I have gotten some good recommendations about Wethersfield and Rocky Hill as being central to everything. Is there any area to avoid based on school ratings?

Thanks for your input. Good to know about known foundation issue. I will bring it up to the inspector. How's Collinsville and what sort of commute do you have? Side question: coming from Midwest, do you like CT and surrounding areas?

Good to know. Thanks!

They want sidewalks, gas, public water and sewer. Marlborough ticks none of those boxes.

Go for Vernon. It ticks everything on your list. Also, find a place that will be good for solar. Leasing your panels is an affordable option and will save you from the insanity that is Eversource price gouging.

Awesome. Thanks. I'll let my wife know for sure.

Thanks for your input. Is Canton considered part of New Hartford? Is that mostly rural?

I'll let my wife know. According to her the hospitals on the west side are better/magnate certified.

Do you mean healthcare industry or medical device industry? I will be in aerospace but I would love to know what other industries exist in that area for non tech engineers.

I do like its proximity to everything. Also, utilities are a big thing for us as well. I don't want to be stuck with oil in winters!!

Crossing the river sucks either way. So try to stay on one side.

West Hartford and Glastonbury both have good school systems. But houses in west Hartford are older and more expensive. Taxes are probably close.

Farmington is a nice area. Lower taxes and very good school system. Avon, simsbury, and Farmington are among the best school districts in the Hartford area.

Now that the housing market is so over heated, depends on what you’re looking for, your budget of 500k might not get you much. Maybe check out renting for a year or two when more houses are available and mortgage rate comes down.

So your employer is in East Hartford? Is it Pratt and whitney by any chance?

Thanks for your reply and that is exactly what we want!!

That is my concern. The houses I liked didn't check the boxes for town water, sewer or gas.

We moved here from the Midwest 6+ years ago. Wife is in healthcare and works at a major hospital in the area. I work in Glastonbury.

We decided on Wethersfield because it’s a great mix of location, good schools, proximity to work, ease of travel by getting to the highways quickly. We each have short commutes to work based on our location. I would avoid having to travel on 84 everyday for work.

The neighborhoods here in Wethersfield are all very walkable. If you are used to living in a city with a grid layout then it will feel like home. Towns east of the river can have very meandering roads that feel extremely rural.

Edit: one big thing for us when looking at homes and areas were the utilities offered in each town. We wanted city water and sewer, fast internet, ideally natural gas for heating, and central AC. The utilities are under developed in the North East because the towns were built before utilities were a normal part of city planning.

Glassdoor for salary checks.

I also work at Hartford Hospital and absolutely love it. So much that I ended up leaving a federal job to come back. It's the best place I've ever worked.

ETA: I commute from Plainville to Hartford every day. If I get on 84 by 8:35 I'm usually pulling into the parking garage by 8:57.

I would seriously recommend considering east of the river, a town like south windsor. But anyways, in my opinion, it depends on time of day. But for average, i'd say west hartford to esst hartford feels worse than gbury to east hartford.

I live in Glastonbury work downtown Hartford, you go route 2 there’s a direct exit off to downtown and you get to miss that 84 E traffic. Exit might get backed up a lil during rush hour, but nothing more than a 5 min wait, less than 10 min drive into Hartford. Seeing your higher budget those were the two towns that you can afford and are desirable (restaurants, schools, housing) Farmington is good, (Avon, simsbury, granby) are further out from Farmington and it’s kinda like a one way in one way out situation getting in through back roads. Lived in collinsville next to Avon and it’s a hippie town super cute tho

I would avoid, and just my personal opinion I grew up here after moving from a big city (east Hartford, Vernon, middletown, rocky hill, new Britain, Berlin, wethersfield) there are good parts of every town I just wouldn’t live there personally and you have kids and want that suburban neighborhood.

Also prices are insane right now too, if you are able too I would look to rent a house then wait for prices to go down. Rentals are also super slim pickings maybe harder to get than buying a house. But you can get the feel for the areas you’d like.

Do everything you can to have town water, sewer and natural gas.

Electricity is stupid expensive...plan on putting solar in.

I live in Glastonbury...it's fantastic. My kids are in school and I'm happy to pay my taxes. I bought my house for $500k and pay $12k a year in taxes.

We were out with a group of neighbors, pulling wagons , and going house to house Monday night.

Really great area if you can find a house.

In general, the worst part of the Hartford area is commuting from west of the Connecticut River to east of the river. If you are working in East Hartford, you should look east of the river. There are hospitals in Manchester and Rockville. There are tons of jobs in the medical industry in Glastonbury, Manchester, South Windsor, and Vernon.

I live and work in East Hartford. There isn't a single family home neighborhood in town that I would be unwilling to live in. That said, Manchester is nicer, if you have the budget. South Windsor and Glastonbury have better schools. But less interesting towns.

[deleted]

Wethersfield is a very quick and easy commute to East Hartford and is about 20 minutes from 5 different hospitals. It's centrally located to everything but not a major thoroughfare (there is a highway, but it's one side of town near the river) and just about every neighborhood is super walkable. Schools are great.

Nearby, Rocky Hill is much the same, but you can often get a little more house for the money. Both are great options.

As for Glastonbury - getting over the river is easy because of the bridge on route 3, but if you have to go further west it becomes problematic. Getting to New Britain, Farmington (where lots of medical offices and hospitals are) is a pain because you either have to go up via Hartford and on to the other side of the city, or cut through Wethersfield and Newington (lots of stop lights)

Glastonbury is also very large and some parts are not really walkable. It really depends. Much of the town does not have gas or sewer service. Trash is not included in your taxes.

I'd stay west of the river - the Charter Oak Bridge makes getting into East Hartford easy via Wethersfield and route 5/15

Edit: heating bill depends largely on type. Gas is typically cheapest. Our house is well insulated and we pay about $250 a month in the winter.

Marlborough. Lots of people live there that work in East Hartford. _ East of River.. less traffic .. pretty... great schools... only 20 min from Hartford . .. 10 min from Glastonbury . .. 35 ish min to the ocean.... and casino On the bus route to Hartford . .. less congestion with small town feel still.

Thanks!! Which is more painful (traffic wise): Living in Glastonbury and commiting to Hartford or living in west Hartford and commuting to east Hartford?

Also, are there any other areas/towns that we should definitely avoid?

Good to know you love it!! That is on top of her list (above Middlesex, children's and UConn health). Is there a resource to look up average nursing salaries in the area?

1. Yes. Those towns are very nice and you are avoiding the urban areas.

2. From your locations I'm guessing your wife is working at a hospital. Glastonbury is on the east side of the river after you just said you wanted to stay on the west side. She'd have to drive through downtown Hartford every day. If her commute isn't at rush hour that would be fine. If it is it'll be difficult.

3. Property taxes vary widely by town. For the most part you get what you pay for. West Hartford has sky high taxes but they have a ton of public amenities and programs. Towns with lower taxes typically offer less.

4. You don't want electric heat. That will be an insanely high bill. I have natural gas heat and it's never been too expensive. I have a 1500 square feet house and my heating bill in the winter is around $200 per month in the winter months, but I also keep my house at 63 degrees when I'm awake, 58 when I am asleep, and 55 when I am not home. If you like it warmer your bill will be higher.

5. My house is 130 years old and has not needed a lot of work in the 18 years I've been here other than the typical things of new paint, new water heater, new roof, etc. Just make sure you get a thorough inspection. If you are looking at newer homes (built 1980's to early 2000's) east of the river you have to watch out for crumbling foundations.