beaveristired t1_iuyjtni wrote on November 3, 2022 at 11:34 PM

Property taxes are high in CT in general but a lot of towns just had their assessments done. Property tax assessments are done every 5 years in CT, I believe.

That commute can be tough but if she’s working outside of normal working hours then it shouldn’t be as bad. Farmington is a decent choice because you’re close to the highway, but that part of RT 84 gets very backed up. Avon is 15-20 min from highway but those small side roads get pretty congested during the morning and after school / evening commute which can really increase your commute time. Rocky Hill or Wethersfield would be ideal for a commute to Glastonbury. Haddam might be a little far depending how on where you are in relation to highway.

Of the towns listed, I’d probably concentrate on Westhersfield and Rocky Hill. Glastonbury is another good choice. Cheshire is nice. Cromwell, Berlin, Wallingford, Newington, Southington, Plainville are ok, very suburban, but I think there are better options. Haddam is nice but more rural.

Despite everything I said about commute, I grew up in the Farmington River Valley (Farmington, Avon, Simsbury, Canton) and think it’s ideal fit raising a family. Good mix of community, excellent schools, stuff to do, with open space but not too far from civilization. If you look into that area, don’t sleep on Canton, the village of Collinsville is really cute.

I would also add West Hartford to your list.

Eta: as far as old homes, yes we have a lot of them here. I live in a century home myself, and honestly the construction is super solid and I haven’t had any major issues. Get a good housing inspector, look for someone with experience with old homes (shouldn’t be hard to find). If the home has been maintained and updated, it should be ok. Definitely make sure the septic tank is in good shape if you’re not hooked up to town sewer. I’d also be wary of additions that haven’t been done correctly, and foundation issues.

Edit #2: you might want to post this in the main Connecticut sub if you haven’t already.

Kitchen-Spray-1984 OP t1_iuzi2ek wrote on November 4, 2022 at 3:50 AM

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

beaveristired t1_iuzqyk2 wrote on November 4, 2022 at 5:22 AM

No, it’s a separate town. I wouldn’t call it rural. There’s a busy shopping area and the main road through town (Rt 44) is busy. But it doesn’t feel like suburbia, there aren’t a lot of large subdivisions, most people have pretty large lots, woodsy, good amount of protected space. There are a couple small farms, mostly veggies, eggs, honey. I think most of the dairy farmers that were around when I was a kid are gone. But it’s not an agricultural area, at least not anymore. It’s a small town, more rural than Farmington and Avon but less rural than New Hartford. There is a lot of wildlife, especially bears, but also deer, eagles, hawks, fox, etc. Collinsville is the former factory area (old ax and machete factory) with a cute Main Street, dining, a few shops, events like a popular weekly farmer’s market and annual Halloween parade. It’s along the Farmington River, with a neat rail trail and opportunities for canoeing and tubing.

New Hartford is definitely more rural. Lots of state parks and reservoir land. The further west you go on Rt 44, the more woodsy it gets. One of the few regional school districts (CT is very town-oriented, not a lot of regionalization or county government). Most of the schools in CT are good, outside of the cities.

On your list, I’d say some towns are more suburban in feel than Canton / New Hartford, like Cromwell, Berlin, Wallingford, Plainville. Haddam is more rural. Cheshire is similar to Canton. Glastonbury and Wethersfield were agricultural, now similar to Canton. Middlefield is more agricultural, with a major fruit orchard (Durham is another option down that way). West Hartford is more built up, not exactly urban but definitely a larger town with less overall open space. They’re all kinda similar, in that each is a small town with some woods and small farms and a shopping area. But vary in terms of density, proximity to highway, vibe.