Location: Groton, CT

[Brandi]

please note, all of these questions are generic and will be asked for all locations so some may sound silly. The questions underneath each area are only there to help you think. Please feel free to skip things that don't apply or to elaborate on things that I did not mention.

Housing:
(How is military housing there? Which area did you live in and did you like it? Is it affordable to buy or rent in town and if so what areas would you recommend? Any additional thoughts?)


Schools:
(Which schools did your kids attend? Did you like them? Did your kids like them? How do you think the school system was overall? Any schools you would recommend over others? Did you go to college while you were there? If so, which college and how did you like it? Any additional thoughts?)


Shopping:
(How are the commissary and NEX? Do you shop there or out in town? What stores are available out in town? What is the local shopping like? Malls? Any places you recommend? Any additional thoughts?)


Cost of living:
(What is the cost of living like? High? Average? Low? How did it effect your family? Was there anything special you had to do to make ends meet? Any additional thoughts?)


Military Community:
(How is the military community? Are there resources for family and spouses? Any likes or gripes? Additional thoughts?)


Recreation:
(What is there to do in the area for adults? For kids/families? Is there anything within a few hours driving distance?)


Weather:
(What's the weather like? Mild? Seasonal? Hot? Humid? Rainy? Cold? Are there seasons?)


Overall:
(Would you go back again? Why or why not? What are your main likes and gripes?)

[ash]

I don't live in Groton but my cousin goes to school there and my family lives only an hour away so i know a bit about things to do

http://www.mysticseaport.org/
the mystic seaport is AWESOME. definitely worth 15 dollars and kids are only 12 dollars. there are often very cool exhibits. I saw the "sea dogs" there a couple of years ago, they were rescue dogs and we got to watch them in action. very cool. There is tons to learn but it is portrayed in an extremely entertaining way!

Mystic Aquarium is very cool as well and you can purchase a joint ticket for that and the seaport to save a couple dollars

The shops at mystic are also really cute and fun, there are some inexpensive things you can purchase and GREAT fudge in one of the shops there. Also, to go out for a nice meal for little money there is a restaurant called TEN CLAMS i love love love love love that place. The name of the place is ten clams for a reason! You can enjoy an amazing meal of seafood for really low cost, all things on the menu are less than ten dollars. Last time I was there my cousin and I total only paid 16 dollars with tip, and had great food .

http://www.oldmysticvillage.com/omvp...ectory_sp.html this is the directory for the shoppes at mystic.

http://www.thimbleislands.com/
Stony Creek is about 50 minutes from Groton according to mapquest but it is definitely worth the trip. The tour on the boat is a blast, you can sit on the top deck of a boat and get tons of good pics of the scenery and you hear so much about the Thimble Islands (islands owned by private citizens)

http://www.mohegansun.com/
this casino is only about 20 minutes from Groton, my parents like it there and so do my Aunts and Uncles

http://www.foxwoods.com/
Also about 20 minutes away, great Casino, the atmosphere is incredible and there is also a museum about the Pequots there that I found incredibly interesting. I am not even gambling age and i LOVE going there. There are virtual rides and such so if you have teenage children you could take them with you and just split up. It is also very safe, incredibly well staffed and there is plenty to keep teens busy.

Hope that helps ladies! In my opnion, anyone would be incredibly lucky to live in Connecticut!!

[ILVMYMR]

Ash...good info...

Mystic was one of our favorite spots, in the summer especially! Great restaurants, shops and atmosphere!

A lot going on at both casinos ALL the time...concerts to Davis Cup tour. Great restaurants and shopping there, as well. Mohegan Sun is 10 minutes from the base.

I thought the cost of living was high, compared to where I am from in the Florida, but not as high as it could be.

We preferred to shop at the local grocery store, Stop and Shop, versus the commissary...better prices, at the time we were there, atleast.

A lot of hiking and more outdoors adventures around the area. About halfway between Boston(which I could not get enough of) and New York!

As far as shopping goes, New London(right across the bridge) has a mall, and a few shopping centers that have a nice variety...ranging from ****s Sporting Goods to Pier One.

