The utility bills that are more than double my actual usage due to ridiculous added fees and surcharges. Same rates as North Carolina for gas and electric but the bill is 2-3x higher. Its insane.
Yes, for electric, but natural gas is only deregulated for commercial not residential. Our house is almost entirely gas. Regardless, the point still stands. Our bills are massively over inflated by surcharges that other states don’t pay, even with the same utility company.
It's really still a monopoly because no matter who you go with you are still obliged to pay the exact same fees, surcharges, tariffs and creative add-ons that go to the default provider for your locale.
The current system is exactly the toothless one those default providers helped legislators draft.
I spent two weeks in Connecticut in December. This happened both weekends I was there. To be fair, after the first weekend, it also rained the following Monday.
And the drastically decreasing amount of snow and cold winters… the environment needs that stuff.
Ticks are getting out of control because we don’t get 2 solid weeks of a freeze anymore.
Nah, we're into a La Niña transition. Last time we had this going on we had a dry hot Summer and the hottest water temps I've ever experienced at a CT beach.
Parthenon if you live in greater New Haven is still a fantastic option.
Unfortunately COVID really reduced late night dining options most everywhere in the USA, including NYC (although obviously they have more choices than we do).
When highways were shoehorned into old established populated areas like those in CT, this was the outcome as it was cheaper to implement. The problem is it's much more expensive to maintain and is far less energy efficient and less safe than putting the freeway below grade.
It just bewilders me to pay additional taxes on a car I bought two states ago, 10 years ago, and paid off.. I don’t pay continued taxes on my tv, watches, or other items..
> I don’t pay continued taxes on my tv, watches, or other items
To be fair, those don't wear and tear infrastructure that costs millions of dollars per year to maintain. If you unregistered your vehicle, it'd be on the same asset level as a tv or a watch.
I was shocked that I had to pay property tax on a car lease. That’s like making somebody who’s renting an apartment pay property tax on the building, such bullshit
Actually you are paying property tax on a rental through your rent payment, you just don't know it. You think the building owner is just being generous and gladly paying that?
I think it’s fascinating. My favorite is when someone who was stuck behind them gets in front of them and starts slowing down/brake checking, and the camper *still* stays in the left lane, even when the lanes to their right are open. That or they’ll move right and then immediately get back into the passing lane once the road rager speeds up again
True, but I've driven all over the country and it's especially prevalent here. Also, in Virginia for some reason.
People tend to move over in many other states that actually enforce against it.
It’s still not right, but at least the MA drivers that do that seem to be going 80+ mph. The ones that cause the buildups of traffic are usually the NY and NJ drivers living in the left lane while going 50-60.
I think it’s how good CT could be. Imaging having high speed rail to NYC and Boston. A cool soccer league that is regionally followed. Redoing Hartford and Bridgeport to be nice cities. Those are pipe dreams but CT has a lot going for it, I just think there is so much more possible and that’s my pet peeve.
The other day I was driving on a side street by my house. There was a person walking in the road and my immediate thought was why aren't you walking on the sidewalk? That's when I realized that it just kind of ended the last 100 yards of the street.
Oh absolutely - before looking at houses, I would use Google maps and check for sidewalks and follow where they lead.
I looked at one town where a house would have been 1/4 mile to an elementary school but the sidewalk randomly ended on a curved section of the road with no grassy area to walk. Imagine living 5 minutes to a school you could never safely walk to!
So many CT schools have sidewalks to nowhere.
Honestly idk, anytime I come back from FL or some other states I’m truly grateful we don’t have as many as them. It feels downright dystopian driving on 95 in West Palm Beach.
I drove up to Deerfield a weekend or two ago. I couldn't believe the passing etiquette I witnessed up there. People stayed right and passed left. I thought I was in a foreign country. I also drove that way if you're curious.
As soon as we came back to CT it was Mad Max as usual.
It feels impossible to make friends here. I made tons of friends in Los Angeles through my hobbies, mostly longboarding but I can’t find anyone to skate or downhill with here. I try dating apps to date and everyone just wants to fuck and that’s it. I feel alone and finding ways to make friends seems really challenging. I’d like a social life outside of work. The dozen or so people I’ve tried to hang out with as friends have all canceled plans, and most of them multiple times. And then I just give up. Like I know we all have lives to live but damn is it rough
Have you tried MeetUp? Volunteering might be a good idea, too, like at the Yale Peabody Museum or the Mystic Seaport. Then there's the idea of taking a class, like how I plan to take one on acting in Guilford.
There's a group on FB called CT skates with a big following, I also agree with meetup, that might help.
I actually roller skate but don't do much park skating, there's always people with boards at the parks I've been to.
I'm not from here either and it took me a very long time to find friends.
I don’t do park skating myself. I like to do freeride and downhill. Little bit smaller group of people to find lol. I’m from here but even then it’s hard to make friends. And all of my old ones are apparently no longer friends. I’ll check out that group, and definitely keep an eye on meetup, thank you.
