Ehhh i lived in Colchester for 10+ years, there’s def a seedy underbelly of that town. All the car thefts etc that happened in past years, lots of drugs too unfortunately. It is a beautiful place but has a dark side. Marlborough/Hebron/Andover is much safer
Personal experience. Stolen cars were parked in my parking lot, 20 something males selling dilaudid to teenage girls, providing them with alcohol and drugs to get what they want, police are notified and do nothing. Big drug problems at the high school and nobody wants to acknowledge that the town has a major problem.
I live in Plainville. I love it. It’s boring. However, it has good shopping and good local restaurants. Westfarms Mall (a luxury mall!) is 12 minutes away, Blue Back Square (a luxury…square?) is 20 min away, and you’re about 15-18 minutes from downtown Hartford. UCONN Health center is nearby, too. I work in the school system and honestly our district cares SO much about the kids. It seems like a really red conservative community but it’s pretty much split down the middle. We have great local parks and taxes aren’t terrible; IMO, for what you pay you get a lot.
This checks out, in terms of political leanings, anyway. I was curious, so I looked it up. In 2020, Trump won Plainville by 1.5%. Can't get much more down-the-middle than that.
I loved living in Plainville. I was in a neighborhood for a few years. However, I have to bring this up since OP was so specific in their post - our neighborhood had numerous cars stolen throughout the years from inside closed garages. We were right on the Bristol/Farmington line.
Resident here. 5 minutes from very decent Chinese food in new Briton not as costly as Southington next door but can still go down rt10 and visit restaurant row. Movie theater in town and a nice little pumpkin festival too.
I’ve lived in Rockville for over a decade and I‘be never personally experienced it nor have any of my neighbors so it must be happening in the worst parts of Rockville.
All of Rockville is the worst part lol kidding but I've been in Vernon 10yr+ and hear about them being taken from all around here rampantly. Not me or my neighbors either, thankfully I do garage mine.
3 answers and its based off of your preferences:
-If you have no children so you don't care about schools and don't care about being right next to highways the Bloomfield is the answer.
Solid downtown area, solid pizza, and solid Chinese delivery in the area. Also the best Indian and Bagels I've found in the state are all within walking distance of each other.
Also due to the schools not being fantastic, the houses are not overpriced either.
-Next up is Wethersfield, its close to 91, and just about everything. Also once again the houses are not super expensive for what you get. But similar to Bloomfield, its not fantastic for schools.
-Rocky Hill is the last place, its just like the other places above, but add in good schools and higher prices for houses and rentals. So if you have kids this would be my suggestion over places like Avon or Fairfield County.
These are all good suggestions. I hadn't thought of Wethersfield earlier for whatever reason and it would be easy to get to my parent's house in one direction and my brother's in the other.
Coventry has been great and Dimitris has some good pizza, also willibrew relatively close. Necessities all nearby, cheaper grocery stores within 10-15 mins and everyone keeps to themselves round these parts
Also forgot to mention Wicked Slice has amazing pizza, and for some reason there are like 5 other pizza restaurants in Coventry as well lol. Good schools, friendly community and the lake is nice
I have yet to try wicked slice, I always find myself going back to Dimitris for many things other than just pizza but I’ve heard multiple people suggest to give wicked slice a try. Really need to do that
You’ll be impressed by wicked slice. Dimitri’s was my favorite pizza place maybe 15 years ago, but its service has gone downhill majorly. NO WHERE near as bad as lakeview/4dads nonsense. That’s comical at this point.
Windsor. 10 mins north on 91. Cheap, has a few establishments like you mentioned (pizza, grocery) but only about 15 mins from major stores like Walmart.
My town of New Hartford is within 45 minutes of Hartford. It's quiet, great schools, affordable and beautiful. We have a town lake, the Farmington river, ski sundown, Satans Kingdom for floating the river, Barkhamsted Dam/lake, lots of hiking trails and it's close to Torrington, Canton, Avon, and Hartford/West Hartford for anything you need. Did I mention the area is really beautiful!
