[surfer87]

Hello,
I recently graduated from Yale, am going back for a job in Hartford, and have a question related to commuting to Hartford. I originally planned on moving to Hartford to cut down on the commute time to my new job, however, after doing a bit of research, I have been getting the vibe that Hartford may not be the kind of place for a recent college graduate, and that New Haven might be a better place for me. I was thinking about moving back to New Haven in the East Rock area (close to the 91!) as I have a lot of friends who will be in the area for the next few years. I'm originally from Los Angeles and know a little bit about bad traffic, but I was wondering if someone could tell me how long the commute would take from New Haven to Hartford during rush hour, and also, when exactly would rush hour be in Connecticut. According to google maps, the route would only take 40 minutes (38.5 miles), but is that factoring in bad traffic? What is the average commute time to Hartford and back? Does the 91 experience heavy congestion? Is living in New Haven and commuting to Hartford doable/manageable? Also, I've had zero experience driving in the snow before and I was wondering if anyone had any estimate as to how long it would take to drive from New Haven to Hartford in such conditions/in the winter season. I know the past few years have been relatively snowless (at least in New Haven), but I've heard that Hartford gets quite a bit of snow. Are the roads cleared often enough that on average, my commute wouldn't be worse than normal?
Thanks!

[Silli]

New Haven is a place for young college grads, but Hartford can be too. I don't think New Haven's benefits outweigh a long commute.

[7 Wishes]

The West End and more so the adjacent part of West Hartford that borders it in particular seemed somewhat "hip and trendy" from what I saw of it during my temporary assignment the last 2 months up in that area. To some extent, parts of Asylum Hill as well (though other parts looked very "ghetto"). At my old job here in Westchester County, NY, my boss' single 20-something daughter ended up in the Hartford area and likes it (she lives in W. Hartford I believe).

That said, New Haven probably has a lot more for a young college grad and if you don't mind a bit of driving and some traffic, is certainly doable. The 35-40 miles each way may be a bit of wear and tear on your car though.

While up there I knew a couple of people who commuted from New Haven, they said it took about 45 minutes; there was some traffic on I-91 as it approached I-84 in downtown Hartford, but it wasn't too bad. I-91 going south in the afternoon can be rough down to about Meriden, but in all it's nothing like I-95 from the NYS line to New Haven (which I'm a lot more familiar with personally), which in my view is the closest thing in the Northeast to an L.A. freeway.

If you do commute, one thing I did notice is that where I-91 south meets I-95 in New Haven there seemed to be perpetual traffic (I mistakenly did this a couple of times on Fridays going home for the weekend, one time of which was earlier in the day (like 1pm) when I had 1/2 day off on one Friday), so try to get off a few exits before and take back roads. Some people I knew who commuted to Hartford from New Haven confirmed this as well.

Good luck!

[doghead]

anyone familiar with Hartford to Northampton commute on 91? Thanks.

[western mass and love it]

Hartford to Northampton would probably take 45 minutes to an hour.