[bomgd3]

Hey everyone,
I'm a med student at UConn and I live in the West End on Farmington Ave. Right now I pay only $565 for a decent studio. It's sort of a crappy building and I see the occasional bug, but overall I'm happy with it. Lots of big windows, friendly neighbors, etc.

I love the city, I really do. I love walking across the street to Moe's on weekend mornings. I love running through Elizabeth Park. I love being a 10 minute drive from everything, including the continually improving New Park neighborhood (which used to be a total dump just a few years ago!). And I love movies, so having Cinestudio and RAW nearby are fantastic. My parents live in Avon, which is a cultural wasteland filled with rich idle women puttering around in luxury SUVs to/from chain stores all day. I couldn't imagine moving back there, even though it would save money. I'm a huge believer in cities, so I have an emotional reason to stay here as well.

However, there are problems with the West End. I've dealt with the cops three times this year--first, to help my friend when a deadbeat driver with a suspended license damaged her car, then threatened her when she asked for repair/repayment. Second and third times were when homeless people somehow found their way into my building and, in one instance, was knocking on doors for money. Lately, since the weather is nicer, there are lots of people milling about in parking lots, and I can't walk down the street to get pizza at night without being panhandled by someone for "bus money". All of these things are very very annoying, if not actually threatening to my safety.

I'd like to move to a nicer neighborhood that still has character, but is safe and inxpensive. It needs to be within a 15 minute drive from the Health Center. My budget is $600--anything above that starts eating into my food/transportation/book money (I live on $1300 a month). Also, I need it to be either a studio or one-bedroom, because my crazy schedule makes it difficult to live with roommates.

[MikefromCT]

Have you checked apartments.com? I actually went there to see what I could find, and the cheapest I saw was $715 for a tiny studio at 711 FarmingtonAve. The building is nice and the neighborhood is safe, but it's beyond your price range. You may want to check the apartments on Park Road -there's a few midrise buildings just east of Jessamine St. Theres also a small building on the corner of South Quaker and Park, but I have no idea what the rent is or if there's even availability.

What you're attempting is difficult. I'm not saying that to discourage you, but as someone who's lived in WH since 2005, I can tell you rents are going up everywhere here and not just near the center, and unfortunately $600 for an apartment here is tough. I know you said you'd rather not have a roommate, but if your budget is $600 and you'd rather live here than Hartford, you may have to. If you find something and have questions, feel free to IM me or post more questions here.
Good luck!
-Mike

[MikefromCT]

PS, there's a bus line on the avenue in W Hartford that can take you to the health center in 15 minutes. Just something to keep in mind because you might save on gas money and could put that toward rent possibly.

[bomgd3]

What about the surrounding towns? I'm thinking places like Newington, Berlin, etc. I'll drive up and down Park Road this weekend and see if anything is available, as well.

I also saw a really interesting option. The Hollander in Hartford has below-market rents for ~$600. Mike, or anyone else, have you heard anything about it? I wouldn't mind living downtown.

The other place I saw after a quick search was the Packard in West Hartford, which is $695. I could stretch my budget to accommodate that.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by bomgd3

I love the city, I really do...

...I'm a huge believer in cities, so I have an emotional reason to stay here as well.

However, there are problems with the West End. I've dealt with the cops three times this year--first, to help my friend when a deadbeat driver with a suspended license damaged her car, then threatened her when she asked for repair/repayment. Second and third times were when homeless people somehow found their way into my building and, in one instance, was knocking on doors for money. Lately, since the weather is nicer, there are lots of people milling about in parking lots, and I can't walk down the street to get pizza at night without being panhandled by someone for "bus money". All of these things are very very annoying, if not actually threatening to my safety.

I'm confused, Avon is a wasteland, you love and believe in cities, yet, the "culture" you find in the city is something you are not interested in?

Oh well...whatever.

Have you checked into Manchester near downtown? I'm sure you'll find a rent in that price range and still be able to walk to main street. While not West Hartford it's active with cafe's, ethnic restaurants, mom and pop shops, library, park etc.

[S2000]

You could save some heartache by just getting a permit and start carrying on a regular basis. I would if I lived in a city.

[nep321]

Originally Posted by S2000

You could save some heartache by just getting a permit and start carrying on a regular basis. I would if I lived in a city.

Then you should get a permit now. Milford is a city.

[bomgd3]

Originally Posted by JViello

I'm confused, Avon is a wasteland, you love and believe in cities, yet, the "culture" you find in the city is something you are not interested in?

Oh well...whatever.

Have you checked into Manchester near downtown? I'm sure you'll find a rent in that price range and still be able to walk to main street. While not West Hartford it's active with cafe's, ethnic restaurants, mom and pop shops, library, park etc.

Sure, what's so hard to believe about that? Plenty of great things to do in Hartford. But would YOU be interested in all of the panhandlers and bums?

I found a potential roommate though, so I should be able to get closer to West Hartford. Are there any good loft-style apartments in the area? I looked at Colt Gateway but they don't offer two-bedrooms, and Main & Temple is too expensive.

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by bomgd3

What about the surrounding towns? I'm thinking places like Newington, Berlin, etc. I'll drive up and down Park Road this weekend and see if anything is available, as well.

I also saw a really interesting option. The Hollander in Hartford has below-market rents for ~$600. Mike, or anyone else, have you heard anything about it? I wouldn't mind living downtown.

The other place I saw after a quick search was the Packard in West Hartford, which is $695. I could stretch my budget to accommodate that.

I'm not familiar with The Hollander, but the Packard is a nice, big, old prewar building located right on Farmington Ave. I've never been inside but it looks well-kept and IMO it's wortha look, especially if you end up going it alone. One advantage to this place is there's a bus stop literally right across the street and I believe this line would get you to the UConn health center in Farmington. It's also not that far from WH center.

You might be able to find loft-style apartments, but I have a feeling these would cost more to rent since they're probably larger and there's more of a demand for these.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by nep321

Then you should get a permit now. Milford is a city.

Only because it's determined by its population in CT government.

Milford is a medium/large sized town in reality.