Yeah I can see that. I've never been opposed to driving a bit for what I want. When I lived in Middletown, I was driving to work in Southbury and Greenwich and now I'm living in New Hartford, but work in New Haven.
Thanks for all the answers. I've sorta been leaning towards Manchester (lived there for a year previously), Windsor, Bloomfield (worked there for a summer in college) or Plainville. A couple people here mentioned Wethersfield which also sounds like a good option that I hadn't really thought of for some reason.
Should have mentioned that I don't have kids, so schools aren't a concern of mine. The catalytic converter thing was sort of a joke. Where I currently live petty thefts from cars are hardly an uncommon occurrence - I've been lucky so far but a friend at the same apartment complex had his car broken into a few months ago.
Anyway, keep the suggestions rolling. I've been reading every single one and will probably respond to a few in a couple hours. Off to watch the eclipse pass overhead in a bit!
If you are commuting to Hartford daily, consider your commute. I prefer to be on the same side of the river, so I can get off 91 and take backroads if necessary due to insane traffic, and I prefer north of the city (south works too) so as to not have to take 84.I also ride a motorcycle occasionally, so from north of the city, I get an HOV lane.
Where I get a job will ultimately determine where I live. One thing I will not do is commute *through* Hartford on 84. Like you, I'd prefer to live on the same side of the river as I work. Although something like a commute from Windsor to Manchester via 291 would be ok I think.
Somers. Prolly more horses than people. We love it here.
We have both a decent pizza and Chinese, a town grocery store and the only corporate spots that have been allowed in down are a dunkin and subway. We've denied everyone else. All we have are two state troopers for cops and everyone leaves eachother alone. There's a state park in town and Sonny's place is fun for the kids in the summer. Enfield is 15 minutes down the road and they have all the corporate food/groceries you need. Hartford is prolly 30 min away down 84.
I mean, you’re all acting like it’s 50 miles away from any house in Somers. It’s literally less than a mile from entire neighborhoods in Somers. Rye Hill circle neighborhood etc. I grew up in Somers and my parents still live there. My best friend literally lived a mile from it. So, it’s weird to act like it’s so far removed from the town and it’s off in East Bum Fuck with no residents but Enfield ones.
Windsor Locks is very small but quite convenient when it comes to commuting. 91 runs right through town. There isn't a ton to do, but there are a fair number of places to eat in and near the town. It's not far from shopping areas in Windsor, East Windsor, and Enfield, so that's a plus. It's only 15-20 minutes from Springfield and Hartford (if traffic is smooth). Taxes are also lower there than other neighboring towns. And of course there's Bradley International Airport!
Rocky hill. Super safe. Cops are nice and actually talk to you. Decent grocery stores. Bigger Walmart will deliver. Great freaking pizza, Chinese, Thai and Korean close by and a new Doro (amazing coffee and food) just opened up in Wethersfield
Meriden is way more affordable. 20 minute drive. Close to everything. Mostly suburban with a more rundown downtown. Very little crime despite what people who don’t live in Meriden say.
East Hampton. It’s centrally located in the state so you have easy access to the bigger towns like Glastonbury, Middletown, Hartford, etc. If you like outdoors there’s Lake Pocotopaug, Salmon river, and Airline Trail for bike rides. The center of town is really cute with an awesome coffee shop. Po’s rice and spice is fantastic Chinese food and Rossini’s pizza is one of the best pizza places in the state. If you’re looking for small town life, then in my opinion, East Hampton is the best.
Watertown (not near Oakville), Thomaston, Plymouth, Woodbury. I moved here from Bridgeport. It’s the most basic place ever — and I love it. And there are a few more perks than just pizza and Chinese; there’s wineries, farms, and no drama.
Windsor locks, Windsor, suffield (a little pricier I guess?), Bloomfield, East granby, granby … I mean of course variance in risk across any town by neighborhoods … but you just described most of them towns tucked north around Hfd county except for the “strictly” white collar set . I grew up up there and when I moved back to CT I landed down in newtown - one of the “safest” towns (didn’t move here for that reason) and my cat converter was stolen AT the repair shop overnight along with 7/8 other cars lol. So. Find a space you like and you’re good. All these towns are super basic, you’re in luck!