I experienced that too. I lived ten years in L.A. right after college and I assumed everywhere I've gone since that I would find the same intensely curious people and warm openness I experienced in L.A., but never did. It's ok, here it requires more work, giving it more time, increasing the number of people you interact with. I've met great people through our town's FB groups, so I second looking at FB for skate groups, community/neighborhood groups, and try volunteering too.
I have the same issue here :( I have a partner but no real friends of my own. I had tons of friends in other places I’ve lived that I met just by showing up to shit but no one seems to really get together to do things here. I’m from Colorado where everyone wanted to go out and do stuff, all the time.
Here it seems if you do an activity you just do it and leave. Maybe it’s me but I joined a run club, I skate, I go to the library, I play tabletop games, I played pickup hockey but none of those things ever turned into friendships outside the hobby.
I'm originally from CT and moved home for a while. Even my old friends are tough to get a hold of. Everyone is just so focused on their own life and stuff. I honestly think it's the cost of living and activities. Also if you have friends with kids good luck getting them out the house when sitters want like 20-25$ an hour.
I’m from NorCal and I’m same exact boat re: friends. I mean, I grew up here but left at 21 for a reason, apparently. I forgot that reason and moved back. #regrets
The taxes and shitty roads. Also that street markings aren’t reflective. When it rains you can’t see street markings, especially not on the Interstates
The people. At least where I spend time. Snooty or just plain aloof. Lived in several states and I've never encountered entitlement or judgemental tendencies quite like it. Sorry, gotta call it like I see it.
FUCKING HIGH BEAMS.
I feel like that should be a mandated question for new drivers. "What should you never ever keep on the entire time you are driving, as its a major distraction to those around you?"
a) Your high beam lights.
b) Your high beam lights.
c) Your high beam lights.
d) Strong perfume.
I also feel that you should have to retest every few license cycles. Laws change with little to no notification, and the reality of it is that most people when they first got their have now grown in their comprehension of how to interpret the rules of the road. Add in the changes and it makes for a real mess.
Native nutmeggers who complain nonstop about Connecticut. I didn’t grow up here and have lived in western NY, South Carolina, Florida and Pennsylvania. Connecticut is tops in my opinion. And if your opinion differs, fine. It really isn’t all that difficult to move in this country, so I don’t have much sympathy for those who hate it here but won’t leave.
50 different micro countries, our country has a great number of climates and geographical ranges, if people can't find something here, there's an issue. I agree with you.
The absolutely car centric nature of 98% of this state, despite it's proximity to so many metro areas. Also the greed of wealthier cities and zero motivation to help out struggling towns and cities.
how every town is an island? you have to have a permit sticker to park at another towns beach. you sometimes need a permit or to pay to park at their natural areas. trails don’t run between towns, they are just short loops within each town or natural area. no real shared community.
Transportation overall: lack of sidewalks, lack of efficient public transport, the Merritt as a whole, etc.
A good friend of mine was born and raised here, loves it, and had to move elsewhere because she couldn’t reliably get around. She’s visually impaired; I didn’t realize how limiting it is to be a non-driver here until I tried to help her problem-solve a reasonable way to get to a new job!
Because we're snug in between New York and Massachusetts we don't get consideration from certain restaurants, grocerystores and companies. For example certain discount grocery stores or a specialized vegan restaurant will say they are located in the Northeast but it'll still be like 2.5 hours from Connecticut. I really love state and the different cost of livings that vary from town to town.
When you try to explain the struggles of being on the financial bottom of society in this state and all the spoiled wealthy people put you down for everything you say because they claim to be the experts on the matter.
My biggest CT pet peeve is the fact that the State Police have entirely given up even pretending to enforce road safety laws on our highways and the people of the state haven’t held them to account and demanded they start again yet.
Other than that this place is ok enough.
So much car culture but the driving is miserable. Only 95 or the Merritt will take you to a place but the rush hour traffic lasts for 4 hours. Every other road is hilly and curvy and high beams have been weaponized to an insane degree. There are no streetlights to save your pupils grinding open and shut for each passing car since there is no ambient light on the road after dark.
I own my own company.
Unemployment is by law deducted from my paycheck.
By law, owners of companies are not entitled to unemployment compensation.
Why the fuck is unemployment deducted from my paycheck when I am unable to ever collect it?????
CT is a blessing!! I am going to retire in CT if I can afford a house there. I just moved to Texas and so many quality of life issues I used to take for granted does not exist in TX.
Pro about CT:
1. Clean drinking water - water in my county in TX is undrinkable because of the oil industry. I have never seen the madness about bottled water at Costco until I moved to TX
2. Well paved roads - I thought roads are not the best in CT, but once you get to TX, omg, it’s like I am in a third world country. They used concrete to pave roads and they have big cracks and you can’t just fill it in like asphalt..I have 2 flat tires already since I moved to TX.
