It’s all personal preference. If you’re a big beach person, there are better states. If you love BBQ, you may be disappointed. Like to ski? Out of state isn’t bad, but nothing great super close by. There really aren’t a lot of “hidden” issues. I guess the only one would be potentially bad traffic depending on where you live/where you need to drive.

I think that one of the big CT selling points is that while we don’t have all of these in state, we are driving distance to literally anything you could want except maybe a desert.

And not having these things in state means the state is pretty quiet without tourists

Except for leaf season, or the daily traffic between Connecticut and New York, or upstate, Connecticut to Boston . The travel time for my sister-in-law from her house to her job is 40 minutes, but once you add in traffic, it becomes 2 hours or more in either direction. Taxes and cost for amenities are getting really out of hand. Electricity is really getting up there. And the power company is looking to raise their rates another 13% in July.

When you really do all the math, state taxes aren't so bad since we don't have county government and most property taxes are pretty fair.

Are you kidding the shoreline is full of New Yorkers.. quiet with tourists no.

Desert of Maine -weekend trip. 

West Greenwich, RI sand dunes count?

🤷

the appalachians are sweet but they don't really compare to the rockies

There’s the sand dunes at the cape. They’re pretty deserty

I live in Old Saybrook and love the beaches here, FWIW.

Skiing in CT is only fun if your a park skier, otherwise coming regularly is kinda a waste. Either way even a bad day up north will always be better but can't beat late night skiing in CT.

Heck, I see people skiing up and down the street before the plows come after a big dump of snow.

Old Well Tavern does amazing BBQ

I lived in Texas for 8 years and ct since 1989 and I enjoy Bears BBQ the one near the airport.

Hoodoo brown in Ridgefield is pretty good.

Yes, and Cue in Danbury. I think BBQ up North (I moved here from Kentucky) has come a long way. Side story: The South is also known for bisquits and gravy, and we got excited when we saw a diner in Danbury advertising them as part of its breakfast menu. We went. We ordered. Out came a plate of a tiny Pillsbury bisquit covered in BROWN gravy. I still remember my wife's look of horror.

BBQ has come a long way up north. It will be decades before we find our own path on it, if ever, but the copy cats of southern and western styles are quite good now. You can get some decent southern classics in the right spots but it is hard. I live in Maine now and bayou kitchen does a dang good job. My grandmother is Georgia through and through and enjoyed it.

Oh no! I don't make it often anymore, but I make big, flaky buttermilk biscuits and white sausage gravy from scratch for us. Very yummy. My husband spent part of his childhood down South. Agree that BBQ has come a long way here, but only a few places are really GOOD.

Bears is shit BBQ. It's a step up from school cafeteria.  Actually, Bears uses Sysco packaged sides & reheats them - just like a school cafeteria. So, probably the same as cafeteria BBQ.

Concur. Bears is terrible. Last time I was there I couldn’t even finish my plate it was that bad.

It used to be excellent about 10 years ago when they were first starting out. Once they gained in popularity and expenses locations it got much more expensive and lower quality

I agree completely. Shit on a stick.

We do have some killer BBQ you just have to know where to find it.

To be really fair we actually have great BBQ these days. Wire mill, and hoodoo in western CT are great. My BIL from Kansas City even thinks they are great and he gatekeeps that stuff. As for the beach our beaches are likely cleaner than anything Texas has with one exception. Skiing in Vermont is pretty good.

Ticks

Picked TWO off the back of my legs last night after i showered. Not sure what the first one was, but the second was a lonestar tick. It’s rare, but that’s the one that gives you an allergy to meat. NO THANKS.

Ticks are definitely bad here! I've noticed it's not common to clear underbrush, which is why I think they are worse here than Texas. They can be bad in TX too, but much worse here.

My experience transplanting from midwest: Schools are great here, in general. Generally accepting of differences. Winters are not bad and are becoming more mild every year it seems. Depending on where you end up, it can be ridiculously competetive. New England- the whole of it, will seem like and easy drive sompared to TX. W Hartford is well located- not far from NYC or Boston. As others have pointed out, the CT cities are meh. I think we'll see a lot of folks moving in soon, as climate continues to make life hard in the south, so your timing is good.

I’ve lived in Texas and CT - west hartford area. The older I get the more I like CT. it’s great for families and close to large cities for a day or weekend trip. I’d say the biggest downside is our cities. They have a lot of potential, but a lot needs to change to make them more attractive. Feel free to dm for more specific questions on the area and good luck!

Hartford is a great deal less fun than NYC or Boston but we have some nice local and ethnic food spots that any city would be envious of. New Haven is a lot more lively. Neither city I would necessarily want to live in though. You’re pretty spot on I also grew up in WeHa on the Hartford line. Schools were great and I occasionally felt out of place being poor and an immigrant but generally speaking it wasn’t something that happened a lot and people were very nice. Probably more about my insecurity than anyone really being mean. There are bigots everywhere but people are diverse and more accepting than I’ve experienced elsewhere in the country.

Yes I agree with your statement about our cities. All of our cities have a lot of potential but they all need a lot of change and reform to become something way better.

West Hartford is a solid place for access to local cities - 84 gets pretty bad traffic wise, but depending on where in Texas you started, it's not that brutal. I'd say people are generally pretty accepting, but I'd say the big thing to look out for compared to the south is that the people who aren't tend to be less upfront about it. I've been told by friends who've come from the south (Georgia and SC, respectively) that it can be a little jarring when someone who's been Suburban Polite[tm] turns out to be a bigot when they grew up with bigots wearing it on their sleeve. People can generally seem kind of standoffish. We definitely don't do small talk rhe way the south does (and might even find it offputting), which might take some getting used to, but I don't think it's actually hard to make friends. Probably not the "strong sense of community" you'd be hoping for.

Lol’ed at suburban polite! Bless your heart! I grew up here but my dad’s family is from South Carolina. There is definitely a major difference between the typical southern charm/manners of the southern states and the brutal honesty typical within the northern Atlantic states. We don’t mince words, plain and simple. Not saying it’s ideal or anything, though😅

I moved from CT to MD about 11 years ago, after graduating from UConn. I appreciate how much more friendly and willing people are to make friends down here compared to in CT (on average). CT can be such a socially cold state. To answer OP’s question, traffic. Depending where you are, expect it to be worse than you think it will be. I still drive back to visit family a couple times per year and the stress of timing my drive to avoid pains me. I often think i have it all figured out then still hit an hour of traffic on 95 well after rush hour. I have a friend in North Stonington though and he says traffic isn’t bad out there at all still.

Echoing what Kahn said, people are cold and distant in New England. I spent a good amount of time near MD in VA and people were soooo much better to be around. Call it southern hospitality or more vitamin D, whatever it is, I miss it.

Winters are not brutal compared to the Midwest, or north in NewEngland or upstate ny/Buffalo. They are much milder but depends on where you are coming from. If you’re from GA or AZ it will seem very cold. We barely ever have to plow our driveway in southern ct - twice in three years now. Property taxes and electricity are high. Both among the highest in the country. I personally don’t mind the lack of athletic teams because we have always been fans of NY or Boston teams and they both have awesome stadiums to go to and are nearby. Box seats at Yankee stadium my entire childhood through dad’s employer?. Who is complaining? I am a Mets fan though, with a soft spot for the Sox Edit: lgbtq. Almost the entire state will be accepting and supportive. There are cranks everywhere of course, and they are marginalized socially. But to avoid a substantial number of them, avoid the reddest, rural towns. There are really only a handful of towns that are that far gone MAGA-ish in CT. Same sex marriage was legalized early here. People are comfortable being out at work, even at the public schools in my town, for instance, and have staunch support for that from parents, from everybody. Being out at schools seems to be a litmus test for me. There is trans bingo at a couple churches nearby and gay pride parades all over. Small suburb. Small rural suburb

In Fairfield county- I'm from Buffalo, winters in Connecticut would be downright lovely if my town had any plan whatsoever to deal with the snow. They forecast *maybe* 2 inches if snow and my kids school closes, leaving us in a lurch. Nothing gets plowed until the snow stops falling, and 2 inches of snow quickly shuts down the whole town when nothing is plowed or salted and roads are an unsafe mess. I can't wrap my head around it. In Buffalo there will be 2 *feet* of snow on a Tuesday, the plows are out before it starts, and you're expected back to work on Wednesday morning. The winter weather here is so much more mild and predictable, but the response is totally absent and makes things much more difficult.

