OT: Thinking of retiring to Willimantic in a year or two. Cold doesn't scare me.

[NEforceUConn]

I've been down in NC for 20 years, and am considering retiring near Storrs. I like the fact that there is a bit of a downtown area with some historic nature. Seems house prices are cheap, although taxes are stiff (in all of CT). Never been there. Any thoughts how it may compare to say New Milford or is it more like Park St/Maple Ave in Hartford? I'm not keen on the Simsbury/Glastonbury suburbs, although I want to be safe at 11 o'clock at night if walking.

 

[NEforceUConn]

Forgot to add its just me.

 

[aburks41]

Willimantic is the heroin capital of the US..i would definitely avoid living there. If you want to be near storrs, try Bolton or even Mansfield. I wouldn’t feel safe walking around willimantic at night unless I was packing heat

 

[JMick]

Lol it is nothing like new milford

 

[StingLykOllie]

I was born and raised in New Milford and moved to NC 3 years ago.

From my limited time visiting Willimantic, I don’t think either town compares (minus the heroin thing, that’s a thing in New Milford for some reason.)

 

[alexd]

Wait....this was serious??? Willimantic?? Really??

 

[uconnphil2016]

Willimantic is the heroin capital of the US..i would definitely avoid living there. If you want to be near storrs, try Bolton or even Mansfield. I wouldn’t feel safe walking around willimantic at night unless I was packing heat

I mean this is an old trope from the national news. Yes, Willimantic has a heroin problem, but it's also got a really charming main street with some great restaurants and is a tight knit community. It's in a relatively rural area, but gives you a nice downtown if you want to go get some ethnic food and you're 10 mins from UConn. I personally really like Willimantic.

What are you looking for in particular? Just being in the northeast? Or is there something about CT specifically? Is it important that you're near UConn? I'd recommend Manchester as well if you'd like to be near UConn and in a town with a nice downtown. Manchester is great and has Case Mountain, which is an awesome spot to hike and bike.

 

[awfuldan]

I lived in Willimantic for 3 years when I went to UConn. I loved it! Weird place with a lot of weird people but it’s cheap and there is some cool stuff there.

 

[Padutch5]

I've been down in NC for 20 years, and am considering retiring near Storrs. I like the fact that there is a bit of a downtown area with some historic nature. Seems house prices are cheap, although taxes are stiff (in all of CT). Never been there. Any thoughts how it may compare to say New Milford or is it more like Park St/Maple Ave in Hartford? I'm not keen on the Simsbury/Glastonbury suburbs, although I want to be safe at 11 o'clock at night if walking.

You should be able to find some cheap real estate in Ct. As a bankrupt state with the second highest taxes is the US, the exodus from Ct. is real. By the way , if you are fortunate enough to have a pension, we are one of the very few states to tax pensions.

 

[uconnphil2016]

I lived in Willimantic for 3 years when I went to UConn. I loved it! Weird place with a lot of weird people but it’s cheap and there is some cool stuff there.

Honestly, most of the weird people are totally harmless anyways. Some of them are really cool people. I worked at Covenant all last year, which is where the homeless people hang out during the day, and most of them are good people who don't look to cause trouble with anyone. I think that Willimantic provides an accurate representation of what the actual world is like in that there are all types of people there without it being a place that is particularly dangerous. It is a bit isolated from the rest of the state, but that's really the only reason I wouldn't wanna live there

 

[Ricker]

You might be the only person contemplating moving to CT in retirement. CT taxes any retirement income you have from pensions, social security, IRA's, 401k's, 403b's, etc. A whole lot of states don't tax that income at all. You have 6% or so less retirement income right off the top. You must really like something about CT or someone here.

 

[CTBasketball]

Yeah don’t retire in CT. You’d be a fool to.

 

[LBird33]

NC is a nice state Stay south

 

[Chin Diesel]

Move to Asheville, Boone or another Western NC town. Plenty of charm and plenty of chilly weather too.

 

[intlzncster]

Wait....this was serious??? Willimantic?? Really??

Exact thought. And that's even leaving aside the preposterous 'retiring to CT' thing.

 

[Hoophound]

CT doesn’t suck for retirement. It’s gotten so cheap for a house that my wife thinks it’s like moving to Kentucky. The only issue is property tax, but since houses are half price, it’s fine.

 

[uconnphil2016]

CT doesn’t suck for retirement. It’s gotten so cheap for a house that my wife thinks it’s like moving to Kentucky. The only issue is property tax, but since houses are half price, it’s fine.

