[sportsterjohn]

Hi,
I am thinking of taking a position in Groton. I currently am in Fairfax Va. I was wondering how Groton would compare to Northern Va in terms of cost of living, weather, culture etc. The job pay would be identical to what I was making here. I am currently paying 1700 a month for a 2 bedroom townhouse with a 2 car garage. My heating bill averages about 150 a month in winter, my cooling about 225 in the summer. As of today, gas is about 3.15 for regular. I am used to the hustle and bustle (took a while as I am from Atlanta) What I am hoping for is a town with a small town, community feel, low crime and affordabe (keeping in mind I am in nova now).

[CTMainStreet]

We used to live in Northern VA (Manassas). My husband worked in Fairfax and I always loved how beautiful it was. With the exception of this past winter I'm sure, the temp difference was always 5-10 degrees milder than CT when we lived there...not a huge difference.

[willow wind]

It's New England- it's colder, it's snowier in general than VA. Spring comes later, autumn earlier. That said, Groton is in southeast CT, which is considered to be the CT tropics. It will be cooler in summer and warmer in winter than anywhere else in CT.

We are having a very severe winter this year in which the entire state has buried under feet of snow. In a regular winter, it more frequently rains or gets a few inches of snow at a time in the Groton area while the rest of the state gets a foot of it. CT summers are warm and humid in general although the worst of the summer season in southeast CT is maybe only 8-10 weeks or so. Sea breezes temper the heat.

Groton is a mostly middle class town with a heavy military presence due to the submarine base in town. Lots of retired military too. The Mystic section of town is more upscale and very quaint and pretty.

Heat may cost you more, gas is more , closest to $ 3.28- 3.33 a gallon ( shop around) and probably going up higher if our governor has his way. A/C may be close to the same if you keep your cooling off while at work and don't use it unless you really need it.

Your problem is going to be to find a town home with a two car garage. There are very few, comparatively, condo complexes in the area. Many are not townhouse styled. I can only think of one, Spyglass , in Groton, which offers two car garages. No basements, however. Most of the others have no garage or perhaps a one car garage. There will be very few rentals available due to the small size of the complexes. Not that there are none, just not many. Town home rental complexes don't exist of the type you may be in.

However, this is a pleasant area of the state to live. Stonington, the next town east to Groton, is lovely, although again, with few condo complexes.
It's safe, any crime is mostly property crime, personal safety is generally not an issue.

There are really no bad areas of Groton and any condo complexes with garages are in the better areas of town. All of Stonington is lovely.

I don't know what your idea of affordable is. Throw out a number for us.
A condo is Spyglass will be in the low to mid $200,00's.

There is lots to do. The Groton/ Stonington area is suburban and is water oriented, so beaches and boating in the summer, it's historical ( think Mystic Seaport ) , there is a small, but lively arts scene in the adjacent city of New London. Plenty to see and do in the general area.

[JayCT]

I htink you will find housing to be much cheaper in the Groton area than in Fairfax. Southeast CT is one of the cheapest places for RE in the state. For that rent you could probably get a nice home. I would not limit yourself to Groton though. Check nearby towns like Stonington, North Stonington, Ledyard, Montville, Waterford and East Lyme. Jay

[nep321]

It will definitely be cheaper than Fairfax. Sounds like you work for General Dynamics.