I'm a CT native. Moved out 35 yrs. ago for better job opportunities. I still have family there. I love them, & still love CT. Don't plan on moving back..way too expensive for a retiree like me.
I feel this! Went from 3 of us paying our mortgage and utilities to just me in 1 yr and 10 months. Now it's just me trying to survive in this home I don't want to leave. Believe it or not, it's half the cost here compared to living in an apartment. Last winter I kept the house at 55 to 60 degrees because gas heat in CT is about $350😂 in summer I keep it no lower than 85 because the AC would make my electric bill over $275 etc etc. I wish I was rich enough to move or at least pay off this house. How isthe lack of 62k stopping me from living a nice retirement? I know ppl who have cars that cost more. SS says $1400 is enough each month, so I'm looking for work to make ends meet😊❤❤
Big time but youd be suprised u can be poor asf living next to someone making millions and u wouldnt really even know it half the time unless u were in the really highend places
You better believe it. It’s really crappy for young people getting started in life. It’s very miserable here for middle class people. I’m looking to move to Florida next year. I want to enjoy my 20s. I have the money to move and can easily do it. Why not just do it.
Nick - big fan here. But, you blew it on my home state. I live in Norwalk; it's safe as heck, and there's a lot to do. We have 22 islands, beachfront, marinas, TONS of bars and restaurants, big parks and annual festivals. It's also an affordable place to rent. I think you also said it's in "Ridgefield County," which doesn't exist. It's Fairfield County, brotha. CT has crime-ridden cities, a major economic divide and our taxes are terrible. But Norwalk is a solid spot.
In Norwalk Westport area regularly. Agree with your assessment. Was at Sunset Grill the other night. Awesome place. Live band was great service and food as well. Just one example among many.
My mom is from there but I'm a mainer, born and raised. I totally agree with you, visited her last summer and was absolutely amazing. I also took my baby cousins to the children's museum, even though I'm too old for it, still looked fascinating lmao.
Facts.. I grew up in Stamford and moved to Norwalk for the cheaper rent.. the fact Stamford isn't on here and norwalk is plummets this guys credibility.. ive been stabbed TWICE, shot at once, and fought off countless attempted robberies in Stamford... place is just like Bridgeport just dressed better..
Love the vidoeos! I am a connectiuct patriot and- having been to all 169 towns, and have some comments. First of all, there is no bridgefield County- Norwalk is in Fairfield Co. Norwalk is a BEUTIFUL city- on of the most diverse I know. From the culturally vibrant SoNo, the extremely rich and quint Rowaton, to the Cranberry neighborhood where suburban life lives on like it is the 60s. Schools are great. the beach is great, and people do love it there, it is certainly not a slum. I live in a pretty quiet town here- but there always is something to do. Anywhere in CT is really better than 90+% of the world, and we do take it for granted. Everywhere in CT, you can find cute trails to take. New Haven is a really vibrant place too- going to high school there coming from the northwest everyday nearly everywhere I walked I never felt at danger- even as a small town white-boy.
Anyone that complains about Connecticuts bad neighborhoods or shady spots needs to travel more and go to Cali, New York Chicago and Detroit to see some real shady spots.
As someone who LIVES in one of the places that made it on this video’s list, I can tell you I’ve been to worse than the places you mentioned. While I do agree that going to the country’s worst might make you thankful for the places you live in, that doesn’t make CT’s worst neighborhoods any less seedy.
I thought New London was rough, then I visited Detroit and lived in Denver. Not a chance. New London is a walk in the park. Super calm. And there’s rough areas but it also has very beautiful areas.
I think besides the two projects by the bridge and that other one in Coleman, it’s pretty relax. I miss sailfest and harkness park myself. New london is quaint and quiet. If people think that’s rough, then they wouldn’t survive in a real city. New london is a walk in the park actually.
New London's a walk in the park until they compare it to Detroit and Denver because they've been abandoned by manufacturers and crime has had more time to remove families and values
I love my house, yard, changing seasons. Always lived in a nice part of Connecticut. Enjoy living here, especially at 74, retired to read, see the sights, take walks, learn new things.
Norwalk, really? Lived here for 7+ years and put 2 kids through the school system and never had a problem. Actually appreciate the diversity. Now I live in Bridgeport (LOL) and work here and would love to move back but SURPRISE too expensive. And this is coming from a woman born and raised in Greenwich!
Agree, I love Norwalk, it's where all the trades people live to service the neighboring richest 5 zipcodes in the country. I always thought Thomaston was the pits.
I left Bridgeport and moved to Virginia in 1996 when my kids were small. So glad I did. Never looked back since. I Just miss the good food and diversity and my family that won't leave🙂
CT and VA both have their unique charms. You're right abour the food in CT being good-namely if you like clam chowder and amazing pizza. But Virginia also has its own beauty, quaintness, and good cuisine.
Well this was interesting if a bit negative and sad. I’m Australian and my family lived in New Haven Ct 40 years ago while my father taught at Yale for a couple years - I was a child aged 4-6yo. I remember it vividly walking around looking at fishing boats, the beach the lighthouse, it was bliss. The school was awesome and the local kids were nice to me. We had beautiful older elderly neighbours, very kind. It felt so safe and orderly. Except when a big storm uprooted the trees in our yard. It was a wonderful place and I hope it still is good for the locals . Love from Australia
Born and raised in CT here, for 50+ years. No surprise, and no argument on Bridgeport being #1. I was born there, and I agree. One thing on Norwalk, though, is they do have a decent little night life in SoNO (South Norwalk).
I was born and raised in Panama, Central America but I have been in Connecticut since September 2009 and honestly after traveling a lot across country from FL to CA and more, I’ve come to appreciate living here. It isn’t perfect at all but I love being within driving distance to beautiful nature (mountains, lakes and the beach in ME, NH, VT, RI, MA and NY) and to two metropolitan areas with job opportunities. IMO any place has the good and the bad, we just notice the bad more where we grow up or live for a long time.
Thank you for being honest and realistic. People are complaining about their own lives unaware that there's ALWAYS someone who has it worse and suffers more as well as the opposite, living large off daddy and mommy earning and providing but they're sometimes the weakest ungrateful ones
I'm panamanian too and I'd like to live in CT some day, that's why I'm watching this video, looking for references😂, but your comment is all that I needed. Thank you
Perfectly said! I’m originally from CT but currently live in FL. I moved all over the USA and I appreciate my small, complicated hometown of CT more than ever. Thinking of relocating back there
As someone originally from South Norwalk, that part of Norwalk is considered more urban and not the best to live, but the crime rate is no where near where it used to be in the 90's. Also,Norwalk is Fairfield county.
Yes where the heck is Ridgefield County anyway!? I lived right off off 123 I remember when The Armory was built. My mom used to take us to a really good Chinese restaurant in the “shady” part of Norwalk,she called it The Good Earth but I’m not sure that was its real name. Spent the first 14 and a half years of my life in New Canaan.
@@KatyWatson173 I think he was saying "Bridgefield county", somehow combining Bridgeport (one of Fairfield county's larger cities that was also featured in a Family Guy episode) and Fairfield (not only the actual name of the county but also the county's namesake town). I don't understand how he got this wrong because it's clear he was using Google Maps and that tells you what county the address you are looking up is in...
@@joef9986 I'm well versed with Fairfield County as my hometown of New Canaan is in it. I grew up there in the 1960s and 1970s it was a different place back then.
New Haven and Norwalk are the best places to find work in CT, both have great neighborhoods, New Haven has most culture and community combo for a 45- 50K income.
I was born and raised in CT. Yes, there are some pretty bad areas, mostly due to the decline of manufacturing and huge loss of middle-class jobs some 40-50 years ago. These cities never recovered from that. Plus, the state political apparatus is not business friendly. Having said that, there are many nice areas. The state has a lot of natural beauty and lots of history to it. For fun, I'd grab the train and go to NYC or jump in my car and visit Boston, Vermont, or New Hampshire. I might move back to CT some day.
Grab the train and go to NYC... that actually sounds like a great idea. How much is the ticket, and do they charge you for the weight of what you're carrying with you? Let's just say I have a 60-lb electric unicycle. I'd love to ride it around NYC.
My grandfather was a machinist and lived in New Haven, Connecticut. His father owned a factory there. My grandfather moved to Burbank, California to work as a tool maker at an aircraft plant in 1949.
Norwalk is a lovely place. The South Norwalk area, especially Washington St, has lovely shops and restaurants, a railroad museum, and affordable loft apartments. The aquarium isn't far away. Views of the river, and the drawbridge, are great. There are luxury apartments and fine hotels being built nearby. There's a great train station with connections to NYC, New Haven, and Danbury. Not sure why this is on the list.
Hi, Nick. Norwalk resident here. If Norwalk is so bad, why has the value of my home gone up 35% in the last two years and why did so many NYC residents move here during the pandemic? That song at the end is pretty funny though. Funny because it's true.
Because it's not bad how it was in 2018. Everyone who was about that life is either in jail dead or left the city. The projects of Washington village was the main drug/violent area where everything happened was torn down for more housing. It use to be 50-75 people at Ryan park to sell to about 200 drug addict
@@jimdep6542 No. Your property tax goes up when your municipal budget goes up. The budget and property values are always changing, the mill rate apportions your share to the budget. Case in point, Bridgeport has some of the lowest property values, and some of the highest property taxes. Greenwich has the highest property values, but some of the lowest tax rates
@@jimkear6749 thanks for the info. I understand about Bridgeport having low property values and high taxes but why would Greenwich have some of the lowest tax rates ?
Lifelong CT resident here...while CT is a beautiful state, the high taxes and cost of living and high crime rates are what drives people away from here for sure. I myself am leaving to go down south where it's more affordable. I always loved this state, especially for its history but it's just way too expensive and not worth staying anymore.
I've lived in CT my whole life so far and I've grown to appreciate it more as I've gotten older. I enjoy historical things, and there's many activities in and close-by to CT. Also, there's a lot of chill hiking and beautiful woods in CT and more intense hiking in surrounding states that's an easy drive. I was lucky to grow up in a pretty nice town and then moved to New Haven for college. It was an adjustment from the semi-sheltered life I had during my childhood. There are good people to find there tho.
@@letitbe7108 I lived in Redding as a baby and my family moved us to Brookfield, near Candlewood lake. It was a beautiful place to grow up, although not very diverse. I did meet a lot of good people in my childhood and continue to meet good people in New Haven!
My cousin lives in Norwalk in a beautiful house. Sadly, he husband, whom everyone loved and who had be a Psychiatrist in New York, passed away. My cousin was a Nurse Practitioner. So glad she is well off at 78 years old. I live in Wallingford CT. Own my house, nice yard, safe area, great neighbours. Connecticut people are not snobbish. They respond to people who are respectful, have manners, will speak to you if you are friendly.
There is very little arguing about these places, Nick is right, by and large. The nicest places in CT are not in the "large" cities, but in the countryside and the small towns, many of which are the best in the US. According to a just out study from the Milken Institute, CT is the second best state in the nation after MA. So it depends what you look at. CT has beautiful nature, a pleasant 4 seasons climate, proximity to NY and Boston, and many beautiful communities. Again, I don't disagree with Nick's picks, but it may give the impression that the state is terrible. It is not. In the right communities, it is one of the most beautiful places in the world (I have lived in 5 countries on 3 different continents and visited another 40+ other countries, by the way, so I think have some perspective).
yes, I've been in many countries and states and Ct has been a slow and steady appreciation for me,, Sometimes I can't believe everything around me that I have access to. I'm far from rich btw.
