Traditionally blue-collar town with exciting plans
Across the Connecticut River from Hartford, the town of East Hartford is expanding with ambitious housing developments, plans for a pedestrian-only street and new employment options. “East Hartford is going through a renaissance,” says Connor Martin, East Hartford’s Mayor since November 2023 and the town’s youngest mayor. “We’re a pass-through town right now, but there is significant change going on.” His administration has focused on redeveloping underutilized areas of East Hartford and kickstarting the town’s economic growth while celebrating the diverse community of about 50,000 people. “We’re the second-most diverse town in Connecticut,” says Martin. “It’s important because people get a worldview. It makes a person well-rounded.”
Suburban housing and more development underway
The median housing price in East Hartford is $285,000, slightly higher than Hartford’s median price of $237,000, but lower than West Hartford’s median price of $475,000. Prices can vary greatly, from manufactured homes in the southwest corner for under $100,000, to newly built craftsman houses for over $900,000. Cottages, Cape Cods and ranches in winding subdivisions represent the median price and are the most common in East Hartford.
Several new mixed-use and residential plans are in the pipeline for East Hartford. “We have several housing projects happening right now,” says Martin. “We’re just trying to build, build, build.” Among the projects underway is a several-hundred-unit luxury apartment complex off Silver Lane, which is expected to break ground in spring 2025, and the redevelopment of Founders Plaza on the Connecticut River. The first phase of this 1,000-unit project, named Port Eastside, is expected to break ground by summer 2025.
Smaller ranches are commonplace in East Hartford.
Homes in East Hartford include Colonial Revivals with garages.
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UConn Huskies football and town-sponsored events at public parks
The University of Connecticut’s football team plays at the Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. Built on the site of an old airfield, the stadium holds up to 40,000 fans. “There’s a huge tailgate scene,” says Dawn Mikuláštík Gagliardi, lead Realtor of the Gagliardi Team at Serhant. “Everyone’s kind of a Husky fan around here.”
East Hartford has warm summers and cold winters, with 28 inches of average annual snowfall. East Hartford has over a dozen parks, several walking trails and an 18-hole golf course. With views of Hartford’s skyline across the Connecticut River, locals can walk along the waterfront or launch their boats at Great River Park, which is also home to a small amphitheater that hosts summer concerts. Martin Park has athletic fields, a skatepark and two pools.
Martin says East Hartford uses its parks to host nine major town-sponsored events each year. “They’re family-friendly with local food vendors, bounce houses, face-painting – a little bit of everything,” he says. These events include a Juneteenth Celebration, Memorial Day Parade and a Fall Fest at the start of the school year. “[Fall Fest] is probably our most popular event,” Martin says. “The weather is always perfect.”
Fishermen in East Hartford take advantage of easy access to the Connecticut River.
Launch your boat onto the Connecticut River in East Hartford.
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Plans to revamp Bissell Street and dining along Silver Lane
To build up the downtown area along Main Street, the town has plans to make Bissell Street a pedestrian-only zone with new restaurants and events. Silver Lane runs parallel to Interstate 84 through the center of town and has chain restaurants like Taco Bell, local spots like Anna’s Restaurant & Pizza, and stores like CVS and Aldi. Putnam Bridge Plaza Shopping Center has mainstays like ShopRite and T.J. Maxx. And there's a fair share of local favorites. “I have to mention Maggie’s. It’s this little old lady with a hotdog food truck by Connecticut Boulevard,” says Martin. “It’s probably been there as long as she’s been alive.”
Locals know that Carl's Barbecue & Jerk is the spot for Jamaican cuisine in East Hartford.
People line up at lunch time at Maggie's Hot Dog Truck which is a East Hartford institution.
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Middle and high schoolers take International Baccalaureate courses
East Hartford’s school district has an overall B grade from Niche. There are eight elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools in the district. Sunset Ridge Middle School, which has a B from Niche, and Connecticut International Baccalaureate Academy, which has an A-plus, both offer IB Education programs that focus on college-preparedness and skills like research and critical thinking. The Connecticut IB Academy is connected to East Hartford High via a sky bridge, so students at both schools can participate in the same clubs, sports and activities.
The Connecticut IB Academy is a popular choice for high school students in East Hartford.
East Hartford High School serves students in grades 9-12.
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Pratt & Whitney and two large logistics centers
The headquarters for Pratt & Whitney, a leading supplier of jet engines within the aerospace industry, is in East Hartford. The company’s campus spans more than 250 acres in the town, and the employer has further plans to expand with a new, 400,000-plus square foot office building on the site. The town also recently built two logistical centers for Lowe’s and Wayfair. These centers span 2.5 million square feet of warehouse space and were expected to create 2,000 local jobs. However, as of January 2025, Wayfair has not moved into the space as planned.
Softball is a popular game among kids in East Hartford.
Dwyer Park is one of the many parks in East Hartford that offers a basketball court.
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Driving and riding around East Hartford
CTtransit buses run through East Hartford and to neighboring Hartford and Manchester. Interstate 84 goes through town and takes drivers across the state. Hartford Hospital is just west across the river, and Bradley International Airport is about 17 miles north. Some properties on the town’s far western side, along the Connecticut River, are in a flood zone.
CT Transit buses run throughout East Hartford & bring residents to adjacent towns.
East Hartford lies along the Connecticut River with easy access to I-84 & I-91.
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Marked decreases in crime
East Hartford’s police department reported property and violent crime rates above the state average for most months between January 2020 and December 2023. However, the police department only reported 1,026 total crimes in 2024, far less than the 1,686 reported in 2023 and less than half the figures reported in 2022 and 2021. East Hartford has a CAP Index crime score of 4, on par with the national average.
Raytheon Technologies' Pratt & Whitney has a large campus in East Hartford.
Rentschler Field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford is the home of the UConn Huskies.
Eric is an intrepid learner who adapts to his surroundings and offers an intuitive approach to real estate. If you are seeking the perfect home that suits your needs, he will see to it that your best interests are upheld with integrity and respect throughout the entire process.
Eric began his pursuit of knowledge at Champlain College in Burlington, VT, where he has since graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Policy and a Minor in Business. His passion for the biological world and the measures of power that a government utilizes to regulate human behavior was a clear motive for him to forge ahead. Harnessing the synergistic relationship between business and the environment is an intrinsic aspect of society that he believes to be more imperative than ever. Real estate is an ever-changing atmosphere, just as the natural world is constantly evolving; with these two schools of thought in mind, he seeks to push the envelope of incorporating techniques and concepts to offset costs to consumers and the world around them. By assessing various levels of impact and feedback loops from the real estate market to the environmental sectors, Eric uses a sound methodology to positively influence the communities within Connecticut.
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