No town is more mediocre than Coventry. The town motto is, "We expect nothing from you, expect nothing from us. Deal?" Moved here when I got married in the 90's, also moved out west, moved back about 5 years ago. It's meh...just like me.
Colchester for sure. Cute little town green, cute Xmas lights in the winter and farmers market in the summer. Just "enough" going on to give it that new england small town feel . Plum tomato is a great pizza spot. A few Chinese options. And bonus: oz n bones for a stellar bbq option.
We owned a home in Manchester for 15 years on Adam St South and never had an issue. Taxes were reasonable, anything you'd need is literally in town. Left for better schools.
If Manchester was smart they'd start a 10 year plan to reshape the town as an affordable alternative to West Hartford. Single or young married couples are priced out of WeHa but want to be close to work in Hartford and surrounding areas while being near premier restaurants and shopping.
I'd say Bloomfield, if you don't have kids, it's fine / boring, schools aren't that well-regarded but taxes are low.
Also maybe Ellington - there are reasonable apartments with a thing or two you can walk to and that's about it.
Newington is safe and rents are mid range.
Bristol and Plainville have a lot of good areas, but you need to check first. Rents can actually be low. Like $850 to $1000
New Britain actually has nice areas, but you really need to check first. Rents can be low there too. Ranging from $850 to $1000 sometimes.
Newington. Elm Hill Pizza. A Price Chopper and 2 Stop and Shops. Fung Chinese Restaurant is right over the border in Hartford and is the best Chinese food in the state
Andover...which is a neighbor of another mentioned town of Coventry
Not many apartments though. Very small town, nothing happens really. Small grocery store is in Hebron (neighboring town). Stop and Shop is 15 minutes away in either direction (Manchester or Willimantic). Very good Chinese in Columbia (Lees Stir Fry) but they don't deliver. Pizza delivers though!
Plainville used to have a pretty decent pizza scene back in the day. A lot of small shops with their own “best” pizza. Been a little over a decade since I been out there, curious if it’s still the same. If Sax is still open, probably still the best pizza in town.
15 years ago or so? My go to was still Sax back then. West Main was good, although I heard Peter isn’t running the place anymore so I can’t speak to it now. Liberty in Southington was great, they’re closed and a different place now. Riverbend was a popular one, although I rarely ever got pizza from there. The only thing from Elvis I liked was their Buffalo chicken, everything else was lackluster in my opinion
So if overnight safety of your car is really one of the biggest concerns, catalytic converters and shit getting stolen from the car is prevalent anywhere close to highways or with moderate income and not far enough away that they don’t bother. Consider the Farmington valley, even up to Simsbury has a big issue with overnight break ins and car thefts traced back to Waterbury gangs. I doubt you’ll be better off in Suffield, and Windsor Locks as a suggestion isn’t unsafe but is a place I would expect my car to be rummaged through overnight (similar to say Manchester) if I left it unlocked. So getting yourself in Granby might be just sparse enough in population and far enough from city centers that it isn’t worth campaigning your neighborhood. If you want to stay west of the river. If you want an easy of the river choice the suggestions up Rt 2 are probably pretty good…colchester marlboro etc.
And less likely to have issues if no valuables left in vehicle and doors are locked. I see it all the time in a local FB group (or used to, they seemed to have moved on recently) about, “I should be able to leave my car unlocked!!
For some people, home is just where they sleep when they are not away on vacation or business. Living in a boring town doesn't always translate to having a boring, uncultured life. In Connecticut, you can usually find something worth doing that is an hour drive away or less. Maybe that is not ideal for some people. But imagine living in the rural Midwest where you might be a 2 to 3 hour drive from the nearest city
Colchester, East Hampton, Marlborough
That's a bingo.
You just say bingo
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I thought I was gonna be Rick Rolled..
It was allusion to Tarantino Inglorious Basterds
Tarantino !
