[TisMe1020]

This is one of the places we are thinking of moving to but I know nothing about Southington... like what areas should I avoid? What part is considered "location-location-location" with a good bang for the buck? We have no children so schools are not a concern. I like to run-walk in the early morning or late afternoon so a safe area would be ideal or someplace near a park. We hope to find something on a 1/2 acre in the 250-300k range.

Thanks

[davfar]

Southington is a pretty desireable town. It has three localities within the borders... Plantsville, Marion, and Milldale...all of which are in the southern part of town near Cheshire. It's one of the larger towns in the state (area wise). You might get the most bang for your buck in the center of town where there are smaller homes with smaller lots. What you'll find in that price range are mostly older capes and ranches. Southington can be kind of pricey, but does have some affordable homes.
I personally think that Southington is getting over built. There are new subdivisions going up EVERYWHERE...especially up by the reservoirs.

[wrrr]

Please tell me too........ I was born, raised and educated in Milford, CT and do not know too much about Southington except I once went to a H.S. concert there many, many years ago. I lived in Huntington (Shelton), CT for over 15 years (moved there in '84), in a Raised Ranch (built '64) on 1.25 acres with a really nice stream going along side the property, no backyard neighbors except nature (woods) and buffered really nice on the sides with lots of trees (and the stream I mentioned). We always called it "Huntington" instead of Shelton because Shelton was "older and industrial" and had much, much smaller, older houses and lots whereas "Huntington" was spacious with min. 1 acre zoning (usually septic/ well, sometimes septic/ city water). and usually 150 foot min. frontage.

I mention ALL the above because I am seriously thinking of moving to Southington in early-mid 2008 and I am really wondering if Southington has (as Shelton does) many "old-and-small" houses/lots as well as it's "rural-half acre plus" housing ??
What "section" of Southington will I find the half acre plus, rural, not too close to neighbors, homes ??
I saw a Real Estate listing on the "east side" of 84 about half way between 84 and 91 that looks very much what I am looking for. Is THIS the "area" to concentrate my search or are there also "rural, 1/2 to 1 acre lot" homes WEST of 84 that I should be looking at ??
I am currently living far, out-of-state so just driving around Southington, CT is strictly out of the question for me at this point.
I am relying solely on all the helpful and friendly people in this forum reading this post.
THANKS for any and all suggestions and answers you may provide for me !!

[davfar]

I 84 pretty much splits Southington in half diagonally. It has become such a suburban town...likely because of its location and highway access. The most "rural" areas are on either side of town...along the Berlin line and along the Wolcott line. Both sides are woodsy. The Wolcott side has the ski area and the Berlin side has the reservoirs and lots of orchards. I'd say your best bet would be east of I84 in town.

[JayCT]

Southington is a bit more like Milford to me than Huntington. There are sections of Southington that have larger lots (just like Milford), but it still for some reason seems more suburban in character with a mixture of apartment and condo complexes with strip shopping centers and subdivisions of single family homes. Southington schools are good performing performing just above the state average in the Connecticut Mastery Test results and class sizes are reasonable. I will say that Southington High School is very large by Connecticut standards and I have been told seems to be pretty crowded. JMHO Jay

[glxyman21]

Southington is a nice community pretty much equal distance to Hartford or New Haven. It was once a small farming community, that turned blue collar with industry, but made a fast switch to a more upscale white collar town as all its industry left. It is very suburban in nature, and constists mainly of owner occupied single family homes. I wouldn't say there are bad areas, but obviously don't buy in an industrial area or right on a commercial road. There is a section of state subsidised housing in town, and this is one of the areas I would avoid buying a house in. The town center has become very nice looking and will soon expand with a private development like Blue Black Square, but on a smaller scale. It is a very popular town for people with families and like a poster said, some feel it is being "over built"..but when there is demand there will be supply. All the new homes being built fall into the $450,000-$600,000 range, so newer construction is expensive.

Your price range will buy you an older home like a cape or ranch on a half acre or less.

Originally Posted by wrrr

I mention ALL the above because I am seriously thinking of moving to Southington in early-mid 2008 and I am really wondering if Southington has (as Shelton does) many "old-and-small" houses/lots as well as it's "rural-half acre plus" housing ??
What "section" of Southington will I find the half acre plus, rural, not too close to neighbors, homes ??

I don't know if rural and half acre lots go together, as when a developer creates a neighborhood they put the homes one right after another. for more rural you need to look into 1-2 acre lots. Southington doesn't have many "old-and-small" house lots as it was mostly a small farming community before I-84 cut through. 1/2 acre lots are the minimum, with acre lots more common. The outskirts of town will offer 2+ acres but the homes are more massive and stately. Look into the Marion section, or near the Berlin/Wolcott town lines for a more rural feel...but expect to pay top dollar.

[TisMe1020]

Online I see quite a few homes for sale on Mt Vernon Rd. Is that a main road? Sidewalks? What is that area like?

Thanks

[davfar]

Mt. Vernon is kind of a main road...it goes the length of town...from Lake Compounce and Briarwood College allll the way down to Plantsville. Mt Southington Ski area is on this road. The neighborhoods off of it have sidewalks...like in the newer developments. West of Mt. Vernon goes up the mountain and east of it is fairly flat and, dare I say, OVER developed.

[glxyman21]

Mt vernon is a secondary arrtery to Rt. 229, as it runs parrallel, into Bristol. There is Lake Compounce on this road as well as a small college, and the ski area as mentioned. I don't remember there being sidewalks, as traveling to the ski area YEARS ago..all there was were farms and forests. The homes located on the mountain are beautiful and get great views, though most are in the $800,000-1,000,000+ range. I think the lot sizes are around 1+ acre for this area. I remember traveling from Bristol how the homes were placed close together and apartments/condos and crossing the Southgington line the homes had very large lots and no condos/apartments.

I guess its a mix of historicle homes, construction from the 60's70's and pockets of newer construction

[bigjeff532003]

To find the more Rural area you may want to look at Farmington but will pay a lot more for a lot less. Terryville is also more rural but is probably a 15-20 min drive to rt 10.