It depends what you want I personally do not like West Hartford but West Hartford is more than most desirable places to live in it borders Hartford and is not rural at all. Milford and more. I actually do agree with you personally but I'm just saying there are a lot of people that prefer those
Lived on the east side of the state from Danielson to Groton . Lived outside CT too Wanted that seaside address in Mystic (lived there twice) but job layoffs, insane taxes and crony politicians from both parties ended that dream. Live in central Texas now it's good but changing for the worse of late. Horrible drivers from the Northeast moved here and commuting is a nightmare now, and the building craze is making the landscape a sea of high priced homes and a sea of solar panels
I live in a small rural inland CT town and I hate it here but can't afford to move out. No public transportation. I'm disabled and can't drive. Might be a nice place to live if I were old and rich, but I'm neither. I will say it was a nice place to grow up as a kid, but eventually you hit a dead end here. I tried to get out. Was valedictorian. Got a scholarship and went to college in California, but then got hit with a major chronic illness and couldn't finish my degree and had to move back in with my parents. I was born here, but I've never been considered "from here" by locals because my parents weren't born here (and I'm Mexican-American). I don't have friends here, at least not ones that I see more than a few times a year, and the isolation really gets to me
@@ParadoxRevealed11 I can relate to much of what you say. If it weren't for the fact that I had a very successful Radio show in Northeast Connecticut and my dad teaching at the Coast guard academy in early childhood our outcomes would be eerily similar. Living in TX since 2015 and overall it has been a good lifesaving move.
I’ve lived in Connecticut my whole life. I grew up in Mystic and went to college and grad school in New Haven. I lived and worked in that area for about 20 years, but I moved back in Mystic and love it here.
You just reminded me of my trip to Mystic in the late 80's after I watched the movie "Mystic Pizza". Mystic is such a beautiful and peaceful town. Great memories!
@@nunyabiznes4471 i would reccomend moving outside of any city. for example, new haven (Hamden), Waterbury (watertown,wolcott, prospect), Hartford (West Hartford, Windsor Locks), Bridgeport (Fairfield County). do this if you love the city life but also enjoy the space and quiet like i do. hahaha.
@@G.B-Media I live in Colebrook on a big piece of property. It’s beautiful. I absolutely hate the mismanagement of this state. Illegals and deadbeats are catered to.
@@nunyabiznes4471 you're saying that moving to the suburbs is the answer to escape crime and violence but it's the corruption that will spread like any fungus. Until the root causes are removed we're all going to keep moving away. Sooner or later you have to stop and take a stand. I'm too old for this particular battle but it's my most fervent hope you all have the courage to fight before you have given too much ground
In case it hasn't already been mentioned, #9 Norwalk is in "Fairfield" County, not "Bridgefield" (which I don't even think is a county in Connecticut 🤔)
I lived in the New London area for about 10 years. I agree with all your picks. I couldn't get out of Connecticut fast enough. Finally a UA-camr who is honest in the subject he is reviewing. I love it
3 years ago Connecticut was ranked first in the country in per capita income. Not Unusual since it normally rank in the top three. Somebody crunched the numbers however and found out that if you eliminated Fairfield County, which is one of eight counties in the state and nothing but a suburb of New York City Connecticut would rank 28th in the country in per capita income. Not even the top half. But everybody gets taxed like there's some kind of Rich junk bond salesman out of New York.
Sounds a lot like S.F. Bay Area. 5-10% of the workforce (tech elites) determine the prices for everyone else. Inflation is an understatement when a 1 bedroom apartment is 3,000$ a month.
I used to live in Ct. But because of long winters, high cost of living ,high taxes with boring places nothing to do, I moved to South. Best thing I did in my life.
Weird you have Norwalk and Danbury on here. Both pretty decent places to live outside of their city centers. Also, Norwalk has a ton to do and is a major commuter area to Manhattan.
Danbury is definitely not bad, it has sketchy areas but for the most part, Danbury is actually pretty safe. I lived in Brookfield for 6 years before moving to Danbury in the 80's/90's. I left CT in 96 and moved to Atlanta. I am moving back to CT next year and am looking at moving to either Danbury or Bethel. I for sure would stay away from Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, and Bridgeport.
@annatwater3410 - back around 1993 my company in Park Ridge, NJ (corporate office) moved to Norwalk CT (executive office). I didn't want to go because no way in the world would I drive from Paterson, NJ to Norwalk CT every day (and that would have been second shift as I also worked second shift). I'd also pull off a sixteen hour shift one weekend a month. Glad I didn't go with them. If they stayed in NJ, I would have retired with the company. One of my all-time favorite computer jobs.
I grew up in Norwalk, 1958-1976. I had an idyllic childhood in the Silvermine area. I visited again about 8 years ago for an NHS reunion and the city seemed to have improved though I hardly know what day-to-day living is like now.
Fellow Norwalker here, 1958 to present. I think Nick was quite harsh with his assessment of Norwalk. I believe there are many places that are FAR worse. I had a number of friends in the Silvermine area, but I went to McMahon.
I was born in Norwalk but my family lived on Carter Street in New Canaan. We lived across the street from Hoyt’s Nursery before they ruined it with 300 acres of housing. 😉
These places aren’t even that bad. Danbury you really had no reasons except it’s boring and expensive. There’s lots to do in Danbury it may be expensive but it’s actually a really nice place to live and it’s safe there. Overall CT is a pretty nice state
Video hits the nail on the head. CT is expensive, cities are rundown, and there’s nothing to do. Next time someone says’ “yea but it’s close to NY and Boston”..... ask them when was the last time you were there?
Yup its short drives but from personal experiences most people in that part of the country hate driving because of the bad traffic so its not like they are going to NY and Boston all the time if they even go at all.
@@Chaz4543 We take the train or bus trips to both of those cities. How many people from other states get to see WICKED on Broadway or Radio City’s Rockettes in their Christmas show? Also taking a carriage ride in Central Park is a must! I’ve done it every time I’ve gone to NYC. I’ve had lots of fun in Boston too. Starting when I was a Girl Scout walking the Freedom Trail. We go to both cities whenever we have a reason to, whenever we want to and whenever we can afford to.
and that is the question--some people are willing to do a little work and others want things handed to them on a silver platter (there's no polite way to put it). I've met plenty in NYC who live outside of downtown and they view their borough like most view CT cities. they've never seen the glamour of Times Square even though they could easily take the subway downtown and be back home for a change of scenery. When i had a buddy living uptown in the "cheaper" neighborhoods I took the train down for Bike NY, holiday events, etc. We did the touristy stuff he never otherwise found the time to do on his own.
Born and raised in Stamford. Came back after I retired from the Air Force. I love Stamford, but it got too expensive, so we moved 40 minutes north to bears, bobcats, coyotes, and quiet.
Born and raised in Connecticut- all the reasons you stated are all true, and they were true 20 yrs ago when I left the state permanently. Our family never once regretted the move out. I don't even like to share I'm from there.
Gina Geneaux what part of Connecticut did you leave? Were you from an immigrant family? I'm only asking because I'm a 3rd generation American whose grandparents came from Canada to work for Stanley Tool and Tilcon Tomasso. I moved to Vermont, married and raised my kids here.
TONS of us here in CT battle drug addiction since hard drugs and partying is really all there is to do when you’re bored & depressed… I grew up in New Haven, Guilford, and Hamden, and I can say that no matter the area, rich or poor, drugs are rampant. I still struggle every single day of my life with Heroin, Opiates, Coke, everything. It’s fucking insane.
Never know what they add to a drug you buy. Connecticut needs Treatment Centers for people who struggle. What did not help was THE WAR ON DRUGS. When doctors were not allowed to treat pain properly, many people had to resort to the sales on the street. My friend and I, bought pills from someone we could trust, in New Haven. We are senior citizens. Some of the people, of all ages, rely on street drugs. Really have to know and trust someone to get what you need.
Norwalk is in Fairfield county, not Bridgefield county wherever that is. But you’re absolutely right about the taxes in Connecticut. They tax you to death in this state, and I have no idea 🤷🏾♀️ of what they do with the money. Take my advice and get out while you can. There has to be somewhere better to live, than in Connecticut.
My father regretted moving to Connecticut. He has lived in 10 different states and after 5 years, he'd had enough and moved. He says it's the worst state he has ever lived in. I only visited there and was not at all impressed. While Mystic was cute and charming, it is not nice enough to cover the negatives of most of the rest of the state.
Tell your father to move to Virginia in particular the Hampton Roads area! He’ll forget about how bad Connecticut is after he spends just a month there. It’s the worst place I’ve ever been to!
The sad part about CT is that overall it is a beautiful state. If you are into nature and history your weekends can be full for years. Hartford, Bridgeport, New London, and New Haven have so much to offer. However, as you mentioned the crime is out of control. It can be like the Wild West in these cities. I just walked the riverfront recapture area in Hartford from Charter Oak Landing to the Community Boathouse and it is a really nice walk. Thank you for shining a light on some of the major challenges CT faces. Keep it up Nick!
Bridgeport does not have anything to offer. It’s so expensive here and the jobs are not good nor plentiful unless you’re in healthcare or have connections. There’s no opportunities here and it’s so expensive that a lot of us lower class residents are practically struggling to stay afloat.
I knew a firefighter for Waterbury and he told me that if a fire call came in, they would not respond to certain areas because people would take pot shots at them while they would try to keep the neighborhood from burning. I think it was the 3rd or 4th time they got shot at during an active call that the department said eff it, they don't want us we don't need to help them
I grew up in Bristol, CT. 23 years old when i left. Its a nice place to be FROM. However i have no regrets about leaving and have no desire to ever move back. I visit occasionally and cant wait to go back home when i get there 😂
@@urmamasmamasmama All of the reasons people have listed plus I’m from the desert in Southern California and I miss it terribly! Very true about people keeping to themselves here. Lol! I was given advice before I moved here about maybe not smiling at everyone cause they wouldn’t understand!! Lmao. It is very beautiful though and it’s been wonderful to experience the four seasons and in particular the magic that is Fall. 👀😭🤣😍🧡
This video should be called "best place to be a serial killer" Crime, poverty, close to a large body of water. Houses are large, cheap and secluded. Basement included. It's perfect
I lived in Danbury from 1980 until 1994. In the August 1988 issue of Money magazine, Danbury topped the magazine's list of the best U.S. cities to live in, mostly due to low crime, good schools, and location. -- how things change. It must have been my moving out which brought the city down. I actually lived on Rose Hill Avenue, your first Danbury image!
Born/raised in CT, been in Maine since 1996. CT’s biggest problem is a collective pessimistic attitude and no vision. Seems all anyone who lives there can talk about is how much they hate the state government and where the best shopping deals are. CT has an insane amount of potential. Visit other places, get inspired, roll up your sleeves, change the attitude, get to work.
Thanks Nick for the video! Love the song! I am from CT, and have been in all 10 cities! Yeah, all these these towns have been dying for decades. All the industries left long ago.
Bridgeport has actually made a lot of strides in recent years and the crime rate has gone down from many years ago. Downtown Bridgeport has a lot of nice up and coming bars and restaurants. The apartments are nice there as well and so is the community college HCC. I go to Poetry slams 1-2 times a month I'm downtown Bridgeport. Majority of crime happens in the poorest part of the city, the East End. Crime isn't unpredictable. When the education is poor, there is a lot of poverty, single parent homes, not many community centers or healthy places for kids to go when not in school, and drugs, there will be crime. You take away all the things that will give a community hope a life crime is what some end up turning to.
Bridgeport is no longer a stand alone city it's set up to be a NY commuter sub city. With just Apts and storage and eateries. No commerce for locals and a lot of residents are getting priced out.
Yes, enslaved people helped build Connecticut Hall, the oldest surviving brick building at Yale University, in part. The first stone was laid in April 1750, and the majority of the enslaved workers were Black, though some were Indigenous.
I did the Census in 2010 and had to do Waterbury..the people were great but a lot of the houses I was assigned were empty, abandoned by the owners and falling down..80% of my assignments were these places were abandoned apartment houses and I had one street that had 15 of these and only 1house that had someone living there-I counted 16 houses=42 apartments and only 1 apartment was occupied! But there’s old houses that are beautifully maintained that are over 100 years old..but the people I encountered were very nice!
