leaving ct my home state

[Troll Alert]

Morgan wrote:

<quoted text>
I agree Ivy. There seems to be a lot of people here just looking for someone to be combative with.
I think it's called being a TROLL.

...being a Troll. Yes it is. Sorta. People who's posts are all about cant and hyperbole and short on objective facts, those who's intention is to disparage are called Trolls And topics that seem to attract trolls are called troll magnets.

http://curezone.com/forums/troll.asp

There were seven and a hundred Trolls,
They were both ugly and grim,
A visit they would the farmer make,
Both eat and drink with him.

Out then spake the tinyest Troll,
No bigger than an emmet was he,
Hither is come a Christian man,
And manage him will I surelie

The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction to reminding others not to respond to trolls.

[Been there tried that]

I was born here in Connecticut lived here most of my life. In 2003 I moved to North Carolina. Heres some numbers to compare
Connecticut North Carolina
$410 take home $250 take home
$650 rent $449 rent
$300 utilities $200 with cable
w/o cable
$240 yearly car tax not sure didn't have a car

The only reason why I moved back to Connecticut was to start over (a bitter break up) and that is where I could live with minimal rent for awhile with the parents. The one thing I loved about where I lived in North Carolina is that for $2.20 you could go anywhere in the city through the bus system. I live on my own now and can barely make ends meet. Between paying for health insurance, car insurance, home insurance, and some of the nicities of life like electricity I just don't have it in the budget to be able to do anything else. I miss North Carolina at least being able to do more with my life other that come home and watch movies that I have seen hundreds of times. If anyone is wondering I live in a decent area of Seymour but I am starting to wish I never moved back to Connecticut.

[Carol]

I was born in New Haven and moved out to Arkansas. Im glad I did, I tried very hard to figure out how a single mom could survive in NewHaven and it just wasnt gonna happen. I found a wonderful cheap little 3 bedroom home and the mortgage was 207 dollars a month for 10 years. And its such a nice quiet neighborhood where I live with lots of woods in my back yard. I found New Haven very crowded, and I didnt even dare get my drivers liscence...people were so crazey on the road...lol.

[justasec]

Ivy wrote:

Is Connecticut really that bad? By the sound of things it sounds like it is the worst place to live on the planet. If it is so bad and prices are so high and there are no jobs, how come so many people still reside there? I am not a native I am just a New Yorker on the outside looking in and I may be naive but it seems to me that you can find corruption just about anywhere you go. As for the high cost of living, not by New York standards. Also, if you are moving from a state where the cost of living is higher and you go to a state where it is lower, you will make out like a bandit (at least temporarily). Ask the natives of the state you are moving to if the cost of living is low. I would venture to say, not. I think if you live somewhere (anywhere) you do your best to make it home. If you decide you're going to hate you're environment based on rampant crime, poor housing, lack of schools, lack of jobs, burned out homes, that's one thing but if you decide that you hate the environment because the people are snobs, everyone is concerned about getting more money, the place looks like Puerto Rico (as is the case with one of the post I read) or because the place isn't exactly what it was 20 years ago, that is completely something else. Home is where the heart is. If you're neighbors won't speak with you, there are others, If the homes are starting to look rundown in your neighborhood, inspire others and give you're home a makeover (believe me, people will follow suit, if the can, just not to be out down) and raise the value of your home to boot. If there is a shortage of jobs in your county go to the next. The majority of New York City residents work in Manhattan but live in the outer boroughs, so we travel anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour or more each way everyday. I want to move to CT (New Haven County) and I have tried to stay optimistic while reading the posts but I am starting to have second thoughts. I wish more people with good things to say about CT would post more often, so that I can have a more balanced picture. I want feedback on New Haven, East Haven, West Haven, Wolcott, Naugatuck, Waterbury, Manchester, Hartford, Bloomfield, Berlin. For all you real estate knowledgeables, I would like information on up and coming neighborhoods (I think you refer to them as transitionals). I may consider purchasing in that type of neighborhood. I am not interested in any area that has passed its peak unless its on the come up again. I am looking at 5 years down the road and would like to buy low and sell high. Also, what areas are family oriented with decent schools?