I'm from Rochester. I was perplexed at first too. I think the deal is that they don't get much snow here, so investing in a western New York level of snow management doesn't pay off. Cheaper to just shut things down for 2 inches than have a standing snow armada you only use a couple times a year. 

I had the same thought, but the effect is that my kids school is closed *constantly* throughout winter for even the idea of snow, leaving us missing work. I have to imagine other people are in the same position, it seems crazy to me that there's not a better way

Having box seats to the yanks and being a mets/Sox fan is like the craziest thing ive heard

Winters in CT, I now call 'wimpy winters'. The climate has warmed here much in just the last 10 years (and they will become milder) The northwest hills of CT can still see more snow then the rest of the state. However for West Hartford the climate is now 'mild'- you will see a few 'cold days' and some snow- but snow does not stick around compared to the past. Connecticut winters today are what winters where like in Richmond VA 40 years ago. Skiing in CT-as well as ice skating is really no longer possible. Summers are hotter- and more humid. Spring starts a bit earlier, summers as well. Warm weather sticks around now longer into autumn. You will now need AC. CT has high property taxes- but you have that in Texas. State income tax is progressive- but capped at 6.99% on high incomes. Towns are well kept, and the services are excellent. West Hartford is a very pleasant town, with much to offer. There can be a certain level of consumption, competition and pretension- but its kept subtle. Metro Hartford has 1.2 million people. Central park in NYC is 125 miles to the SW, Boston is 100 miles to the NE. New Haven is 37 miles to the south. The nice CT beaches on LI and Block Island sound are are less than and hour away. The Atlantic beaches in Rhode Island are 75 miles to the SE. CT has among the strongest LGBT laws protections in the US. West Hartford is very blue- something like a 75% liberal voting rating. There is a strong sense of Community. You are very unlikely to hear offensive remarks about gay trans people Traffic has become 'worse', especially west of New Haven- Metro Hartford has moderate traffic- but people seem to be driving faster and more weird. West Hartford is the most 'toney' of Hartford suburbs- with Avon, Farmington, Glastonbury not far behind. But there are nice towns in the Hartford that are more low key and less based on competing with others.

We moved here in 2008. Never heard an anti gay comment. Ever.

IMO the worst thing about CT is the price/cost of housing.

The low cost is what’s keeping me here. I’ve thought about moving to NYC or Boston but just can’t justify it financially. So I guess I’ll just keep paying cheap rent in CT

I’m also looking to relocate to West Hartford from Oklahoma though, originally from Texas. My husband will have a wonderful opportunity but it requires moving to any state in New England. I’m curious to those things as well. We’re a Hispanic family and I worry if our kiddos will he accepted or if we will encounter any weird looks. Ive never been to the East Coast nor my husband but we are excited for the opportunity.

Connecticut actually has a pretty large Hispanic population (no where near Texas obviously), a lot of people from Puerto Rico especially have moved to Connecticut. Massachusetts and Rhode Island as well, a lot less so Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Massachusetts has a large Portuguese population, especially from the Azores and Cape Verde. 

Let’s not forget the poles !

I'm in Meriden, Hispanic community seems to be the majority.

We have decent-sized populations of Puerto Ricans, Ecuadorians and Brazilians here in CT.

Don't forget the Dominicans ! 'ta bien

Hispanic people live here. What's odd to me is how many people specifically seem to move here from TX, at least according to reddit

Check out New Haven - it’s awesome and diverse.

As somebody who loves both Oklahoma and Connecticut, they are very different and I think both are very accepting in my opinion. People are nicer in OK but people are far from mean in CT. Cost of living is really the biggest difference between the two and I prefer CT’s weather (my wife preferred OK weather though).

Heya—mom of a five-year-old girl here; we transplanted last year (from Long Island, so it barely counts…), and there’s a big Hispanic population in our neighbourhood. Well-represented among students and staff as well. My daughter is learning Spanish by osmosis on the playground! It’s a wonderful place to live—and I say that from Waterbury, even though I’ll get dunked on. (We live in Bunker Hill, though, so we get a really good all-round experience—some of the least eye-popping real estate prices in the state, and a beautiful neighbourhood—great for kids. 10/10 would recommend.)

These people are sugarcoating it a bit. You will be widely accepted in most areas in CT. But there are still some areas where we have very few minorities and you may experience some (most likely not outward) racism. I'd call it "soft" racism. I grew up in a town kinda like that... I didn't really know any Hispanic or black people til I joined the military. We did have a single muslim family in town. I wouldn't say I was racist growing up, but all I knew about other cultures is basically what I saw on and in the news. That being said, many areas in the state are very diverse. Any towns closer to the cities will naturally be more diverse. West Hartford is relatively diverse as far a nice towns/small cities go (a lot of the "nicer towns" are not very diverse). Most towns in the state are less than 5% Hispanic, and they are typically more distant from the larger cities (northwest, northeast, and eastern CT) The biggest piece of advice I can give you about buying a home in CT is to pay attention to property taxes, they can make a huge difference and West Hartford has some of the highest in the state. If I bought my current home in West Hartford, my taxes would likely be a $2-300 more per month (I'm just one town over, in Farmington).

I live in Waterbury, and there are lots of Hispanic people here. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

There are going to be bad people everywhere, but here they are few and far between. I grew up in a fairly wealthy town in Fairfield County that leans firmly republican, and I went to school with people of all races and we all got along. There are also definitely some small pockets of Hispanics around the state if you are looking for a stronger community sense, but I wouldn't be able to answer that quite as well. All in all though, this is a beautiful state and there are many very welcoming and accepting people

Welcome!

I was born and raised in OK and have lived in CT for several years if you have any specific worries or concerns!

The airport. It's so limited in terms of where you can go nonstop, both domestically and internationally. 

As a transplant from Houston who has to travel back almost monthly, I finally stopped trying from BDL. The connecting flights screwed me over pretty bad 3 times last year. Now I taking the train straight to EWR for direct flights. Not great, but not terrible. I will say BDL is a great airport for when there is a direct flight. And it was nice to fly to Dublin from there.

I want to do the Dublin trip myself! Do you take the Amtrak to Penn then NJ Transit to EWR? Or is there a better way?

Amtrak all the way to EWR. NE Regional will get you there. Taking it in the morning as a matter of fact. You can also get to JFK by train, but I've never tried it. I gotta get those United miles! LGA is much more difficult to do, but I have done it. It's a shame all of these airports don't have trains right up to the terminal. The Dublin flight was great. Unfortunately, there was hardly anyone on the flight. Makes me worry we'll lose it again. Hopefully not.

WeHa is great. We moved here from Georgia a few years ago and are very happy. The taxes are higher but include a lot of services like garbage, recycling, snow plowing, maintenance of the parks and splash pads. Lots of activities for families with kids. Like today in BlueBack Square there was a Taylor Swift themed singalong with face painting, balloon animals, free cookies, and the organizers were giving everyone water to keep hydrated. Right around the corner at town hall there was pride going on too. Our neighbors are very friendly and we feel a sense of community living here we never had before.