I grew up in New Britain. I do agree that the schools suck, but there are some pretty great things about New Britain - Little Poland, for instance. Also, the current mayor has been working hard to improve NB, including revitalizing downtown and parks, and there are a lot of street festivals in the summer ( including the amazing Little Poland festival). I've never experienced crime in NB or Hartford ( where I teach). You can't just go by statistics, they don't tell the entire story.
I lived in Hamden somewhat near the New Haven border and I can’t say I ever felt comfortable in New Haven. I also spent 2 months as an Amazon delivery driver around New Haven. Luckily never ever happened to me but I kept my head on a swivel.
Amazon driver and not even in new haven and you said ur lucky ? Hahaha me and my buddies roam the streets of new haven the entire city best and worst parts raising hell and it’s totally fine as long as you don’t go up and pick a fight past midnight everyone is intoxicated and friendly
Surprised no one ever stole your truck! Yale should be ashamed of its self. The tax payers pay everytime some rich student takes a crap, they own 1/3 of all the real estate in the city and pay NO taxes. Typical rich snobs.
I live in NY right over the border of danbury and I'd rather spend time in CT anytime! Some of the places you mentioned have actual great parts. I've seen so much and learned tons of history and the people are not all snobs..every single town, city and state has bad areas...get a grip!
I'm going to have to join the chorus of voices who think you made a bad call on Norwalk, you may have been right 20- 30 years ago. Norwalk lost it's industrial base over the 70's and 80's but after a brief transition period it's been continuously growing as a NYC commuter town in CT (lower taxes than NY). The bad areas are gentrifying and more retail and luxury apartments replaced slums. Now, a city you definitely left off the list is Willimantic in eastern Connecticut.
@@seciliafeliz "Willirico" LMAO! I haven't heard that one in a long time. Remember the "Boombox" parade? It is STILL happening every year! I love that town!
I used to live in CT, Fairfield County, but even in the nice areas, there’s nothing to do. CT is very boring, although when I lived there, I was always busy. However, living on Long Island for over 20 years now has made it hard to consider ever moving back to CT. There is so much to do on the Island and great beaches, open to the public, not owned by a millionaire as his private shorefront, as it is in most of Fairfield County. The reason I thought of going back was for the stability and quaintness I remember there. Things change fast down here, whereas in CT, there are some stores still there that I remember as a child, like the health food store I shopped in during the 1980’s and the owner still remembered me..., and it’s also a little slower pace of living. In recent years, CT has seen a resurgence of development, like in South Norwalk and other spots, and millennials have started really turning things around. I do have some happy memories from CT.
millennials turning things around? Wishful thinking for sure. Half of them still live with mommy and daddy and the other half, high on pot, jobless. stay in Long Island!
Problem is rural CT is a lot more expensive to live than rural land in red states because there's far less of it. You cant really compare the rural south and midwest to the rural northeast. Rural northeast people are wealthier on average and the towns are nicer and cleaner. They have to pay a lot more to live there than people living in a trailer in the rural south.
Derby was once the home of Charlton Publishing, the company that published Hit Parader and Song Hits magazines, and they also did all the officially licensed comic books that weren't on Gold Key, like Hee Haw comics (yes, there was such a thing). Steven Tyler's brother Tony Tallarico was an editor for that company; now you know how Aerosmith got so much coverage in their music mags.
I lived in Beacon Falls when I was a kid and it was about as bad. There were some pretty bad kids in that neighborhood and the school system seemed underfunded. The teachers I had didn't really seem to want to be there and didn't care much about the students, especially ones with special needs.
The Black Rock section of Bridgeport has grown exponentially in the past year. With St. Mary's by the sea, and businesses and restaurants along Fairfield ave., it's easy to see why.
As a Stratford CT resident, I have been to Bridgeport many times. It is starting to get better. In fact, today I went for the Vicki Soto 5K! It’s an annual event to pay tribute to a teacher who saved some of her students from the whole incident with Sandy Hook. During the run, I saw some redevelopment projects taking place on the route. I also have been to many Bridgeport Islanders (formally Sound Tigers) games. They are building a little touristy area which will be a tiny harbor.
No if one follows the news… yeah. Search up Bridgeport redevelopment… maybe im biased since I’m 16 and from Bridgeport but… I’m quite happy with all the redevelopment in this 16 square mile city personally and well… sure it had sites or areas that aren’t as good as others in terms of crime… but there are issues here that cannot be easily fixed with a wand… they are complex and range from anything from our tax base to generational issues to even reputation… plus and minuses
I moved from Bridgeport to Stratford when the city started to shift. That was in early 80s. The city and redevelopment people always are trying to make the city what it once was or at least better BUT too much corrupt or companies go belly up. Bridgport politicians have done a lot to screw the City over. Some have gone to prison then after over in again as mayor. LOL
@With Me In CT Just looked at your account. Why am I not surprised. I was born and raised in BPT. Things are getting better. You're probably going to the wrong places by the looks of it.
I’m a Connecticut resident. I’m a high school senior, and my college plans start in New Haven. Connecticut State Community College Gateway, located in downtown New Haven, right near Yale University’s campus, is my starting point. The city of New Haven has several colleges besides Yale! Like I said, it has Gateway, which is a community college that just like all of the other community colleges in the state, is part of Connecticut State Community College system. It also has Albertus Magnus College, a small Roman Catholic college, and Southern Connecticut State University. Southern is part of the Connecticut State University system. The other campuses are Central Connecticut State University, located in New Britain, Eastern Connecticut State University, located in Willimantic, and Western Connecticut State University, located in Danbury. The state’s public colleges are the Connecticut State Community College system, in other words, all of the community colleges, the Connecticut State University system, and UConn. I wish I could attend UConn after I’m done with high school. However, I want to stay in my local area, so that I can commute from my house. I am from a Connecticut town called Stratford, which is a suburb that is located just outside of Bridgeport, the state’s largest city. New Haven’s suburbs also include 2 schools. They are Quinnipiac, located in Hamden, and University Of New Haven, located in West Haven. Therefore, all of this is to say that after Gateway, my starting point, I am hoping to transfer to Sacred Heart University. Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic university in another Bridgeport suburb called Fairfield. Despite me not being Roman Catholic, as I am a Congregationalist, I will still be attending. At all Christian colleges and universities, all are welcome to apply. It’s just that they have more Christian traditions. Therefore, SHU’s campus culture has lots of Catholic traditions. However, in terms of who can apply, like I already said, all are welcome. It’s a really good school, and it is actually the 2nd largest Roman Catholic school in New England, only behind Boston College! However, if SHU doesn’t work out, then I would use my Plan B. That would be applying to either Fairfield University or Southern. Fairfield University is in a different part of Fairfield than SHU. It’s a Jesuit university, which means a Roman Catholic university where its purpose is to do missionary work, which means helping out the community to make sure that it thrives. It can sometimes be competitive though, as we see with places like Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill MA, and Georgetown University, located in Washington DC. Jesuits are Catholics that love to do community service. And like I already said, Southern is one of the state’s public universities. The others are the state’s community colleges, Central Connecticut State University, located in New Britain, Eastern Connecticut State University, located in Willimantic, Western Connecticut State University, located in Danbury, and most notably, as it is the largest college in the state, UConn, located in Storrs. I hope you like my post secondary plans, which all take place within my home state!
I’m so glad you finally made it to Connecticut Nick! It’s a really unique place where one area could be extremely wealthy and a block away could be completely ghetto. I’m from New Haven, the city is famous for alot of things. Yale University, Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria rated number one pizzeria in America, Louis Lunch which is the first restaurant to sell hamburgers in America and one of the oldest restaurants in the country! Connecticut is amazing in the summer, beautiful in the fall, kinda miserable in the winter after a few snowstorms, and perfect during spring. Hopefully you can do a New England Road Trip episode!
In Hartford I've always been astounded how there are mansions on Scarborough Street and one block away is the North End of the city with the worst crime.
I believe they are referring to the part of Fairfield county that Bridgeport is in. A friend of mine lives in Trumbull about a stone's throw away from Bridgeport. They call that area "Trumport"
Thank you for your honest review. Idk why I burst into laughter with some of your comments/ points because there spot on. Living in CT the last 20 years I can’t wait to move but it’s like a magnet holds you here 😩. Everyone is so angry and miserable.
My family lived in Derby for over three generations, but has since moved away. Derby has an illustrious history and in post war 1950's-60's was a quintessential small town and a great place to grow up. In those days, the city had a thriving working class community with a strong manufacturing and commercial sector and a lot of civic pride and traditions. Since the 1970's, a combination of economic decline and poor municipal management has left it a shadow of its former self. Ironically, Shelton, listed here as one of the best places to live in Connecticut, is right next door to Derby.
I grew up in Shelton a little later than you, but looking back I remember you could drive through downtown Derby in the 80s and see the biker bar with dozens of motorcycles out front in the middle of the day, nearly every day. Even as a kid it made me wonder what kinds of jobs must they have? Shelton just has a lot more land and worked to draw corporations in along rt. 8 developments, while Derby was lined with old, abandoned maufacturing sites and small retail (I'm remembering KMart/Woolworth's across from the bowling alley) that cost money to tear down, which they'd have to do to make room for something new. One strategy worked out and it makes sense in hindsight. Ultimately glad I grew up in that area when I did - good people and a lot of fun.
Born and raised in CT until I moved to FL in 2016. Your report was spot on. I lived in a small town in the NW corner but worked in all those towns on your report and honorable mention should be Willimantic, so much meth. Thanks great videos
I lived in FL for a while. I’ll take CT any day! At least the cops in CT don’t harass someone for just standing someplace minding their own business. Now FL has that fascist DeSantis as governor. No thank you! Despite FL’s awesome beaches and CT’s crappy beaches I’d pick CT over FL any day!
Bridgeport and New Britain were manufacturing powerhouses back in the day, producing the world's finest mills and screw machines, until DC offshored and outsourced all that, now they're just a vast wasteland of poverty , misery and gov't dependency.
I lived in New Britain for 2 months and it was so demoralizing being there. Ansonia and Derby are in the good ol' valley and are also very uninspiring. I lived in New Haven back in the 70s - it was rundown then. There are parts of NH in back of Yale New Haven Hospital that look like a warzone. It's unbelievable. The thing with CT is that you can't live in the cities. You have to go out into a the small towns or more suburban/countryside areas. There are areas which are very green and very wealthy. For a small state there are incredible discrepancies from one municipality to the next.
I’ve lived in Danbury all 31 years of my life and actually remember it being on lists of most desirable places to live in the country. However, that was when I was in high school and it has since become an unofficial sanctuary city and the traffic is insane. I hate CT politics but I can’t match my income so I haven’t left yet. Btw, ansonia and derby’s unemployment rates aren’t super relevant because they’re both super close to new haven where lots of people make lots of money. The majority of my work (construction) is in new haven and if I moved and stayed in CT I’d probably look in that valley area haha. Overall, avoid CT because the taxes are trash.
I was living in Philly for 6 years prior to Danbury. Most of the things people are complaining about isn't an issue at all to me and I have been living in Danbury for 23 years.
Yes, the taxes are bad here. My whole family was from Derby, Ansonia and New Haven, for over 300 years. I grew up in NJ, Elizabeth and fondly remember visiting CT and swimming in the Housatonic, in the long Island sound and at the beach in Bridgeport occasionally. I had lots of fiends here, but am now 75; that was in the 50s and 60s. The cost of living is high here, but taxes are much higher in NJ, another crazy Democrat state. I can't walk as far anymore, but my kids and grandkids enjoy taking walks in the fields and trees.
I grew up in Massachusetts right on the line of Connecticut right near Woodstock/ Thompson. The differences between Massachusetts and Connecticut was huge. It was so much more expensive even for gas I want to say it’s about a 10-15 cent difference and their taxes are outrageous.
As a long time Connecticut resident, I'm totally content to remain in the beautiful hills of Stafford Springs. I only venture into the cities in the state when absolutely necessary.