Ivy, It's not as bad as most claim it to be. The mere act of leaving NYC (grew up there, got out, best move ever) especially for anyone who may have a family or is intent on starting one, is a great leap forward.

Perhaps my friend Daniel Mulvihill can assist with regional/real estate information. Dan owns Mulvihill Realty in Danbury, CT. He is very familiar with areas in CT which may be suitable for your goals.

E-mail me @ [e-mail] and I will provide his contact info as I cannot do so in topix.net

Best wishes!

[Greg]

I have been in Connecticut for over 30 years. Yes the cost of living is higher than other areas. However if you work hard you will make it. There are affordable areas with good schools, new homes in the Seymour area and close to Rt 8 that have made it easy to stay. The schools are some of the best in the country BTW.

[Rob]

Greg wrote:

I have been in Connecticut for over 30 years. Yes the cost of living is higher than other areas. However if you work hard you will make it. There are affordable areas with good schools, new homes in the Seymour area and close to Rt 8 that have made it easy to stay. The schools are some of the best in the country BTW.

Greg,
I think a major reason why many of us vent in this forum is that we feel that it is more difficult to "make it" in Connecticut than we have found it to be in other places. I'm originally from the Valley and I'm reasonably familiar with the new homes being built that you mentioned. Most of them are over 300k and out of reach for many people, particularly those early in their careers or with young families. There are more reasonable homes in the town, particularly near the library, that are less expensive and have a more regional character than the new ones being built that I will concede to you. As for the schools, overall, they are solid but the best ones are in towns that have a much higher "buy in" cost. If you look at any of the national lists out there, the high performers in CT are in towns where you'd be lucky to get a condo for 300k. There tends to be a great deal of venom in this forum and I think a great deal of it originates in the feeling that we can't achieve the trappings of success that we want for ourselves in CT. Working hard doesn't always bear fruit, particularly when so many large employers have left the area. Following an opportunity elsewhere (i.e. out of the state)frequently is a better path than trying to make it in place where it has become harder and harder to succeed.

[Joslyn]

I think we should all be carefull. We might get taxed for what we say! Just kidding. My fianc'e and i are contimplating on moving to South Carolina. Ive researched the realestate there and it is unbelievable. A little shack in Ct costs 200K,yearly tax=4k. A beautiful spacious brand new home in SC costs 125K. There are no car taxes, better schools, less crime and no snow! Ive lived here all my life and i desperatley dont want to leave my family but i refuse to bust my ass for the rest of my working life to own a broken down shack and them still have to pay an outragous tax bill every year on the little bit i own.I think ive just convinced myself.Alot of people have and soon will relize this and CT might have a financial crisis on there hands if they dont figure out how to make this state affordable for eveyone ,low to high income families. Even if i do decide to move i will always remain a Yankee in my heart.I tried.

[old_skool]

For a place that is nic-named the constitution state, there seems to be a lot if racially intolerant postings. No wonder CT people get a bad rap as being cold and insensitive personalities. There are too many pockets of isolation in this state. look at some of the McMansions being built in ALL communities. Who can afford them without robbing peter to pay paul, as the saying goes? I'm still here because the extra dollars I make offset my kids college cost. After graduation, i am gone!

[old_skool]

I keep hearing about how good the schools in ct are. less than two years ago, Time magazine ran a report of the 1000 best public high schools in America. Guess what? You had to go down the list quite a bit before you got to Farmington High school. East Lyme was the next best rated CT high school. I don't even think Madison, with there new 48 milion dollar school cracked the top 1000. CT schools get a good rap because of how well the private school kids perform in college, not so much because of how the public high school kids do. Another case of "haves" vs "have nots". I grew up in New Milford. I'm familiar with both sides of this state. From Torrington to New London, and all points in between. From Southport to Danielson(NE corner for those of you who don't know). All over CT it's the same complaint. Affordable housing is non-existant and good paying blue collar jobs are leaving in a hurry. What does that tell you?

