Weatogue/Simsbury opinions

jenlanc

My husband took a new position in Connecticut, and we have found a house in Weatogue that we love.  Since we currently live outside Boston, I have no idea about the area.  Opinions good and bad are appreciated.  Also is there shopping nearby, it seems to be very out of the way.  Thanks

lizardct

The Simsbury area is nice- schools are excellent, there is good shopping/eating in Avon and West Hartford nearby and the town is beautiful. It has a bit of a rep for snobbery though, as do nearby Farmington, Avon.  What are you looking for exactly?  I grew up in Granby which is the next town, very close, more rural and a bit more down to earth, plus house prices are a bit more reasonable.  I think it would be smart to hire a local realtor to help you sort things out- my aunt is one and lives in Avon herself, if you would like a recommendation!  She helped us buy our house and was truly a huge help. http://www.prudentialct.com/AgentDetails.aspx?AK=941

jenlanc

Thanks for the recommendation, we are actually working with a realtor already, and she is pushing Simsbury and said we wouldn't really like Farmington.  Avon she felt was also a good fit.  We are really just looking for a nice place to live, with good schools for our daughter.  The actual house is in Weatogue, if that matters and I love the neighborhood, but it is expensive, and dont get me started on the taxes.   GOOD GRIEF.  I just want to make sure it's a nice area and not just for show. 

I have seen the shops in Avon and been to the West Farms Mall, and Blue Back Square so I guess I'm just need to get used to the area. 

Ash/DJ7707

I grew up in Weatogue and loved it! Simsbury has very good schools, many of the neighborhoods are very family friendly and it is a generally quiet town. There is shopping nearby, a new shopping area was just built in Canton with a Kohls, Old Navy, ***'s, Shaws, Talbots and Ann Taylor LOFT to name a few! The closest malls are either Buckland Hills which is approx. 25-30 minutes away or Westfarms which is a 20-25 minute drive. The only downfall is that it's a 20-25 minute drive to get to the nearest highway. My in-laws live in Windsor and it's only a 5 minute drive!

All in all, I really have no complaints! My family lives right up the street from the Weatogue line and we still have family friends living in the Weatogue section of town! 

pghctwife

Simsbury (which is what Weatogue is for all intents and purposes) is a top notch town (I am biased though - grew up there). We live in granby now - also a nice town and cheaper but plan to move to sims eventually - bottom line, the schools and services are way way better (though granby is good, simsbury is excellent). VERY tight knit town with a great sense of community. Library is HUGE and fabulous and newly renovated, there are local road races and carnivals and fairs, the new Talcott Mt Music Festival has a permanent stage off Iron Horse where the HSO plays all summer (last summer was Kansas too, and we are going to a beatles tribute in a couple weeks) which is REALLY nice, TONS of woods, parks, game refuge trails, rails to trails, many many many great restaurants in town - we live in granby and always eat out in simsbury/avon/canton - but mainly simsbury. Metro Bis on Rt 10 is ranked as one of the best in the state. We never bother going to hartford to eat - no need. From weatogue w/o traffic, westfarms mall is about 20 to 25 min.

Farmington is a good town but VERY bad traffic in areas and IMO overpriced (yes even compared to simsbury). You dont get as much house for your money there. Avon is nice but small and IMO way snobbier than simsbury (which I never felt was snobby and we moved there when I was in jr high...). I personally prefer a larger school district for the variety of activities etc which is why I dont like granby/avon/farmington as much.

 Really truly... its a fabulous town and I would never hesitate to recommend it! I got an EXCELLENT education there, and my bro just graduated and the quality of the schools has only gone up since I was there.

 This board is dead now (CT GBCN'd to a private board) I just randomly hit the link. I can be paged on Election 08 if you have ANY Qs about Simsbury or the surrounding towns, I am more than happy to help.

swedish-fish

I'm also a transplant from Boston!  I live in West Hartford, just over the mountain from Simsbury/Weatogue.  My DH grew up in Simsbury and only has good things to say about it and is already pushing for us to move there.  The schools are great, there is a cute little downtown and a definite family vibe, which make the town great.  The only downside that I can see (as someone who has never lived there) is that it is it a bit isolated.  You're a good 20-25 minutes from the highway and have to cross a mountain to get outside the valley.  Some people might think that's a good thing, though!

Katherine

simsbury is a nice town with a good school system.  weatogue is my fav part of simsbury it's not as snobbish as some other parts.  i find that simsbury people aren't as snobby as other surrounding towns.  there are a lot of smaller shops in the simsbury area (some are really more expensive - depending on the shop) but over all it is a very family frinedly town.

jenlanc

Thank you all for the opinions of the area, it seems to be only good reactions. I think we will really like it there, just an adjustment to a whole new place.  Leaving my friends and everything I know is difficult, and since I'm a SAHM, I'll have to really search out new friends. Thanks again.

pghctwife

in case you come back here, you should join the tribe (see posts above). It is VERY active and there are a few of us who live in the simsbury area - we are in fact planning a get together in simsbury for this wednesday (if you are around you should join us!). Its a really good way to meet ppl!

jenlanc

I really appreciate the welcoming from everyone so far.  We are closing on our house hopefully next Thursday (17th), but when I get settled I will look into joining "the tribe".  Hopefully, it will ease my fears about the area, and you ladies can help me find all my favorite shops locally.  I think not knowing where the closest Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel really worries me,  crazy I know !!  I look forward to meeting all of you. 

 

pghctwife

closest Pottery Barn is at Westfarms, and we have a Crate and Barrel (brand new and only one in CT!!!) at Blueback square

mrs.dan.d

I am in Central Mass now but grew up in Simsbury and my parents are still there.  The town is very nice, and does offer a lot in the way of schools, safe neighborhoods, etc.  SInce all the new shopping malls have gone in to Avon and Canton, its actually pretty easy to find decent stores and restaurants.  Growing up we'd have to go half an hour to get to the nearest real mall at Westfarms to find more than 10 stores in one place.  One extremely irritating part of living there is the lack of highway access. It takes 25 minutes to get to any highway.  Being in MA, we are never more than 10 minutes from getting to a highway it seems.  If I had to compare Simsbury to a metrowest town, I would say Sudbury probably. Not quite as pricey as Wellesley, Weston, etc. but still a really nice town with a reputation for such.  If commuting is an issue for you (visiting MA, etc.) I would suggest looking at Glastonbury. It is right off 84, and offers much of the same environment you find in Simsbury.

Good Luck!