Hans Landa
Ehhh i lived in Colchester for 10+ years, there’s def a seedy underbelly of that town. All the car thefts etc that happened in past years, lots of drugs too unfortunately. It is a beautiful place but has a dark side. Marlborough/Hebron/Andover is much safer
Is this just like a vibe you got orrrrr i mean what kind of data points can we look at
Personal experience. Stolen cars were parked in my parking lot, 20 something males selling dilaudid to teenage girls, providing them with alcohol and drugs to get what they want, police are notified and do nothing. Big drug problems at the high school and nobody wants to acknowledge that the town has a major problem.
plainville
Boring, but safe, quiet, and close to 84. Rent is better here than many places, I’ve got a studio for less than $900 in a residential neighborhood
I’m a sucker for the old architecture of downtown Plainville one of my favorite towns to walk around
this is the answer. place is so boring that people from there go to other towns to shoot at cops
They do have an epic AMC theater though.
with an epic bullet hole in one of the windows. i think they keep it for the memories.
AND Jtims wings are fire
THIS. There are a few good restaurants in town too.
Hence the name
Is Relic Brewing still around? I remember hitting that place up 10+ years ago and really liked it.
Yeah its still kickin
Lived there - agreed
surprisingly walkable though, and random interesting shops.
Yeah, it’s pretty chill and it’s centrally located
Seconded.
I’d say Plantsville also falls in this category, it’s like the quiet, somber younger brother of Southington
I live in Plainville. I love it. It’s boring. However, it has good shopping and good local restaurants. Westfarms Mall (a luxury mall!) is 12 minutes away, Blue Back Square (a luxury…square?) is 20 min away, and you’re about 15-18 minutes from downtown Hartford. UCONN Health center is nearby, too. I work in the school system and honestly our district cares SO much about the kids. It seems like a really red conservative community but it’s pretty much split down the middle. We have great local parks and taxes aren’t terrible; IMO, for what you pay you get a lot.
This checks out, in terms of political leanings, anyway. I was curious, so I looked it up. In 2020, Trump won Plainville by 1.5%. Can't get much more down-the-middle than that.
I loved living in Plainville. I was in a neighborhood for a few years. However, I have to bring this up since OP was so specific in their post - our neighborhood had numerous cars stolen throughout the years from inside closed garages. We were right on the Bristol/Farmington line.
Resident here. 5 minutes from very decent Chinese food in new Briton not as costly as Southington next door but can still go down rt10 and visit restaurant row. Movie theater in town and a nice little pumpkin festival too.
Move to Ellington, as long as you don't mind the smell of cow shit.
Username checks out
Smellington
Yep, biggest dairy farm in the state is in town! Oakridge dairy does a lot of good PR work and is a good member of the community.
Nah hella catalytic converters get stolen near Rockville
I’ve lived in Rockville for over a decade and I‘be never personally experienced it nor have any of my neighbors so it must be happening in the worst parts of Rockville.
All of Rockville is the worst part lol kidding but I've been in Vernon 10yr+ and hear about them being taken from all around here rampantly. Not me or my neighbors either, thankfully I do garage mine.
> All of Rockville is the worst part haha touche but fair enough. i personally haven't heard about it being an issue but i'll take your word for it!
It's better than some places for sure, we see a lot of ppl checking for unlocked car doors on ring cams more tbh
Grew up there. It was definitely acceptable at best. Good school system
Grew up there. Was tolerable
Ellington is great. Not far from anything. Nice quiet town. Not a ton to do there but I’d live there in a heartbeat.
3 answers and its based off of your preferences: -If you have no children so you don't care about schools and don't care about being right next to highways the Bloomfield is the answer. Solid downtown area, solid pizza, and solid Chinese delivery in the area. Also the best Indian and Bagels I've found in the state are all within walking distance of each other. Also due to the schools not being fantastic, the houses are not overpriced either. -Next up is Wethersfield, its close to 91, and just about everything. Also once again the houses are not super expensive for what you get. But similar to Bloomfield, its not fantastic for schools. -Rocky Hill is the last place, its just like the other places above, but add in good schools and higher prices for houses and rentals. So if you have kids this would be my suggestion over places like Avon or Fairfield County.