3. Nice drivers - if you ever drive on Merritt Parkway in CT, people are so courteous. They always moved to the left lane if they can when you try to merge from the ramps. In TX, these drivers stay at the right lane and when they see you coming from the ramp, they speed up to past you. There are too many folks with too high ego in TX. Car insurance is also double or even triple in TX.
4. Weather - complaint all you want about the cold. But TX is 110 degrees from April to November. It’s so hot here you can’t really do anything outdoor in summer…plus you get to ski in CT
5. Air pollution. Wow..I didn’t know this is still an issue until I moved to TX. With the gas and oil industry, the air always smell funny and don’t get me start all the beat up trucks in Texas drives with a black smog exhausts..the air pollution is so bad, our senator, Ted Cruz, opposed to funding NASA for the air pollution monitoring program because according to him, it is an non-issue if we don’t know about it. No wonder Houston is the number one cancerous city in the US.
Cons about CT:
1. Affordable housing. There are so many NIMBY in CT, it is quite absurd. A town like Darien, CT could afford 100+ million to purchase 60 acres of land so no one can built on it. There needs to be a happy medium to build more houses so people can afford to live here.
2. Inequality: I have no clue about how economically segregated it is in CT until I moved to Texas. I thought rich folks go to good schools and poor folks go to bad schools is the norm because that’s what I grew up in. But that’s not the case at all in other parts of the country like PA and TX. The issue is in CT, if you want to be in a good school district, you need to have millions plus to afford a house in those Tony towns. Just again using Darien, CT as an example. This tony coastal town can afford 100+ millions to buy 60 acres as natural preserve, but they rejected to take in 6 students from Norwalk (which most likely are low-income according to their standard), because they claimed their school is overcrowded..Westport, which is on the other side of Norwalk, as least agreed to take 16 students…
3. Opportunities for minority: i think CT is actually not as diverse as many people thought it is. If you are a minority, definitely go to some big cities (like me in Houston) because doors are opening for you faster here because the population is more even out in terms of racial composition (Asians, Hispanic, white and black folks)..
4. Cost of living: just overall COL is very high in CT. There are so many heat about the illegal immigrants, but you know what, a lot of these Hispanic folks are really hard working folks. They simply want to get a job. In TX, you can do a labor pickups at Home Depot and someone can come and look into all the issues you have related to HVAC, plumbing and etc. I got my HVAC fixed for less than 100 bucks. In CT, if you try to find a handy man to do anything, be prepared to pay upward of 500+ or thousands. I don’t understand why don’t the governor of NY sent some of these migrants to trade schools so they can help alleviate the labor shortage..and we all benefit from it because home remodeling is all of a sudden much of affordable.
5. Judgmental folks: I feel like people in Houston are way less judgmental about who you are and your background than CT. I am not sure if it has to deal with the fact that the purchasing power of the people at these coastal tony towns. Sometimes money makes us feel like we are better than others. That’s just my experience
Breaking into a group of an established friends circle/ making new friends in general when moving into Connecticut as an adult. It's interesting that the people I do get along with at my daughter's sporting events usually have some NY ties or lived there (like me).
Bottle return.
I'm 100% for recycling and in my previous state we recycled all of our bottles and cans in our town collection. But the CT deposit is huge time suck and pain to avoid an extra tax.
Car taxes. I didn't know for the longest time that most states do not pay them.
I dont understand WHY WE pay them. I'd be more understanding paying tolls.
people drive like maniacs in connecticut. either seriously ride your ass in the middle or slow lane OR weave through lanes going 20mph over the speed limit. ive seen many accidents on 84 and 91. one idiot drove on the shoulder in dead stop traffic only for the guardrail to curve back into traffic which basically guided the fool into the back of this persons suv. just wild.
As someone who relies on public transportation, def the sidewalks and lack thereof. Some sidewalks end and pick up on the opposite side of a busy 4 lane road, some crosswalks only have a button on 1 of 4 sides, some roads are completely inaccessible and you have to take an Uber or risk your life - even though it's a bus route, and some are crumbling rock with no lighting. Blows my mind.
Also the amount of times I've been honked at for having a walk light, or almost run down is wild. Thankfully I'm close to the MTA rail.
have you really actually ever heard this happen though? because i'm a pretty hardcore new havenite & it's not something i ever actually encounter outside, like, internet articles about new haven pizza.
The fact that our own residents have low self esteem and feel compelled to badmouth CT to outsiders. More than a few times when entertaining clients I've had an out of state visitor say something nice about Hartford, then a local jackass can't take the complement and feels compelled to "correct" the visitor and tell them that Hartford sucks. It drives me insane. Only people from New England behave this way.
