I currently live in Los Angeles and am really tired of the rat race and the fact that to buy even the smallest, 40 year old condo would cost me over $400k. What I love about this place is the weather, although, it can get too hot like today, 105 degrees. So with that said, can anyone on the board tell me what it’s like living in Connecticut? How are the home prices? The weather? People? Etc. etc. etc.

I don’t know much about CT except for pictures I’ve seen . It looks so beautiful. Very green.

Any advice on whether a move to CT is a good a idea?

Thanks for any information!!

Connecticut has the highest per capita income in the country. So, if you're looking for something better in terms of housing cost, not sure you're going to get that in Ct. unless you're intention is to work somewhere other commuting distance to NYC.

It does have some beautiful parts both near the Long Island Sound and on the Western, more mountaineous part of the state.

I think the employment opportunities are fairly good. But again, if housing cost is your #1 issue, it may not be the right fit.

Whatever you do, do not pull up stakes and just move. You have to go and look it over and perhaps spend a substantial period of time in the new place-checking it out.

I agree that CT is a very high cost of living, taxes, etc. But it's not as bad as Long Island - at least according to friends of mine. They are a young family that couldn't afford LI any more and moved to the area just northwest of Hartford. Their town is very green and wooded (in the summer; keep in mind our northeast winters!!), and they are in a good school district. I'll try to dig up the name of the town...

I also have friends with the same issues you mention, but living in Brooklyn, NY. They found a great environment in Austin, TX, and have loved living there for the last two years.

LKL,
Primary questions of importance are
what is your occupation, do you have children, if so, how old. There are less costly neighborhoods, but generally, CT is expensive Real Estate. Would be happy to answer any of your specific questions. Have lived here 6 years with two small children...email me at [email protected]

There's a big difference between living in the counties right close to NYC and living in the east or northeast of CT., where it can get downright rural.

Would like to know more about your orientations, preferences.

CT has a hight cost of living. Cheaper than LA for sure but not by as much as you would expect. Summers are nice with a few weeks of high humidity. Winters are really cold with snow. Definitely worth a trip before deciding.

The weather, typically: hottest in the summer is in the 90's (for a couple days), coldest in winter might be in the 0's (for a couple days). There is snow in the winter, but generally nothing much until January. March/April is wet and blustery. September/October is dry and crisp.

The hardest thing to get used to (New England generally) is the short daylight hours in the winter. It is dark at 6pm in December, and although this extreme doesn't last long, the short days can wear you down.

Politically, not so far left as Massachusetts ...

CT is a state - not a city - and has as many different areas - and price ranges - as California. If you want to live in a nice area anywhere NYC prices will be at least as high.

If you want to live in a rural area (and can make a living there) you have a choice between exclusive rural (horse country - also big $) or real rural (less expensive - but not near much).

So - it depends on where/if you have to work, if you have kids to school, and if you want to be near a city/cultural resources.

Also - much of CT is IN the snow zone - and you can get a lot in winter. Pretty if you don;t have to get to work.

WOW! Thanks for all the quick responses. There are several reasons why I would like to leave So. California. For one, the entertainment industry seems to suck the life out this place. So many incredibly pretentious people. Also, the home prices are ridiculous. For $1m you can get a piece of JUNK in a so-so neighborhood (Sherman Oaks, for example). It's not so much that I am looking for cheaper homes but it would be nice to buy a decent home for $1m. You can't find that in L.A.. Also, if this helps, I am single, 36, no kids. Love the city. Love the country. Love, love, love the outdoors. I need a change. I've lived in the snow before so that's not a big deal but I do definitley prefer warm weather.
Any suggestions on towns? Stamford, Greenwich, Middletown????

"So many incredibly pretentious people."


Sorry I just about fell out of my desk over wanting to go to CT to escape pretentious people.

Sorry...

Gently meant but you REALLY need to visit Connecticut to get a feel for the place.