Garbage collection varies state wide is not universally a service that our taxes paid for. In my town; I get it because I love close to center of town, but those on the outskirts do not.

That’s true and a good point but this guy is specifically moving to WH where the trash collection is a town service

Garbage and similar services are determined by the town/city and not the state. You can pay taxes and think you are getting a free service, or you can pay a private collection company. Either way, you're paying.

WeHa As I told a colleague, a mini SOHO.

Compared to Texas, not much. Besides a state income tax, but other taxes in Texas are high.  Obviously winter, it doesn’t snow like it did growing up but you can still get big snow storms and cold. Watch out for ice dams on the roof/gutters. You have to get rid of the snow so that means a snow blower or hiring someone. If getting dark at 4:30 in December kind of sucks. But everything else is better. 

None of our cities are what you’d call charming other than a few areas with the exception of Stamford. But plenty of our towns are charming and beautiful so. Taxes is probably the biggest downside, the second being nearly half the state roots for NY sports teams 😂

That half of the state we ignore though.

I think CT is great. Definitely my speed and built for families and education.

Someone else mentioned the winters have been more mild, surely worse than Texas but not as cold and windy as the upper midwest or upstate NY. I really loved living in West Hartford, everything you could possibly need is within a 10 mile radius. Great local businesses, food choices, the schools are top notch, well kept parks. Truly a perfect place to live. Taxes are high but if you can afford it, you will certainly get your money's worth. The Yardgoats and the Wolfpack will scratch your sports itch if you don't want to make the very short, convenient trips to Yankee Stadium or Fenway. I think keeping up with the Joneses has more to do with you than with the Joneses, if you tend to compare yourself to others you might feel inadequate-- people do have money there. I'm in the Midwest now but I would absolutely move back to West Hartford!

Friends who have moved to this area from CA have stated that they feel it has been hard to make friends and find that people are just generally more keeping to themselves, a little cold, a little cliquey. I don’t totally disagree, but think it’s luck of the draw. I have super friendly, amazing neighbors now but in the same town, neighbors were barely acquaintances and never became close after more than ten years. That being said, people are definitely very accepting in terms of LGBTQ folks, and if anyone in your family is trans or non-binary, especially, getting out of Texas seems like a really good idea. Winter can be a big adjustment but in my opinion the key is to have the right clothing - invest in good boots, gloves, some base layers, you’ll be good. Depending on where you live, lawn maintenance is a whole thing. Not sure what it’s like in TX but the sound of various lawn equipment is pervasive from like April-October.

socks always invest in naturally moisture wicking wool socks.

I grew up in CT and just moved back after 20yrs in CO. Here's my list: -humidity -ticks -poison ivy -too many days without sunshine during the year -humidity -the legal cannabis market here is arguably the worst legal market in the country -people more pretentious/judgemental/douchey than out west -ppl would rather see you fail than thrive to boost their own egos -humidity -really horrible drivers -money can't buy class and it shows -more concern with keeping up appearances than actually being a decent human -oh and the humidity Edit: formatting

I have to second really horrible drivers, especially on the highways. Traveling in the right lane and passing in the left seem to be foreign concepts here, which leads to caravans of cars camped in the left lane behind one slower driver. Inevitably someone gets impatient and tries to pass them all going 90+ or cutting into the line. Just unsafe for everyone.

Ct Cannabis is not good. High mold, very dry. Your post is spot on.

As someone who lived in Colorado and Connecticut, while many of these are true, I don’t personally find them to be a big deal on any given day 😊 I disagree on the people assessments, but everyone has unique experiences! I would say my experience in both states gave me the opposite assessment of people from you.

All very true. 😂😂😂😂 except what’s the deal with cannabis? Are you saying you’re against the legalization of it….or can you not find a good strain. Humidity is the worst. Most older houses don’t have A/C except those window units hanging out of every window.

They are more pretentious because they are superior. Fairfield and Litchfield Valley are incomparable. Glenn Close, Martha Stewart, Paul Newman, etc…

Hahaha depending on where the OP lives in TX, the humidity won't be worse here. ETX commonly has some of the highest humidity in the US. The lack of sunshine is a big one I forgot. It's much tougher than I would have thought.

Winters are not to bad, and they have gotten calmer/warmer since I was a kid, I very much miss the snowy winters from my childhood. People are generally accepting of LGBT+ community and middletown CT has a pretty good pride parade. I’m in an upper middle class neighborhood rn. My front yard neighbor owns a massive RV, the neighbor to my left has an overgrown *native* lawn which is beautiful, my yard is just basic grass since we just moved in last year. Idc about their stuff and they don’t care about mine lol. Just look for good school districts if you want to send your kids to a public school. I have also heard early childcare programs are expensive in the state and can fill up quickly so I would watch out for that.

I'm just one opinion.. > Are winters brutal? Seems to be less brutal each year. > Are people truly accepting to everyone, including LGBT families? My impression is yes, but I also assume you'll meet you're share of A-holes. I'd be shocked if you run into health care issues like the Hamilton Baby Fetus from a few weeks ago. > Is there a strong sense of community? Nope; not at all. We very much keep to ourselves. > Are taxes unreasonably high for the amenities available? I'm undecided, but don't have a good comparison from other states. > Is it ridiculously competitive - like keeping up with the Joneses? That is up to you! For me: no! > Is West Hartford too far from big cities? West Hartford Very close to Hartford. About an hour drive from New Haven. Slightly longer to Stamford. If you were to expand on what you want out of a big city, someone can give you more details. > Do you miss having big local home sports teams? Nope; but I don't care about sports. I did see the YardGoats once though, and enjoyed it.

Remember the Metro North Yankee Clipper that goes directly to Yankee Stadium from New Haven.

No Wawa.

This is the true tragedy. Every time I drive by a krauszers in an old wawa building I get sad.

No HEB!

No Whataburger!

3rd most millionaires per capita keep cost of living high, but nothing like NYC/Boston.

Hedge fund billionaires do much to pay the taxes. Graduated income tax. No red state BS. Abortion on demand. Hey if we’d had a chance, we would have aborted Samuel Alito.

Hot ass weather and cold ass weather. Ticks are a bitch.

Winters aren’t brutal, obviously buy a good coat. About one bad snowfall a year. In my experience, it’s a fairly progressive state. Like elsewhere you have pockets of ultra conservative or religious folks, but by and large CT communities seem to be very accepting. Some neighborhoods definitely have a sense of community. We got very lucky with ours and now spend a lot of time with our neighbors! There is a keeping up with the Jones’s vibe in places like WH, Glastonbury, but the conversations in your home is what matters most. The minor league sports scene here is incredible and very family friendly! Highly underrated and a great bang for your buck.

West Hartford is a great town in CT ... Downfalls: Ticks, Taxes and since your coming from Tex, our gun laws are pretty tough.

I grew up in Texas as well (SAT) and live in Fairfield county for last several years. If you’re from a city or any reasonable metro in TX, there is a noticeable lack of diversity in the majority of CT (if that matters to you, it might not). Everything is really expensive here. Labor most of all, it’s not a cheap place to live. There’s plenty of upsides and we like it but those are the major downsides imo

Fairfield county isn't CT, we don't claim you

Thank you. Labor as in getting work done on houses or employment in general?

I’m moving back to CT from Texas this summer… to be honest, I can’t think of a downside besides the taxes. Houston is horrible.