Where are houses cheap?? Most I look at aren’t. Hard to find much of anything under $300k in many places or at least under 250

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

You might be the only person contemplating moving to CT in retirement.

Sure, but NEforceUConn purportedly would have many choices of relatively empty, comparably inexpensive moving trucks headed to the northeast and Willi's the Land of Steady Habits' garden spot.

 

[Robertelamin]

Where are houses cheap?? Most I look at aren’t. Hard to find much of anything under $300k in many places or at least under 250

Willimantic

 

[jdb50]

There are plenty of houses for under $300,000.00. If you want a more dynamic city look in Middletown. Much more to do, better restaurants than Willi.

 

[Okafour rings]

You might be the only person contemplating moving to CT in retirement. CT taxes any retirement income you have from pensions, social security, IRA's, 401k's, 403b's, etc. A whole lot of states don't tax that income at all. You have 6% or so less retirement income right off the top. You must really like something about CT or someone here.

This is not entirely true. First, social security: at most you pay tax on 25% of your social security benefits; and if your total income is under $60,000 (married) or $50,000 (single), they don't tax it at all. Secondly, for his other retirement income, there's an exemption of $15,000 or $24,000 (single/married), so depending on his income mix, the state income tax bite is much less than 6%. So we're not at the top of the retirement state lists to be sure, but it's not as bad as people make it out to be.

 

[uconnphil2016]

Willimantic

Okay yeah you’re right. That area of the state probably has the cheapest real estate

 

[Padutch5]

This is not entirely true. First, social security: at most you pay tax on 25% of your social security benefits; and if your total income is under $60,000 (married) or $50,000 (single), they don't tax it at all. Secondly, for his other retirement income, there's an exemption of $15,000 or $24,000 (single/married), so depending on his income mix, the state income tax bite is much less than 6%. So we're not at the top of the retirement state lists to be sure, but it's not as bad as people make it out to be.

I think you need to do some more homework. We are at or near the bottom of worst states to retire in most publications when considering the entire tax picture. High real estate taxes, one of 13 states to tax SS, one of the very few states to tax pensions, and coming soon to a highway near you,tolls ( and please don’t tell me it will only apply to trucks).

 

[uconnfan68]

Maybe it’s time for the state to reduce taxes on SS and pensions. Unless the point is to lose everyone.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Willimantic is the heroin capital of the US..i would definitely avoid living there. If you want to be near storrs, try Bolton or even Mansfield. I wouldn’t feel safe walking around willimantic at night unless I was packing heat

When it somes to heroin, Willimantic is no Paterson NJ.

 

[Hoophound]

To anyone considering moving to CT from a prosperous state, property there has become so cheap, it is worth considering. It is literally peanuts. With 5% mortgages, it isn’t easy to find comparable locales at a better price. I can live in nice CT towns for the same price as marginal NC towns. The situation has finally flipped.

CT is in a death spiral and I am going to buy a tremendous property there for pennies on the dollar in the next 2-3 years. Huge homes in Hartford and Tollland counties are selling at 50% of reproduction cost. It’s a great opportunity. CT’s proximity to so many things will pay off eventually. It’s a long term goldmine in my opinion.

 

[Devland]

As a retired person I plan on selling my house (sorry not for less than $300,000) and moving back to the land of my birth, Eastern PA. Taxes are one reason but not the only reason. The main reason is probably nostalgia. Everyone wants to revisit their youth.

 

[Hoophound]

Where are houses cheap?? Most I look at aren’t. Hard to find much of anything under $300k in many places or at least under 250

Sorry bro, 300k is cheap these days. Again, most 300k houses can’t be built for 350k now.

 

[Devland]

Willimantic is the heroin capital of the US..i would definitely avoid living there. If you want to be near storrs, try Bolton or even Mansfield. I wouldn’t feel safe walking around willimantic at night unless I was packing heat

Unfortunately, as a Glastonbury resident I can tell you that heroin abuse is no longer limited to Willimantic. From what I have read and heard from local police heroin has become a problem in more affluent towns also.

 

[uconnphil2016]

Unfortunately, as a Glastonbury resident I can tell you that heroin abuse is no longer limited to Willimantic. From what I have read and heard from local police heroin has become a problem in more affluent towns also.

Yep, I live in Glastonbury as well. Lots of kids out this way end up doing pills and heroin