[Alex2021]

I am from out of the area, relocating for work. I've found a home I love in Bristol, but often hear that different neighborhoods aren't so great. What areas should be avoided? I don't care much about going out. I can drive to Costco or Trader Joe's occasionally and regular grocery stores are fine. I got the impression some areas aren't safe. I'm a single female and would appreciate advice and wisdom from locals! Thank you!!

[Mr_250]

I would avoid Bristol. Has seen better days. It depends on your work location. Look at Southington or Farmington.

[RoundTableKnight]

It has seen better days yes but there's still really nice spots left in Bristol. The northwest part of town (heading toward rural Terryville and Burlington) has some BEAUTIFUL and woodsy areas. Some very nice homes with larger lots. Also southeast (the Plainville and Southington way) has nicer neighborhoods and not as expensive overall as northwest. I'd avoid the most western side of Bristol as well as the Wolcott side. The ESPN area also, I'd avoid there too.

In short, better if you're approaching Burlington, Farmington, Plainville and Southington (but not ESPN). Worse if you're near Terryville from rt6, Wolcott (however Cedar Lake is nice) and the center of town.

[riffwraith]

I know nothing of Bristol, but I am going to chime in anyway.


Absolutely nothing wrong with what you say, so please don't take it that I feel that way. But....

Originally Posted by RoundTableKnight

It has seen better days yes but there's still really nice spots left in Bristol. The northwest part of town (heading toward rural Terryville and Burlington) has some BEAUTIFUL and woodsy areas. Some very nice homes with larger lots. Also southeast (the Plainville and Southington way) has nicer neighborhoods and not as expensive overall as northwest.

Where you live is not only about where you live. It's also about where you shop, and where you drive through. So, if you are looking at buying a beautiful home in a beautiful, woodsy area, that is as quiet, peaceful and as safe as can be, when the only nearby shopping areas are in a slum, and where you have to drive through that slum to get to the hwy... do you really want that house? Some people would say, sure why not. Some people would want the house so much, they would be willing to drive a lot further for a better shopping area, and take a roundabout way to get to the hwy. But many would not.

As always, I strongly recommend not only looking at the house itself, but taking a drive around town, and also going shopping, as if you lived there. Some surprises in life are good, and some are not.

Cheers.

[RoundTableKnight]

Originally Posted by riffwraith

Where you live is not only about where you live. It's also about where you shop, and where you drive through. So, if you are looking at buying a beautiful home in a beautiful, woodsy area, that is as quiet, peaceful and as safe as can be, when the only nearby shopping areas are in a slum, and where you have to drive through that slum to get to the hwy... do you really want that house?

So I'll use route 6 as my focal point as that is where just about everyone who lives in Bristol does most of their shopping. It's not a slum by any means.

If you're coming from the northwest corner of town-I recommend this area the most-google maps gives you an approximately 10 minute & 4.5 mile ride to Bristol Plaza where there's a TJ Maxx, Stop and Shop, Starbucks and Ocean State Joblot. McDonald's is across the street. Walgreens is nearby. If you want to go a little further east to Walmart, Shop Rite and Home Depot you're looking at a 13 minute drive and 5.6 miles. You're far from rt72 (highway) on-ramp though. It's a 17 minute drive at 7.2 miles. Rt8 (other highway) is 12 minutes away at 5.9 miles. Please note-there is nowhere in that town that even remotely resembles the worst areas that of Hartford, Bridgeport or Waterbury. You'll be just fine riding through 98% of Bristol.

The northwest corner of Bristol while the most desirable area in town, is the furthest from everything. And I don't consider a 10 minute drive to the grocery store all that bad. If you decide you want to live in East Bristol or NorthCentral Bristol, your drives to everything will be shorter.

Bristol is one of those towns that even though it might not have been as nice as it once was (there are a number of slums there) it gets a lot of undeserved criticism. I have some family and a few friends who live there. Some of them went through their school system all the way from K to 12 and are fantastic people with a good head on their shoulders.

[parentologist]

I doubt you have children, but bad schools will mean declining property values. The quality of the schools depends largely upon the educational level of the parents whose children attend those schools. If you want your property to hold its value, or rise proportionally with the market, choose a town with stable, good schools.

[RoundTableKnight]

Yes, but not always though. A girl I used to date bought a house in South Meriden in 2014 for $149,000. Realtor and zillow have it's estimates currently at $190,000 and $195,000. It was rising steadily even before the covid real estate boom.

[The_Quiet_One]

Bristol is mostly fine. It's primarily a working class city. The people who live there are proud of their community. As a very general rule of thumb for Bristol, I'd just say look at a house's date of construction for a clue as to whether it's in a good neighborhood. Since you already have a house in mind, this will probably be a good strategy. Generally speaking, the older the house the worse the area (there's no real gentrification going on in Bristol). The newer the house, the better the area. So, I'd avoid any pre-WWII houses, since they're more likely going to be in the areas other posters have suggested you avoid. 1950s-1970s capes and ranches can be hit or miss. Most are in ok areas, some not. Any house built after 1980 should be absolutely safe. Again, this is just a rule of thumb. It doesn't apply to all towns in CT, but I find it generally does in Bristol.

[BPt111]

Bristol is not that bad compare to the other four cities.

[RoundTableKnight]

City-data's crime index scored Bristol at 99.7 in 2019.

In comparison ...... (city-data says higher number means more crime)

Hartford was 380
New Britain was 222
Waterbury was 263
Meriden was 174
New Haven was 431 (highest in CT meaning worst crime rate)
Bridgeport was 291
Hamden was 192
Manchester was 172
West Hartford was 118

Surrounding Bristol...

Plainville was 129
Plymouth was 50
Southington was 76
Farmington was 121??? <-- that's a head scratcher. In no way does Bristol have less crime than Farmington
Wolcott was 80