Born and raised Ansonian and I can confirm most of this message. Don't miss the harsh winters or taxes. I do miss my Pizza! Will visit but not moving back. I live in the South now. Loving it.
I lived near Danbury, Norwalk and Bethel as a child. They were depressed then and the blue collar workers lived there. I was really surprised at the housing prices last time I looked. Too cold for me.
It's when New Yorkers from their slummy hoods since the 1960s to the 1980s like the South Bronx star moving northeastward to most NE small towns, the riff raffs begin. But they keep the hoods stable due to state and town codes. Keep your home happy or pay a fee. Folks in these NE towns don't an instant ghetto.
🤣🤣🤣 Yes!!!That is how you take responsibility for your city. Yes! It definitely has to be the New Yorkers from the sixties and eighties destroying and wreaking havoc on the city of New Haven in 2022. That is exactly how your city will only get worse!
I lived in Connecticut for about 8 1/2 years before returning to my home state Iowa. I do hope to go back to CT and other New England states for vacation someday.
I have to give you credit for identifying Shelton as decent option to live in CT. It has lower property taxes than most (my property taxes went *down* in the last 5 years) and the downtown area which used to be pretty run-down has perked up a lot in the last 5 to 10 years.
I lived in downtown Shelton in the late 2000s. Went back in 2018 to visit and it was sad most of my favorite places there were lost to fire. It’s odd Derby is one of the worst when it’s so similar to Shelton (minus all the corporate headquarters). I think either Shelton or Derby had the highest number of bars per person when I lived there.
@@dont_even_view2985 I just looked. You’re right. It has changed massively in the last 4 years. When I lived there it was mostly bars for Sikorsky workers. I lived in the green building on Coram called the Hoopskirt factory. 2 cars (including mine) got hit by drunk drivers in front of my building, one of them had a beer in his hand at the time 🤦♂️. It also used to be the kind of place where the local “Mexican” restaurant asked if Cilantro was a kind of cheese and I’d see people sitting in their pickup truck chugging cans of bud light in the parking lot in front of my building.
ALL descriptions are spot on, I live in New Haven and if I could afford better I’d do better. First chance I get I’m moving back out of CT back south. If you want to live in a zoo with the animals, New Haven and other cities listed are one big tihS show.
CT has some of the largest gaps. I haven't lived there in over 25 years but growing up, I saw it prosper in the '70s, '80s, and '90s and then it took a nose dive due to its corrupt politics. I would rate CT at #50 for business friendly environment. I'm surprised Norwalk is on this list as it shouldn't be. It probably hit your list because it surrounds towns that have super wealth and high expectations. If Norwalk was in a midwest state, it would be on the higher end of top towns.
Retiring in a couple of years. Lived in CT my whole life. Will be leaving for good when I retire and i cannot wait. There are some beautiful places to hike and see, especially during fall. It is unbelievably expensive and has huge disparities in class among people and schools.
Coming from Connecticut myself, this is pretty accurate. I’m from Groton and New London was getting better but within the past few years started getting worse again.
New London Ct is so much cleaner and pretty than even a few years ago. It surprised me recently at how lovely it was. I have lived in the surrounding area for years and used to avoid New London, now I will be happy to go there. Norwich Ct on the other hand seems to be deteriorating at a shocking pace. Where I live is stunning, beautiful and safe.
Lived in New Britain 37 years, live in Berlin now. Would not have wanted to grow up or go to school here. All 10 are cities. One advantage of growing up in a city like NB is diversity, which really lacks in some of the suburbs, especially away from the cities. The city toughens you up. New Britain really is hard hitting! God Bless!
I was born in New Britain and raised in Berlin. I loved my upbringing, and I'm proud of my New Britain roots. I love this state, and it's been great to me and my family.
Wait, what! Bridgefield County is not a thing. Norwalk is in FAIRFIELD County. I grew up in Danbury and you're right not much to do here. Danbury is on the come up. But yea this is pretty much on point! lol
I grew up in North end of Bridgeport on Trumbull line. As adult I moved my young family to Naugatuck. Moved my still young family to Florida. 30 years ago with no regrets. I have only been back to visit once in all these years. No desire to do so again.
Lived in CT all my life and I drive all over the state for work. I mostly agree with the worst cities part, except I would have added Willimantic to that list. But the three towns at the end listed as the best places to live in CT are absolutely baffling. Shelton and Milford are okay, but they both have bad traffic and nothing that makes them stand out as great places to live. Middletown has a nice downtown but it has sections that are really bad. There are many towns nicer than those three and most of them are not in the expensive part of the state.
Willimantic should be a better place since it services two colleges, but as the "herointown" slam-piece pointed out, it has a hospital that dumps patients out on the streets. but you walk and see the victorian mansions on the hill and you realize it was a major train hub from Boston to NY. Middletown is "the best place for restaurants you've never heard of", probably more so than Southington, but yeah as soon as you come over the bridge, watch out for idiots who'll walk right in front of you and either stick to O'roukes or Eli's or head past the Buttonwood. Since Ct is so small, you can easily spot a difference between where the hedge fund managers are living and the "quiet corner" and hour away north of norwich making up the route 12 corridor. Go to, say, Texas, and you'd drive a few hours out of Dallas to find poor towns that look nearly abandoned like downtown Danielson.
I always wondered how and why all the drugs are in Willimantic. Do they make them there? There's no water or any mass transit or much of anything there. How did that become the heroin capital? @@albertgaspar627
Bridgeport was the Capital of CT years ago. New Haven, had the first telephone exchange. Milford, Branford, Guilford, Madison, Westbrook, Essex, and a few more alone the shoreline heading East. Branford and Guilford have things happening on the town green often, a good town to walk in, while stopping for coffee, ice cream, hanging out on the green, walking your pets, O, free ice cream to your dogs in town at Ashley's.
Lived in Connecticut my whole life. List seems pretty accurate. Lived in Danbury for 10 years. It’s not as bad as you think. Few nasty areas but it’s not that bad. New Haven Bridgeport Hartford and Waterbury are definitely the worst
I left Connecticut in the early 1990's , and i will never move back there. I was born and raised in Stamford, Connecticut, which is located in Fairfield County, and this region is considered "Southern Connecticut ", and it is a coastal city, along the Long Island Sound. It was a great place to grow up in the 1970'ss, and 1980's. However, it has changed so much and has become so expensive. Stamford was a small industrial city in the early 1900's, and later became a bedroom community for many people who worked in NYC, and Stamford became home to many corporate offices, and luxury homes and apartments. Stamford is a beautiful city, and has some really beautiful communities, and great events, and restaurants.
Here's the entire Connecticut playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PLq-_cmf3H6yorZWnQqsmgY8Fs9fbro86R.html
Mark Twain lived in Hannibal Missouri to.
Awesome Channel! Feel free to check us out! Have a wonderful day everyone!
@@luckyistJsilt I've been to the mark twain house in Hartford. He lived there from 1874 to 1891.
@@laattardo they have the mark twain boyhood home in Hannibal mo
@@luckyistJsilt yes, sorry I thought you were saying he never lived here, my bad
I'm a CT native. Moved out 35 yrs. ago for better job opportunities. I still have family there. I love them, & still love CT. Don't plan on moving back..way too expensive for a retiree like me.
Don’t move to New Haven connicute my uncle and my brother lived water berry and new haven and derby
Move to myrtle beach my friend lol we got most of your state and others here already lml millions of people on this beach literally
I feel this! Went from 3 of us paying our mortgage and utilities to just me in 1 yr and 10 months. Now it's just me trying to survive in this home I don't want to leave. Believe it or not, it's half the cost here compared to living in an apartment. Last winter I kept the house at 55 to 60 degrees because gas heat in CT is about $350😂 in summer I keep it no lower than 85 because the AC would make my electric bill over $275 etc etc. I wish I was rich enough to move or at least pay off this house. How isthe lack of 62k stopping me from living a nice retirement? I know ppl who have cars that cost more. SS says $1400 is enough each month, so I'm looking for work to make ends meet😊❤❤
Too many people that depends on Santa in Connecticut,taxes really high.
I lived In Connecticut for over 10 years and loved it. Early eighties until early nineties. Beautiful State.❤❤
That's the key 80s and 90s. Not so now.
Those were the days. They went downhill ever since they introduced a state income tax.
The class divide in Connecticut is stunning
STUNNING!!!
Big time but youd be suprised u can be poor asf living next to someone making millions and u wouldnt really even know it half the time unless u were in the really highend places
You better believe it. It’s really crappy for young people getting started in life. It’s very miserable here for middle class people. I’m looking to move to Florida next year. I want to enjoy my 20s. I have the money to move and can easily do it. Why not just do it.
As a Connecticut resident can confirm it's stunning
Why that is where the elite live, the oldest group of racists and feudalism lovers are from there.
Nick - big fan here. But, you blew it on my home state. I live in Norwalk; it's safe as heck, and there's a lot to do. We have 22 islands, beachfront, marinas, TONS of bars and restaurants, big parks and annual festivals. It's also an affordable place to rent. I think you also said it's in "Ridgefield County," which doesn't exist. It's Fairfield County, brotha. CT has crime-ridden cities, a major economic divide and our taxes are terrible. But Norwalk is a solid spot.
In Norwalk Westport area regularly. Agree with your assessment. Was at Sunset Grill the other night. Awesome place. Live band was great service and food as well. Just one example among many.
My mom is from there but I'm a mainer, born and raised. I totally agree with you, visited her last summer and was absolutely amazing. I also took my baby cousins to the children's museum, even though I'm too old for it, still looked fascinating lmao.
Keep this in mind when watching videos of other places he says are trash 😂
Facts.. I grew up in Stamford and moved to Norwalk for the cheaper rent.. the fact Stamford isn't on here and norwalk is plummets this guys credibility.. ive been stabbed TWICE, shot at once, and fought off countless attempted robberies in Stamford... place is just like Bridgeport just dressed better..
And we have ever red light in CT. Lol
Love the vidoeos! I am a connectiuct patriot and- having been to all 169 towns, and have some comments. First of all, there is no bridgefield County- Norwalk is in Fairfield Co. Norwalk is a BEUTIFUL city- on of the most diverse I know. From the culturally vibrant SoNo, the extremely rich and quint Rowaton, to the Cranberry neighborhood where suburban life lives on like it is the 60s. Schools are great. the beach is great, and people do love it there, it is certainly not a slum. I live in a pretty quiet town here- but there always is something to do. Anywhere in CT is really better than 90+% of the world, and we do take it for granted. Everywhere in CT, you can find cute trails to take. New Haven is a really vibrant place too- going to high school there coming from the northwest everyday nearly everywhere I walked I never felt at danger- even as a small town white-boy.
Anyone that complains about Connecticuts bad neighborhoods or shady spots needs to travel more and go to Cali, New York Chicago and Detroit to see some real shady spots.
Bridgeport and new Haven have been on the top 10 list for highest crime rate in the US if they still aren't
Everybody don’t have to like Connecticut I lived there for almost 2 years and I didn’t like it
I live in Modesto California and Connecticut and ct is worse
As someone who LIVES in one of the places that made it on this video’s list, I can tell you I’ve been to worse than the places you mentioned. While I do agree that going to the country’s worst might make you thankful for the places you live in, that doesn’t make CT’s worst neighborhoods any less seedy.
You need to go walk around Bridgeport for a day and you’ll get it one way or another
I thought New London was rough, then I visited Detroit and lived in Denver. Not a chance. New London is a walk in the park. Super calm. And there’s rough areas but it also has very beautiful areas.
Agree was born in newlondon ct myself i like it altho im in another part of ct it was fun at times goin to ocean beach or sailfest
I think besides the two projects by the bridge and that other one in Coleman, it’s pretty relax. I miss sailfest and harkness park myself. New london is quaint and quiet. If people think that’s rough, then they wouldn’t survive in a real city. New london is a walk in the park actually.
