Incorporated in 1785 and operating during the 1800s as a hub for watchmaking and other industries, Bristol, Connecticut, is now a suburban city of about 61,000 people 20 miles west of Hartford. Nineteenth-century Italian and Irish immigrants in Bristol worked for companies like Ingraham Co. and Emerson Electric Co., and although the city's clock industry has waned, its roots remain. "A lot of the industry that's still here in Bristol actually started with some of the clock making," says Patti Philippon, executive director at the American Clock and Watch Museum and Bristol resident. Companies like the Barnes Group, which has roots in the industrial era, still operate in Bristol today. It's now also home to other major employers like ESPN headquarters and Bristol Hospital, as well as a highly rated school district, and many small businesses that attract commuters and families to this laid-back suburb.
The American Clock & Watch Museum in Bristol has all sizes of clocks and watches on display.
Bristol is a great area known for suburban living close to shopping, dining, and industry.
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Hundred-year-old traditional homes and more modern builds
The median price of a single-family home in Bristol is $320,000, slightly lower than the $335,000 median in the neighboring town of Plainville but higher than Hartford's median. Bristol's environment is suburban, with single-family homes in winding subdivisions accounting for most of the city's housing. Downtown is a bit denser, with traditional-style homes built in the early 1900s priced between $300,000 and $430,000. Outside downtown, homes lean toward late-20th-century styles like ranches and split-levels and new traditional homes built between the 2000s and today.
A main street colonial in North Bristol with a bright wooden door.
Quiet New England back roads are plentiful around Plymouth.
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Walkability improvements and commuting from Bristol
In 2023, the state of Connecticut awarded Bristol with $320,000 to improve walkability downtown, and the city plans to complete its design process for the trail in early 2026. Bristol has also focused on attracting new businesses and residents downtown. "The downtown has some small businesses, but it's being developed for more, and they're putting up mixed-use apartments," Philippon says.
EPSN headquarters and Bristol Hospital are the city's two largest employers, with about 3,800 and 1,800 employees, respectively. Many residents also commute to Hartford. Route 6 and Route 72 both run through Bristol, and drivers can take either to connect with Interstate 84 into Hartford. CTtransit also has bus routes from Bristol to nearby towns including Plainville and Hartford. New Haven is about 35 miles south, and New York City is about 110 miles southwest. Bradley International Airport is about 35 miles northeast, and Bristol Hospital is in town off Brewster Road.
Main Street is home in Downtown Bristol is home to several historic commercial buildings.
Bristol Health has a nice, new, medical center in the center of Downtown Bristol.
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Many students walk to school in this well-rated district
Bristol's school district earns a Niche grade of A-minus. The city has nine elementary schools, and many young students are within walking distance of their school. Bristol also has five middle schools and two high schools – Bristol Central High School and Bristol Eastern High School. Among the city's schools is also Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School, which admits students through a lottery system and instructs sixth through 12th grades. The school opened in 2022 in its newly renovated, circa-1922 building and integrates performing and visual arts into its curriculum.
Freshly renovated, Bristol Arts & Innovation Magnet School has all the modern amenities.
Bristol Eastern High School has an enrollment of 1,367 students.
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Splash pad at Rockwell Park and roller coasters at Lake Compounce
Among the several parks in Bristol is Rockwell Park, where families can hike along the nature trails, kids play on the splash pad and playground, and teens practice tricks at the skate park. For indoor fun, Spare Time Bristol has a bowling alley and arcade. Lake Compounce Amusement & Water Park has been operating in Bristol since 1848. Its attractions include the Wildcat, a wooden roller coaster built in 1927 and renovated with a new track in 2024.
The Harry C. Barnes Memorial Nature Center in Bristol has an education center and several wooded trails. This includes a mile-long trail around the park that's accessible for visitors with strollers and mobility aids like wheelchairs and walkers.
Come throw yourself a party at Spare Time Lanes and Games in Bristol.
Lake Compounce in Bristol is the oldest amusement park in America.
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Annual Mum Festival and Rockwell Theater entertain residents
The Rockwell Theater, part of the Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School facilities, is also run by the Parks, Recreation Youth and Community Services Department as a community theater. "If you want to see a traveling Broadway show, the Bushnell Theater is 20 minutes away [in Hartford], and here in Bristol you can see something small and fun, so you have the option," Philippon says.
The Mum Festival held in September is also among the most popular community events in Bristol. The annual tradition brings in fall with carnival rides and games, a parade with floats decked out in mum flowers, and vendors and artisan booths – many featuring chrysanthemum-inspired pieces. Bristol honors its past as a clock manufacturing hub at The American Clock & Watch Museum on Maple Street. The Museum has more than 6,000 watches and clocks. Other museums nearby include the Carousel Museum and the Bristol Historical Society.
Bristol Mum Festival's smaller midway is perfect for young families.
The American Clock & Watch Museum in Bristol celebrates the local history of watchmaking.
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Big box stores on Farmington Avenue and more around town
Farmington Avenue has the majority of Bristol's shopping and dining options. Along this road, locals will find big box stores including Walmart, Home Depot, Stop & Shop and Burlington, among others. Main Street also has several small businesses. Parkside Cafe on Main Street is a popular brunch spot, and Main Street Pint and Plate serves pub grub and more elevated fare like filet mignon and grilled salmon. For local shopping, Philippon recommends the recently opened Bristol Bazaar, an indoor market with a rotating selection of artists selling handmade goods. The venue also has painting, crocheting and crafting classes.
Main Street Pint & Plate is open for dinner and drinks in Downtown Bristol.
The Parkside Cafe serves breakfast and lunch to a local crowd everyday in Bristol.
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Cold winters and smells from Bristol Resource Recovery Facility
Bristol has four distinct seasons and regularly experiences below-freezing temperatures throughout the winter – though snowfall can be unpredictable.
The Bristol Resource Recovery Facility, a trash-burning plant owned by Covanta (now Reworld) in the southeastern side of Bristol, can cause buzzing and odors for residents within a few miles of the plant. In 2024, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection also granted the company's request to burn biomedical waste at the facility. This ruling has garnered pushback from residents due to environmental concerns, especially considering it's only about 1 mile northeast of the Lake Compounce Amusement Park.
In 2023, the Bristol Police Department reported a total of 1,048 crimes, including 322 violent crimes and 726 property crimes. That's about 17 crimes per 1,000 people, less than the average of about 24 crimes per 1,000 people in Connecticut as a whole.
Dawn Mikuláštík Gagliardi, Esq. joined the Corrado Group from New York City where she had a successful career as a Medical Malpractice attorney. In addition to helping people buy and sell their homes, she is an Adjunct Professor of Negotiating, Counseling, and Interviewing at New York Law School.
Dawn brings an array of real-life business experience to the table to help her clients navigate the unique Connecticut housing market and is a fierce negotiator and zealous advocate for her clients. Dawn is dedicated to customer service and goes beyond to make every real estate transaction as easy and stress-free as possible for her clients.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
