[JayCT]

I purposely avoided mentioning taxes because people here think that the taxes they pay are sooo high. I think property taxes in western Connecticut are comparable to eastern. The difference is that you can buy a very expensive home in a wealthy town and the taxes are not that high in western CT. You can also buy a home in a city and the taxes will be very high. It really depends on that town/city's tax base and services offered. One thing that Connecticut has an advantage over New Jersey is that we do not have any county level of government, just the State and towns. This keeps our taxes lower IMHO, Jay

In northern New Jersey, the western part of the state is more quiet (again away from New York). Areas like Hunterdon, Sussex and Warren counties are not too bad and very pretty. I am not sure about the taxes there though. Jay

[Mrs. Carly]

Originally Posted by Yankeerose00

Jay is so right. Nothing against the folks in New Haven, but I cringe when I read that someone moved to CT and ended up there, or really any of the CT cities. Every state has parts that are considered "undesirable". Every state. And for CT, the undesirable areas are unfortunately the large cities.
I realize that NH has some great things to offer as does Hartford, but for those who moved here from another state, I just feel like they are missing out on what is truly the best of CT and that is many of the small towns.
People tend to stay around their own part of a city, so Mrs. Carley, I really hope you get the chance to venture out and see how beautiful this state is. If you can tolerate New Haven, you'll think you died and went to heaven when you see Litchfield county, the quiet corner, or the Farmington Valley. If you need to stay in New Haven county, check out the town of Southbury. It's beautiful.

As for friendliness, I still can't understand how people can say CT people as a whole aren't friendly. Just this past Saturday I was in the grocery store and the check out kid was asking me about my Easter plans and calling me m'am. As I was leaving a woman who was also leaving starts talking about what a beautiful day it is and tells me to have a happy Easter. My husband and I walk the Farmington Valley greenway several times a week and most people will smile or say hello as they are walking by. I get this all the time. I just don't see rudeness here at all. I honestly think some people look for it just to have something negative to say. So for anyone looking to move here or just moved here, I really think you'll see how nice people are.


So true! Sherman and New Milford are fantastic towns and you can find some very reasonable housing and taxes!

Yes...I boo hoo'ed about it for a couple of days, but then I talked to my parents and they pointed out something that I didn't think of. When I first moved to Austin, TX I moved to an area that wasn't very nice. It wasn't quite as bad as this area, but I lived there for a year and them moved somewhere really beautiful, and safe, and I loved it. Sometimes we hit a few bumps before we wind up where we want to be.

For now, I will just deal with it and take things as they come. Hopefully the rest will fall in to place. I think it will be easier next time around. At least I am close enough that I have more than just a few days to visit the area!

[renovating]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Carly

For now, I will just deal with it and take things as they come. Hopefully the rest will fall in to place. I think it will be easier next time around. At least I am close enough that I have more than just a few days to visit the area!

I would never recommend it but according to another thread, downtown Bridgeport is the up and coming place to be. Maybe you should check out that area?

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by renovating

I would never recommend it but according to another thread, downtown Bridgeport is the up and coming place to be. Maybe you should check out that area?

Get real. Jay

[renovating]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Get real. Jay

Yes, we all know how lovely downtown Bridgeport is...it comes highly recommended here.

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by renovating

I would never recommend it but according to another thread, downtown Bridgeport is the up and coming place to be. Maybe you should check out that area?

Downtown? Or Black Rock?

I definitely think in a few years Bridgeport may become more popular, seeing as how it's the only place left that's pretty close to the city and not too expensive - at least not yet. I would NOT want to buy a house there - crazy high property taxes.

[renovating]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

Downtown? Or Black Rock?

I definitely think in a few years Bridgeport may become more popular, seeing as how it's the only place left that's pretty close to the city and not too expensive - at least not yet. I would NOT want to buy a house there - crazy high property taxes.

There's no comparing Black Rock to downtown Bridgeport.

And, Bridgeport has been "up and coming" for the last 30 years.

[S2000]

Originally Posted by tryingtomakeitinCT

I have a college degree and yes I bust my rear every day and have to work overtime just to afford my rent. Maybe these jobs you are referring to are in NYC?? Where people make well over six figures then commute back to the "Gold Coast". Maybe you are referring to state jobs?????

Sounds like you wasted your time in college for your chosen field? My experience is with folks that have a more technical degree, be it Medical, IT, Engineering are doing quite well here. Yes COL is crazy here but doable if you live within your means.

[UDAirman71]

I moved to CT this past summer from Iowa and in regards to the "friendliness / rudeness " factor I've noticed that when I do little things for people here they're typically surprised by it. For instance when I check out at the grocery store I've always made it a habit to say "have a good day." I always did it in Iowa and usually I'd get a quick "thanks. you to." Nothing over enthusiastic it's just expected to some extent I guess, or more common. But in CT when I say the clerk will sometimes do a double take and be genuinely grateful that I said that to them. So in general it would seem to me that they must not see that often leading me to the impression that people in CT are more often rude than not.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by UDAirman71

I moved to CT this past summer from Iowa and in regards to the "friendliness / rudeness " factor I've noticed that when I do little things for people here they're typically surprised by it. For instance when I check out at the grocery store I've always made it a habit to say "have a good day." I always did it in Iowa and usually I'd get a quick "thanks. you to." Nothing over enthusiastic it's just expected to some extent I guess, or more common. But in CT when I say the clerk will sometimes do a double take and be genuinely grateful that I said that to them. So in general it would seem to me that they must not see that often leading me to the impression that people in CT are more often rude than not.

LOL That's a pretty big stretch to go from "they seemed surprised" to "they MUST not be used to it" to "People here are rude".

Perhaps people here are just more reciprocal. I smile and say the same thing myself. Even put a smiley face on the "sign" pad which pops up on the computer screen and generally gets a chuckle. Never seen people "surprised" by it, just kind in return. Granted you're in FFC which tends to be a bit more "frantic" in pace.

I just watched 5 homes surrounding me all get together last weekend and work on each others yards cutting tree overgrowth etc as one neighbor rented a scissor lift. Everyone chipped in to pay for it out of the blue and worked together. Everyone except me because I have a 15 yard dumpster and packrat container on my front lawn while trying to get my home back to normal. To my surprise, they all came to my house and took down some widow makers for me without me asking for help.

Bunch of rude jerks, let me tell ya!