Thinking about Connecticut: Potential migrants want opinions

[politicat]

The Love of my Life and I have decided that we really can't take too many more Colorado summers - hot, dry and fiery. So we have shortlisted several states as potential new homes while I get another master's in either Spanish or Slovak languages and he gets his DPhil in robotics. Connecticut is on the short list.

So the questions we have are:
1. Would out-of-staters be welcome? (In Colorado, they're not really welcome.)
2. Would we be able to find work? (He, senior level programmer/architect; me medieval historian or psychologist.)
3. Are the state universities good for post-grad work?
4. Is housing available for less than the $350,000 average house price in this area?
5. What would you, as a resident of your state, warn us to be careful about?

Thanks!

[Autumn Colors]

1. Again, sort of vague

I answered you in the Upstate NY thread about NY.

I moved to Fairfield County, CT in 1996. The employment situation is not good (unemployment is higher than the national average) unless you're close enough to commute into Manhattan (where better paying jobs are).... but it's a Catch 22 because if you're within commuting distance of NYC, you'll NEVER find a house for under that price unless it's in an area with crime or is really run down. You can't even find a CONDO for under $300,000 around here. You might as well forget the Southwestern quarter of the state. Housing prices are some of the most expensive in the country.

I've had no problems being an out-of-stater here. It's not a question anyone ever even asks me. They might if you have an accent from another part of the country, but I don't think you'd get any attitude from them about not being a native of CT.

I think the biggest problem with moving to Connecticut will be employment and the cost of living here.

[NewJeffCT]

2. Some answers

1) New England people tend to be pleasant at first, but are usually not openly friendly to newcomers. However, that does not mean you are not welcome. It's just that we welcome outsiders different.
2) Sure, for programmers there are plenty of jobs in the Stamford area and Hartford is the so-called Insurance Capital of the World, so there should be jobs in that industry for him. The Royal Bank of Scotland recently announced they are opening their headquarters in Stamford. Regarding medieval historians, I have no idea. The Hartford area is also home to United Technologies (Carrier, Otis, Pratt Whitney, Sikorsky, etc) and Stanley, the famous toolmaker.
3) Not sure if you've heard of it, but Yale is a pretty good school. The main state university is UConn (University of Connecticut) in Storrs. I know for post-grad, they have a good law school and some other good programs, but I'm not sure about history. You can try looking into Trinity College in Hartford, Weselyn University in Middletown and a few others places.
4) In the Stamford area, you can probably find a garage for $350,000 (one car!)... but, if you get up closer to the Hartford area, housing is much more affordable. Of course, in Stamford you are close to NYC and Westchester County in NY, and many of those posh towns around Stamford have excellent public schools, and many big corporations have their headquarters in the area (GE's corporate headquarters is in Fairfield, CT; Pepsi is in Purchase, NY which is right over the border)... our home in the Hartford area last year sold for $225,000, it was a 3 bedroom ranch, but it did have a huge MBR and 2 bathrooms.
5) I would warn you that the drivers here are not always the best, but we do not have any tolls on our roads!

If you need more specific info, feel free to PM me.

[NewJeffCT]

4. to clarify

The Royal Bank of Scotland is opening their US headquarters in Stamford... not the HQ of the whole bank.

Earlier this year, a family magazine had also rated Connecticut as the best state to raise a child.

A lot of towns in Hartford area of Connecticut used to be very ethnic - New Britain had a lot of Polish people (still does); West Hartford has a lot of Jewish people (still does, though the Asian population is growing there); Middletown is home to a lot of Sicilians (though, they have a growing Indian community); Rocky Hill had a lot of Italians, etc. It's definitely changing, but you will still hear people refer to New Britain as New Britski (I'm half Polish)...

[politicat]

5. Yes, I know about Yale.

Though considering some of its alumni....

Thanks!

[NewJeffCT]

8. I was being sarcastic as I'm sure just about everybody knows Yale

like Harvard, Princeton and a few others.