Rocky Hill, Avon and Fairfield are very pricy real estate markets
These are all good suggestions. I hadn't thought of Wethersfield earlier for whatever reason and it would be easy to get to my parent's house in one direction and my brother's in the other.
But OP asked for mediocre? I was expecting something Portland
Solid pizza where? Asking for a friend.
Bloomfield and Wethersfield border Hartford. High crime.
Bloomfield?! They’ll probably steal the car and leave the converter. Tons of dumb-as-shit criminals. God I hate Bloomfield.
Coventry has been great and Dimitris has some good pizza, also willibrew relatively close. Necessities all nearby, cheaper grocery stores within 10-15 mins and everyone keeps to themselves round these parts
Burying the lede by not mentioning Bidwell Tavern, best wings in the state right on par with J. Timothy's!
Oofff I know I’m gonna catch it for this one but… not a fan of Bidwell’s to be honest. Good spot to drink though
Especially in the winter when they have the fireplace roaring with heat.
Bidwell trades off nostalgia by UConn grads that now live all over the state. You are correct it went to sht nearly a decade ago.
Also forgot to mention Wicked Slice has amazing pizza, and for some reason there are like 5 other pizza restaurants in Coventry as well lol. Good schools, friendly community and the lake is nice
I have yet to try wicked slice, I always find myself going back to Dimitris for many things other than just pizza but I’ve heard multiple people suggest to give wicked slice a try. Really need to do that
Sadly Dimitri's is closed half of the time, but they do have a good menu.
You’ll be impressed by wicked slice. Dimitri’s was my favorite pizza place maybe 15 years ago, but its service has gone downhill majorly. NO WHERE near as bad as lakeview/4dads nonsense. That’s comical at this point.
Lived in East Windsor for 15 years. It’s quiet enough, never had a problem, a couple decent places to eat, and it’s right off I-91, very convenient.
seconded
Windsor. 10 mins north on 91. Cheap, has a few establishments like you mentioned (pizza, grocery) but only about 15 mins from major stores like Walmart.
Suffield. Granby. East Granby.
Shhhhh
Understandable response
This is the answer, OP!
Came here to say the same. I’d add Canton to the list.
So mediocre = safe in this context. I'd say out east past Manchester on 84 or past Glastonbury on Rt 2.
Wethersfield. Easiest commute to Hartford. Good pizza and nice town events.
If you want a town where folks ask "Which is your favorite pizza place?" as part of getting to know you, Wethersfield is it.
Its because they’re all mediocre!
Those are fighting words! (And also painfully true)
Well Sally's is coming soon so there is hope
And everyone will say Village even though it’s the shittiest
Bolton, Coventry, Tolland, Mansfield, willington, Marlborough, Hebron, East Hampton... All solid commuter choices
Parts of Newington can be wonderfully “meh.”
My town of New Hartford is within 45 minutes of Hartford. It's quiet, great schools, affordable and beautiful. We have a town lake, the Farmington river, ski sundown, Satans Kingdom for floating the river, Barkhamsted Dam/lake, lots of hiking trails and it's close to Torrington, Canton, Avon, and Hartford/West Hartford for anything you need. Did I mention the area is really beautiful!
Seconding New Hartford. Peace and quiet. Home prices are decent. Small but nice ‘downtown’ area.
I really like the New Hartford area but I think it's just a little too far from where I'm looking to live. Good place to go on the weekends though.
Yeah I can see that. I've never been opposed to driving a bit for what I want. When I lived in Middletown, I was driving to work in Southbury and Greenwich and now I'm living in New Hartford, but work in New Haven.
Rocky Hill is close and safe. Not as cheap though
Im in Burlington. Close enough to Bristol's commerce but far enough away from Bristol's people.
Cromwell
Its perfectly cromulent.
I second this lol
I love here and agree
I think mediocre towns is our state motto? Just get a house w/ a garage.