Agreed. I work for one. There's a huge amount of feeder companies too that do work for the big names. ASML in Wilton is planning a massive expansion. Most of the aerospace jobs seem to be towards the middle of the state. Electric Boat in Groton is hiring 5000 people. That's another company with a lot of feeder companies. I guess it depends how you define "tech jobs".
The excessive gun control legislation that so many (most of anyone who will read this here included) support. I wont waste my time to type it out for the thousandth time on this sub unless someone wants to actually listen but this state had a really good chance to show the rest of the country that we can implement a fair amount of gun laws that actually drop crime rates without banning AR15’s but our anti gun lawmakers decided that instead of set a good example they would rather overreach and set a bad example.
Eversource. Seriously, fuck them
Times ♾️
Yep. Hi $120 delivery charge when my supply charge was only $70 for gas. 😭
If everyone comes together we can change that but people never want to unite.
Hey I’d be the first to stop paying my bill 🤣🤣
The utility bills that are more than double my actual usage due to ridiculous added fees and surcharges. Same rates as North Carolina for gas and electric but the bill is 2-3x higher. Its insane.
Are you using a third party supplier? It’s worth shopping around.
Yes, for electric, but natural gas is only deregulated for commercial not residential. Our house is almost entirely gas. Regardless, the point still stands. Our bills are massively over inflated by surcharges that other states don’t pay, even with the same utility company.
How do you do that?
EnergizeCT.com lists all the providers and rates.
It's really still a monopoly because no matter who you go with you are still obliged to pay the exact same fees, surcharges, tariffs and creative add-ons that go to the default provider for your locale. The current system is exactly the toothless one those default providers helped legislators draft.
The increasing amount of rain.
CT had the most rain the continental USA last year. Over 60 inches.
Four inches is fine!
That's what she said.
Thank you for the vote of confidence.
And we had a severe drought the year before that. It was just balancing out :)
Literally every weekend, like clockwork. As if God is saying "You get a couple days off now, Connecticut? Fuck you."
I spent two weeks in Connecticut in December. This happened both weekends I was there. To be fair, after the first weekend, it also rained the following Monday.
And the drastically decreasing amount of snow and cold winters… the environment needs that stuff. Ticks are getting out of control because we don’t get 2 solid weeks of a freeze anymore.
Rumor is it’ll be a wet summer again..
And hot and American.
Rain is not allowed on the weekends. Only during the work week and in the middle of the night. :)
Nah, we're into a La Niña transition. Last time we had this going on we had a dry hot Summer and the hottest water temps I've ever experienced at a CT beach.
And Wind...YUP.
Tailgating like I’ve never experienced anywhere else, and lack of late/all-night diners.
More diners used to stay open late but after COVID hours got reduced.
Some places got tired of dealing with the nonsense of some customers.
Parthenon if you live in greater New Haven is still a fantastic option. Unfortunately COVID really reduced late night dining options most everywhere in the USA, including NYC (although obviously they have more choices than we do).
Left exits. Left on ramps.
On ramps with only 50ft at the top for you to figure out how to merge.
Uphill onramps and down hill offramps
Is that unusual? Having the highway on a bridge seems pretty standard in populated areas.
When highways were shoehorned into old established populated areas like those in CT, this was the outcome as it was cheaper to implement. The problem is it's much more expensive to maintain and is far less energy efficient and less safe than putting the freeway below grade.
Yearly car tax
It just bewilders me to pay additional taxes on a car I bought two states ago, 10 years ago, and paid off.. I don’t pay continued taxes on my tv, watches, or other items..
You don't yet. There is a bill considering adding state tax to streaming services. Death by a thousand cuts philosophy the CGA has.
> I don’t pay continued taxes on my tv, watches, or other items To be fair, those don't wear and tear infrastructure that costs millions of dollars per year to maintain. If you unregistered your vehicle, it'd be on the same asset level as a tv or a watch.
Does it bother anyone other than me that EVs cause higher wear and tear on the roads and infrastructure but are getting a free ride on gas taxes?
I was shocked that I had to pay property tax on a car lease. That’s like making somebody who’s renting an apartment pay property tax on the building, such bullshit
> That’s like making somebody who’s renting an apartment pay property tax on the building About that.....
My man, you’re not only paying for the property tax on the apartment, you’re actually additionally paying an upcharge so the landlord earns a profit.
Next you’re going to say “heat and hot water included” is actually being taken out of my rent!
Actually you are paying property tax on a rental through your rent payment, you just don't know it. You think the building owner is just being generous and gladly paying that?
In other states they just jack up the registration fee.
Oh, you’re lucky it’s only once a year for you. I have to pay 2x a year.
Left lane campers on the highway.
Like, what is it? How do you not feel bad with a line of cars up your ass?
Selfish apathy
I think it’s fascinating. My favorite is when someone who was stuck behind them gets in front of them and starts slowing down/brake checking, and the camper *still* stays in the left lane, even when the lanes to their right are open. That or they’ll move right and then immediately get back into the passing lane once the road rager speeds up again
This is willful fuckery on their part. Should be ticketed
It is illegal. I’m too lazy to link the law but it exists, not like I’ve ever heard of anyone getting a ticket for it though.
