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I thought you were trolling for a minute. Do you really think the schools in Avon and West Hartford are so much worse than Westport that you'd need private school? The main differentiator at those high levels is the socioeconomic diversity of the school. West Hartford in particular is a much more socioeconomically mixed district. You mention the possibility of getting a second home in NYC. If you're at that income level, your kids will likely do well in any top school district.
The socioecomomic factor is a good point. I'd much rather send my kids to West Hartford, which almost tests as well as Westport schools, but with less snootiness and not as much of a lack of diversity.
To the OP. Public schools in the towns mentioned are fine. And I should add that I had friends that went to Westfinster in Simsbury, Suffield Academy and Avon Old Farms and they turned out all right. :-).
Hills around Simsbury are about 1,000 feet in elevation, give or take a few feet. Pennwood State Forest, McLean State Forest and other parks and forests in the area have plenty of excellent hiking and biking trails and plenty of peace and quiet on many trails if you desire that. Nice park leading up to Heublein Tower across from Pennwood State Park too. That is Talcott Mountain State Parakeet's.
If you want kayaking or canoeing then the Farmington River has some opportunities. Fishing as well. People's Forest in Barkhamstead, CT which is west of Simsbury has some pretty good mini rapids for kayaking and canoeing. A couple of my family members used to go there and kayak and canoe there. Quieter waters on the Farmington River in Simsbury and points to the north and south. BTW. I think it is the only river that runs north for a good length of the river in this part of the country.
If you want to expand your search to include some views then Bloomfield and Simsbury have homes on those hills. You can find them in West Hartford on the far west side along Mountain Road and north of Tunxis Road on the south side of WH and south of Route 185 to the North which I think is still called Simsbury Road. Westledge Road on the far west side of Simsbury is on top of one of the large hills in town in Simsbury and you can get some good views into the valley to the east with some homes. In a couple of spots you can see the downtown Hartford Skyline if you are at the right property.
I know the area well since I spent half of my life living in Simsbury and West Hartford.
This is great information, thank you! Couple more questions, how convenient do you feel it is to do day trips to Boston from Avon/Simsbury area? On the map it seems to be about 1 hour 50 minutes drive, only 35 minutes more compared to Westport to NYC (we prefer driving to cities instead of using train due to kids), do you feel in reality Boston is relatively easy to access on weekends?
Also do you have recommendation of a nice lake beach area nearby (with small crowds or even private) for young kids to play and adults to relax in summer?
We are thinking about the Nod road (e.g. Hazen drive) area in Avon, is that a good/conveniently located neighborhood with stunning views?
You seem to have a good handle on the differences between Westport and Avon/West Hartford. As long as you realize that it’s different and you and your family are somewhat flexible about it, you should be fine. Good luck with your decision.
Thanks, we are just worried that we only have a perception of how things will work in Avon/WH and maybe disappointed with realities. Our biggest concern is the potential lack of activities for the kids/family in the area.
From your experience, do you feel the outdoor activities/sceneries in Avon/WH area offer at least a partial alternative to the beach activities in Westport?
Is assess to Boston relatively easy (on weekends) on a semi-regular basis (like twice a month)? Train access is not important to us as we prefer driving to cities (due to kids).
Is there a nice lake beach area in the area (with small crowds or even private) for young kids to play and adults to relax in summer?
It's sort of boring other than the hills and it's a long ride to Boston or NYC. If it's hills and woods you want, this area does offer that, river too.
Just wondering what do you think makes the area boring compared to Westport (besides beach activities), given we have no interest in nightlife or culture activities? On paper it seems Avon to Boston is only 1 hour 50 minutes drive on weekends, only about 35 minutes longer compared to Westport to NYC, is that what we can realistically expect (we prefer driving over taking the train)?
Some people want private schools or even home schooling for their children. It doesn't mean that is a reflection of their towns school system.
Thank you. As I said I really don't think Avon/WH schools are meaningfully worse than Westport and agree that the quality difference likely have minimal impact. We just think the saving on housing costs allow us to afford the private school option more easily, which is something we always want to do even living in Westport.
Westport is one of the nicest areas in the US which will continue to appreciate due to proximity to NYC and coast. West Hartford area is nice but it's not Westport by any means. Westport to boat launch is 5 minutes. West Hartford to boat launch is 60 minutes. Westport to JFK - 60 minutes. West Hartford to JFK - 120+ minutes.
There is no magic here. Moving to west hartford is nothing but downshifting.
Honestly it is hard to predict the housing market, Westport house prices actually declined in the couple years before the pandemic, Covid really put the house price here in overdrive.
We really don't like how we have to go to JFK for airport needs, the traffic is such a hassle, much prefer going to BDL from Avon/WH even if it means less direct flights.
Your original post is really quite shocking, and off-putting. But it's true, you can get more house for your money in Avon or West Hartford (or Simsbury or Farmington, too). In terms of schools, the public schools in all of these districts are excellent, offer tons of APs and good extracurriculars. Only West Hartford has any significant racial/socioeconomic diversity, but the high schools there seem to sort into a 2-tiered system via the honors/AP curriculum, which is the equal of any private school's, in my opinion. Any motivated student can come out of any of these town's public schools with an excellent education via the many APs offered. All of the schools have good performing arts, but West Hartford's Hall High has a nationally-renowned jazz band program (but the kid needs to have developed proficiency on a jazz band instrument, in order to audition into it).