Yeah ur talkin about the crystal ave projects they tore those down theres just hempstead projects and coleman street
New London's a walk in the park until they compare it to Detroit and Denver because they've been abandoned by manufacturers and crime has had more time to remove families and values
Very elitist too! People aren't friendly in ct. I'd rather be in a down to earth state. South or Midwest.
Time stamps.
10. Ansonia 1:28
9. Norwalk 2:25
8. Danbury 3:07
7. New Britain 3:47
6. New London 4:28
5. Derby 5:00
4. New Haven 6:00
3. Waterbury 7:09
2. Hartford 7:57
1. Bridgeport 8:47
👍
Thank you, saved me from wasting my time 👍
Norwalk is a great city.
Born in CT and still live here. It’s my home. It’s not what it was sixty years ago, but everything changes. I will always love it.
I love my house, yard, changing seasons. Always lived in a nice part of Connecticut. Enjoy living here, especially at 74, retired to read, see the sights, take walks, learn new things.
Norwalk, really? Lived here for 7+ years and put 2 kids through the school system and never had a problem. Actually appreciate the diversity. Now I live in Bridgeport (LOL) and work here and would love to move back but SURPRISE too expensive. And this is coming from a woman born and raised in Greenwich!
Yes I’m really confused at Norwalk being there !I love living here although expensive
Agree, I love Norwalk, it's where all the trades people live to service the neighboring richest 5 zipcodes in the country. I always thought Thomaston was the pits.
lol if you’re impressed by “diversity” I’m sure you have zero problems with anything
Even got Danbury in there. Not dangerous in the least bit.
I left Bridgeport and moved to Virginia in 1996 when my kids were small. So glad I did. Never looked back since. I Just miss the good food and diversity and my family that won't leave🙂
I’ve visited Virginia. It’s a beautiful state.
CT and VA both have their unique charms. You're right abour the food in CT being good-namely if you like clam chowder and amazing pizza. But Virginia also has its own beauty, quaintness, and good cuisine.
Well this was interesting if a bit negative and sad. I’m Australian and my family lived in New Haven Ct 40 years ago while my father taught at Yale for a couple years - I was a child aged 4-6yo. I remember it vividly walking around looking at fishing boats, the beach the lighthouse, it was bliss. The school was awesome and the local kids were
nice to me. We had beautiful older elderly neighbours, very kind. It felt so safe and orderly. Except when a big storm uprooted the trees in our yard. It was a wonderful place and I hope it still is good for the locals . Love from Australia
Born and raised in CT here, for 50+ years. No surprise, and no argument on Bridgeport being #1. I was born there, and I agree. One thing on Norwalk, though, is they do have a decent little night life in SoNO (South Norwalk).
I use to live in Bridgeport I never had a problem, I left 2002 to Texas
Waterbury should've been #1. It is a toilet.
I was born and raised in Panama, Central America but I have been in Connecticut since September 2009 and honestly after traveling a lot across country from FL to CA and more, I’ve come to appreciate living here. It isn’t perfect at all but I love being within driving distance to beautiful nature (mountains, lakes and the beach in ME, NH, VT, RI, MA and NY) and to two metropolitan areas with job opportunities. IMO any place has the good and the bad, we just notice the bad more where we grow up or live for a long time.
Thank you for being honest and realistic. People are complaining about their own lives unaware that there's ALWAYS someone who has it worse and suffers more as well as the opposite, living large off daddy and mommy earning and providing but they're sometimes the weakest ungrateful ones
the short travel distance to everywhere and my family still being there is the main reason that makes me look at moving back.
@M3l203 oh no. 100% haha, after growing up there and complaining how far everything is. After living many other places, CT feels beyond miniature.
I'm panamanian too and I'd like to live in CT some day, that's why I'm watching this video, looking for references😂, but your comment is all that I needed. Thank you
Perfectly said! I’m originally from CT but currently live in FL. I moved all over the USA and I appreciate my small, complicated hometown of CT more than ever. Thinking of relocating back there
As someone originally from South Norwalk, that part of Norwalk is considered more urban and not the best to live, but the crime rate is no where near where it used to be in the 90's.
Also,Norwalk is Fairfield county.
Yes where the heck is Ridgefield County anyway!? I lived right off off 123 I remember when The Armory was built. My mom used to take us to a really good Chinese restaurant in the “shady” part of Norwalk,she called it The Good Earth but I’m not sure that was its real name. Spent the first 14 and a half years of my life in New Canaan.
@@KatyWatson173 I think he was saying "Bridgefield county", somehow combining Bridgeport (one of Fairfield county's larger cities that was also featured in a Family Guy episode) and Fairfield (not only the actual name of the county but also the county's namesake town). I don't understand how he got this wrong because it's clear he was using Google Maps and that tells you what county the address you are looking up is in...
@@joef9986 I'm well versed with Fairfield County as my hometown of New Canaan is in it. I grew up there in the 1960s and 1970s it was a different place back then.
New Haven and Norwalk are the best places to find work in CT, both have great neighborhoods, New Haven has most culture and community combo for a 45- 50K income.
SONO❤
I was born and raised in CT. Yes, there are some pretty bad areas, mostly due to the decline of manufacturing and huge loss of middle-class jobs some 40-50 years ago. These cities never recovered from that. Plus, the state political apparatus is not business friendly. Having said that, there are many nice areas. The state has a lot of natural beauty and lots of history to it. For fun, I'd grab the train and go to NYC or jump in my car and visit Boston, Vermont, or New Hampshire. I might move back to CT some day.
Grab the train and go to NYC... that actually sounds like a great idea. How much is the ticket, and do they charge you for the weight of what you're carrying with you? Let's just say I have a 60-lb electric unicycle. I'd love to ride it around NYC.
My grandfather was a machinist and lived in New Haven, Connecticut. His father owned a factory there. My grandfather moved to Burbank, California to work as a tool maker at an aircraft plant in 1949.
Norwalk is a lovely place. The South Norwalk area, especially Washington St, has lovely shops and restaurants, a railroad museum, and affordable loft apartments. The aquarium isn't far away. Views of the river, and the drawbridge, are great. There are luxury apartments and fine hotels being built nearby. There's a great train station with connections to NYC, New Haven, and Danbury. Not sure why this is on the list.
Agreed I'm definitely confused 😂😂
The Oyster fest!
Yea I’m confused by Norwalk being there .I moved here a year ago & love it
I used to live on Washington Street. That whole area has had a major renaissance in recent years. Amazing what they’ve done there.
Norwalk was great in the 90s. Affordable rent, restaurants and bars before it was gentrified. Reggae at Shanigans on weekends.
You gave a shoutout to my town at the end. Yay Shelton! Milford rocks too. I don't know why Norwalk made this list though. Norwalk is a great place.
Hi, Nick. Norwalk resident here. If Norwalk is so bad, why has the value of my home gone up 35% in the last two years and why did so many NYC residents move here during the pandemic? That song at the end is pretty funny though. Funny because it's true.
Because it's not bad how it was in 2018. Everyone who was about that life is either in jail dead or left the city. The projects of Washington village was the main drug/violent area where everything happened was torn down for more housing. It use to be 50-75 people at Ryan park to sell to about 200 drug addict
The value of everyone’s home went up 35% or more in the last two years.
When the value of your home goes up, so do your property taxes.
@@jimdep6542 No. Your property tax goes up when your municipal budget goes up. The budget and property values are always changing, the mill rate apportions your share to the budget. Case in point, Bridgeport has some of the lowest property values, and some of the highest property taxes. Greenwich has the highest property values, but some of the lowest tax rates
@@jimkear6749 thanks for the info. I understand about Bridgeport having low property values and high taxes but why would Greenwich have some of the lowest tax rates ?
Lifelong CT resident here...while CT is a beautiful state, the high taxes and cost of living and high crime rates are what drives people away from here for sure. I myself am leaving to go down south where it's more affordable. I always loved this state, especially for its history but it's just way too expensive and not worth staying anymore.
I've lived in CT my whole life so far and I've grown to appreciate it more as I've gotten older. I enjoy historical things, and there's many activities in and close-by to CT. Also, there's a lot of chill hiking and beautiful woods in CT and more intense hiking in surrounding states that's an easy drive. I was lucky to grow up in a pretty nice town and then moved to New Haven for college. It was an adjustment from the semi-sheltered life I had during my childhood. There are good people to find there tho.
I'm curious about where you lived before you went to college and if you're over 30 or under. I also lived in Ct until moving to Vt for school
@@letitbe7108 I lived in Redding as a baby and my family moved us to Brookfield, near Candlewood lake. It was a beautiful place to grow up, although not very diverse. I did meet a lot of good people in my childhood and continue to meet good people in New Haven!
@🌿 Tor Lee 🌲 I was in Litchfield for 20 yrs -Loved it.
Do you like the taxes? Do you like the political corruption? Do you like the destruction of your personal freedoms?
As a Connecticut native, I verify this message.
My cousin lives in Norwalk in a beautiful house. Sadly, he husband, whom everyone loved and who had be a Psychiatrist in New York, passed away. My cousin was a Nurse Practitioner. So glad she is well off at 78 years old. I live in Wallingford CT. Own my house, nice yard, safe area, great neighbours. Connecticut people are not snobbish. They respond to people who are respectful, have manners, will speak to you if you are friendly.
There is very little arguing about these places, Nick is right, by and large. The nicest places in CT are not in the "large" cities, but in the countryside and the small towns, many of which are the best in the US. According to a just out study from the Milken Institute, CT is the second best state in the nation after MA. So it depends what you look at. CT has beautiful nature, a pleasant 4 seasons climate, proximity to NY and Boston, and many beautiful communities. Again, I don't disagree with Nick's picks, but it may give the impression that the state is terrible. It is not. In the right communities, it is one of the most beautiful places in the world (I have lived in 5 countries on 3 different continents and visited another 40+ other countries, by the way, so I think have some perspective).
yes, I've been in many countries and states and Ct has been a slow and steady appreciation for me,, Sometimes I can't believe everything around me that I have access to. I'm far from rich btw.
It depends what you want I personally do not like West Hartford but West Hartford is more than most desirable places to live in it borders Hartford and is not rural at all. Milford and more. I actually do agree with you personally but I'm just saying there are a lot of people that prefer those
Lived on the east side of the state from Danielson to Groton . Lived outside CT too Wanted that seaside address in Mystic (lived there twice) but job layoffs, insane taxes and crony politicians from both parties ended that dream. Live in central Texas now it's good but changing for the worse of late. Horrible drivers from the Northeast moved here and commuting is a nightmare now, and the building craze is making the landscape a sea of high priced homes and a sea of solar panels
I live in a small rural inland CT town and I hate it here but can't afford to move out. No public transportation. I'm disabled and can't drive. Might be a nice place to live if I were old and rich, but I'm neither. I will say it was a nice place to grow up as a kid, but eventually you hit a dead end here. I tried to get out. Was valedictorian. Got a scholarship and went to college in California, but then got hit with a major chronic illness and couldn't finish my degree and had to move back in with my parents. I was born here, but I've never been considered "from here" by locals because my parents weren't born here (and I'm Mexican-American). I don't have friends here, at least not ones that I see more than a few times a year, and the isolation really gets to me
@@ParadoxRevealed11 I can relate to much of what you say. If it weren't for the fact that I had a very successful Radio show in Northeast Connecticut and my dad teaching at the Coast guard academy in early childhood our outcomes would be eerily similar. Living in TX since 2015 and overall it has been a good lifesaving move.
I’ve lived in Connecticut my whole life. I grew up in Mystic and went to college and grad school in New Haven. I lived and worked in that area for about 20 years, but I moved back in Mystic and love it here.
You just reminded me of my trip to Mystic in the late 80's after I watched the movie "Mystic Pizza". Mystic is such a beautiful and peaceful town. Great memories!
As someone who *used* to work as a school counselor in Waterbury and lived in Middletown, I can confirm everything. I have since moved out of CT.
it does have it hard spots not going to lie, but I love Waterbury. in fact i make content with people in CT. Feel free to give us a look!