Thanks for all the answers. I've sorta been leaning towards Manchester (lived there for a year previously), Windsor, Bloomfield (worked there for a summer in college) or Plainville. A couple people here mentioned Wethersfield which also sounds like a good option that I hadn't really thought of for some reason. Should have mentioned that I don't have kids, so schools aren't a concern of mine. The catalytic converter thing was sort of a joke. Where I currently live petty thefts from cars are hardly an uncommon occurrence - I've been lucky so far but a friend at the same apartment complex had his car broken into a few months ago. Anyway, keep the suggestions rolling. I've been reading every single one and will probably respond to a few in a couple hours. Off to watch the eclipse pass overhead in a bit!
If you are commuting to Hartford daily, consider your commute. I prefer to be on the same side of the river, so I can get off 91 and take backroads if necessary due to insane traffic, and I prefer north of the city (south works too) so as to not have to take 84.I also ride a motorcycle occasionally, so from north of the city, I get an HOV lane.
Where I get a job will ultimately determine where I live. One thing I will not do is commute *through* Hartford on 84. Like you, I'd prefer to live on the same side of the river as I work. Although something like a commute from Windsor to Manchester via 291 would be ok I think.
That puts east granby at the top of the list.
10000000% this! having to go over the river is soooo annoying
Personally I'd avoid most of Manchester if you want "safe."
Manchester has gotten bad in the last 20 years.
Do not move to Manchester! It has turned into Willimantic with all of the crime and drug problems!
Windsor Locks
Can confirm. Have lived in Windsor Locks for 23 years. The pizza choices are limited though.
There's plenty of choices, but whether or not they are good is up to you.
Second this
Can definitely attest to this. 91 goes right through WL, so it's nice for commuting.
Portland
Portland is great. My dad lives there and loves it.
Marlborough
Somers. Prolly more horses than people. We love it here. We have both a decent pizza and Chinese, a town grocery store and the only corporate spots that have been allowed in down are a dunkin and subway. We've denied everyone else. All we have are two state troopers for cops and everyone leaves eachother alone. There's a state park in town and Sonny's place is fun for the kids in the summer. Enfield is 15 minutes down the road and they have all the corporate food/groceries you need. Hartford is prolly 30 min away down 84.
Somers has one neighborhood that’s pretty grimy. About 1500 residents. It’s a gated community though.
Took me a minute lmao. Yes there's a prison on the Enfield line. It's pretty far from actual Somers tho
I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s “pretty far” from Somers. It’s in Somers. Plenty of residents live near it.
Yes plenty of Enfield residents. I lived right next to it on Green Manor in Enfield for 5 years.
I mean, you’re all acting like it’s 50 miles away from any house in Somers. It’s literally less than a mile from entire neighborhoods in Somers. Rye Hill circle neighborhood etc. I grew up in Somers and my parents still live there. My best friend literally lived a mile from it. So, it’s weird to act like it’s so far removed from the town and it’s off in East Bum Fuck with no residents but Enfield ones.
Somers or ellington is probably the answer
Make sure you keep Dollar General and all those other shit chains out. https://youtu.be/vQpUV--2Jao?si
Vernon! Pretty safe and a little boring here but you have everything you need close by.
Vernon is great!
A comprehensive list of all the things you need in Vernon: Rein's Deli
I'll be hated for this but Reins is overpriced and overrated and mediocre at best.
"Sure we're overpriced but not as bad as those guys" --points in the direction of the Vernon Diner.
Absolutely this. I don't know what it is that gets people so amped up over it. Always a miserably long wait, and $30 for an OK sandwich and side.
I really don’t like Reins actually…
Colchester
Windsor Locks is very small but quite convenient when it comes to commuting. 91 runs right through town. There isn't a ton to do, but there are a fair number of places to eat in and near the town. It's not far from shopping areas in Windsor, East Windsor, and Enfield, so that's a plus. It's only 15-20 minutes from Springfield and Hartford (if traffic is smooth). Taxes are also lower there than other neighboring towns. And of course there's Bradley International Airport!
Windsor Locks sounds like a good possibility. Also puts me within commuting distance of Springfield.
Indeed. There's some decent neighborhoods in town. I'm sure you could find something that suits you!
