Is Connecticut a Good Place to Raise a Family?|195046

My fiancee and I are just starting to talk about places to settle down... He would prefer the East coast for the schools and loves outdoor activities. I want a relaxed safe atmosphere with plenty of cultural opprotunities. Does Connecticut sound like the spot? (I have never lived East of the Mississippi) If not any other suggestions?

I say YES. I grew up in Northeasten CT and it was semi-rural at the time (still is pretty much). We had 12 acres with woods and a river down back. I spent so much time outdoors doing _nature stuff_. It_s a great place for kids. One major plus about CT is that it_s very easy to get to Boston, NYC or Providence where, as you know, there are other great schools, museums, etc.. You can get a house deep in the woods in CT and know that you are only a few hours away from major cities like that.

CT is on the coast so you can easily drive to a beach in the summer (on Long Island Sound) or head slightly east, just over the RI boarder and go to beaches that are directly on the Atlantic ocean.

To be honest, the cities in CT are not desirable. New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport are impoverished and parts can be VERY dangerous. Hartford ends up on some of those _Most Dangerous US Cities_ lists. Those cities are surrounded by very rich suburbs that are extremely expensive to live in with million dollar homes, etc.. Fairfield County is where most of the _rich_ CT people live since it_s closer to NYC. For the most part, the towns east of the CT River are a little less expensive and/or less populated. I suppose anywhere in CT may be a bit more expensive that most other states in the US. It_s not cheap to live there but that_s life on the East coast.

Connecticut has a good basketball team, i know they had a down year this year.... but Jim Calhoun can bring the team back.