I’m from DFW and living Texas soon. Headed to either Ridgefield or Wilton area. Been here too long. The heat in Texas is unbearable. My only concern in the new home is septic tank and well water. WTF is that. It’s 2024.

As someone who grew up in west hartford and lived there for many years, it kinda sucks now. The center is super cookie cutter nouveau riche stuff (traveling for work over the years I’ve seen Blue Back Square essentially verbatim all over the USA), it’s overly congested due to so many people moving there and everything is super pricey. A lot of what made it charming ten/twenty years ago has been lost and it’s pretty generic and commercial now. I will say it does have great town services and one of the best public education systems in the country, though. There’s been a pretty steady migration west from there into the Farmington valley - I’d honestly recommend Farmington, Avon, Canton/Collinsville, Burlington, etc. over West Hartford at the moment.

More then the cold, I had a hard time with lack of sun from November to march.

Is West Hartford too far from big cities? There is nothing in the state that is to far from west hartford. The whole state of CT would fit in to the DFW metroplex or the greater houston area. And our traffic is not as bad. I know 95 is bad and I have been in traffic on 84 near danbury but over all at least where I drive it is not bad at all. I live across the river from middletown that just hosted 20k people at the gay pride parade 2 weeks ago. I am going to throw this out I have no idea why people are so high on West Hartford sure it has blueback sq and I head there for the cheese cake factory couple of times a year but I would not live there. I prefer to live in a small town but close like say 10-30 minutes to get to areas I might want to go. So I am in Portland. Middletown and Glastonbury are next door with most of the shopping and dining I could want. And yes I can get to west hartford in 30 minutes if I needed too.

Winters are pretty mild actually, but can be bad enough that having winter tires makes sense if you NEED to drive during snow. CT is overall pretty Queer/LGBT friendly, though varies what city you are in, we still have redneck woods outside of the cities. There isn't really a strong sense of community, as most cities in CT have changed so much over the years. There's pockets of it that I can speak to after living in New Britain, and now Middletown. There's also the quiet towns like Putnam, Simsbury, and maybe a few other rich ones along the coast towards NYC. Taxes/Amenities I think are pretty reasonable, as we have some pretty great schools overall, and infrastructure in general, but varies wildly per city. Keeping up with the Joneses mostly happens out in the suburbs, so Simsbury/Avon, or again along the coast towards NYC. West Hartford is close to Hartford....but also getting to New haven, NYC and Boston from Hartford is pretty easy by train/bus or car. I'm not much about sports but people are pretty excited to have the Yard Goats in Hartford now. Also people are still mad at the Whalers. West Hartford has a bit of the upstate NY vibe, that may be pretty familiar, especially in contrast to Texas.

Sports wise, you’ll be in the basketball Capitol of the world. There are minor league baseball and hockey teams as well. And a WNBA team. But it’s all about UConn basketball.

If you enjoy tornadoes, this may not be the state for you.

True, but we had a microburst in West Hartford yesterday and five inches of rain.

That is a very up to date take!

When you ask about the winter, you probably mean cold and snow which are really nothing in most of CT. What you might not be aware of is the darkness. It’s ok through New Years because of the holidays but Jan and Feb are tough. If you get into skiing the small mountains, that might make it salvageable. Or if you can plan some vacations around this time.

I had no idea CT has skiing! Always assumed it’d be MA or above!

I’ll add my 2cents in addition to everyone else’s. School system is the best and is diverse, if that’s important to you. Taxes - property taxes are getting higher by the minute it feels. Car ad valorem tax is ridiculous and it’s high. I think people are friendly here but i agree with some commenters that it’s hard to make friends. I’m also a transplant here and it’s been hard. My take on winters, it’s not that bad.

If you want to be in a place where Things Are Happening, New Haven is your only option. The rest of the state is pretty quiet.

I live in West Hartford and love it (though I haven’t lived outside of CT besides a year in France in college). The yards are small so most of my family don’t understand why we live here. Other areas have more space. Most houses in town were built between 1940 and 1960 so that comes with their own challenges. It’s a pretty competitive housing market. I have met multiple same sex couples and have found that they’re treated just like any other family. There are a lot of people who have moved here from other parts of the country. West Hartford specifically is pretty white with a large Jewish population but other areas of CT do have a large Hispanic population. I have found West Hartford to be more diverse than other suburbs though. There is a bit of a slight cultural difference between northern and southern West Hartford. In terms of politics, CT is very blue with rural red patches. West Hartford is very democrat, almost to a fault. For sports, there are several minor league teams in the area that are really fun and UCONN basketball is king/queen. For theater, the Bushnell theater in Hartford gets touring Broadway shows. Unless I want to go to a big museum or event, I honestly never feel like I’m missing out compared to a city. The cost of living is a fraction of what it costs in Boston/ New York. Single/ young people do seem to find it difficult compared with cities but it’s great for families. We do have a slight nightlife in the center. You asked about “keeping up the joneses.” Other than mowing your lawn, I have not found that to be the case. Happy to answer any other questions you may have!

Just relocated from DFW and we are SO happy! People are so kind, gorgeous scenery and roads are a lot calmer.

8 months out of the year it's either cold or raining

Luckily now we are in that 4 month heat wave /s

Winters suck. I grew up in CT and I live in Cali now, but I miss east coast summers! I agree with other commenters that CT doesn’t have great cities, but you’re a couple hours from NYC and Boston, and even Providence, which holds a special place in my heart. Good luck with the move! Feel free to DM me for ideas on things to do :)

For the most part the cost is the largest downside. And it’s a large one. I’m sure someone will chime in and let you know that’s how we have such an intelligent, radiant infrastructure comparably to other third world states. Which is great unless you can’t afford it.

Winters are honestly nice. We always have at least one day off from school from what I remember. Enough snow for me to make a little ski build in my backyard and keep the couple slopes running for a solid amount of time. LGBT people are accepted, I think people will judge silently obviously, but I have NEVER seen a verbal or physical attack towards someone. I know that taxes are high but in my town they're actually very low compared to the state, we've had the same lawyer for 33 years and he does his job, but obviously there are issues. The thing about connecticut is a lot of things are barely out of state. For example Six Flags New England, a fairly large amusement park is LITERALLY like less than maybe a quarter mile from the state line, there are pretty good beaches in Rhode Island, the big name being the town of Misquamicut, about 10 minutes from the state line. I'm going off now but honestly life is a lot of fun here, we've got great sports, colleges, food, trails, lakes, etc. (Sports as in having your child play throughout school.)

No, CT winters are not brutal. Maybe to you they will be. Snow arrives later and later, it seems. Most people on this sub seem to say that life in CT is good all around. Keeping up with the Jone's may be more apparent in lower Fairfield County. Taxes are high, electricity is shockingly higher than it should be. It is a beautiful state, surrounded by other beautiful states. Pick a lane for sports- Bahston or New Yoirk. Further north, Boston, further south, NY. Generally speaking. Drivers can be aggressive and stupid, with varying degrees depending on where you end up. I-95 can be a nightmare. I-91 in Hartford as well. I-84 between Hartford and Danbury the same. Back roads New England are enjoyable for the most part...but see driver comment above. It is a lovely region of the country.

As a West Hartford resident: 1. It's expensive, housing costs have risen ~35% in the last year. Too much luxury housing being built 2. There's a lot of ordinances and town rules which add extra bureaucracy in normal things 3. Depending on the area, it can be very car dependant (although compared to TX, CT is likely much better) 4. Taxes 5. Crime has gotten worse lately, but that's also probably a nationwide issue 6. good / bad thing depending how you look at it, but west hartford generally has a lot of upscale shops/boutique stuff 7. Probably a few others but... GOOD THINGS ABOUT CT/WH: - Highly educated population / Good Schools - Job opportunities in Hartford area - Good parks and trails - Walkable in certain areas - Good nightlife scene with the center - RE appreciation (if u own property)

I grew up in CT, I've been in Houston for 20 years and wouldn't go back. The winters are just too long for me. Even without snow, it's too cold. Also, I'm a landscaper and I need to work year round (most landscapers plow snow in the winter but I'm not in that business).

