristol, there isn't alot of people outside. That's strange because Bristol is really safe.

Someone said that the schools don't do well in Bristol. To me, they seem decent; the do better than most towns. The reason why they do poorly compared to other towns in Connecticut is probably because they're

[Lincolnian]

There are upscale neighboorhoods in various parts of Bristol including Chippens Hill, Forrestville and the Northeast section. There are also many nice homes on Federal Hill. Federal Hill and the West End contain many multifamilies. Since there is an abundance of lower rent multifamilies and apartments Bristol has a sizeable Low income population which accounts for its wider variance of incomes and school test scores. The schools perform reasonably well compared to surrounding towns with less income variation.

It is a safe place to live and rather affordable. You also get a lot of services for your tax dollars largely because ESPN pays a huge share of the taxes. You can find 90% of what you need without having to leave the city if you don't want to.

One of the biggest challenges Bristol faces is attracting and retaining college-educated middle-class families. Bristol has on of the lowest percenatage of residents that hold a college degree (around 15%). That is leas than half the state average and below many other cities in Connecticut. Part of this is due to the fact that most of the other cities have a college or university and part is due to the fact that many people opt for Avon, Farmington, or West Hartford instead.

[JayCT]

I just went and looked at the latest Connecticut Mastery Test and Connecticut Academic Performance Test scores and found the Bristol students perform somewhat above the state average. That is pretty good for a city. Also note that Bristol homes are pretty reasonably priced. This may have to do with the city being somewhat removed from major highways and employment centers. It may not have the prestige of some of its neighbors but Bristol is not that bad a place overall. Jay

[callie4]

Thanks everyone for all the info.We are looking for a safe area and if we need to do private schools that is ok.I believe we will look in to this area as well as the other suggestion.