To which state did you move? I’m still in CT because all of my friends are here…but I still think of moving….
@@nunyabiznes4471 i would reccomend moving outside of any city. for example, new haven (Hamden), Waterbury (watertown,wolcott, prospect), Hartford (West Hartford, Windsor Locks), Bridgeport (Fairfield County). do this if you love the city life but also enjoy the space and quiet like i do. hahaha.
@@G.B-Media I live in Colebrook on a big piece of property. It’s beautiful. I absolutely hate the mismanagement of this state. Illegals and deadbeats are catered to.
@@nunyabiznes4471 you're saying that moving to the suburbs is the answer to escape crime and violence but it's the corruption that will spread like any fungus. Until the root causes are removed we're all going to keep moving away. Sooner or later you have to stop and take a stand. I'm too old for this particular battle but it's my most fervent hope you all have the courage to fight before you have given too much ground
In case it hasn't already been mentioned, #9 Norwalk is in "Fairfield" County, not "Bridgefield" (which I don't even think is a county in Connecticut 🤔)
It's not
Bridgeport is a city
Never heard of Bridgefield haha and I live in CT😄
There are 8 counties, and “Bridgefield” definitely isn’t one of them.
Yeah he messed up and then said his next city was "also in Fairfield county" lol so he realized his mistake but forgot to cover his tracks lol
I lived in the New London area for about 10 years. I agree with all your picks. I couldn't get out of Connecticut fast enough. Finally a UA-camr who is honest in the subject he is reviewing. I love it
New London should have been on the list as #1.
New London isn't as bad as people say.
They make submarines there right??I mean for the navy
Reason why realtors keep it high because they dont want minorities to buy a house... other form of redlining..
Why dont you put most racists and redlining city in USA... no? Why?
3 years ago Connecticut was ranked first in the country in per capita income. Not Unusual since it normally rank in the top three. Somebody crunched the numbers however and found out that if you eliminated Fairfield County, which is one of eight counties in the state and nothing but a suburb of New York City Connecticut would rank 28th in the country in per capita income. Not even the top half. But everybody gets taxed like there's some kind of Rich junk bond salesman out of New York.
Sounds a lot like S.F. Bay Area. 5-10% of the workforce (tech elites) determine the prices for everyone else. Inflation is an understatement when a 1 bedroom apartment is 3,000$ a month.
The millionaires work in New York and live in a little piece of the state bye NY so the rest of us get taxed like we them
I appreciate you bringing the 100% accurate fact to light. Thank you. From a New Haven native. 🤞 We aren't all snobs.😂
Spot on 👍🏻
I used to live in Ct. But because of long winters, high cost of living ,high taxes with boring places nothing to do, I moved to South. Best thing I did in my life.
Which state? I want to move because of everything you said. I just don't know where
Weird you have Norwalk and Danbury on here. Both pretty decent places to live outside of their city centers. Also, Norwalk has a ton to do and is a major commuter area to Manhattan.
Danbury is definitely not bad, it has sketchy areas but for the most part, Danbury is actually pretty safe. I lived in Brookfield for 6 years before moving to Danbury in the 80's/90's. I left CT in 96 and moved to Atlanta. I am moving back to CT next year and am looking at moving to either Danbury or Bethel. I for sure would stay away from Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, and Bridgeport.
@@GenXer1979 I live in Southbury, so only 10-15 minutes from Bethel and 20 to Danbury. Good luck with your move!
Norwalk has a lot of things to do. drinking, drugs and partying all night. When the bars close, cross on over into NY.
@annatwater3410 - back around 1993 my company in Park Ridge, NJ (corporate office) moved to Norwalk CT (executive office). I didn't want to go because no way in the world would I drive from Paterson, NJ to Norwalk CT every day (and that would have been second shift as I also worked second shift). I'd also pull off a sixteen hour shift one weekend a month. Glad I didn't go with them. If they stayed in NJ, I would have retired with the company. One of my all-time favorite computer jobs.
I grew up in Norwalk, 1958-1976. I had an idyllic childhood in the Silvermine area. I visited again about 8 years ago for an NHS reunion and the city seemed to have improved though I hardly know what day-to-day living is like now.
Fellow Norwalker here, 1958 to present. I think Nick was quite harsh with his assessment of Norwalk. I believe there are many places that are FAR worse. I had a number of friends in the Silvermine area, but I went to McMahon.
I was born in Norwalk but my family lived on Carter Street in New Canaan. We lived across the street from Hoyt’s Nursery before they ruined it with 300 acres of housing. 😉
These places aren’t even that bad. Danbury you really had no reasons except it’s boring and expensive. There’s lots to do in Danbury it may be expensive but it’s actually a really nice place to live and it’s safe there. Overall CT is a pretty nice state
Video hits the nail on the head. CT is expensive, cities are rundown, and there’s nothing to do. Next time someone says’ “yea but it’s close to NY and Boston”..... ask them when was the last time you were there?
Yup its short drives but from personal experiences most people in that part of the country hate driving because of the bad traffic so its not like they are going to NY and Boston all the time if they even go at all.
@@Chaz4543 So absolutely true!!
@@Chaz4543 We take the train or bus trips to both of those cities. How many people from other states get to see WICKED on Broadway or Radio City’s Rockettes in their Christmas show? Also taking a carriage ride in Central Park is a must! I’ve done it every time I’ve gone to NYC. I’ve had lots of fun in Boston too. Starting when I was a Girl Scout walking the Freedom Trail. We go to both cities whenever we have a reason to, whenever we want to and whenever we can afford to.
and that is the question--some people are willing to do a little work and others want things handed to them on a silver platter (there's no polite way to put it). I've met plenty in NYC who live outside of downtown and they view their borough like most view CT cities. they've never seen the glamour of Times Square even though they could easily take the subway downtown and be back home for a change of scenery. When i had a buddy living uptown in the "cheaper" neighborhoods I took the train down for Bike NY, holiday events, etc. We did the touristy stuff he never otherwise found the time to do on his own.
Go all the time
Born and raised in Stamford. Came back after I retired from the Air Force. I love Stamford, but it got too expensive, so we moved 40 minutes north to bears, bobcats, coyotes, and quiet.
I love the worst places to live in each state videos. Keep doing more of them! Epic Video Nick!
Great job Nick! We're proud. Thank you.
Born and raised in Connecticut- all the reasons you stated are all true, and they were true 20 yrs ago when I left the state permanently. Our family never once regretted the move out. I don't even like to share I'm from there.
Moved out too... Hartford really declined.
Gina Geneaux what part of Connecticut did you leave? Were you from an immigrant family? I'm only asking because I'm a 3rd generation American whose grandparents came from Canada to work for Stanley Tool and Tilcon Tomasso. I moved to Vermont, married and raised my kids here.
Wow. Now I know I'm not just being harsh on my state.
TONS of us here in CT battle drug addiction since hard drugs and partying is really all there is to do when you’re bored & depressed… I grew up in New Haven, Guilford, and Hamden, and I can say that no matter the area, rich or poor, drugs are rampant. I still struggle every single day of my life with Heroin, Opiates, Coke, everything. It’s fucking insane.
Never know what they add to a drug you buy. Connecticut needs Treatment Centers for people who struggle. What did not help was THE WAR ON DRUGS. When doctors were not allowed to treat pain properly, many people had to resort to the sales on the street. My friend and I, bought pills from someone we could trust, in New Haven. We are senior citizens. Some of the people, of all ages, rely on street drugs. Really have to know and trust someone to get what you need.
Where can you live where there's no drugs ??😊
Norwalk is in Fairfield county, not Bridgefield county wherever that is. But you’re absolutely right about the taxes in Connecticut. They tax you to death in this state, and I have no idea 🤷🏾♀️ of what they do with the money. Take my advice and get out while you can. There has to be somewhere better to live, than in Connecticut.
Norwalk and Danbury aren't that bad. Bridgeport has some nice areas also, you just have to know where to go.
My father regretted moving to Connecticut. He has lived in 10 different states and after 5 years, he'd had enough and moved. He says it's the worst state he has ever lived in. I only visited there and was not at all impressed. While Mystic was cute and charming, it is not nice enough to cover the negatives of most of the rest of the state.
Tell your father to move to Virginia in particular the Hampton Roads area! He’ll forget about how bad Connecticut is after he spends just a month there. It’s the worst place I’ve ever been to!
@@NewHaven203 He moved back out west, so all is good!
@@NewHaven203 😂😂😂
Your dad’s a smart man
The sad part about CT is that overall it is a beautiful state. If you are into nature and history your weekends can be full for years. Hartford, Bridgeport, New London, and New Haven have so much to offer. However, as you mentioned the crime is out of control. It can be like the Wild West in these cities. I just walked the riverfront recapture area in Hartford from Charter Oak Landing to the Community Boathouse and it is a really nice walk. Thank you for shining a light on some of the major challenges CT faces. Keep it up Nick!
Bridgeport does not have anything to offer. It’s so expensive here and the jobs are not good nor plentiful unless you’re in healthcare or have connections. There’s no opportunities here and it’s so expensive that a lot of us lower class residents are practically struggling to stay afloat.
Stay safe
I think you were fairly accurate in identifying the most difficult places to live in Connecticut. Good job!
I knew a firefighter for Waterbury and he told me that if a fire call came in, they would not respond to certain areas because people would take pot shots at them while they would try to keep the neighborhood from burning. I think it was the 3rd or 4th time they got shot at during an active call that the department said eff it, they don't want us we don't need to help them
I was friends with a bridgeport fireman n he said the exact same thing. They wanted stuff to burn sufficiently so they could get new housing and stuff
@@jamesmalcolm6976 no excuse for harming people who are there to make sure others aren't harmed. Fires can run out of control and take out BLOCKS
I grew up in Bristol, CT. 23 years old when i left. Its a nice place to be FROM. However i have no regrets about leaving and have no desire to ever move back. I visit occasionally and cant wait to go back home when i get there 😂
I grew up in Bristol too. Moved out at 24 lol. Went to Bingham School
I moved to Bristol three years ago and can’t wait to leave!
@@Neenah44 can I ask why you want to move? I know the city isn't exactly welcoming to newcomers ...know that 1st hand
i grew up the next town over.. can confirm😂
@@urmamasmamasmama All of the reasons people have listed plus I’m from the desert in Southern California and I miss it terribly! Very true about people keeping to themselves here. Lol! I was given advice before I moved here about maybe not smiling at everyone cause they wouldn’t understand!! Lmao. It is very beautiful though and it’s been wonderful to experience the four seasons and in particular the magic that is Fall. 👀😭🤣😍🧡
This video should be called "best place to be a serial killer" Crime, poverty, close to a large body of water. Houses are large, cheap and secluded. Basement included. It's perfect
I lived in Danbury from 1980 until 1994. In the August 1988 issue of Money magazine, Danbury topped the magazine's list of the best U.S. cities to live in, mostly due to low crime, good schools, and location. -- how things change. It must have been my moving out which brought the city down. I actually lived on Rose Hill Avenue, your first Danbury image!
Danbury is a great city! Been here for 30 years
It's great all around Danbury, but the place is very boring. Like many cities in CT they were once great 70 years ago.
Danbury is not that bad. Lol. It regularly tops lists of best small cities on America (~population 80-85,000)
Hey, I lived at that intersection of Franklin ST and Starr Ave. Wasn't a bad neighborhood from 78' until I moved out in 90'.
@@grego6459 I used to walk to that deli on Franklin Street!
Born/raised in CT, been in Maine since 1996. CT’s biggest problem is a collective pessimistic attitude and no vision. Seems all anyone who lives there can talk about is how much they hate the state government and where the best shopping deals are. CT has an insane amount of potential. Visit other places, get inspired, roll up your sleeves, change the attitude, get to work.
Thanks Nick for the video!
Love the song!
I am from CT, and have been in all 10 cities! Yeah, all these these towns have been dying for decades. All the industries left long ago.