The weather was very harsh in the winter but Fall was absolutely gorgeous! It was nice having 4 strong seasons.

If we had the option of going back I probably would not turn it down, just because we did not do everything we could while there. I know it is called Rotten Groton(and it has its days ) and it is not the best duty station but at the same time, not all that bad.

[shafersgirl]

I lived in CT all my life until Dec of 2005. Please let em know if you need to know anything about the area since I know it all haha.....

AS for housing, when renting apartments, stay away from The Ledges.. They are not military friendly and they are dirty and underhanded......

I've lived here in CT my whole life and everything is close together so here's a few things I thought I would add


Entertainment
In the summer hop on the ferry in New London to Block Island.http://www.goblockisland.com/ Block Island is 7 miles around I believe...maybe less. But they have awesome things for families- beaches, a bar on the beach called Ballards, bike and kayak rentals, moped rentals, a bunch of great restaurants, some snack bars, ice cream places, cute little shops on the main street. Cars are allowed, but I don't suggest it.



In Mystic you could always go to the famous Mystic Pizza-- the one from Julia Robert's first movie! It's not all that great, but fun to say you ate there! There is also Margarita's for great Mexican food and Margaritas of course.


Rhode Island beaches Watch Hill and Misquamicut are only about 40 minutes away.

As for malls, there is one about 10 minutes from base called the Crystal Mall. It's a decent mall, but if you want to drive about an hour go to the Providence Place mall in Rhode Island...it's the biggest mall in New England. At Providence Place is one of my favorite restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory...a little pricey, but WELL worth it! Also at Providence Place is Dave and Busters-- it is an arcade for grown ups... arcade games and a bar. 18-21 must be accompanied by a parent, otherwise it is 21 and up.

If you want to go for a drive, hop on Rt. 95 for about 45-50 minutes to New Haven- the home of Yale and Pepe's Pizza. Pepe's pizza is world famous--and amazing. The New Haven Green is surrounded by Yale, some great architecture, and lots of stores and boutiques. The Yale Art Gallery is pretty interesting to see, and a donation of 5 dollars is only suggested

There are also a couple outlet malls along Rt. 95 on your way from Groton to New Haven-- Clinton Crossings and Westbrook Factory Stores. Some stores included in these are Gap, Polo, Nike, Nine West... Westbrook is closer to Groton than Clinton at about 25-30 min away.

In the winter, CT has Mt. Southington a ski resort, or you could drive about 2 hours to a resort in MA or about 4-9 hours to NH, VT, or ME.

As you move down 95 away from Groton toward New Haven plan on there being traffic. One of the problems of living in a small state with lots of people!

Groceries and Such
I suggest grocery shopping at the Commisary on base as much as possible. There is a Stop&Shop in town, however prices are MUCH higher in town than on base... the quality of meat on base isn't as good, so maybe buy everything else in the Commisary and buy your meat products in town. The Commisary isn't much different than any other department store. Prices aren't dramatically cheaper, so that's up to you.

Weather

Welcome to New England-- Hot and Humid summers, Cold winters. Groton is near the shore...obviously, so most snow storms are rain storms in Groton. Fall is beautiful with all the leaves changing, and spring is VERY unpredictable. 3 Days ago it was 75 and sunny. Today it is 55 and rainy.

Church Stuff

One Good thing about living in New England is lots of churches. Whether you are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Jehovah's Witness or anything else, there is a place of worship within 20 minutes. The base itself has one chapel on base and one in the middle of the housing. Surrounding there are at least 3 churches along the main road.

Overall

I grew up here, it's almost all I know. I've been able to keep busy and out of trouble for 21 years of my life. DB is from PA and he says the people are rude... I say we're reserved. But other than lots of cars on the road, and semi-rude people I think Groton would be a good place to be stationed, and that half of CT doesn't have a very high cost of living...it's as you get closer to NY that prices of homes and property taxes go up up up. Hope I helped a little!

[Covergrl422]

Okay.... might be a little lengthy but I'll try. I've grown up here. I've lived in Groton since I was 4 years old sooo hopefully I'll be some help. Pokey did a great job, so if I repeat anything or forget anything that she said... just know that I agree with everything she said. haha...

