Glastonbury, Connecticut: a friendly community with grand historic homes

USA

Diana Gallagher and her husband, Tony Patelunas, ended up in the Hartford suburb of Glastonbury, Connecticut, almost by accident. In 2021, they were living in Windham and looking for homes in the neighborhood, close to the University of Connecticut, when a Colonial-style house in Glastonbury caught their eye.

Built in the 1970s, the five-bedroom home sat on an acre adjacent to Roaring Brook. “You can see the back of the property from the inside and it feels like you’re in the woods,” said Ms Gallagher. “The privacy on the outside also permeates the inside.”

The house was listed for $419,000, but the market was so competitive that Ms. Gallagher, 37, and Mr. Patelunas, 34, knew they had more to offer. They ended up paying $452,000.

Since then, the couple has come to appreciate not only the open space, but also all the coffee shops. Ms. Gallagher, a gymnastics coach, writer, and adjunct professor of English at Manchester Community College and Eastern Connecticut State University, regularly takes her laptop to Daybreak Coffee Roasters around town, hoping to snag a window seat—” that is my most coveted place. ”

Stephen Tudisco, 51, moved to Glastonbury from Hartford two years ago very deliberately: He wanted to shorten his commute to work at Connecticut Natural Gas, in East Hartford. When he found a ready-to-move-in, two-bedroom condominium for about $200,000, he also bid above the asking price and bought the condo for $222,000.

“I like that the town is well maintained and very clean,” said Mr. Tudisco. “I’m close to a lot of outdoor stuff, but also only two miles from downtown.”

When David and Kelly Muccino bought a house in Glastonbury last year, they already took a liking to the town – Ms Muccino, 34, a child life specialist, grew up there. And they found the public schools “extremely strong,” said Dr. Muccino, 37, a pediatrician.

The couple found a five-bedroom Colonial suite and a ground-floor primary suite that “a lot of people may have missed,” Dr. Muccino said, because it was listed on Zillow as owner-owned.

They immediately went to check it out and ended up getting it for about $575,000. The couple, who plan to start a family, are especially happy that the house is only three blocks from Buttonball Lane Elementary School, which Mrs. Muccino attended. Her former high school sports coach lives across the street.

Lisbeth Becker, the clerk of the electorate, said the city of about 35,000 has grown significantly since she moved there in 1993. In addition to acquiring much larger homes, it has added apartment buildings, more than 55 residences, and assisted-living apartments.

“In my neighborhood, we’re kind of the older folks now,” she said. “There has been a lot of turnover.”

What you will find

Glastonbury is located about six miles south of Hartford, in Hartford County, and covers more than 50 square miles, east of the Connecticut River in hilly terrain. A mix of affluent suburban neighborhoods and working ranches, it also includes more than 2,000 acres of protected city-owned land and part of the Meshomasic State Forest.

Grand historic homes from the 17th and 18th centuries line a central section of Main Street not far from the river. Riverfront Park has a playground, community center, pavilion, playing fields, and a waterfront site that can be reserved for functions.

The downtown area has become “incredibly bustling” over the past decade, which has contributed to the rising demand for real estate, said Michelle Collins, an agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties: “There are many great restaurants and shops, a Whole Foods, a Trader Joe’s It’s a pedestrian friendly downtown.”

The agricultural heritage of the town is well preserved in the southern part, with orchards, farms and a winery. Many of the farms have a retail market and offer subscriptions to weekly product shares in the summer and fall.

Social clubs and athletic facilities abound, including half a dozen private pool clubs, several public pools, Glastonbury Hills Country Club, the nine-hole Minnechaug Golf Course, an indoor rock climbing facility, and Eastbury Pond, where residents swim, fish, and ice skate.

The state-run Ferry Rocky Hill-Glastonbury is touted as the nation’s oldest continuously operating ferry service, dating back to 1655. It provides passage across the Connecticut River between the two cities from April through November.

The family newspaper Glastonbury Citizen, more than 70 years old, keeps the community informed about school sports and community events.

What you pay

The stock is low — about half what it was around this time last year, said Linda Edelwich, a real estate agent with William Raveis. “We sell everything that comes on the market,” she said. “If something doesn’t sell in a few days, people think, ‘What’s wrong with it?'”

As of mid-June, there were about 35 active listings for single-family homes, from a 1,600-square-foot, four-bedroom home on 0.44 acres listed for $389,000, to a 5,000-square-foot, four-bedroom home on 7.5 acres listed for $3,999,999.

The median sales price for a single-family home for the 12 months ended June 8 was $476,000, based on 344 sales. For that price, one can typically get a 2,000-square-foot, three- or four-bedroom house that might need some work, Ms Edelwich said.

The wide variety of housing, Ms. Collins said, includes numerous antique homes; Capes, ranches and colonials built from the 1950s to the 1970s; modern homes built in the 1980s; and grand colonials built in the 1990s. There has been some new construction recently, with prices starting at about $1 million, she said, but most of it has already been sold.

The median sale price for a condominium during the 12 months ended June 8 was $265,000. Condos are particularly hard to come by these days. As of last week, only one was available; about a dozen were under contract.

The average rent for all types of real estate is $2,500, according to Zillow.

The atmosphere

Glastonbury is buzzing with opportunities for community connection. The Newcomers’ and Neighbors’ Club organizes family and adult events, including a book club, wine tasting and ‘ladies’ night out’.

During the summer, there are free outdoor concerts in Riverfront Park, while orchards and berry farms play host to picking experiences.

Members of the Glastonbury River Runners group finish their Saturday morning jog in local coffee shops. “The club is more of a social club that has running as a common denominator,” said Ms Gallagher, who is a member. “It definitely makes me feel like I’ve found a community.”

The annual Apple Harvest and Music Festival (known as Applefest) is the event of the year, with the Rotary Club’s Lobsterfest as a close competitor. Applefest, which claims Riverfront Park for three days each October, features theme park rides, live music, food trucks, a pub, and a 5K road race.

The schools

The Glastonbury public school district serves approximately 5,700 students. About 67 percent identify as White, 13 percent as Asian, 12 percent as Hispanic or Latino, 3 percent as Black, and the rest as two or more races. About 11 percent are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

Five elementary schools serve students from kindergarten through fifth grade: Buttonball Lane, Hebron Avenue, Hopewell, Naubuc, and Nayaug. The district also offers a pre-school program for a fee.

Sixth graders attend Gideon Welles School, while seventh and eighth grade students attend Smith Middle School, which has approximately 865 enrollments.

Glastonbury High School has approximately 1,865 pupils. The four-year pass rate is 99 percent. In 2021-2022, average SAT scores were 565 in reading and writing and 565 in math, compared to state averages of 501 and 485.

The commute

The drive to Midtown Manhattan takes two to three hours, depending on the time of day and traffic.

Hartford Union Station is about 15 to 20 minutes away. The Amtrak trip to Manhattan’s Penn Station takes just under three hours; the one-way fare can start at around $17 and go up to more $100 depending on when tickets are purchased.

The history

Glastonbury is the birthplace of the Aqua Velva line of skincare products, including the aftershave long known for its tagline, “There’s something about an Aqua Velva man.” The JB Williams Company began manufacturing the products in 1917 at its Glastonbury soap factory. The area of the brickworks was more than 225,000 square feet between the world wars at the height of the business, according to the area’s nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places. Control of the manufacturer was sold to a New Jersey company in 1957 and the buildings were sold in 1960. One of the remaining factory buildings now houses apartment blocks.