Best Places to Live Near West Hartford

[millsclimber]

Hey bogleyites - the family and I have to relocate from Utah Valley to somewhere near Hartford Connecticut. I'm pretty sad that I'm leaving behind the plethora of awesome outdoor activities here in the west, but hopefully it's a good opportunity. Not sure what I'll use my mounds of gear for out there.....oh well.

Anyway, I know there are some regulars on here from the New England area. Any suggestions for towns around Hartford? We have some friends that live in Coventry and love it.

I'll be working in West Hartford some commutes less than 30 miles or so would be nice. Any help is appreciated! Looking to relocate in the next month or two.

[denaliguide]

whatcha selling? anything good? cheap?

sorry, that's always my first reaction when i hear someone is moving.

seriously though, good luck with the move.

[canyonphile]

I had the misfortune of living in CT (Mystic, which is far, far nicer than Hartford) for 3 1/2 years. You have my sympathies for having to leave the beautiful state of UT for that. If you love UT, love the outdoors, hiking, mountains, lots of open space and remote areas and friendly people....well, you'll probably hate CT, because it has none of that. Not to rain on your parade, but if you're anything like me, you'll be wanting to claw your way out of there in less than a year.

I wish I could offer some advice about where to live around Hartford, but unfortunately, it was only a place we drove through to get to cooler places in VT. Traffic around there sure does suck, though. The one upside, though, if you like donuts and coffee, is that there are Dunkin Donut shops all over the place .

Good luck with your move...also, be prepared to shell out $100 for your driver's license and start paying property taxes on your vehicle (this is in addition to the license and registration fees, of course) .

I hope your job is worth it.

[millsclimber]

I've traveled there a lot for work so I'm familiar with the Dunkin Dount shops. I've thought a lot about all of the things you mentioned. This is an awesome opportunity for the job.

I will definitely be missing the canyons, caves, mountains, and everything else about living here. But in this case I have to put that aside for a few years. Hopefully I'll be back...

[millsclimber]

whatcha selling? anything good? cheap?

sorry, that's always my first reaction when i hear someone is moving.

seriously though, good luck with the move.

Thanks for the well wishes. Not selling anything right now. The company has people coming in to pack up all my stuff for me. Transporting my cars and the whole bit.

Maybe I should sell some of my gear that I'll probably never use out there....but then again, I need something to look at besides pictures to mourn the loss of the outdoors

[JP]

Sonya is just a hater The Northwest corner of Connecticut where it borders Massachusetts and New York probably has the most hiking/outdoorsy areas in the state. Out by West Hartford will be Sleeping Giant State Park (Hamden) and Middletown has some hiking areas and places to repel. Coventry is a nice town, has some older sections with houses from the 1800's. I'll throw out some towns for you to research, see what you like. Vernon, Portland, Cromwell, Middletown, Wolcott (not touching Waterbury) and Plymouth. There are others, but they start to get way more city-ish and the problems that lie within.. Some of the ones I listed are similar to Coventry.

You will not find any canyoneering areas I didn't even know what that was til' I started in this place There aren't many places to drop in the middle of the earth here. Are rocks are granite and things of that nature. Even Mother Nature has a hard time with crap like that Fishing I would have to say is excellent, especially in the Housatonic and Farmington rivers, upstate. Ton's of smallmouth bass and trout. If you never had a chance to catch smallies, you like them instantly when you do. There are also quite a few areas where the northern pike are prevalent and big. There isn't much in Connecticut, but a few short hours you can find yourself in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Mount Washington I recommend highly. Not as high as your stuff (6,288ft), but you do pass a treeline and see a huge drop in temperature. Mount Washington is docked as the World's Worst Weather. Highest recorded wind speed observed by man was clocked at 231mph. You can hike it, take a car up or the Cog Railway. Anyway is a sight to see, especially at the top if there is no cloud coverage. Quite a few states can be seen, even the Atlantic Ocean and Canada. All around the Presidential Range there are a plethora of trails with all kinds of natural things to check out, including caves.

Connecticut isn't cheap, but pays good. I guess that's why it is what it is. It does have beaches, some are located on Long Island Sound and north of that getting towards Rhode Island, the Atlantic. One thing I will give huge praises for is the food. It will be different from that of Utah. Red Lobster isn't the rats @$$ when it comes to seafood (it's like McDonald's to New Englanders), New England has the best in the United States. Seafood is huge and the further north you go, the better it gets. Take a trip into Rhode Island and visit Misquamicut Beach and the Nordic Lodge, pricey, but a all you can eat seafood buffet is incredible. There are a plethora of all you can eat seafood places as you near the Rhode Island border. One thing that is nice about Connecticut, visiting surrounding states as day trips are possible. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire and lower Maine. Within a hour to five hour drive. A big down side is the lack of sun. Gray skies prevail in Connecticut. You do get some sun, just not what you're used to in Utah. Snow, sucks @$$. Wet and heavy due to the humidity and high dew points that happen when your a coastal state. Freezing rain and sleet to round up the winter, but it ends much sooner. Usually it doesn't snow til' late November or Early December and is done by late February or early March. It's not uncommon to see temps in the high 40's during the winter months, but just below freezing during those times at night.

I think I went on long enough, any questions or info you might need, just ask

In that West Hartford area, traffic is a nightmare during rush hours. I-91, I-84 and the roads surrounding Hartford.

[millsclimber]

Thanks JP. Good info!

[JP]

You're welcome. Look up those surrounding towns, you might find something that clicks.

Here are some pics of some of what I mentioned.

http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...=mt+washington

http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...=mt+washington

http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...=mt+washington

http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...=mt+washington

http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...=mt+washington

[millsclimber]

You're welcome. Look up those surrounding towns, you might find something that clicks.

Here are some pics of some of what I mentioned.

Thanks JP! Cool pictures. I was looking at Glastonbury, Newington, and New Britain as well. Are those too much in town? They are really close to the office so I should be able to stay out of the traffic on 84 and 91. Just wondering what your take was on those.

Thanks again for the info!

[Wookie]

I grew up East of Hartford. Connecticut has a lot to offer. There is plenty of nice road riding. I road up into Mass. nearly everyday via Storrs/UConn area. I'd recommend looking at Vernon, South Windsor, Enfield, Ellington, Storrs, or Coventry (I rode hear a lot). Glastenbury was nice also.

The food in New England is tops! The Italian, Greek, Jewish food is awesome. You'll learn what a grinder is pretty quick. Don't even get me started on the seafood!

CT is 1.5 hours between Boston and NYC. I used to load up the car on weekends and be in Maine, Vermont, of upstate NY in a day. It's not Utah, but New England has a lot to offer. I miss the technical, alpine, rooty singletrack the most.

[alfordmcleod]

Hey JP, I saw the pics that you have posted and really i agree with that places that they will be good option for climber.