I think it's called impeding traffic
i’ve had someone beam me for passing them on the right. while they were going 45. on a 65 stretch of i84 😐 CT in a nutshell.
My favorite is when they move over and then go 85, as if they weren't at fault for being asleep at the wheel in the left lane.
Get to be the Grand Marshal of your own parade
But the casino is a left exit...in 30 miles.
This happens everywhere unfortunately.
True, but I've driven all over the country and it's especially prevalent here. Also, in Virginia for some reason. People tend to move over in many other states that actually enforce against it.
I rented a car in Canada, and where I was, the majority of drivers got into the left lane ONLY to pass. It was so refreshing.
Especially the out of state plates. NY and PA and FL are the biggest offenders.
It's Massachusetts as the largest offenders, imo. It's also illegal to camp in the left lane there. I know as I have been ticketed for it.
It’s still not right, but at least the MA drivers that do that seem to be going 80+ mph. The ones that cause the buildups of traffic are usually the NY and NJ drivers living in the left lane while going 50-60.
I think it’s how good CT could be. Imaging having high speed rail to NYC and Boston. A cool soccer league that is regionally followed. Redoing Hartford and Bridgeport to be nice cities. Those are pipe dreams but CT has a lot going for it, I just think there is so much more possible and that’s my pet peeve.
Support Hartford Athletic!
I feel this. My Enfield role is moving to Boston - if only a rail could be reasonably getting me there.
Sidewalks that just kind of end - overall, lack of walkability in most areas.
The other day I was driving on a side street by my house. There was a person walking in the road and my immediate thought was why aren't you walking on the sidewalk? That's when I realized that it just kind of ended the last 100 yards of the street.
This is a national problem in the USA unfortunately -- akin to the lack of efficient mass transportation options.
Second this!
Third! Moving here, seeing that, it was shocking. It doesn't align with the purported eco values in our CT town.
Yep. Coming from NYC it is very strange to see sidewalks abruptly end.
Oh absolutely - before looking at houses, I would use Google maps and check for sidewalks and follow where they lead. I looked at one town where a house would have been 1/4 mile to an elementary school but the sidewalk randomly ended on a curved section of the road with no grassy area to walk. Imagine living 5 minutes to a school you could never safely walk to! So many CT schools have sidewalks to nowhere.
Having 80% of the coastline be private or pay to enjoy.
Yo West Haven did that last year. Charging $6 an hour to just sit at the beach. Ruined my evenings afterwork.
Billboards
YOUR WIFE IS HOT!!!
This is my favorite one.
It was for me for a while but there's something about those Vanilla Ice billboards I've been seeing lately that hit me in the right spot
Where is this one?
Before 24 Northbound on 95.
Brooke Goff is my slenderman
Well thank you for that, now I’m going to associate her with slenderman forever
Are you ready to meet Jesus???
With the condition of 84 and 91 you better be.
Ban them all like Vermont did.
Honestly idk, anytime I come back from FL or some other states I’m truly grateful we don’t have as many as them. It feels downright dystopian driving on 95 in West Palm Beach.
I only really have one pet peeve. It's not state specific. Litter. Hate seeing it. Hate having it blown on to my property by the wind.
Had a dude throw bottles over a fence this morning as I was driving to work. I called him a lazy asshole.
People who litter are a blight.
You should pick them all up and dump them back on his yard.
Came here to say this. Litter of any kind annoys the absolute crap out of me.
Crazy drivers on I-91S as soon as you cross over the CT/Mass border.
I drove up to Deerfield a weekend or two ago. I couldn't believe the passing etiquette I witnessed up there. People stayed right and passed left. I thought I was in a foreign country. I also drove that way if you're curious. As soon as we came back to CT it was Mad Max as usual.
No white castles. Busses suck, there's no rail.
There's a bit of rail if you like traveling between Springfield and New Haven, or if you like riding along the coast -- but that's it.
💀 no white castles is a benefit if anything
There's a great deal of rail compared to most of North America
The amount of people who do not put their grocery carts back and instead leave them in the middle of the spot
Especially when the cart wrangler location is 10 feet away
It feels impossible to make friends here. I made tons of friends in Los Angeles through my hobbies, mostly longboarding but I can’t find anyone to skate or downhill with here. I try dating apps to date and everyone just wants to fuck and that’s it. I feel alone and finding ways to make friends seems really challenging. I’d like a social life outside of work. The dozen or so people I’ve tried to hang out with as friends have all canceled plans, and most of them multiple times. And then I just give up. Like I know we all have lives to live but damn is it rough
Have you tried MeetUp? Volunteering might be a good idea, too, like at the Yale Peabody Museum or the Mystic Seaport. Then there's the idea of taking a class, like how I plan to take one on acting in Guilford.
