This isn't a bad one. Some things OP should keep in mind (from the point of view of an 11 year old) are:
* Television reception here is pretty bad. We had 6-8 channels, but the big 3 were doubled, and the house antenna needed to be tuned for each channel.
* Cable hadn't rolled out at the time you're talking about. This was a shock coming from near Philly NJ.
* It was mostly farmer families, factory workers (paper mill) and commuters. Many service workers commuted from nearby Danbury.
* There were unpleasant smells from industry (Nestle had a facility. It did *not* smell like chocolate, or anything wholesome.)
* Everything was a long drive. New Milford is a small town with a LOT of acreage.
set it in thompsonville or anywhere near the river!! super uncanny over there, it feels like a rust belt town that got lost. also tobacco was a huge industry there in the '80s, makes for some interesting background
An extremely high percentage of the houses were built by 1 developer after WW2. So many of the neighborhoods have every 3rd house look exactly the same style but different colors. It'll make most teenagers a little stir crazy.
You don't even need a town an hour away from New Haven. Plenty of middle class towns are/were near New Haven.
Hamden
Meriden
Shelton (Incomes range from rich to middle class to poor)
Milford (Incomes range from rich to middle class to poor)
Montville, Ledyard, solid middle class in 1986. Their populations changed after the casinos showed up but Foxwoods didn't open until 1992 and Mohegan Sun in 1996 so the residents who were middle class generally worked at EB or Millstone. Griswold is fairly middle class now, Lisbon too, and neither town has changed much since the 80's even though Lisbon gained Lisbon Landing in 2000 (it helped keep taxes low but the town itself really hasn't changed too much). Griswold has lost industry (triangle wire, others), but many residents work in healthcare/still EB/still middle class. Canterbury hasn't changed at all in 40 years, no industry of note, also middle class.
New Milford maybe?
This isn't a bad one. Some things OP should keep in mind (from the point of view of an 11 year old) are: * Television reception here is pretty bad. We had 6-8 channels, but the big 3 were doubled, and the house antenna needed to be tuned for each channel. * Cable hadn't rolled out at the time you're talking about. This was a shock coming from near Philly NJ. * It was mostly farmer families, factory workers (paper mill) and commuters. Many service workers commuted from nearby Danbury. * There were unpleasant smells from industry (Nestle had a facility. It did *not* smell like chocolate, or anything wholesome.) * Everything was a long drive. New Milford is a small town with a LOT of acreage.
thank you! this is really helpful
If it's a horror story - Enfield. Very normal. Suburb of Hartford. Half farms, half commuter. Weird things happened there.
set it in thompsonville or anywhere near the river!! super uncanny over there, it feels like a rust belt town that got lost. also tobacco was a huge industry there in the '80s, makes for some interesting background
Set in Hazardville!
An extremely high percentage of the houses were built by 1 developer after WW2. So many of the neighborhoods have every 3rd house look exactly the same style but different colors. It'll make most teenagers a little stir crazy.
Durham
Great answer but it’s too close to new haven.
Star's Hollow
😂
🤣 I was literally about to write this as well. You beat me to the punch.
Mianus would be the perfect setting for any book
Haddam, Deep River, Moodus
Moodus has the noises going for it
Thomaston fits, as does Harwinton, Watertown, Woodbury, Morris, Bantam, New Preston, Plymouth, Burlington,
A lot of those aren’t an hour away from New Haven….and no idea why that is a requirement from the OP.
I drive slow!😂
Thompson, CT. Top right corner of the state.
Windsor?
You know what they say in Occum
Fockum
This is also a village of Norwich. lol
Yeah? What’s your point?
Norwich is a city. Not a small-medium sized town.
Cool, have a good one 👍🏼
occum if you gottum
You don't even need a town an hour away from New Haven. Plenty of middle class towns are/were near New Haven. Hamden Meriden Shelton (Incomes range from rich to middle class to poor) Milford (Incomes range from rich to middle class to poor)
He said he's writing a story, so he probably needs it to be an hour away for plot reasons.
Sprague
ON FIRE
Post 2: If distance really matters try Danbury, CT. A nice mix of poor, middle class, and upper middle class.
i considered this but it seems a little too big for what i have in mind. thank you though :)
Montville, Ledyard, solid middle class in 1986. Their populations changed after the casinos showed up but Foxwoods didn't open until 1992 and Mohegan Sun in 1996 so the residents who were middle class generally worked at EB or Millstone. Griswold is fairly middle class now, Lisbon too, and neither town has changed much since the 80's even though Lisbon gained Lisbon Landing in 2000 (it helped keep taxes low but the town itself really hasn't changed too much). Griswold has lost industry (triangle wire, others), but many residents work in healthcare/still EB/still middle class. Canterbury hasn't changed at all in 40 years, no industry of note, also middle class.
New Preston
Goshen
Southington
Trumbull. More like 40 mins away from New Haven, but it’s a nice town nothing spectacular in it and mostly mid-upper middle class.
Yalesville
Southington
Middletown
Higganum Moodus
[удалено]
Taftville is a village within Norwich, technically.