I currently live in Austin. Should I move to Connecticut?

Page 5 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

MiniDoom

Diamond Member
Jan 5, 2004
5,307
0
71
Originally posted by: thepd7
Originally posted by: rdubbz420
ok, whatever dude. i was just making a point that austin's not hickville. i really don't care about anything else.

good, I'm glad we established you are incorrect and Texas is awesome.

good god... i never said Texas was not awesome and I was defending it saying it was a diverse state and you should stay. apparently, something is wrong with the Texas education system.
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,518
5,340
136
There are pros and cons. I've lived all over the country, and Connecticut is one of my favorite places by far. I think only California beats it (southern, like San Diego), but it's so crowded & expensive there, meh

So: Connecticut is pretty nice, but it is expensive to live here. Depending on where you live, a lot of stuff shuts down at night. In my town, most businesses close at 9:00pm. The mall closes at 9 or 10pm. There's a lot of cool regional stuff, lots of neat fruit farms to go to (blueberry picking, apple fritters, corn mazes) in the summer & fall, lots of fun festivals (Big E in Mass, Apple Festival, etc.). It's pretty safe if you're not in a big city, but even the big cities aren't bad. Places like Hartford, New Haven, and some parts of East Hartford can be shady. None of them are really bad, except maybe some parts of New Haven. I think IcebergSlim lives down there, so you can ask him what's good in that area if you're going to be there. I'm just outside of Hartford and most of the surrounding cities are nice - Manchester, Glastonbury, West Hartford, Bloomfield, etc. Some are more ritzy than others, so location really depends on your housing budget.

Like others have said, there's a lot of rich areas bordered by some very, very poor areas. Not a ton of inbetween. If you like kind of a rural, spread-out suburbia, it's great. I'm not a city person; I prefer having some green around me. Lots of places to drive to. Lots of good food in New England too. Some nice restaurants and unique places to eat, especially in the surrounding states. It's also very conveniently located. If you're into history or art, there's a ton of places to go. New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, etc. are all less than 2 hours away from Hartford. Maine is close, which is really fun if you like seafood. The beaches here are pretty meh, like a bathtub, so if you're into surfing and stuff, don't bother.

The seasons are amazing. 4 seasons, fall is the best. Mild winters - usually only 2 or 3 huge snowstorms. Every other place I've lived has had hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, crazy winters, and so on, but Connecticut is pretty mild. I really like the weather here. It only gets a bit humid in the summer, but it stays moist enough that you don't feel like the heat is sucking you dry. So it's inbetween Texas and Florida in that regard - basically the perfect weather if you want to have four seasons. The people are pretty relaxed here. Not a lot of violence and people are generally civil. A lot of the better-off towns (and there's many) can get on the snooty side, but it's not as bad as some other rich areas I've lived near. People speed like crazy here and use their horns a lot, so be prepared to meet some impatient drivers here (I know that's common everywhere, but moreso here than any place else I've lived).

If you're big on nightlife, it may not really be a good place to move. If you're more family-oriented, then it's pretty sweet. Or if you're like me and prefer to do more things at home - computers, home theater, etc. New York is a stone's throw away, and if you don't want to drive, you can park at Stamford and take the train in really easily. New York is great because it's like going on a mini-vacation whenever you want - tons of great restaurants, shows, sights to see, etc.

Going along with the expensive part I mentioned earlier, housing can be really price. My last crappy apartment in the ghetto was $839 a month, and part of the reason I moved out was because they raised it to $900. The kind of place I didn't let me wife go out after dark alone. If you're looking at an apartment, be VERY careful about what you choose. Pretty much every place I've lived, or looked at, have had major sound problems. The big reason I left my last place was because I could hear my neighbors above & below so well that I could sing along with their music, lol. Even the more expensive places ($1000+ a month) have noise issues. Be sure to talk to people who LIVE in the complex about how they like it, honestly how they like it. Most people are more than happy to share their negative experiences, so it's a good way to get the real scoop on living somewhere.

Cliff's: Nice, but expensive
1. Most places are pricey. People can be a bit snooty, but not totally bad.
2. Be prepared to speed and don't sweat the crazy, impatient drivers who tailgate you at 80mph.
3. Not much on nightlife (in most areas, at least), but lots to see if you're into art, history, and local stuff like fruit farms and festivals. Good food if you search around.
4. Weather is great if you like having 4 seasons. No real negatives other than a couple bad snowstorms a year, so you just chill at home for a day or two instead of driving.
5. Areas I'd avoid: mainly New Haven, most parts of Hartford, and some parts of East Hartford.

Do you have an idea of where you'd be living?
 

thepd7

Diamond Member
Jan 2, 2005
9,429
0
0
Update: Didn't get the job but got great feedback. I had absolutely no areas for improvement so I'm doing all the right things. Looks like I'll be around Texas for another 6 months or so! Next jobs to open up should be Boston, Denver, Seattle, Austin, and Dallas so I'm psyched about making myself the absolute best candidate for those jobs.
 

jai6638

Golden Member
Apr 9, 2004
1,790
0
0
CT's great in that it is right in the middle of two great cities, Boston and NYC. From Hartford, you are 1.5 hours away from Boston and 2 hours away from NYC. I went to high school there and it was pretty good.. You'll probably have to deal with the cold winters but I"d take cold winters anyday to hot summers.. Snow's beautiful and if you live close to work, then you'll have no commuting issues during the winter..
 