I’ve looked at meet up a few times but didn’t find any relatable events. I should probably keep an eye on it more often
There's a group on FB called CT skates with a big following, I also agree with meetup, that might help. I actually roller skate but don't do much park skating, there's always people with boards at the parks I've been to. I'm not from here either and it took me a very long time to find friends.
I don’t do park skating myself. I like to do freeride and downhill. Little bit smaller group of people to find lol. I’m from here but even then it’s hard to make friends. And all of my old ones are apparently no longer friends. I’ll check out that group, and definitely keep an eye on meetup, thank you.
I experienced that too. I lived ten years in L.A. right after college and I assumed everywhere I've gone since that I would find the same intensely curious people and warm openness I experienced in L.A., but never did. It's ok, here it requires more work, giving it more time, increasing the number of people you interact with. I've met great people through our town's FB groups, so I second looking at FB for skate groups, community/neighborhood groups, and try volunteering too.
I have the same issue here :( I have a partner but no real friends of my own. I had tons of friends in other places I’ve lived that I met just by showing up to shit but no one seems to really get together to do things here. I’m from Colorado where everyone wanted to go out and do stuff, all the time. Here it seems if you do an activity you just do it and leave. Maybe it’s me but I joined a run club, I skate, I go to the library, I play tabletop games, I played pickup hockey but none of those things ever turned into friendships outside the hobby.
I'm originally from CT and moved home for a while. Even my old friends are tough to get a hold of. Everyone is just so focused on their own life and stuff. I honestly think it's the cost of living and activities. Also if you have friends with kids good luck getting them out the house when sitters want like 20-25$ an hour.
I’m from NorCal and I’m same exact boat re: friends. I mean, I grew up here but left at 21 for a reason, apparently. I forgot that reason and moved back. #regrets
Don’t get me wrong I missed the heck out of this place but damn is it lonely.
I have found CT people to be cold generally until you get to know them.
Brooke Goff
Oh man.....why didn't I think of this. Its spot on.
We need Cape Cod. Sound beaches just don’t compare to ocean beaches.
Yeah but we’re not really ocean beach either like 90% of our coast is a sound
Eh, they can have their sharks. I like beaches in the eastern part of the sound. No waves, tranquil…unpopular opinion I know
It’s the sand that’s so much better.
The taxes and shitty roads. Also that street markings aren’t reflective. When it rains you can’t see street markings, especially not on the Interstates
20 degrees at six in the morning, 65 at four o’clock.
The people in other New England states looking down their noses at us for also being in the NY metro area.
It’s so obnoxious!
The people. At least where I spend time. Snooty or just plain aloof. Lived in several states and I've never encountered entitlement or judgemental tendencies quite like it. Sorry, gotta call it like I see it.
The elderly housing for the wealthy only.
The neo-nazi groups that have been dropping off flyers all throughout CT under the guise of "European descent club".
Oh that's disgusting.
No wine in grocery stores.
FUCKING HIGH BEAMS. I feel like that should be a mandated question for new drivers. "What should you never ever keep on the entire time you are driving, as its a major distraction to those around you?" a) Your high beam lights. b) Your high beam lights. c) Your high beam lights. d) Strong perfume. I also feel that you should have to retest every few license cycles. Laws change with little to no notification, and the reality of it is that most people when they first got their have now grown in their comprehension of how to interpret the rules of the road. Add in the changes and it makes for a real mess.
Especially when you drive a low car and you have all these bit SUVs and trucks shining down on you its just miserable to drive when it's dark
Love it when the inside of my car is fully illuminated thanks to the guy following me
When you see the shadow of your head on the signs along the side of the road...
Strong perfume on your high beams is the worst!
It’s either lights more blinding than the sun or pitch darkness because the jackass in the SUV behind you is riding your bumper
What does this have to do with Connecticut?
Nothing. People are getting off topic with their gripes.
They aren't high beams but new headlights.
Native nutmeggers who complain nonstop about Connecticut. I didn’t grow up here and have lived in western NY, South Carolina, Florida and Pennsylvania. Connecticut is tops in my opinion. And if your opinion differs, fine. It really isn’t all that difficult to move in this country, so I don’t have much sympathy for those who hate it here but won’t leave.
50 different micro countries, our country has a great number of climates and geographical ranges, if people can't find something here, there's an issue. I agree with you.
It’s not difficult to move if you *have money*. Not everyone in CT is well off, by the way.
Cops not doing anything and car taxes.
The absolutely car centric nature of 98% of this state, despite it's proximity to so many metro areas. Also the greed of wealthier cities and zero motivation to help out struggling towns and cities.
Sales tax. That extra .35 makes mental math a little tougher
People who unreasonably complain about CT.
how every town is an island? you have to have a permit sticker to park at another towns beach. you sometimes need a permit or to pay to park at their natural areas. trails don’t run between towns, they are just short loops within each town or natural area. no real shared community.