That said, you can really do very well with $1 mil almost anywhere other than Silicon Valley and where you are. But if you head for the suburbs without kids, you're going to find it somewhat peculiar socially -- not that there aren't singles/non-parents in suburban areas, but you'll notice the SUVs with kids on the way to athletic practice surrounding you.

Yeah, a stereotype, but ....

So's the "pretentious" thing, but it has a kernel of truth.

Also: the "city" thing. LA doesn't feel at all like an eastern city, and if you're heading toward NYC's metro area, it's a completely OTHER 'thing.'

Also: Weather anywhere in the east is a much bigger concern than where you are now--- from Atlanta to Boston. The extremes are notable and you have to take weather into consideration whatever you do.

You like green. Good for you. Hard to mix city and green out here, though. Don't laugh, but if you're serious about coming out to check things out, you MIGHT try Phila. -- you can get a palace for $1 mil, the Brandywine or Bucks County area is very green indeed, and Phila. is an underrated city only 2 hrs. from NYC and 2 hrs. from DC.

DC is in many ways the greenest of eastern cities, but the congestion, pretense and summer heat are big problems.

Good luck -- come visit before you move = "look before you leap."

Eastern Connecticut if much much different than western/Fairfield County. It is impossible to generalize. One thing that is always said about CT is that it is between Boston and NYC so you are never too far from the action. Coastal communities are great. If you want a small town experience in a less chic area, then look at Northeastern CT such as Pomfret. If you want rural with chic, then you are looking at NW CT around Litchfield where New Yorkers retreat to.

LKL - I agree it'll be a bit hard to live in the rural part of CT for a single person in his/her 30s.

FWIW, my in-laws live in a small town in the NW corner of CT. I call it the "wilderness." Meaning: no cellphone reception, lots of trees, and one can actually see millions of stars at night. I doubt that's a place you can adjust to since you're in LA. Despite being so rural, the real estate is quite high as it is a weekend getaway for many Manhattanites. It's about 2-2.5hr drive from Manhattan.

Fairfield County CT is lovely. It is convenient to get into NYC and the shore is a great feature. But it doesn't come cheap! Western CT is more pastoral in feel, but it too is expensive.

Weather - - very different than LA. Humidity, rain, lots of gray winter days and snow!

I moved from suburban NY [just over the CT line in Westchester county] in 2001 to New Mexico to get away from the expense and hectic lifestyle. I made 3 different trips before I actually moved, during different times of the year, to be sure it was where I wanted to live.

Cost of living is not LA, but again, it isn't cheap.

Median home prices 2006-

Stamford CT $459K; Greenwich $1,129,000; Fairfield $565k

See more on:

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/money...states/CT.html

Being single and young, I think eastern CT would be more to your liking than western CT. Also, truthfully, based on where you are coming from -- Fairfield County may be as far into the country as you might want to get. Maybe around New Haven would work, but I think you might find yourself VERY bored with true CT country life. IMHO of course.
Debi

I have lived in 6 states so far (California, CT, Massachusetts, NH, Vermont, Washington). Connecticut was the only one I did not like.

You might try taking the Find Your Spot quiz - you might find the results helpful.

http://www.findyourspot.com/

I'm with you LKL and I think you should go for it and don't listen to all these posters with negative CT comments.

I grew up in Massachusetts and always envied those affluent people who lived in CT and took the commuter trains into NY for shopping and work.

The CT lifestyle has been portrayed in many movies over the years but some of the best are: Holiday Inn; Christmas in Connecticut; Mystic Pizza; The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit as well as several Jack Lemmon/Walter Matthau movies.

I personally would like to put a few logs on the fire with the snow falling during Christmas in CT then be sweating in the heat of LA.



Now if you feel you can do it I urge you to go for it. LA is a phony, hot unrealistic world where CT is real.

"Being single and young, I think eastern CT would be more to your liking than western CT."

Debi, don't you mean western CT would be preferential over eastern??

<LA is a phony, hot unrealistic world where CT is real.>

Oh pleeeeaze, spare me!