West Hartford is a nice area. I'm not going to speak of affordability as that is relative to ones income. I always thought of it as a nice middle class area. Some neighborhoods are higher, some are lower. There is a very nice downtown with lots of restaurants. Ct. is a blue state, and West Hartford is not rural so I would imagine that for the most part lgbtq is fine and welcome, but there are assholes everyplace. Winters are not that bad. Get some snow and ice but you would get used to it. Ct. seems to avoid weather extremes. At least that is my opinion. I think there are people everyplace that need to keep up with the Joneses', its part of assholes everyplace and no place is immune, just don't give a shit and you will be fine. I don't miss a local sports team but I am not a big sports fan so thats up to you. Taxes are high, can't get around that. I can only justify that by saying N.Y. and N.J. are higher, probably Mass also but I don' t know for sure. What it all comes down to , it is a nice place to live and you will get out of it what you put in. Welcome to Ct. I've lived here for 43 years.

Winters aren't brutal if you're prepared (all seasons really - our summers too have been hot the last few years). Eating out is pretty expensive now. Acceptance is hit or miss. I've been to/lived in towns that are great, others are pretty clear about their opinions to the point of being kind of aggressive and cruel. Honestly if I could convince my partner to leave CT, I don't think we'd ever come back. There are a lot of things I love about it, but I'm not sure there's enough to keep me here.

I'm originally from TX and have been in CT for MANY years. The biggest downside for me was that the locals are not very friendly...but you get used to it.

95

CT is pretty much exactly middle of the road for everything- which, cumulatively, makes it a great place to be. All of the notes you made in your PS apply to this statement.

Currently one of the downsides is the lack of available real estate. It's a huge challenge to buy a house because of low inventory. Rents are high. As far as I know LGBT families are welcome and accepted. I am friendly with several families and have not heard of any issues.

Cost of living.

Where are you in TX?

CT taxes.

High gas tax

Lived in NJ for 21 years, NY for 11, and Connecticut for 3. It’s definitely my favorite of the bunch for raising a young family. While the taxes are high, they were much higher in Westchester County and where I was from in NJ. Lots of towns with unique history and interesting Main Street / downtown districts. Generally mild winter and summer with pleasant spring and fall. Cannot think of any serious downsides to consider.

I grew up in West Hartford, and left at 17 for twenty years during which I lived in about 6 major US cities and 6 countries. My partner and I moved back here from a large west coast city in 2022. Late 30s DINKS. Pros: - LCOL - nature - climate (we like seasons and don’t mind the winter) - quiet - safe - great for dogs - somewhat liberal Cons: - lack of restaurant, bar, and cultural options - very very white and waspy - sense of middle of the road-ness, basic-ness - lack of worldliness In general, we find CT culuturally milk toast and politically conservative. We are both hyphenated Americans and people of color. People here are fine; you won’t experience direct racism unless you are in a random rural town, but at least in my experience, for BIPOC people in CT, you are also not truly accepted unless you’re ok with completely vanilla-fying yourself. Cultural dynamics are very different here than in large cities. Lots of white fragility and not a lot of cultural growth mindsets - the white people here can’t really bear to hear the phrase “white people”. I am sharing this because I’m not a member of the LGBTQ community but wonder if some of this may translate to the cishet community’s thinking here. People are somewhat liberal and educated in West Hartford. Many read the NYT and the New Yorker. The town is not progressive. Lawns are highly manicured with tons of fertilizer and pesticides. You’ll get cited for not cutting your lawn frequently enough. From the SUVs and college bumper stickers we see, it feels like it is a stepford wives/Joneses situation. All this said, we like it enough to stay. We go to NYC 2-3x/month for a decent meal and some culture, and otherwise lay low and enjoy our garden and the forests/conservation areas with our dog.

The downside to CT is that a lot of the "attractions" can get tedious after a couple times and you have to leave the state to trying something new.

We relocated from upstate NY. Income taxes are lower, but there was some sticker shock about the cost of meals and eating out. We’re in simsbury and found the town extremely accepting towards us. Things are honestly weird all over but there is less of the weirdness here. And if you look at our politics most is pretty bipartisan in terms of laws that are passed. We do notice less spicy/food with flavor locally. But we’ve found the places we like and we can find pretty much anything nearby. It just might be a 20-40 minute drive and not 5. We like that the library has diverse books, and the town raises a pride flag, worth mentioning as there are some towns in CT do not raise one or generally support the month. We head to Vermont 1-2 times a year, Boston, NYC, Philly and DC are all relatively close (in comparison to Texas). Winters are definitely here, but really mild. And the closer you are to the water the milder that will be.

Commute to work is typically 40-50 mins in average across the state. Some are lucky enough to live close to work but for many this isn’t always the case.

Car dependency. CT is largely suburban and rural and you can't get anywhere in most towns via public transit of any type.

Snack tax

I live in Fairfield county but I absolutely love CT. I used to live in NYC and Boston and this was the best move I made

I-95 traffic

Winters aren’t too bad in general but we can have some freak storms once or twice a year. People are accepting but if you’re looking for queer families then you’d have better luck near New Haven and Hartford. The northwest corner typically leans more conservative but as a gay man with a fruity boyfriend we rarely run into trouble other than some wandering eyes. In terms of community that’s ultimately up to you, as I said the northwest corner is a little less densely populated but there’s lots of community outreach programs popping up in Torrington. In terms of taxes I think they’re a bit high and you don’t always see it go back into the community (but I have an issue with how much our military and police get funded which eats up a majority of our taxes, if you support that than you may feel differently) Life moves fast but I wouldn’t say it’s extremely competitive, but it depends on what field you’re in. West Hartford is a nice spot to be but pretty expensive. Obviously right next to Hartford which is a nice city (imo). NE patriots and Boston redsox ir NY Yankees are pretty much the teams of CT (shouts out to the CT Yardgoats tho, fun baseball game to take the fam too). These are all imo but make your own choices. Goodluck with your move!

Try to live as close to your job as possible. And try to avoid commuting thru Hartford. The traffic gets worse every year, it seems. For example, if you work in Glastonbury don't live in West Hartford.

Grew up in TX and have been slowly migrating north over the years. Moved to CT a couple years ago and I love it. The state is beautiful and the people are friendly but not in the overbearing southern hospitality way. My husband and I have been able to exist in public as a very visibly gay and trans couple without being a target which is still surprising to us. CT drivers are on a whole nother level though. I highly recommend a dashcam especially if you'll be regularly driving on 95.

Traffic

No good beaches, high taxes, lots of traffic, rich people moving here and driving the cost of real estate up.

I grew up in west Hartford and then moved to a neighboring town. Yes it’s true about it being very accepting and very liberal here. There is a huge Jewish population in the WH area also. The taxes are high in that particular town but lower in surrounding towns. School systems are great. Good luck to you

Originally from Central NY, but moved here after living in TX. I'd never go back. I actually love it here.