And, while I know the Bush family has gone there, they also had John Kerry & Bill Clinton, and many others.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

3. New Haven area has lots of

colleges and universities which could offer employment opportunities for both of you. Yale, Univ of New Haven, Quinnipiac U, Albertus Magnus, Southern Conn State U are in NH and the surrounding towns. Wesleyan is not far from NH and I'm sure there are others I am forgetting

Stamford is the growth area for businesses. A search of FairfieldCountyJobs.com will turn up 10 times more listings than NewHavenCountyJobs.com or HartfordCountyJobs.com

The best paying jobs are in NYC - but you will pay higher taxes and also commuting expenses

Housing - you can find a nice home for under $350,000 in the New Haven area in a decent area. Try searching www.realtor.com using a zip code of 06405 and look at surrounding areas. Nice condos in my town (06405) are in the $200 - $250 range (except for those on the water)

Transportation - we do have adequate commuter rail trans. from New Haven area to Stamford/NYC which increases the job pool for you. Commuting north from NH is strictly by car at this point

Warning - if you hate snow, sleet, ice and cold dreary weather CT may not be the place for you. Our springs are non-existent and our summers are hot and muggy. Fall is pretty but brief.

[politicat]

6. See, the weather here is part of the problem.

We like fog, sleet, snow, ice, cold, rain, damp....

Colorado is high desert. We spend the winters obsessing over the snowpack and how badly a sunny January day is going to damage the spring meltoff, (the snow evaporates) and the summers obsessing over how badly the forests are going to burn.

honestly, I'm sick of both. I'd like some more water in my world.

Thanks!!

[NewJeffCT]

7. Spring

we did have a pretty good Spring this past year, and sometimes fall lasts until early December.

[JerseygirlCT]

9. We're new here -- meaning we've only been here, say,

18 years or so...

We moved from the WDC area. So I really noticed a difference in how long it takes to stop being "new". I joke that in CT you need to think in terms of generations, where in WDC it might be in months.

But Jeff's got it right -- people can be a bit reserved here. The trick is not to confuse that with unfriendly. It's a New England thing. People are not necessarily effusive. But we've found it a really nice place to live and especially to raise kids, if that's part of your consideration.

There are many colleges and universities -- and quality runs the gamut. Wesyelan and Trinity and sometimes UConn can be considered up there in the better schools. There's a whole range of others, as well. (And forgive me anyone, if I've forgotten some!)

Hartford has been the insurance capital -- that's faded a bit as more companies move their real HQ out of state. But there are still many, many insurance company offices and bank offices in Hartford. UT is all over the state, including all their subsidiaries.

We're nicely located between NYC and Boston. About 2 hours to either one, which is nice. Much as the CT cities might like to believe, NYC or Boston they are not. But both Hartford and N. Haven have lots to recommend them all on their own. If arts is important, CT is actually blessed with a great deal of really good theater and some terrific museums. It's a fairly sophisticated state in that respect.

We're not so crowded yet that the great outdoors is hours out of reach. Plenty of that still around, although I know my town has boomed in the past few years.

Each town in CT tends to really have its own character. There isn't any real sense of county boundaries -- it's much more town by town. And as Jeff also said, ethnic identities can still be strong. As can local history -- neighbors have had family in my town for generations. They know everyone!

$350 would do you quite nicely in some places, and ok in others. In general, the farther from NYC, the more it buys you. Second that slightly with the Hartford burbs. The farther out of the immediate burbs around Hartford, the more $350 will buy.

Schools are generally very good (again, depends on the town, though).

Weather... well, hope you like winter. The damn thing seems to arrive early and leave much too late. Makes me nuts to be cold in Oct., and waiting for warmth well into April. But I hate cold, and don't particiapte in any of those cold-weather outdoorsy things. I have no use for that snow myself! If you do, you'll love it.

Summers can be muggy and hot, but they don't last long. Fall is gorgeous here, just not enough of it.

[NewJeffCT]

10. tons of education data here

Here is way too much info on schools in Connecticut. Unlike many other states, almost every town in Connecticut (except for the very smallest) have their own separate school district. I know in many states, several towns often combine into one district.

http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/cedar/districts/index.htm

[groton]

11. about CT

well I live in South Eastern CT

for 350K you could get a Real Nice home here and you are less then Two Hours away from Both NYC and Boston.

as for Jobs Im sure you could Find a Job for Both you and your Husband in Eastern CT.
Be it at Uconn or somewhere else.
here are primary Jobs are Casino's, Defence,and Pharmacitical's

We also have some nice colleges here in Eastern CT we have Conn College in New London,Uconn is herea also in Eastern Ct and others.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

12. In SE CT you are also not far from Providence

Several colleges there - Brown, Providence, URI, RDSI come to mind.