City, State, Country: Connecticut, USA
Born and raised in CT, lived there for 27 years. I have lived in various parts of the state and spent time in almost all of it. I lived in Litchfield county up through (public) high school, went to a CT public university, then lived in Manchester CT for 5 years. I'm doing a little write up of all of CT because it's a small state!
If a suburb, distance from city:
CT is right between NYC and Boston. From Hartford, it's a 2.5 hr drive to NYC or 1.75 hr drive to Boston (both depending on traffic). Driving to NYC is significantly worse than driving to Boston. For NYC, there is Metro North railroad that has a few lines from CT and NY. The New Haven line is most relevant to CT. Taking the train takes a little more effort to drive to the station, parking, logistics, etc. but once on the train it takes =/< time to arrive in New York. And factoring in the cost of gas, wear & tear, and parking in NYC, you come out ahead taking the train.
Average housing cost (specify rent or buy): High variance depending on location in the state. Generally gets more expensive closer to New York (Fairfield county)
Fairfield county starter homes range $450,000-$600,000+ depending on the town/city
Hartford area starter homes range $300,000-$450,000 depending on the town/city
The more rural parts of the state can be $250,000-$400,000 depending on the town/city
There is high variance (even with towns that are RIGHT next to each other) because each town has its own schools, police, fire dept, municipality, etc. Local property taxes are done up by town, not county. The nicer suburbs tend to have higher property taxes, and these figures are very much dependent by the quality of the school system. Property taxes are high in the state overall, but the quality of the schools is excellent overall. CT is consistently top 5 for public education in the U.S.
Indoor Hobbies:
None in particular, but you better have some because winters get cold, snowy, and long. Cold and snowy isn't so bad for Nov, Dec, or Jan. But then February rolls around and it's bitter cold. By the time March comes around, there's not as much snowfall but it's definitely cold and there's dirty snow all over the ground. In April, you can bet on it being cold...still. May and June are when it actually warms up.
Outdoor Hobbies: Natural beauty
CT has tons of natural beauty and outdoor activities. This is one of the most underrated aspects of the state. Most places in CT you are 1 hr or less from the beach and 1 hr or less from rural/agricultural areas. It's got hiking (albeit hills, not mountains), trails, biking, skiing, rivers, lakes, and fantastic state parks. Public and state taxes cover the upkeep for many of these places, so they are 'free' when you visit.
Weather (High Temps, Low Temps, Seasons, Sun): Wonderful seasonality
If you like seasons, CT is great. It has all four distinct seasons. Spring brings ice melt and warming of the earth. Summer is warm and humid, can get fairly hot July through September, more moderate near the coast. Fall is stunning and lasts late September through mid-November. Winter lasts late November through mid-April. Yes, it can feel like winter for 4-5 months out of the year. Snowfall is not like the Great Lakes region or Buffalo NY, it's more like a handful of major snowstorms per year with lighter snowfall and/or rain in between. Be prepared to hunker down in the winter, shovel snow, put down ice melt, and scrape off cars many times if you don't have a garage.
Favorite things: Public education, natural beauty, excellent standard of living
Least favorite things: Taxes, major state financial problems, wealth disparity, weak cities, lacking job growth, crowded in certain areas
Problems! Every state has got them. Here are Connecticut's. First problem, there is an underfunded pension liabilities crisis that was compounded for decades which is causing significant strain on the state budget. This is a 40-50 year problem estimated at $100 billion. Multiple generations of taxpayers are on the hook paying into it for many, many years. See Illinois for a similar pension crisis. Second problem, CT has weak cities. Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury do not support career growth, are considered undesirable, and young professionals are moving to other states because of better job opportunities and better cities. Stamford is doing well but you might as well count it in New York with how close it is to the city. Third problem, wealth disparity. There are extremely wealthy areas, and there are poverty areas literally blocks away. Yale-New Haven. Greenwich-Bridgeport. West Hartford-Hartford. This causes people with money to live in the suburbs and leaves poorer people in the cities. Then the cities struggle. This isn't a specific problem in CT, it's all over the world. But it exists in CT and isn't helping the state thrive and attract young people.
When you pay state income tax, high property tax, sales tax, gas tax, plastic bag tax, car purchase tax, registration tax, it feels like you are taxed hard on everything and to me it becomes questionable about whether you are getting adequate value out of what you pay.
'Must Try': Pizza
New Haven style pizza is world renowned.
Stupid ordinances/laws:
Not really applicable, but the pension crisis I wrote about earlier is a real threat to the future of the state.
Words of wisdom/Advice:
Connecticut is a wonderful place to raise a family...if you have the money to live in the desirable suburbs.
Sustainability options (gardening, solar, etc):
Lots of houses putting up solar in recent years, good gardening seasons, very good corn, etc.
Any questions about specific areas, I'm happy to help!