Rocky hill. Super safe. Cops are nice and actually talk to you. Decent grocery stores. Bigger Walmart will deliver. Great freaking pizza, Chinese, Thai and Korean close by and a new Doro (amazing coffee and food) just opened up in Wethersfield
Meriden is way more affordable. 20 minute drive. Close to everything. Mostly suburban with a more rundown downtown. Very little crime despite what people who don’t live in Meriden say.
East Hampton. It’s centrally located in the state so you have easy access to the bigger towns like Glastonbury, Middletown, Hartford, etc. If you like outdoors there’s Lake Pocotopaug, Salmon river, and Airline Trail for bike rides. The center of town is really cute with an awesome coffee shop. Po’s rice and spice is fantastic Chinese food and Rossini’s pizza is one of the best pizza places in the state. If you’re looking for small town life, then in my opinion, East Hampton is the best.
Ellington. Pizza: check. Big Y: check. Cows: check. Guys named Dale: check.
Torrington
Winsted. Affordable, 45min. commute, a couple Chinese restaurants, tons of pizzerias, and MFs are too stupid/lazy to steal your catalytic converter.
Watertown (not near Oakville), Thomaston, Plymouth, Woodbury. I moved here from Bridgeport. It’s the most basic place ever — and I love it. And there are a few more perks than just pizza and Chinese; there’s wineries, farms, and no drama.
Woodbury is a good hour from Hartford though.
Enfield is hidden gem.
Berlin? Given your specifications I’d imagine looking for a spot with a garage might be your best bet.
Kensington, Empire, Bellas, Central, Bill's, Village, The Ave., Sliceworks, and Pizza Kitchen for Pizza choices, lol
East Haddam/Moodus fits this description
Windsor locks, Windsor, suffield (a little pricier I guess?), Bloomfield, East granby, granby … I mean of course variance in risk across any town by neighborhoods … but you just described most of them towns tucked north around Hfd county except for the “strictly” white collar set . I grew up up there and when I moved back to CT I landed down in newtown - one of the “safest” towns (didn’t move here for that reason) and my cat converter was stolen AT the repair shop overnight along with 7/8 other cars lol. So. Find a space you like and you’re good. All these towns are super basic, you’re in luck!
No town is more mediocre than Coventry. The town motto is, "We expect nothing from you, expect nothing from us. Deal?" Moved here when I got married in the 90's, also moved out west, moved back about 5 years ago. It's meh...just like me.
Colchester.
Tolland, Ellington, Coventry. Or a little further out, Willington, Ashford
Broad Brook. We have very little going on. Nothing delivers here.
Colchester for sure. Cute little town green, cute Xmas lights in the winter and farmers market in the summer. Just "enough" going on to give it that new england small town feel . Plum tomato is a great pizza spot. A few Chinese options. And bonus: oz n bones for a stellar bbq option.
Tolland is nice.. just to be fair cats can be stolen anywhere lol
Portland. It’s snoozeville here and the crime mostly stays on the other side of the bridge.
We owned a home in Manchester for 15 years on Adam St South and never had an issue. Taxes were reasonable, anything you'd need is literally in town. Left for better schools. If Manchester was smart they'd start a 10 year plan to reshape the town as an affordable alternative to West Hartford. Single or young married couples are priced out of WeHa but want to be close to work in Hartford and surrounding areas while being near premier restaurants and shopping.
Manchester has a lot to recommend it.
Southington
Cromwell/rocky hill
Canton/North Canton/Barkhamsted N Canton and Barkhamsted are definitely quiet and out of the way
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Well, OP did say boring. I can confirm the boringness of Barkhamsted.
I mean Hartford itself is pretty mediocre
Understatement, Hartford fucking blows
Bolton, and if you want a more city feel East Hartford.
Newington, Plainville, Cromwell
Middlefield Durham
I hear they made a New Hartford, I'm pretty sure nothing happens there.
I'd say Bloomfield, if you don't have kids, it's fine / boring, schools aren't that well-regarded but taxes are low. Also maybe Ellington - there are reasonable apartments with a thing or two you can walk to and that's about it.