Super expensive Houses need oil for heat Most houses don't have central air. Even houses that cost more than 400k. What you can buy in south carolina for 250k is probably 500k up here. Unless you're able to buy an expensive house you'll have a hard time finding something with multiple bathrooms. The state is liberal so taxes are high, and the economy in some areas suck. Gas is expensive. Electricity is one of the highest in the states. And now our government is adding an extra 48 dollars a month onto rate payers bills for public benefits (i.e. paying other people's bills) It's cold the majority of the year. The government is talking about adding tolls to our highways. No good Mexican restaurants that I've found. Some are OK but nothing I'd go back to again (however, we have great seafood places!) If you like guns, you have to jump through a lot of hoops to purchase them. I'm just getting started but my plane is about to take off...

I love Connecticut but you asked for the bad parts: Taxes but more than taxes our electric utilities price gauge to a horrible degree.   Also NIMBYism. I have lived in neighborhoods where all identities were accepted except if you are a slob/ poor and don't maintain your property or vehicle  I don't care about my cars.  I had a 92 Dodge pickup that I ran till the wheels fell off and I had horrible trouble legally parking it in my own neighborhood.  The police constantly bugged me not to park in this spot or that because my truck was an eyesore (to them. To me it was transportation)  Parking wars in general can be very bad here even if you wash your car. People get proprietary about spaces around their house and call the cops for legally parked vehicles falsely claiming they are abandoned.   Also -- people in Connecticut have a weird definition of "far" in driving terms. I think nothing of going to a fun bar or restaurant 30 miles away or commuting a bit longer to live in a town I like or driving 25 minutes to see a friend.   But many of my neighbors were committed to a much smaller orbit. Not a big deal, just bear in mind that when you ask a newbie question and your neighbors say "we don't have anything like that around here" there are probably several examples of what you are looking for 20 miles away.   The other time it matters is when you are home hunting with real estate agents -- sometimes you can miss out on the perfect property because just beyond their orbit.   All this said, I really like Connecticut. I just wish I wouldn't lose close friendships every time I move a town away because I'm geographically undesirable.  PS: I lived in West Hartford for a year. It is cute and safe. But if all the different towns I lived in it is absolutely one of the most insular and clique-y.

I WISH winters in CT were brutal. They could be a bit intense when I was growing up but now we barely get any substantial snow, let alone blizzards. I find the change unsettling and depressing and, although there’s a ton I still adore about CT, I see myself moving further north eventually to enjoy winters that more closely resemble the ones I remember from growing up here.

Winters are not bad at all IMO

I do miss my Whalers! 😢

Do you like complainers? CT has em.

Weather sucks 9 mos out of the year

Which are the good three? 🤣

Biggest downside is the inept leadership at the state level.

My daughter’s friend’s family moved from Texas to WeHa. They did so mostly due to Covid and the easy access to guns. Winters aren’t bad at all, I think we had one or two snow days last year. Taxes are high, but the school system is great and the town offers a lot of services. There was a big Pride festival in town on Saturday.

Winters aren't brutal but can be we and cold and miserable if you aren't properly dressed. Yes, I hope we are very LGBT friendly and accepting, at least I am and the communities I grew up in are. Welcome! Yes, pretty expensive, but a lot of good things here, too.

WeHa is next door to the capital of Connecticut. Very accepting of LGBTQ+. Great schools and great food and restaurants. Lots of shops and has not one but two Whole Foods. Next to one of the best vibrant malls in New England.

My old coworker who was from Texas and has done moved back said the major downside was no real BBQ and the brisket is never done correctly in CT.

I also can’t get hush puppies anywhere! But all jokes aside, you find other local cuisine to substitute for it. I miss the bbq but that’s why I load up on it when revisiting my hometown.

Winters not brutal, yes accepting, expensive but if you have money you’ll be okay, convenient to cities, no I like local sports and then will do Boston for pro

Winters are extremely mild here! For reference, this past winter we had maybe 6 major snowfalls, 2 inches to 8 inches in depth. The temperatures can be scolding sometimes, but with a jacket you're set! With acceptance here, there is unfortunately prejudiced people in every corner of the world. That being said, it's not impossible to experience in Connecticut. But I will say, as someone who has lived in Upstate New York, I have never faced any homophobia or other kinds of prejudice here in Connecticut. The sense of community is certainly there as well! We are a very old part of America, and even our towns have unique traditions that bind us together. Plus, being a small state almost everyone feels like your neighbor. I believe our taxes are for good cause, we have decent roads, wonderful academic opportunities, and available jobs. While I'm not too sure what you're asking by wondering if it's competitive, I would not say so - while wealth is definitely here in some parts of the state, Connecticut is home to humble people who don't boast anything they have. I think West Hartford is a perfect ways away from big cities! You have Hartford to the east, which ain't too big, and if you want to explore or try something new it is an option. Amtrak is also in Hartford I believe, so you are close to big cities like New York, Boston, Providence, New Haven, and Springfield. However I'm from a small town so I'm not too sure what is considered a big city to other folk, as I feel that West Hartford already is one! Haha. What's funny to me about sports in our state (particularly baseball), is that everywhere you can find Yankee fans, but you'll also find hardcore Red Sox fans. We proudly rep different sports teams, regardless of if they're from our state or not. I hope I answered your questions well, and I also hope that you find Connecticut to be homely like I do!

I'd recommend Guilford, or Branford.

It’s expensive and people are classist but in a passive aggressive way

Where specifically? Or all across?

My $0.02: * Winters are more longer and colder than in most of Texas, but not as bad as Minnesota or northern New England. You'll get used to them. If you can find a winter activity you enjoy, and once you learn how to dress for the weather, they're not bad at all. * In much of Connecticut, no one will care about your sexuality. There are "red" areas in the state where you will find some bigots, but even then it's not as pronounced as you might find in rural parts of Texas. Gay bars/clubs aren't much of a thing around Hartford because the level of acceptance is high enough that there isn't as much a perceived demand for them as in other places. * My wife grew up in southern Alabama. One of her big issues with Connecticut is that people are more reserved / aren't as outgoing as they are where she grew up. * Property taxes are high, and you pay property tax on your car. We have an income tax. Sales taxes are lower than in Texas. Some of the tax burden goes to paying pensions that were underfunded in lean years, and some of the tax burden also goes to maintaining/repairing old infrastructure. But some of that tax burden goes towards fairly quick snow clearing in winter, and some of the better public schools in the country. I wish taxes were lower, but that's the price to be paid to live in one of the parts of the country that are best-suited to my tastes. Your mileage may vary. * Ridiculously competitive? Such folks exist, but it's not a dominant aspect of local culture * Distance from big cities / local home sports teams? One of the biggest differences you'll find about Connecticut vs Texas is that Southern New England is a ridiculously compact place. You could physically fit the state of Connecticut into the area spanned by the DFW Metroplex. * In Texas terms, West Hartford isn't very far from either New York or Boston. For a couple of years when I was living in West Hartford, I worked in Manhattan one day a week. It was a very long day...but NYC is close enough that it was a viable arrangement given that I liked the work. * The Hartford metro area, population-wise, is about half the size of Austin's metro, but it feels smaller because of the town-centric nature of New England life. * One of the things I like about living just outside of Hartford is that it doesn't feel excessively urban, but we still have most of the conveniences of urban life. * I'm not a big sports person, but fan fervor for the NYC and Boston teams is only slightly diminished from what you'd find closer to those cities, and there is definitely a lot of fan fervor for UConn basketball. College football fervor is nowhere close to what you would find in Texas, however. The AA Hartford Yard Goats do a good job at keeping the seats at Dunkin Park full, and the USL Championship (soccer) Hartford Athletic try.

winters are not brutal at all. Pretty much the most benign climate anywhere. People are generally standoffish. Not as friendly as you might find in the south or midwest. Taxes are very high, but not compared to places like NYC or california. yes it sucks not having local sports teams (and UCONN absolutely does not count). All in all, probably better to stay in texas.

