Review of Hartford, Connecticut


A Very Nice Small City and an Excellent County
Star Rating - 7/30/2018
I grew up in West Hartford....and the City of Hartford and Hartford County is a lovely place to live. Easy access to everything you will ever need. The City is completely under-rated and a bargain to live in when you consider places like Tennessee and yes, Florida. It's an easy place to live. Everything is walkable or a very quick drive. In 45 minutes you can be at the beach or the mountains, depending upon your interest.

We retired to Florida from Hartford. After a year, we sold our house in FL and are moving back to Hartford. Florida is excessively hot, humid, full of strip malls and rude/very aggressive drivers. The price of real estate if FL has skyrocketed and it is simply not worth it. The City of Hartford is very easy to work in and there has been a ton of housing construction over the past 5 years. The Mark Twain House is amazing, along with the Harriet Beecher Stowe House. The Wadsworth Atheneum (the oldest public art museum in the country) is wonderful, along with Elizabeth Park and the oldest Rose Garden in the country. The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts was built in 1929 and is has the most amazing art deco ceiling I have ever seen. Bushnell Park (designed by the architect who designed Central Park in NYC) is lovely...and be sure to ride the Carousel, one of the oldest in the country. The Butler Cook Museum is nice, and the Old State House is beautiful. Goodwin Park is great for golfing and its famous cemetery has fantastic residents like Kathrine Hepburn and JP Morgan. I can't wait to move back to a walkable, liveable city where the cost of living is reasonable and the schools are excellent (compared to those in the rest of the country).
john | Sarasota, FL
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John, you, sir, are on crack. Almost anywhere in the area would be better than Hartford. Hartford is literally a city on the verge of bankruptcy that sucks funds from the rest of the state. Hartford is a city that is high in violent crime and in property crime. Its school system is in bad shape and has been for decades. It has been run by corrupt officials for ages. While the core of downtown is certainly walkable (all 10 square blocks of it), I doubt you would feel comfortable at night unless in the heart of the entertainment and restaurant district. The city has a majority population of lower income families with a small population of wealthy citizens associated with Law, Medicine, Insurance, and Government. Most neighborhoods I am sure YOU would not walk without an armed guard. That you think CT is more liveable indicates that you may have been gone a while. CT has among the highest fuel costs, highest electical costs, many heating AND cooling days each year, some of the highest taxes in the country overall (income, property, etc) and the situation only continues to worsen with the State's deficit and high value employers fleeing the state. I would trade places with you in Sarasota in a heartbeat.....but let me make that another part of my point. You are complaining about increasing costs in Sarasota...which happens to be a hot market and a VERY desirable place to live for many people. Yes, costs have been steadily rising down there since the crash in 2008 (I know....I regret not having bought a Siesta Key property back then). Regardless, when it comes to Hartford County, most of the surrounding suburbs are a better choice for anyone coming here, particularly those with families.
Dan | Granby, CT | Report Abuse

New England has much going for it- that many in the region are to close to the forest to see the trees. Hartford, Bridgeport, Waterbury and New Haven have massive problems. but the overall metro area of Hartford and New Haven are decent places to live. The climate is milder then 30 years ago- which makes it less severe in winter. Housing prices in the Hartford area are near the national average. Health care and access to health care is second in the nation. Crime in the state of Connecticut is in the top ten lowest in the nation. Traffic is moderate to heavy- but not bad compared to other cities in the northeast and west coast. Quality of life is high in Connecticut- Florida has issues that are brewing just below the surface- the biggest is climate change. The state ranks NEAR the bottom- with increased threats due to the following - extreme heat, drought ,wildfires, inland flooding and coastal flooding- its essentially ground zero for climate change. Connecticut faces fewer threats and is safer. Connecticut will also see more extreme heat- but far less then Florida. Inland Flooding and coastal flooding will also be a problem in Connecticut. Connecticut rates a score of 9 with climate change- Florida 308. The lower the better. The entire culture and economy of Florida will face dire threats as the years progress, unless carbon emissions are reduced.
Peter | Vernon Rockville, CT | Report Abuse
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