[New School]

old_skool wrote:

I keep hearing about how good the schools in ct are. less than two years ago, Time magazine ran a report of the 1000 best public high schools in America. Guess what? You had to go down the list quite a bit before you got to Farmington High school. East Lyme was the next best rated CT high school. I don't even think Madison, with there new 48 milion dollar school cracked the top 1000. CT schools get a good rap because of how well the private school kids perform in college, not so much because of how the public high school kids do. Another case of "haves" vs "have nots". I grew up in New Milford. I'm familiar with both sides of this state. From Torrington to New London, and all points in between. From Southport to Danielson(NE corner for those of you who don't know). All over CT it's the same complaint. Affordable housing is non-existant and good paying blue collar jobs are leaving in a hurry. What does that tell you?

Actually the Top 1000 list of High Schools was in Newsweek, not Time

712 Avon Avon Conn. 1.493 1.0 23
911 New Canaan New Canaan Conn. 1.306 less than 1 46.1
558 Darien Darien Conn. 1.683 less than 1 45.6
636 Hall West Hartford Conn. 1.580 13.0
529 Wilton (tie) Wilton Conn. 1.708 less than 1 42.4
620 Ridgefield (tie) Ridgefield Conn. 1.615 n/a
817 East Lyme East Lyme Conn. 1.386 3.0
945 Fairfield-Warde Fairfield Conn. 1.271 2.7 30.9
439 Weston Weston Conn. 1.847 n/a
765 Greenwich Greenwich Conn. 1.435 8.7 42
336 Conard West Hartford Conn. 2.056 15.7 37.5
772 New Fairfield New Fairfield Conn. 1.420 n/a
269 Farmington Farmington Conn. 2.267 4.0 49.4
514 Staples Westport Conn. 1.722 2.2 38.8

2005

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12532678...

2003

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7723397/site/news...

[Norm Spier]

I am on my way out of CT myself based largely on the health insurance laws. I've figured out that if you get kind of sick as you get kind of old (but before Medicare age 65), you really have quite a financial risk here in CT, due to the state laws. I want to avoid that financial risk (even though I am now healthy), and so am leaving.(I had hope, based on Governor Rell's and other reforms. It turns out that some of the reforms are really geared towards helping the problem for lower-income folks, and given what has been said about the importance of not hurting the insurance industry in the legislature, I have little faith that it will work out, and at any rate, I can't wait around.)

This health insurance thing has been a big concern of mine, since I found out about 12 years ago that NY, NJ, MA, and VT have much better systems, at least from the point of view of it you wind up getting sick for the long term. I actually have had up for a while a web-site on the issue: http://www.nastechservices.com/HealthInsuranc...

I do, however, caution you that I am not sure that the insurance laws are better down south, where many of you are planning on going.(I haven't checked it out. It will vary state by state.)

[Norm Spier]

I don't live in West Hartford. I live in Danbury. Somehow, the automatic system said I live in West Hartford.

I live just a few miles from the New York border. Easy exit for me!

[Morgan]

old_skool wrote:

I keep hearing about how good the schools in ct are. less than two years ago, Time magazine ran a report of the 1000 best public high schools in America. Guess what? You had to go down the list quite a bit before you got to Farmington High school. East Lyme was the next best rated CT high school. I don't even think Madison, with there new 48 milion dollar school cracked the top 1000. CT schools get a good rap because of how well the private school kids perform in college, not so much because of how the public high school kids do. Another case of "haves" vs "have nots". I grew up in New Milford. I'm familiar with both sides of this state. From Torrington to New London, and all points in between. From Southport to Danielson(NE corner for those of you who don't know). All over CT it's the same complaint. Affordable housing is non-existant and good paying blue collar jobs are leaving in a hurry. What does that tell you?

Agreed, I think the schools here are average. The ones on the list at all are in the southern part of the state, that leaves a huge chunck of the rest of the state out in the cold. They keep raising taxes "for the kids", "for education" butwe are still just average.