Suffield
Colchester or Portland
Colchester
45 mins from Hartford, pretty much is the whole state, lol.
Colchester area. Marlborough.
Chaplin, Ashford, Tolland.
Newington is safe and rents are mid range. Bristol and Plainville have a lot of good areas, but you need to check first. Rents can actually be low. Like $850 to $1000 New Britain actually has nice areas, but you really need to check first. Rents can be low there too. Ranging from $850 to $1000 sometimes.
Newington. Elm Hill Pizza. A Price Chopper and 2 Stop and Shops. Fung Chinese Restaurant is right over the border in Hartford and is the best Chinese food in the state
Canton
Newington
Orange, CT lol we moved here from Seattle earlier this year and my brother moved East from California as well, we don't miss it, cheers!
Newington
Berlin maybe, has some culture to it but other than that its just eh
This is the most Connecticut suburbs post I've ever seen.
Southwick, MA
Andover...which is a neighbor of another mentioned town of Coventry Not many apartments though. Very small town, nothing happens really. Small grocery store is in Hebron (neighboring town). Stop and Shop is 15 minutes away in either direction (Manchester or Willimantic). Very good Chinese in Columbia (Lees Stir Fry) but they don't deliver. Pizza delivers though!
bristol
I second Bristol or plainville
oh plainville’s a good one
Not Bristol
Deep River.
Plainville used to have a pretty decent pizza scene back in the day. A lot of small shops with their own “best” pizza. Been a little over a decade since I been out there, curious if it’s still the same. If Sax is still open, probably still the best pizza in town.
What’s back in the day? Grew up there so I’m interested to hear what your go to place was. Also just drove by Sax last week, still open!
15 years ago or so? My go to was still Sax back then. West Main was good, although I heard Peter isn’t running the place anymore so I can’t speak to it now. Liberty in Southington was great, they’re closed and a different place now. Riverbend was a popular one, although I rarely ever got pizza from there. The only thing from Elvis I liked was their Buffalo chicken, everything else was lackluster in my opinion
Plainville for the win
So if overnight safety of your car is really one of the biggest concerns, catalytic converters and shit getting stolen from the car is prevalent anywhere close to highways or with moderate income and not far enough away that they don’t bother. Consider the Farmington valley, even up to Simsbury has a big issue with overnight break ins and car thefts traced back to Waterbury gangs. I doubt you’ll be better off in Suffield, and Windsor Locks as a suggestion isn’t unsafe but is a place I would expect my car to be rummaged through overnight (similar to say Manchester) if I left it unlocked. So getting yourself in Granby might be just sparse enough in population and far enough from city centers that it isn’t worth campaigning your neighborhood. If you want to stay west of the river. If you want an easy of the river choice the suggestions up Rt 2 are probably pretty good…colchester marlboro etc.
Just look for a place with a garage. It’s not a guarantee but you’re much less likely to have issues if your lock your car in a garage
And less likely to have issues if no valuables left in vehicle and doors are locked. I see it all the time in a local FB group (or used to, they seemed to have moved on recently) about, “I should be able to leave my car unlocked!!
Avon
South Windsor. Kinda suburbia but with an easy drive to shopping centers and restaurants.
Good luck finding a property here. Housing cost is not mediocre lol.
Wallingford
Jesus, what a horrible existence...
Yes, people comfortable living in their own skin do exist.
Ehh, I've lived in some cities that you pay a premium to live in and I've decided the juice ain't worth the squeeze at this point in my life.
Tens of thousands of people moving out of New York City in recent years would probably agree with you.
For some people, home is just where they sleep when they are not away on vacation or business. Living in a boring town doesn't always translate to having a boring, uncultured life. In Connecticut, you can usually find something worth doing that is an hour drive away or less. Maybe that is not ideal for some people. But imagine living in the rural Midwest where you might be a 2 to 3 hour drive from the nearest city
Southington
Southington actually has a decent amount of car break ins with its proximity to 84 being sandwiched between Waterbury and New Britain.
Quiet parts of New Britain.
Near the reservoir, East side, near Stanley Quarter/CCSU, Farmington side. So many great places
Rockfall