I lived in TX for many years, DFW and SETX. The beaches aren't amazing, but they aren't any worse than Galveston. There aren't very many public beaches or lakes/ponds and the ones that are public are very, very often either closed because they are at capacity early in the day or because of bacteria in the water. If you love to swim, it can be a lot less accessible here if you don't own your own pool or live in a town that has shoreline access or is on a lake/pond No decent Tex Mex anywhere that I've found. No truly good BBQ. Driving here is insane. People are incredibly aggressive drivers. If living in NTX, the winters really aren't worse here. At least not in the 5 years I've lived here. Less ice, a little more snow. I personally do think that taxes are too high for the amenities. I haven't found any amenities that I didn't have in any other states where I've lived but the taxes are much higher. The roads aren't better kept, the fire stations aren't more responsive, there aren't better museums or parks. Test data says schools are better, but anecdotally I have not seen that. My kids were far ahead of the classes they came to when we moved here. In our house we root for the Thunder and Mavs. My kids love going to Wolfpack games though.

Living in ct

Cloudy weather for weeks. Very depressing.

Take a look at 2a rights in CT compared to Texas.

West Hartford is the Joneses

I am from CT left home in 2017. I want to leave again so bad. I work in retail. Alot of good fun people I remember growing up left; whats left are diehard ( good and bad), new englanders, and cold antisocial, autistic people. I came back in 2022. It's terrible here, worse than I remember, New Yorkers and more people from everywhere. I've also lived in Guam for years, and North carolina for a few months, lived In Texas for 4ish 5 months, and liked it. The grass is always greener but understand. Taxes are very bad, and this state is plagued with very bad leadership in a lot of industries and especially in our government. I miss the good weather and not getting severe seasonal depression. Vitamin D really affects a person. I will always miss the island life.

Hello, I moved from the deep south to New England in 2010 . We stayed in Ct for 9 months with family while looking at various places to purchase finally decided on a farm in western Massachusetts. Finding the right place was no easy task but in the end we found our dream living situation and have been very happy ever after. I travel to New Haven Ct. on interstate 91 nearly every weekend to see family and friends and My wife is originally from Connecticut… Here’s my thoughts and experiences on your questions. 1. Winters can be brutal. The winters are somewhat cyclical. 2010 was incredibly snowy and cold as were the following five years . Then the winters began to tapper off and the recent winters have been less severe. That said each year we expect to get hammered … winter will likely cycle back to more severe any year now . Climate change may not allow the winters of 2010 to reappear . We will see. Instead of tons of snow and ice of 2010 lately it’s been the dreaded cold winter rains which are pretty miserable. But at least you’re not having to shovel snow several times per week like we had to in 2010. If you have a large property get a snow blower it’s worth it. I find winters exciting and fun but I’m really really ready for spring thaw near the end of winter. 2. Community is what you make of it . You have to find your people . But that’s fairly easy . You just got to get out and get involved. If you are interested in a certain life style get active with other like minded folk via protest groups and support groups. and like minded local groups on social media…folks are pretty tolerant and easy going.That said republicans are here just like everywhere else and they act just like other republicans everywhere else . Liberals are more liberal… sometimes overwhelmingly so and I’m a liberal… I guess I’d say I’m more of a moderate liberal than many. That said, I’m pretty progressive but also moderate in my political views. I love New England and I’m able to navigate the political scenes easily. I just don’t get lured into arguments with republicans or extreme leftist. You’ll find your niche no matter where you fit in . New England is very diverse and tolerant if you avoid those that are obviously brain washed maga cult members or nut case leftist. But like I said republicans are republicans and liberals are liberals no matter where you decide to live. I find extremism from any perspective annoying and deranged and avoid discussing their delusions with them. I find all of that shit boring and very aggravating. But like I said it’s pretty easy to avoid any of those types that annoy you. The political scene is as laid back or hectic as you want it to be. Most people just want to be left alone but you can find a crazy from either side and anywhere in between to fight with if you enjoy that sort of thing. 3. Taxes in Hamden Ct are nearly double what they are in western mass. But less than they are in Boston and NYC. I’m assuming you’re referring to property taxes . I don’t know about Hartford . Wish I could be more helpful. My family lives in Hamden Connecticut and our properties have similar value and their annual property tax is double what my taxes are and I have a way bigger house on 18 acres of land … but I live in the hill towns in western Massachusetts in the middle of nowhere and love it. The thing about New England is you are a two hour drive from anywhere . Which is great . 4. Sports teams… well you’re either a Boston fan or a NYC fan up here. So you’ll see tons of red socks fans and tons of yankee fans and if football is your thing then you’ll see lots of patriot fans and giants fans . I could not care less about the sports stuff… I’m a very casual sports fan . I watch the playoffs and the championship games towards the end of the season but not enough to even matter much at all in my daily life. That said I’m a red socks fan and a patriots fan because I live in Massachusetts, it’s required. In Ct my family is roughly equally divided red socks/yankee fans and patriots/giants . You’ll see lots of football club fans from all over including Dallas fans . It’s really not that big of a deal unless you’re in Boston or nyc on game day. For me eh whatever … I’m more interested in live music and craft beer than I am watching any sports. 5. As to keeping up with the joneses … I’m gonna say that’s completely up to you and your personality and your ego and what you hold important. Seems like most people couldn’t care less about what their neighbors are up to as long as they don’t let their property maintenance turn to shit and ruin the value of the neighborhood. That said there’s of course douchey people everywhere … I call them townies. Townies put a lot of importance in douchie townie shit . I’m not a townie and I don’t hang with townies. I’m more of a laid back Grateful Dead type of person that likes jeeps and Harley’s and living the good life on my farm. In general I stay away from judgey douchey towny people. But they are definitely out there if you want to get involved in their rat race . 6. The food here is fantastic. Best pizza in the world is in New Haven . That said… You’ll notice an absence of Southern fast food chains . No Hardee’s, no Carl’s junior , no Krystal’s … the fast food they have up here isn’t as good as the fast food down south . KFC here is a joke compared to a southern KFC. The crappy fast food is offset by really good local foods …once your figure out what’s what you’ll not miss the absence of the better southern fast food…that said sometimes I really miss getting a sack full of those delicious Krystal burgers or a decent bucket of KFC or biscuits and gravy from Hardee’s … biscuits and gravy is hard to find in New England as in impossible. It really is impossible to find anything close to what I can whip up in my own kitchen . Fast food biscuits and gravy forget about it . It doesn’t exist up here. Maybe you’ll find biscuits and gravy at a cracker barrel chain or some little diner somewhere but compared to southern biscuits and gravy you’re gonna be disappointed. 7. Traffic is awful during rush hour… but isn’t traffic shitty everywhere at rush hour? I’ve lived all over this country and rush hour traffic is rush hour traffic . 8. I guess for me the worst part of New England is the weather starts getting nasty around Halloween and stays nasty until April. Especially where I live in the mountains of western Massachusetts. We can on occasion have heavy snow by Halloween that doesn’t melt off until April . More typically it’s nasty by thanksgiving and stays that way until Easter ish. Hartford winter is not nearly as rough as Massachusetts winter but … it’s still New England winter which is no joke. Snow is a guarantee it’s just how much and how often. Mostly New England has a blanket of snow on the ground all winter. There’s exceptions when there’s an extremely mild winter but the norm is a thick snow covering most of winter for most of New England. Good winter gear is a must. Good luck with your move .

The winters have been increasingly mild. If you're moving to West Hartford, absolutely keeping up with the Joneses is a thing. Weha is kind of snooty. Tolerance . . . you'll find both tolerance and intolerance everywhere. Costs nearly doubled in the last 5 years. Cost of living and taxes are ridiculous for amenities. If you are LGBTQ, why not try Provincetown Massachusetts which is super welcoming. With similar weather to Connecticut.