[george]

JTEH wrote:

The pathetic East Hampton Connecticut police is a prime example of how Connecticut has become a police state. Since I live there I can tell you first hand how they are despised. Their miserable record of gross incompitence, ineptness and outright abuse of authority speaks for itself. They should be investigated! They are a disgrace to whatever good cops may be out there.

You should go after the schools too...apparently they do not teach spelling very well

[val-ski]

Born and raised in danbury ct. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!
but it has gotten too expensive. consider this, in the early 90's avg ranch home was about 125k now its 375k if you are lucky to find something decent @that price, the reason why I stay is for the mt. biking. I have a sister who just recently moved to N florida
she is trying to convince me to move down , but i cant get over the fact of no mountains and too hot!!
I ask any of you to convince me to listen to my sister. I REALLY HATE WINTER ALWAYS HAVE ALWAYS WILL,
but I love cycling , TO MT.BIKE YOU NEED MTS. RIGHT?

[CT SUX]

Dave R wrote:

CT. is awwwwwwwesome!!!!!!!!!!

CT SUX

[eric]

IronRay wrote:

Funny. Not one mention of the people that live here in CT. Hardly a friendly one in the bunch. I moved here from Il. 20 years ago. People in CT are arrogant or they couldn't care less about anyone else.
Any close friends I made while here were all from somewhere else. Sure the land is nice but the people won't even look at you unless you have something to offer them.
I guess that comes from the endless quest for money. I really want to leave but my wife is reticent.

how true friend,,,people here complain about taxes and i just laugh!!! the buck goes farther in the midwest for sure

[eric]

val-ski wrote:

Born and raised in danbury ct. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!
but it has gotten too expensive. consider this, in the early 90's avg ranch home was about 125k now its 375k if you are lucky to find something decent @that price, the reason why I stay is for the mt. biking. I have a sister who just recently moved to N florida
she is trying to convince me to move down , but i cant get over the fact of no mountains and too hot!!
I ask any of you to convince me to listen to my sister. I REALLY HATE WINTER ALWAYS HAVE ALWAYS WILL,
but I love cycling , TO MT.BIKE YOU NEED MTS. RIGHT?

I l;eft New England 10 years ago, so im alittle out of the knoww , but how about going up north,for the moutains- New Hampshire, Vermont? I tried 10-12 years ago and Vermont and Maine had no work and unless your not a 3rd generation native ,you wont work unless you dont mind the bottom end jobs, we almost went to New Hampshire,( which I loved) but i ended up going to Wis. for monatary reasons. I love New England,but there just inst any future there.

[crusade]

donna b wrote:

Over the past few years, it has become very hard to live here. Sure, anyone can exist here,but I want to live and enjoy it,not struggle with basics. In my opinion, to succeed here you must either be in a political family or "buddy" to one. The other option is blood money. I have neither. This state semms to want it that way, and the recent passing of utility fee hikes verified these thoughts for me. How convenient for the politicians who want CT only for the "haves" and literally to financial hell with the have nots like me. Our only other choice is to get out of the proverbial "Dodge",(CT) and that's what they want.

Yeah,Alot of place use names like urban renewal to cover the fact that they are tearing down all the middle class homes and building million dollar condos.It drives out anyone who can't afford a bimmer.The poor move farther away and the rich revel in their clean new neighborhoods.
These are highly liberal areas too,so it seems the people loving left is just as powerhungry as they claim everyone else is.Try to confront em and they start speaking gibberish......

[Ernesto]

crusade wrote:

<quoted text>
Yeah,A lot of place use names like urban renewal to cover the fact that they are tearing down all the middle class homes and building million dollar condos.It drives out anyone who can't afford a bimmer.The poor move farther away and the rich revel in their clean new neighborhoods.
These are highly liberal areas too,so it seems the people loving left is just as power hungry as they claim everyone else is.Try to confront em and they start speaking gibberish......

You certainly seem to be a master... of speaking gibberish.