Bridgeport has actually made a lot of strides in recent years and the crime rate has gone down from many years ago. Downtown Bridgeport has a lot of nice up and coming bars and restaurants. The apartments are nice there as well and so is the community college HCC. I go to Poetry slams 1-2 times a month I'm downtown Bridgeport. Majority of crime happens in the poorest part of the city, the East End. Crime isn't unpredictable. When the education is poor, there is a lot of poverty, single parent homes, not many community centers or healthy places for kids to go when not in school, and drugs, there will be crime. You take away all the things that will give a community hope a life crime is what some end up turning to.
Bridgeport is nothing like it use to be. Father panic village 😮
WELL SAID!!!!
Well except for your elections
Bridgeport is no longer a stand alone city it's set up to be a NY commuter sub city. With just Apts and storage and eateries. No commerce for locals and a lot of residents are getting priced out.
Yes, enslaved people helped build Connecticut Hall, the oldest surviving brick building at Yale University, in part. The first stone was laid in April 1750, and the majority of the enslaved workers were Black, though some were Indigenous.
Those waves and those dunes--the opening and closing scenes don't look like any Connecticut beach I ever saw!
I did the Census in 2010 and had to do Waterbury..the people were great but a lot of the houses I was assigned were empty, abandoned by the owners and falling down..80% of my assignments were these places were abandoned apartment houses and I had one street that had 15 of these and only 1house that had someone living there-I counted 16 houses=42 apartments and only 1 apartment was occupied! But there’s old houses that are beautifully maintained that are over 100 years old..but the people I encountered were very nice!
OMG YES! I waited a long time for this and he did it! Thanks so much Nick!
Good!
I grew up in New Britain. I do agree that the schools suck, but there are some pretty great things about New Britain - Little Poland, for instance. Also, the current mayor has been working hard to improve NB, including revitalizing downtown and parks, and there are a lot of street festivals in the summer ( including the amazing Little Poland festival). I've never experienced crime in NB or Hartford ( where I teach). You can't just go by statistics, they don't tell the entire story.
I lived in Hamden somewhat near the New Haven border and I can’t say I ever felt comfortable in New Haven. I also spent 2 months as an Amazon delivery driver around New Haven. Luckily never ever happened to me but I kept my head on a swivel.
🤣🤣🤣 Hamden and New Haven are the same!
@@why8987 no they are not. chill.
@@cris-ry6pt Whatever!
Amazon driver and not even in new haven and you said ur lucky ? Hahaha me and my buddies roam the streets of new haven the entire city best and worst parts raising hell and it’s totally fine as long as you don’t go up and pick a fight past midnight everyone is intoxicated and friendly
Surprised no one ever stole your truck! Yale should be ashamed of its self. The tax payers pay everytime some rich student takes a crap, they own 1/3 of all the real estate in the city and pay NO taxes. Typical rich snobs.
CT is known for being a main thoroughfare between NY and Boston, nothing else, Fairfield County (where the money is) is more like a NY suberb
Connecticut is also known for having the best pizza in the country and you can’t prove me wrong
@@NewHaven203 can't argue with that! I'm not even sure he mentioned that in this video?
I live in NY right over the border of danbury and I'd rather spend time in CT anytime! Some of the places you mentioned have actual great parts. I've seen so much and learned tons of history and the people are not all snobs..every single town, city and state has bad areas...get a grip!
I'm going to have to join the chorus of voices who think you made a bad call on Norwalk, you may have been right 20- 30 years ago. Norwalk lost it's industrial base over the 70's and 80's but after a brief transition period it's been continuously growing as a NYC commuter town in CT (lower taxes than NY). The bad areas are gentrifying and more retail and luxury apartments replaced slums. Now, a city you definitely left off the list is Willimantic in eastern Connecticut.
I'm from willimantic
"Romantic Willimantic" I went to Eastern and have always loved Willi.
I lived in WilliRico as a kid for a bit! Used to visit Hotel Hooker with my mom the old YMCA.
@@seciliafeliz "Willirico" LMAO! I haven't heard that one in a long time. Remember the "Boombox" parade? It is STILL happening every year! I love that town!
@@seciliafeliz I'm from Colchester and we called it Willirico too!
I used to live in CT, Fairfield County, but even in the nice areas, there’s nothing to do. CT is very boring, although when I lived there, I was always busy. However, living on Long Island for over 20 years now has made it hard to consider ever moving back to CT. There is so much to do on the Island and great beaches, open to the public, not owned by a millionaire as his private shorefront, as it is in most of Fairfield County. The reason I thought of going back was for the stability and quaintness I remember there. Things change fast down here, whereas in CT, there are some stores still there that I remember as a child, like the health food store I shopped in during the 1980’s and the owner still remembered me..., and it’s also a little slower pace of living. In recent years, CT has seen a resurgence of development, like in South Norwalk and other spots, and millennials have started really turning things around. I do have some happy memories from CT.
millennials turning things around? Wishful thinking for sure. Half of them still live with mommy and daddy and the other half, high on pot, jobless. stay in Long Island!
Anywhere in rural Connecticut is ok, Just don't move to any city's.
Problem is rural CT is a lot more expensive to live than rural land in red states because there's far less of it. You cant really compare the rural south and midwest to the rural northeast. Rural northeast people are wealthier on average and the towns are nicer and cleaner. They have to pay a lot more to live there than people living in a trailer in the rural south.
@@Chaz4543 That is all very true. Honestly if someone wants to live in New England, Connecticut shouldn't even be an option. That state sucks lol
Derby was once the home of Charlton Publishing, the company that published Hit Parader and Song Hits magazines, and they also did all the officially licensed comic books that weren't on Gold Key, like Hee Haw comics (yes, there was such a thing). Steven Tyler's brother Tony Tallarico was an editor for that company; now you know how Aerosmith got so much coverage in their music mags.
Having lived in Naugatuck, just outside of Waterbury, I'm pleasantly surprised you found places that were actually worse than the brass city.
Same I live on waterbury. I was sure that was gunna number 1
I was thinking Waterbury will take the 🏆! I live here,I can't wait to move!
LOL. The only thing I miss is Melette bread. 😁😁😁
@@dozervin You don't have to miss it anymore Milette's closed. I live in Ct
I lived in Beacon Falls when I was a kid and it was about as bad. There were some pretty bad kids in that neighborhood and the school system seemed underfunded. The teachers I had didn't really seem to want to be there and didn't care much about the students, especially ones with special needs.
The Black Rock section of Bridgeport has grown exponentially in the past year. With St. Mary's by the sea, and businesses and restaurants along Fairfield ave., it's easy to see why.
I used to live right near there
As a Stratford CT resident, I have been to Bridgeport many times. It is starting to get better. In fact, today I went for the Vicki Soto 5K! It’s an annual event to pay tribute to a teacher who saved some of her students from the whole incident with Sandy Hook. During the run, I saw some redevelopment projects taking place on the route. I also have been to many Bridgeport Islanders (formally Sound Tigers) games. They are building a little touristy area which will be a tiny harbor.
No if one follows the news… yeah. Search up Bridgeport redevelopment… maybe im biased since I’m 16 and from Bridgeport but… I’m quite happy with all the redevelopment in this 16 square mile city personally and well… sure it had sites or areas that aren’t as good as others in terms of crime… but there are issues here that cannot be easily fixed with a wand… they are complex and range from anything from our tax base to generational issues to even reputation… plus and minuses
I moved from Bridgeport to Stratford when the city started to shift. That was in early 80s. The city and redevelopment people always are trying to make the city what it once was or at least better BUT too much corrupt or companies go belly up. Bridgport politicians have done a lot to screw the City over. Some have gone to prison then after over in again as mayor. LOL
@Smoke With Me In C.T. Dispensary Reviews clearly you haven't been to Bridgeport in a while.
As a native of Bridgeport, it looks amazing in the area of downtown but outside of that, nothing great is being worked on.
@With Me In CT Just looked at your account. Why am I not surprised. I was born and raised in BPT. Things are getting better. You're probably going to the wrong places by the looks of it.
I’m a Connecticut resident. I’m a high school senior, and my college plans start in New Haven. Connecticut State Community College Gateway, located in downtown New Haven, right near Yale University’s campus, is my starting point. The city of New Haven has several colleges besides Yale! Like I said, it has Gateway, which is a community college that just like all of the other community colleges in the state, is part of Connecticut State Community College system. It also has Albertus Magnus College, a small Roman Catholic college, and Southern Connecticut State University. Southern is part of the Connecticut State University system. The other campuses are Central Connecticut State University, located in New Britain, Eastern Connecticut State University, located in Willimantic, and Western Connecticut State University, located in Danbury. The state’s public colleges are the Connecticut State Community College system, in other words, all of the community colleges, the Connecticut State University system, and UConn. I wish I could attend UConn after I’m done with high school. However, I want to stay in my local area, so that I can commute from my house. I am from a Connecticut town called Stratford, which is a suburb that is located just outside of Bridgeport, the state’s largest city. New Haven’s suburbs also include 2 schools. They are Quinnipiac, located in Hamden, and University Of New Haven, located in West Haven. Therefore, all of this is to say that after Gateway, my starting point, I am hoping to transfer to Sacred Heart University. Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic university in another Bridgeport suburb called Fairfield. Despite me not being Roman Catholic, as I am a Congregationalist, I will still be attending. At all Christian colleges and universities, all are welcome to apply. It’s just that they have more Christian traditions. Therefore, SHU’s campus culture has lots of Catholic traditions. However, in terms of who can apply, like I already said, all are welcome. It’s a really good school, and it is actually the 2nd largest Roman Catholic school in New England, only behind Boston College! However, if SHU doesn’t work out, then I would use my Plan B. That would be applying to either Fairfield University or Southern. Fairfield University is in a different part of Fairfield than SHU. It’s a Jesuit university, which means a Roman Catholic university where its purpose is to do missionary work, which means helping out the community to make sure that it thrives. It can sometimes be competitive though, as we see with places like Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill MA, and Georgetown University, located in Washington DC. Jesuits are Catholics that love to do community service. And like I already said, Southern is one of the state’s public universities. The others are the state’s community colleges, Central Connecticut State University, located in New Britain, Eastern Connecticut State University, located in Willimantic, Western Connecticut State University, located in Danbury, and most notably, as it is the largest college in the state, UConn, located in Storrs. I hope you like my post secondary plans, which all take place within my home state!
I’m so glad you finally made it to Connecticut Nick! It’s a really unique place where one area could be extremely wealthy and a block away could be completely ghetto. I’m from New Haven, the city is famous for alot of things. Yale University, Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria rated number one pizzeria in America, Louis Lunch which is the first restaurant to sell hamburgers in America and one of the oldest restaurants in the country! Connecticut is amazing in the summer, beautiful in the fall, kinda miserable in the winter after a few snowstorms, and perfect during spring. Hopefully you can do a New England Road Trip episode!
Pepe's is great!!
Joseph I'll do a NE road trip eventually!
Pepe is the worst pizza I've ever had. Something like spaghetti sauce and cheese on a Saltine.
In Hartford I've always been astounded how there are mansions on Scarborough Street and one block away is the North End of the city with the worst crime.
that's the deal with CT--it's so small you can see differences in socio-economics that in midwest states take a 2 hr drive to notice it's there, too.
Lived in Milford, West Haven, Branford I cannot believe the price of old houses that are so small looking like they'll need constant repair
2:30 - Correction: Norwalk is part of Fairfield County. AFAIK, there is no "Bridgefield" county here in CT.
I believe they are referring to the part of Fairfield county that Bridgeport is in. A friend of mine lives in Trumbull about a stone's throw away from Bridgeport. They call that area "Trumport"
Thank you for your honest review. Idk why I burst into laughter with some of your comments/ points because there spot on. Living in CT the last 20 years I can’t wait to move but it’s like a magnet holds you here 😩. Everyone is so angry and miserable.
Can you move to NH?