BHeemsoth

Platinum Member
Jul 30, 2002
2,738
0
76
I actually live in West Hartford, which, as you would guess is located directly next to Hartford. I moved to CT about a year ago after finishing college in Boston.

Hartford is not the greatest city, but it does have some bright spots. The night life downtown is actually very good, and features a wide range of options from clubs and singles bars to high end establishments. I actually just returned home from a very nice happy hour down there.

West Hartford is quite a bit more upscale then Hartford, and has a very "small town New England" feel to it. I'd recommend checking out apartments in the West Hartford Center/Blue Back Square area, as this area features an abundance of nice restaurants, bars, and things to do. West Hartford is also very safe (I think nothing of my girlfriend leaving my apartment late at night).

As someone who just moved to CT in June 2008, I've recently gone through the same process you're going through, including the whole "should I or shouldn't I?" So, if you have any questions, let me know, and I'll do my best to help you out.
 

gabemcg

Platinum Member
Dec 27, 2004
2,597
0
71
Originally posted by: thepd7
Update: Didn't get the job but got great feedback. I had absolutely no areas for improvement so I'm doing all the right things. Looks like I'll be around Texas for another 6 months or so! Next jobs to open up should be Boston, Denver, Seattle, Austin, and Dallas so I'm psyched about making myself the absolute best candidate for those jobs.

I just moved to Austin a couple months ago from Michigan for a sales job. I love it here. I was also looking at Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, Denver, and Portland... I think I made a good choice
 

thepd7

Diamond Member
Jan 2, 2005
9,429
0
0
Originally posted by: gabemcg
Originally posted by: thepd7
Update: Didn't get the job but got great feedback. I had absolutely no areas for improvement so I'm doing all the right things. Looks like I'll be around Texas for another 6 months or so! Next jobs to open up should be Boston, Denver, Seattle, Austin, and Dallas so I'm psyched about making myself the absolute best candidate for those jobs.

I just moved to Austin a couple months ago from Michigan for a sales job. I love it here. I was also looking at Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, Denver, and Portland... I think I made a good choice

It's a great city. San Fran is too expensive, but all those others are incredible choices too. I absolutely loved Seattle and the two times I went there over the summer I did completely different things: backpacked one time and was in the city the entire other time. Portland is just like a smaller Seattle from what I have heard.
 
sale-70-410-exam    | Exam-200-125-pdf    | we-sale-70-410-exam    | hot-sale-70-410-exam    | Latest-exam-700-603-Dumps    | Dumps-98-363-exams-date    | Certs-200-125-date    | Dumps-300-075-exams-date    | hot-sale-book-C8010-726-book    | Hot-Sale-200-310-Exam    | Exam-Description-200-310-dumps?    | hot-sale-book-200-125-book    | Latest-Updated-300-209-Exam    | Dumps-210-260-exams-date    | Download-200-125-Exam-PDF    | Exam-Description-300-101-dumps    | Certs-300-101-date    | Hot-Sale-300-075-Exam    | Latest-exam-200-125-Dumps    | Exam-Description-200-125-dumps    | Latest-Updated-300-075-Exam    | hot-sale-book-210-260-book    | Dumps-200-901-exams-date    | Certs-200-901-date    | Latest-exam-1Z0-062-Dumps    | Hot-Sale-1Z0-062-Exam    | Certs-CSSLP-date    | 100%-Pass-70-383-Exams    | Latest-JN0-360-real-exam-questions    | 100%-Pass-4A0-100-Real-Exam-Questions    | Dumps-300-135-exams-date    | Passed-200-105-Tech-Exams    | Latest-Updated-200-310-Exam    | Download-300-070-Exam-PDF    | Hot-Sale-JN0-360-Exam    | 100%-Pass-JN0-360-Exams    | 100%-Pass-JN0-360-Real-Exam-Questions    | Dumps-JN0-360-exams-date    | Exam-Description-1Z0-876-dumps    | Latest-exam-1Z0-876-Dumps    | Dumps-HPE0-Y53-exams-date    | 2017-Latest-HPE0-Y53-Exam    | 100%-Pass-HPE0-Y53-Real-Exam-Questions    | Pass-4A0-100-Exam    | Latest-4A0-100-Questions    | Dumps-98-365-exams-date    | 2017-Latest-98-365-Exam    | 100%-Pass-VCS-254-Exams    | 2017-Latest-VCS-273-Exam    | Dumps-200-355-exams-date    | 2017-Latest-300-320-Exam    | Pass-300-101-Exam    | 100%-Pass-300-115-Exams    |
http://www.portvapes.co.uk/    | http://www.portvapes.co.uk/    |