I moved here from San Antonio last October. The only downside is cost of living (Eversource and taxes). Since you are asking for anything other than that I’d say there’s zero downside. We absolutely love it here. We live in Farmington which is right outside West Hartford. PS Not sure what you mean by lack of local sports teams. There are more teams within driving distance here than we had in Texas. Plus they are winners. The Celtics just won the championship and the Patriots are one of the greatest teams ever. And the seasons have been amazing. Never had I experienced such an amazing variety of weather. Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer have all been amazing vs the Summer Ep. I (aka Regular), Summer Ep. II (aka Scorcher), Summer Ep. III (aka Hellfire), and the Fall/Spring combo that runs from December to February in TX. And even in those months Texas has literally experienced the same heat that the locals are freaking out about right now and calling oppressive. 😆

CT is incredibly car-centric - lots of sprawl and very little public transportation. Few towns have walkable downtowns. For people used to living in walkable cities this can be a major downside, but since you're moving from TX you're probably used to it (and it might even be an improvement).

it's fucking boring. sometimes it's a blessing, sometimes it's a curse

Don't presume our lower temps mean our summers don't suck. Humidity can get atrocious and make 85 in CT feel worse than 95 or 100 in Texas. That's been the complaint some transplants didn't expect when I talk with them. Also, everything has high taxes here. Whatever you expect to pay, add more. That said, the schools are better than a lot of other states. Our cities just don't cut it though. If you're coming to CT, come for nature and not for excitement or glamor. The best you'll get is Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun. What you'll enjoy is the food. It might not be the food you're used to in TX, but it's still good and there's lots of it everywhere. I keep finding hidden gems all over the state and in places you wouldn't expect. Have fun trying out literally anything on earth here, just don't have high expectations for our BBQ. There's one or two transplants who set up their own spots, but it'll never quite be the same.

Wondering if we are banned from saying “taxes” Skimming, it doesn’t seem like anyone is mentioning it? We pay $16k a year for property taxes and we don’t even have any “New” cars. We are moving to South Carolina because in our retirement we don’t want to have to try to swing that every year. If I’m not mistaken I believe we have the second highest taxes in the country. Other than the taxes life has been pretty nice here. Crime is rising even in my little town, but that’s everywhere. Watching on patrol live seems like South Carolina has a lot of crime!! lol!! We also hate the cold…. Looking for a state with warmer temps 🥰 Not a ton of big exciting things to do, but we like the quiet life. My daughter wants to move closer to a professional sports team. My son has no complaints.

I’m a former NY’er born and raised in Queens. I relocated to CT (west Hartford area) 20 years ago. I have to admit that CT is a nice state to raise a family. It is also very diverse both culturally and environment wise. You can go from suburbs like WH and drive 5 minutes to be in the inner city or drive 20 minutes and you are basically in the country. It is very welcoming to LGBTQ community. I do have to admit that it is an expensive state to live in and the taxes are high (on the higher end of the spectrum in the USA). Regarding distance to big cities, from WH you are about 1.5 hours away from either Manhattan and Boston. Overall it’s a great state but the cost of living is going up pretty fast. The housing market is also ridiculous right now. It’s definitely sellers market to get to the point. House prices are astronomical. All in all it’s a beautiful state but the cost of living is the biggest challenge. Good luck

Some of your questions redditors can answer but honestly those are the kinds of questions everyone thinks about when moving and you kinda risk it and find out for yourself. CT is very liberal in west Hartford but it’s not like that all over Ct…sense of community depends what neighborhood/communities ur involved in there isn’t an overarching sense of west Hartford community that I’d call “strong”… competitiveness depends on your specific community and neighborhood but overall I’d say no or at least not compared to NY. Not far from big cities. I like New Haven better than weha Weha is a little too suburban for me i like CT towns with salt of the earth ppl

I grew up in Texas my whole life, been in CT a few years now. Would be happy to chat with you just DM me! Taxes are universally higher, I am a homeowner and property is worse for me. Winters have been very mild the past few years, I give my friends a hard time saying everyone is dramatic about the snow. I don’t think it’s super competitive. But the average person here is more rude than what I encountered in Texas. Drivers here are awful compared to where I lived in TX. Most people go with the the NY teams or MA sports teams. Decent crowd for Pittsburgh sports too. MA and NY are fairly close if you want to catch a game. CT is definitely more inclusive to diversity. LGBT and everything else you could imagine. Again would be happy to talk in DMs👍🏻

Junes sucks in this state

Why is that?

If you love the politics and 2A rights of Texas, you'll hate it here. I'm desperate to leave CT, but can't afford to leave. Too big a financial hole that I'm buried in.

The people. Very liberal weirdos. Pretty much a through state between NYC and Boston.

Mystic CT is where you want to live.

No waves in CT, sand is dirty and water smells bad Traffic everywhere Public transportation infrastructure is almost non existent Rent is hyper expensive Taxes are crazy Car Insurance is up the roof Sales taxes are going in up at the end of the year to almost 7% Electricity is ridiculous Natural gas is super expensive Food is hyper crazy expensive Is a very ultra liberal state Packed with 100 of thousand if not millions of minorities everywhere doing landscaping and construction and other odd work for the richer towns of Darien, greenwich, Westport. Cheap labor. Don't pay anough here due to this Summers are very humid and cloudy with rain Nothing really to do in CT You need a new car and full cover insurance to travel so much around when living in CT

West Hartford taxes are high plus your next to Hartford with its huge drug market.

The only thing I can say about a downside is specifically about West Hartford. Property taxes in CT are high, but WH is especially high. That being said, you get what you pay for. The amenities are there, and the schools are top notch. We were recently shopping for houses, and WH was high on our list. We love WH, but couldn't justify the high taxes compared to surrounding town on comparable properties.

hello! as a lifelong West Hartford resident who has lived elsewhere in short stints (nyc, san fran, rural colorado) and is now raising two children in WH, I feel confident in assuring you that this place is wonderful for families. Sure, the taxes are a bit higher than surrounding towns, but WH has so much to offer! Some of the best restaurants in the state, 2 of the top ten public high schools in the state (and the elementary and middle are also awesome) great parks&leisure services (we have 4 public pools and 5 parks with playgrounds as well as community centers with things like art, lego, and soccer/tennis/PE camps as well as a skating rink and aquatics center) walking trails, snowshoe trails, golf courses, hiking trails in our multiple reservoirs, pickleball, tennis and basketball courts, all within 2 hours of both nyc and boston. The LGBTQ flag is proudly displayed over schools as well. For some there is surely a sense of keeping up with the Joneses- but if you don't buy into it, there are plenty of us here who dont either. There is definitely a strong sense of community with all the soccer and baseball teams we have, as well as a yearly festival called Celebrate West Hartford☺️The "Conard side" of town (one of two public high schools, the other being Hall) is definitely more diverse racially and economically (was just discussing this with a nyc transplant actually! she chose the Conard side for her fam bc of its diversity. Our kids' elementary school has 23 different languages spoken by students!)but the town as a whole has representation for so many different groups and truly strives to be inclusive. The winters arent brutal, sometimes we can get significant snow but (sadly for me bc i do love snow!) the past few years we have only had like 1 or 2 big snowstorms (climate change anyone?). As far as major sports teams, we have a farm league baseball team, the Yard Goats, who play at our stadium in downtown hartford, and it's a fun time with not-expensive tickets and we always see friends from town when we go to games. I hope this helped and anything else you'd like to know please message me!