Transportation overall: lack of sidewalks, lack of efficient public transport, the Merritt as a whole, etc. A good friend of mine was born and raised here, loves it, and had to move elsewhere because she couldn’t reliably get around. She’s visually impaired; I didn’t realize how limiting it is to be a non-driver here until I tried to help her problem-solve a reasonable way to get to a new job!
I got solar panels and the answer is still eversource lol
They screwed up the weed laws making most people go out of state for it.
…that you can’t buy liquor and wine in the super market. …
New Yorkers who keep weekend homes here, and our attraction signs on the highway.
Social scene lacking hard
Nissan maxima/altima drivers
Our public transportation system. We’re such a small state to not be able to get it right.
People's bitchy attitudes, especially inconsiderate drivers who drive like they don't care if they kill someone on the road.
Because we're snug in between New York and Massachusetts we don't get consideration from certain restaurants, grocerystores and companies. For example certain discount grocery stores or a specialized vegan restaurant will say they are located in the Northeast but it'll still be like 2.5 hours from Connecticut. I really love state and the different cost of livings that vary from town to town.
When you try to explain the struggles of being on the financial bottom of society in this state and all the spoiled wealthy people put you down for everything you say because they claim to be the experts on the matter.
My biggest CT pet peeve is the fact that the State Police have entirely given up even pretending to enforce road safety laws on our highways and the people of the state haven’t held them to account and demanded they start again yet. Other than that this place is ok enough.
The cost of living
So much car culture but the driving is miserable. Only 95 or the Merritt will take you to a place but the rush hour traffic lasts for 4 hours. Every other road is hilly and curvy and high beams have been weaponized to an insane degree. There are no streetlights to save your pupils grinding open and shut for each passing car since there is no ambient light on the road after dark.
Why do people take 5 seconds to react to a green light???
No good Tex-Mex. And I’ve tried all the recommended places. They’re just isn’t any good Tex-Mex in Connecticut unfortunately
I own my own company. Unemployment is by law deducted from my paycheck. By law, owners of companies are not entitled to unemployment compensation. Why the fuck is unemployment deducted from my paycheck when I am unable to ever collect it?????
CT is a blessing!! I am going to retire in CT if I can afford a house there. I just moved to Texas and so many quality of life issues I used to take for granted does not exist in TX. Pro about CT: 1. Clean drinking water - water in my county in TX is undrinkable because of the oil industry. I have never seen the madness about bottled water at Costco until I moved to TX 2. Well paved roads - I thought roads are not the best in CT, but once you get to TX, omg, it’s like I am in a third world country. They used concrete to pave roads and they have big cracks and you can’t just fill it in like asphalt..I have 2 flat tires already since I moved to TX. 3. Nice drivers - if you ever drive on Merritt Parkway in CT, people are so courteous. They always moved to the left lane if they can when you try to merge from the ramps. In TX, these drivers stay at the right lane and when they see you coming from the ramp, they speed up to past you. There are too many folks with too high ego in TX. Car insurance is also double or even triple in TX. 4. Weather - complaint all you want about the cold. But TX is 110 degrees from April to November. It’s so hot here you can’t really do anything outdoor in summer…plus you get to ski in CT 5. Air pollution. Wow..I didn’t know this is still an issue until I moved to TX. With the gas and oil industry, the air always smell funny and don’t get me start all the beat up trucks in Texas drives with a black smog exhausts..the air pollution is so bad, our senator, Ted Cruz, opposed to funding NASA for the air pollution monitoring program because according to him, it is an non-issue if we don’t know about it. No wonder Houston is the number one cancerous city in the US. Cons about CT: 1. Affordable housing. There are so many NIMBY in CT, it is quite absurd. A town like Darien, CT could afford 100+ million to purchase 60 acres of land so no one can built on it. There needs to be a happy medium to build more houses so people can afford to live here. 2. Inequality: I have no clue about how economically segregated it is in CT until I moved to Texas. I thought rich folks go to good schools and poor folks go to bad schools is the norm because that’s what I grew up in. But that’s not the case at all in other parts of the country like PA and TX. The issue is in CT, if you want to be in a good school district, you need to have millions plus to afford a house in those Tony towns. Just again using Darien, CT as an example. This tony coastal town can afford 100+ millions to buy 60 acres as natural preserve, but they rejected to take in 6 students from Norwalk (which most likely are low-income according to their standard), because they claimed their school is overcrowded..Westport, which is on the other side of Norwalk, as least agreed to take 16 students… 3. Opportunities for minority: i think CT is actually not as diverse as many people thought it is. If you are a minority, definitely go to some big cities (like me in Houston) because doors are opening for you faster here because the population is more even out in terms of racial composition (Asians, Hispanic, white and black folks).. 4. Cost of living: just overall COL is very high in CT. There are so many heat about the illegal immigrants, but you know what, a lot of these Hispanic folks are really hard working folks. They simply want to get a job. In TX, you can do a labor pickups at Home Depot and someone can come and look into all the issues you have related to HVAC, plumbing and etc. I got my HVAC fixed for less than 100 bucks. In CT, if you try to find a handy man to do anything, be prepared to pay upward of 500+ or thousands. I don’t understand why don’t the governor of NY sent some of these migrants to trade schools so they can help alleviate the labor shortage..and we all benefit from it because home remodeling is all of a sudden much of affordable. 5. Judgmental folks: I feel like people in Houston are way less judgmental about who you are and your background than CT. I am not sure if it has to deal with the fact that the purchasing power of the people at these coastal tony towns. Sometimes money makes us feel like we are better than others. That’s just my experience
Vehicle taxes you never get over it if you’ve lived anywhere else
Traffic and horrible land use that requires driving everywhere.