If what you need is a large house for lots of kids, you should know that private school is quite expensive, that if you feel that you would send the kids to private school (and there are lots of good options in the area, but really no better than the public schools, except possibly Talcott, if you have a child who is way, way ahead of the curve), it would probably be a wash, financially - less mortgage payment, but wicked high tuition bill. If it's staying in Westport and sending the kids to public, vs moving to WH/Avon/Farmington/Simsbury and sending them to private school (which is completely unnecessary), the better financial move is to stay in Westport, since you'd get back what you invest in the house, whereas the private school tuition, you'll never get anything back on.
There are areas in West Hartford west of Mountain Rd with enormous houses high up on the mountain, with stunning views.
For summer pool/lake fun, you'd probably be best off joining a club. Winding Trails offers very nice recreation, year round. There are other private clubs, usually centered around a golf course, which have pools and could serve as a summer recreation center/social center for your family. But there are public lakes with beaches in the area, too. The nearest ocean beach is at least an hour's drive away.
Farmington and West Hartford are closer to I84, so better located if you need to commute on one of the highways. Avon and Simsbury are more remote. It would be a little bit easier to drive to Boston from West Hartford and Farmington than from Simsbury and Avon, but there is plenty for kids to do here. Kids tend to get very busy with sports, swim teams, music and performing arts, etc, that are all close by.
This is great information, thank you! Couple more questions, how convenient do you feel it is to do day trips to Boston from Avon/Simsbury area? On the map it seems to be about 1 hour 50 minutes drive, only 35 minutes more compared to Westport to NYC (we prefer driving to cities instead of using train due to kids), do you feel in reality Boston is relatively easy to access on weekends?
Also do you have recommendation of a nice lake beach area nearby (with small crowds or even private) for young kids to play and adults to relax in summer?
We are thinking about the Nod road (e.g. Hazen drive) area in Avon, is that a good/conveniently located neighborhood with stunning views?
Commuting by car is more difficult these days than in the past when I knew people that actually commuted from Simsbury and West Hartford to Manhattan. Many people will take the train out of Waterbury or in the past New Haven but would park their cars in lots near the train stations. There is commuter rail now from Hartford south to New Haven which links it to NYC for commuting purposes.
Now for Boston. Personally I don't know anyone that commuted from the Hartford area to Boston for employment. Guessing you are just interested in trips for leisure to Boston and that seems realistic compared to driving for work. Driving in Boston is more maddening to me than NYC due to the layout of the streets. I have not driven to Boston or around it in about 20 years from West Hartford and I recall that it took about two hours from WH to downtown Boston and that was contingent upon not hitting a tie up at the tolls on I 90 in MA or a car accident.
Another option to consider is driving to Worcester and taking commuter rail into Boston. Here is a link to the schedule. This might be the wisest move to avoid the traffic tie ups I remember hitting during every drive into or around Boston. I had better luck with NYC in that regard.
Not many true lakes in the Hartford area. I remember going to Barkhamsted Reservior from Simsbury in high school with friends but that was infrequent. Most people drive to the shoreline of CT or MA and also to Cape Cod to enjoy the beach. I'm kind of a landlubber and never had much interest swimming in fresh water. :-) Would take the occasional dip in the LI Sound or Cape Cod though. Some other people may have a suggestion about where to swim.
I believe Nod Road is right near the Avon Old Farms Inn. Worked there after High School for a Summer. Not familiar with Nod road though I think it runs up part of Talcott Mountain. I had to do a search for it and found this. You may want to take into consideration the battle that is shaping up on that road with what appears to be several properties.
If you choose Bloomfield, which has some beautiful areas, you will have to use private schools. Your housing will be a lot cheaper, but also won't appreciate as fast, since the public schools in Bloomfield are not highly ranked. So if your game plan is for private school, no matter where you're living, the west side of Bloomfield near Simsbury is definitely an option.
If it's staying in Westport and sending the kids to public, vs moving to WH/Avon/Farmington/Simsbury and sending them to private school (which is completely unnecessary), the better financial move is to stay in Westport, since you'd get back what you invest in the house, whereas the private school tuition, you'll never get anything back on.
Thank you, we actually build a financial model on this and it turned out that we would actually have more assets after buying a house and sending multiple kids to private in Avon than buying a house in Westport and go public (even taking into account house price appreciation difference likely between the two). The difference in house cost and the associated loss in investment return is just that huge now in Westport given the type of house we are looking to buy.
Again we are happy with Avon/WH's school system, otherwise we wouldn't consider moving here as we still plan to send our kids through public middle-school at least. It is just nice to know we will have the going private option compared to staying in Westport.
Quote:
Originally Posted by parentologist
There are areas in West Hartford west of Mountain Rd with enormous houses high up on the mountain, with stunning views.
For summer pool/lake fun, you'd probably be best off joining a club. Winding Trails offers very nice recreation, year round. There are other private clubs, usually centered around a golf course, which have pools and could serve as a summer recreation center/social center for your family. But there are public lakes with beaches in the area, too. The nearest ocean beach is at least an hour's drive away.
Farmington and West Hartford are closer to I84, so better located if you need to commute on one of the highways. Avon and Simsbury are more remote. It would be a little bit easier to drive to Boston from West Hartford and Farmington than from Simsbury and Avon, but there is plenty for kids to do here. Kids tend to get very busy with sports, swim teams, music and performing arts, etc, that are all close by.
Thank you for the suggestions, these are great to know!
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