My family lived in Derby for over three generations, but has since moved away. Derby has an illustrious history and in post war 1950's-60's was a quintessential small town and a great place to grow up. In those days, the city had a thriving working class community with a strong manufacturing and commercial sector and a lot of civic pride and traditions. Since the 1970's, a combination of economic decline and poor municipal management has left it a shadow of its former self. Ironically, Shelton, listed here as one of the best places to live in Connecticut, is right next door to Derby.
Ay valley boys
I grew up in Shelton a little later than you, but looking back I remember you could drive through downtown Derby in the 80s and see the biker bar with dozens of motorcycles out front in the middle of the day, nearly every day. Even as a kid it made me wonder what kinds of jobs must they have? Shelton just has a lot more land and worked to draw corporations in along rt. 8 developments, while Derby was lined with old, abandoned maufacturing sites and small retail (I'm remembering KMart/Woolworth's across from the bowling alley) that cost money to tear down, which they'd have to do to make room for something new. One strategy worked out and it makes sense in hindsight. Ultimately glad I grew up in that area when I did - good people and a lot of fun.
That biker bar you're talking about has the best wings in CT!!!! THE DEW DROP INN!!!!!!@@kn9926
Born and raised in CT until I moved to FL in 2016. Your report was spot on. I lived in a small town in the NW corner but worked in all those towns on your report and honorable mention should be Willimantic, so much meth. Thanks great videos
I lived in FL for a while. I’ll take CT any day! At least the cops in CT don’t harass someone for just standing someplace minding their own business. Now FL has that fascist DeSantis as governor. No thank you! Despite FL’s awesome beaches and CT’s crappy beaches I’d pick CT over FL any day!
@@leetroy3129 Good for you, sounds like you're in the right spot!!
In Willimantic, before meth took over, it was known as "The Heroin Capital" Willimantic has always reminded me as the poorest town in CT.
Bridgeport and New Britain were manufacturing powerhouses back in the day, producing the world's finest mills and screw machines, until DC offshored and outsourced all that, now they're just a vast wasteland of poverty , misery and gov't dependency.
Welcome to America
You are forgetting drugs and crime but ok, I guess then can move elsewhere at least
Connecticut is the one of the richest states but income inequality is extremely high.
Same with Waterbury
I lived in New Britain for 2 months and it was so demoralizing being there. Ansonia and Derby are in the good ol' valley and are also very uninspiring.
I lived in New Haven back in the 70s - it was rundown then. There are parts of NH in back of Yale New Haven Hospital that look like a warzone. It's unbelievable.
The thing with CT is that you can't live in the cities. You have to go out into a the small towns or more suburban/countryside areas.
There are areas which are very green and very wealthy. For a small state there are incredible discrepancies from one municipality to the next.
I’ve lived in Danbury all 31 years of my life and actually remember it being on lists of most desirable places to live in the country. However, that was when I was in high school and it has since become an unofficial sanctuary city and the traffic is insane. I hate CT politics but I can’t match my income so I haven’t left yet. Btw, ansonia and derby’s unemployment rates aren’t super relevant because they’re both super close to new haven where lots of people make lots of money. The majority of my work (construction) is in new haven and if I moved and stayed in CT I’d probably look in that valley area haha. Overall, avoid CT because the taxes are trash.
At least it’s not like NY. You will pay double in taxes.
I was living in Philly for 6 years prior to Danbury. Most of the things people are complaining about isn't an issue at all to me and I have been living in Danbury for 23 years.
Yes, the taxes are bad here. My whole family was from Derby, Ansonia and New Haven, for over 300 years. I grew up in NJ, Elizabeth and fondly remember visiting CT and swimming in the Housatonic, in the long Island sound and at the beach in Bridgeport occasionally. I had lots of fiends here, but am now 75; that was in the 50s and 60s. The cost of living is high here, but taxes are much higher in NJ, another crazy Democrat state. I can't walk as far anymore, but my kids and grandkids enjoy taking walks in the fields and trees.
I grew up in Massachusetts right on the line of Connecticut right near Woodstock/ Thompson. The differences between Massachusetts and Connecticut was huge. It was so much more expensive even for gas I want to say it’s about a 10-15 cent difference and their taxes are outrageous.
As a long time Connecticut resident, I'm totally content to remain in the beautiful hills of Stafford Springs. I only venture into the cities in the state when absolutely necessary.
Born and raised in West Stafford. Totally agree with you
Stafford Springs is nice. We used to camp at a campground called Roaring Brook there when I was a teenager.
Ellington here
I hear nothing but bad things about Stafford Springs
Smart!
Milford is definitely one of the BEST towns in CT!👍🏼 Spot on about the 10 worst, though.
I think everyone from CT knew Bridgeport was going to be #1...
I grew up in Stratford, CT, from 1988-1995. I was born in Brooklyn, NY.
Born and raised Ansonian and I can confirm most of this message. Don't miss the harsh winters or taxes. I do miss my Pizza! Will visit but not moving back. I live in the South now. Loving it.
I lived near Danbury, Norwalk and Bethel as a child. They were depressed then and the blue collar workers lived there. I was really surprised at the housing prices last time I looked. Too cold for me.
I currently live in Stonington Borough in CT and consider myself incredibly blessed!
It's when New Yorkers from their slummy hoods since the 1960s to the 1980s like the South Bronx star moving northeastward to most NE small towns, the riff raffs begin. But they keep the hoods stable due to state and town codes. Keep your home happy or pay a fee. Folks in these NE towns don't an instant ghetto.
🤣🤣🤣 Yes!!!That is how you take responsibility for your city. Yes! It definitely has to be the New Yorkers from the sixties and eighties destroying and wreaking havoc on the city of New Haven in 2022. That is exactly how your city will only get worse!
Yep, sure ruined my suburban hometown (Hamden).
I lived in Connecticut for about 8 1/2 years before returning to my home state Iowa. I do hope to go back to CT and other New England states for vacation someday.
I have to give you credit for identifying Shelton as decent option to live in CT. It has lower property taxes than most (my property taxes went *down* in the last 5 years) and the downtown area which used to be pretty run-down has perked up a lot in the last 5 to 10 years.
Yeah the downtown has a fun nightlife aswell several bars and such
I lived in downtown Shelton in the late 2000s. Went back in 2018 to visit and it was sad most of my favorite places there were lost to fire. It’s odd Derby is one of the worst when it’s so similar to Shelton (minus all the corporate headquarters). I think either Shelton or Derby had the highest number of bars per person when I lived there.
@@eallison9 it sucks that alot of it was lost during that massive years back but so much stuff has opened its fun
@@dont_even_view2985 I just looked. You’re right. It has changed massively in the last 4 years. When I lived there it was mostly bars for Sikorsky workers. I lived in the green building on Coram called the Hoopskirt factory. 2 cars (including mine) got hit by drunk drivers in front of my building, one of them had a beer in his hand at the time 🤦♂️. It also used to be the kind of place where the local “Mexican” restaurant asked if Cilantro was a kind of cheese and I’d see people sitting in their pickup truck chugging cans of bud light in the parking lot in front of my building.
lol those towns he recommended suck try Ridgefield Roxbury Litchfield
ALL descriptions are spot on, I live in New Haven and if I could afford better I’d do better. First chance I get I’m moving back out of CT back south. If you want to live in a zoo with the animals, New Haven and other cities listed are one big tihS show.
CT has some of the largest gaps. I haven't lived there in over 25 years but growing up, I saw it prosper in the '70s, '80s, and '90s and then it took a nose dive due to its corrupt politics. I would rate CT at #50 for business friendly environment.
I'm surprised Norwalk is on this list as it shouldn't be. It probably hit your list because it surrounds towns that have super wealth and high expectations. If Norwalk was in a midwest state, it would be on the higher end of top towns.
Retiring in a couple of years. Lived in CT my whole life. Will be leaving for good when I retire and i cannot wait. There are some beautiful places to hike and see, especially during fall. It is unbelievably expensive and has huge disparities in class among people and schools.
Coming from Connecticut myself, this is pretty accurate. I’m from Groton and New London was getting better but within the past few years started getting worse again.
New London Ct is so much cleaner and pretty than even a few years ago. It surprised me recently at how lovely it was. I have lived in the surrounding area for years and used to avoid New London, now I will be happy to go there. Norwich Ct on the other hand seems to be deteriorating at a shocking pace. Where I live is stunning, beautiful and safe.
It's truly sad what happened to this country
It's always been like this dude. When in your opinion we're things better and why?
I second that. TRUMP 2024
Lived in New Britain 37 years, live in Berlin now. Would not have wanted to grow up or go to school here. All 10 are cities. One advantage of growing up in a city like NB is diversity, which really lacks in some of the suburbs, especially away from the cities. The city toughens you up. New Britain really is hard hitting! God Bless!
I was born in New Britain and raised in Berlin. I loved my upbringing, and I'm proud of my New Britain roots. I love this state, and it's been great to me and my family.
Wait, what! Bridgefield County is not a thing. Norwalk is in FAIRFIELD County. I grew up in Danbury and you're right not much to do here. Danbury is on the come up. But yea this is pretty much on point! lol
I live in Ledyard, CT. North of Mystic, it is beautiful here, very country. perfect for cycling and Motorcycling.
I grew up in North end of Bridgeport on Trumbull line. As adult I moved my young family to Naugatuck. Moved my still young family to Florida. 30 years ago with no regrets. I have only been back to visit once in all these years. No desire to do so again.
CT native here, yeah, you pretty much nailed it.
Lived in CT all my life and I drive all over the state for work. I mostly agree with the worst cities part, except I would have added Willimantic to that list. But the three towns at the end listed as the best places to live in CT are absolutely baffling. Shelton and Milford are okay, but they both have bad traffic and nothing that makes them stand out as great places to live. Middletown has a nice downtown but it has sections that are really bad. There are many towns nicer than those three and most of them are not in the expensive part of the state.
Connecticut is still nice overall
Willimantic should be a better place since it services two colleges, but as the "herointown" slam-piece pointed out, it has a hospital that dumps patients out on the streets. but you walk and see the victorian mansions on the hill and you realize it was a major train hub from Boston to NY. Middletown is "the best place for restaurants you've never heard of", probably more so than Southington, but yeah as soon as you come over the bridge, watch out for idiots who'll walk right in front of you and either stick to O'roukes or Eli's or head past the Buttonwood.
Since Ct is so small, you can easily spot a difference between where the hedge fund managers are living and the "quiet corner" and hour away north of norwich making up the route 12 corridor. Go to, say, Texas, and you'd drive a few hours out of Dallas to find poor towns that look nearly abandoned like downtown Danielson.
I always wondered how and why all the drugs are in Willimantic. Do they make them there? There's no water or any mass transit or much of anything there. How did that become the heroin capital? @@albertgaspar627
Bridgeport was the Capital of CT years ago. New Haven, had the first telephone exchange. Milford, Branford, Guilford, Madison, Westbrook, Essex, and a few more alone the shoreline heading East. Branford and Guilford have things happening on the town green often, a good town to walk in, while stopping for coffee, ice cream, hanging out on the green, walking your pets, O, free ice cream to your dogs in town at Ashley's.
There were UPS trucks that wouldn't deliver to Father Panic Village in Bridgeport. I heard they demolished it eventually.
Lived in Connecticut my whole life. List seems pretty accurate. Lived in Danbury for 10 years. It’s not as bad as you think. Few nasty areas but it’s not that bad. New Haven Bridgeport Hartford and Waterbury are definitely the worst
I left Connecticut in the early 1990's , and i will never move back there. I was born and raised in Stamford, Connecticut, which is located in Fairfield County, and this region is considered "Southern Connecticut ", and it is a coastal city, along the Long Island Sound. It was a great place to grow up in the 1970'ss, and 1980's. However, it has changed so much and has become so expensive. Stamford was a small industrial city in the early 1900's, and later became a bedroom community for many people who worked in NYC, and Stamford became home to many corporate offices, and luxury homes and apartments. Stamford is a beautiful city, and has some really beautiful communities, and great events, and restaurants.