Housing:
Housing used to suck. haha... No way around it. BUT, within the past year or two Navy Housing turned into GMH Housing which is a private company. They have started to remodel and demolish and whatnot. The parts they've completed are GORGEOUS. Once all is said and done, Navy Housing as we know it up this way will be remarkable.

As for out in town, I dont have personal experience. I do know from friends that if you're going to rent, try not to look for apartments IN Groton. Rent is ridiculously high since they're all so close to the base. Surrounding areas like Mystic, Gales Ferry, Ledyard... they're all about 10 minutes away and will be alot cheaper. Just a heads up.


Schools:
I've been in the Groton school system since Kindergarten. I personally went to Mary Morrisson Elementary. Its right here in housing and amazing! Up until the day I graduated I went back to help out and visit. They are VERY military friendly (obviously) and the teachers know what they are dealing with. After going back to help out and whatnot, I realized that for Navy kids, they make it a real easy transition into what is probably "a new school." The teachers are remarkable. The other Elementary schools I dont know since I didnt attend them... Charles Barnum is also one right in housing... I've never heard anything bad about it.

Middle school is Fitch Middle if you live in Groton... great school. The High school is Fitch High... they are currently undergoing a HUGE reconstruction. Adding on--BIG TIME! Its a pretty big school... I graduated in a class of 500+... BUT surprisingly classes arent THAT big... the classes I had were usually no more than 20 kids or so. GREAT athletic program... They have an amazing selection of A.P. classes and only 2 years ago took on a remarkable I.B. program. I would HIGHLY recommend the school system!


Shopping:
We shop at the commissary.. Big Y every now and again for their sales... The NEX isnt a fav of mine, but its a NEX. As for the malls, the Crystal Mall is across the bridge (about 10 minutes from Groton). Pretty decent. But Pokey was right... Providence Place is where to go if you're looking for good shopping. An amazing mall... tons of restaurants... only about a 45 minute drive. WELL WORTH IT! Downtown Mystic and Mystic Village have the crafty, unique stores... cute little shops!


Military Community:
Not really sure what kind of response you're looking for. Groton is pretty much comprised of military, E.B, and Pfizer families... everyones very supportive of the military. I was shocked to see the community and Groton itself come together for the "Save the Subase" campaign...


Recreation:
Ummm... tons of hiking trails, etc... Bluff Point's nice. Theres a Youth Center that went up about 5 years ago in housing... its a GREAT place for the kids to go!! As far as actually ON base goes, theres the pool, the bowling alley, Reunions Pub which has darts and pool tables, Dealey Center which is the movie theater, Laser Storm, Paintball, a golf course, and North Lake.

As for beaches, around here you'll find Ocean Beach (in New London, about 10 minutes away), Eastern Point (in Groton), and Esker Point (in Groton Long Point)... but if its a REAL beach you're after, my fav's are Misquamicut and Watch Hill (both in RI, about a 45 minute drive). Misquamicut has GREAT waves... Paddy's Beach for the parents is a bar on the beach (Beach Volleyball tourneys during the week!). Watch Hill can be pretty touristy, but go up the hill AWAY from the carosel (sp?) and shops, and you'll find East Beach... more locals. BEAUTIFUL beach!


Weather:
New England... I think this has been covered. Gets REAL hot and sticky and REAL cold and snowy. No predicting it. BUT... on the plus side, Beautiful foliage in the fall.

Overall:
Seeing as how I've lived here since I can remember... I love it. Its really not that bad. You're 2 hours from NYC (or take the train from New London!!), 2 hours from Boston, an hour from Providence. Hartford and New Haven are only about 40 minutes away... You have the beach at your fingertips... I think its the perfect location. If anyone has any specific questions, feel free to ask me. I'm sure I missed alot. haha... But, hope I helped!

[Swervesgirl]

I used to live in "Rotten Groton" LOL... I loved it as a kid! Especially Mystic!
My sister went to Mary E Morrison back in the day and I went to Fitch middle and High!!! I still have close friends that live there.... And Of course you can't go to Mystic without eatting at Mystic pizza or Las Margaritas!!! YUMM oh i miss it!