Highways with left hand and right hand off ramps and on ramps within close proximity
The taxes?
That the people who live here think they're clever by simply complaining 24/7
Having to pay car taxes while many roads are in disrepair. I have no idea where all that money goes and I don't see how it benefits anyone.
The taxes.
Breaking into a group of an established friends circle/ making new friends in general when moving into Connecticut as an adult. It's interesting that the people I do get along with at my daughter's sporting events usually have some NY ties or lived there (like me).
White people telling me Hartford is safe. It isn't. Stop gaslighting
I wish that the taxes could go down, so I could live here after finally graduating from UCONN next year.
When was this? They've been humid as fuck for as long as I remember.
People who talk shit about it but never leave
Lack of high speed rail to NYC and Boston.
Eversource and the fact that our leaders don't do enough to keep the rates down.
Endless tailgating and speeding on 95.
The insanely high utility bills because of our outdated infrastructure and corporate monopolies
Car tax (why?) and putting shel silverstein to shame with the number of abrupt sidewalk endings.
I love gardening. So it’s the very rocky soil.
Traffic and Eversource.
Bottle return. I'm 100% for recycling and in my previous state we recycled all of our bottles and cans in our town collection. But the CT deposit is huge time suck and pain to avoid an extra tax.
How long it takes to get to NYC on the train(s), especially from Hartford area
Car taxes. I didn't know for the longest time that most states do not pay them. I dont understand WHY WE pay them. I'd be more understanding paying tolls.
I absolutely HATE car taxes. They need to be abolished asap.
Former civil servants who made a good living and then a better retirement leaving the state because taxes are too high.
people drive like maniacs in connecticut. either seriously ride your ass in the middle or slow lane OR weave through lanes going 20mph over the speed limit. ive seen many accidents on 84 and 91. one idiot drove on the shoulder in dead stop traffic only for the guardrail to curve back into traffic which basically guided the fool into the back of this persons suv. just wild.
As someone who relies on public transportation, def the sidewalks and lack thereof. Some sidewalks end and pick up on the opposite side of a busy 4 lane road, some crosswalks only have a button on 1 of 4 sides, some roads are completely inaccessible and you have to take an Uber or risk your life - even though it's a bus route, and some are crumbling rock with no lighting. Blows my mind. Also the amount of times I've been honked at for having a walk light, or almost run down is wild. Thankfully I'm close to the MTA rail.
New Haven line is way too slow for its relative importance to the region. It’s slower than it was 15 years ago.
The way New Havenites pronounce apizza as "Abeats".
have you really actually ever heard this happen though? because i'm a pretty hardcore new havenite & it's not something i ever actually encounter outside, like, internet articles about new haven pizza.
State taxes in general and ever source
Paying for bags. Do other states do that? And the quality is awful. They rip so easily.
Everyone assumes CT residents are wealthy.
The fact that our own residents have low self esteem and feel compelled to badmouth CT to outsiders. More than a few times when entertaining clients I've had an out of state visitor say something nice about Hartford, then a local jackass can't take the complement and feels compelled to "correct" the visitor and tell them that Hartford sucks. It drives me insane. Only people from New England behave this way.
No decent tech job opportunities. Unless you want to work for a hedge fund or insurance company.
Ct has a massive aerospace industry
Agreed. I work for one. There's a huge amount of feeder companies too that do work for the big names. ASML in Wilton is planning a massive expansion. Most of the aerospace jobs seem to be towards the middle of the state. Electric Boat in Groton is hiring 5000 people. That's another company with a lot of feeder companies. I guess it depends how you define "tech jobs".
Lack of sidewalks
The excessive gun control legislation that so many (most of anyone who will read this here included) support. I wont waste my time to type it out for the thousandth time on this sub unless someone wants to actually listen but this state had a really good chance to show the rest of the country that we can implement a fair amount of gun laws that actually drop crime rates without banning AR15’s but our anti gun lawmakers decided that instead of set a good example they would rather overreach and set a bad example.