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When you think of Connecticut, you don’t always think of it as the most exciting state in the U.S. It’s got a lot of trees, hills, cows, and fields, right? While there are certainly exciting places in Connecticut, just as there are in all U.S. States, there are definitely some boring places within Connecticut’s borders.
You know the places, the ones where everyone has an AARP card and the most exciting thing they do all day is post a picture of their grandchild on FB.
Like West Simsbury, for instance.
In our latest analysis, we found that this city was the most boring place in all of Connecticut. But don’t feel bad if you’re a resident of West Simsbury. There are plenty of other boring, lackluster places in Connecticut as well.
Here they are. Try not to jump out of your seat with excitement.
- West Simsbury
- Orange
- Essex Village
- Georgetown
- Northwest Harwinton
- North Haven
- Somers
- Westport
- Old Saybrook
- Cheshire
Before you get all upset if your home town’s name is on the list, rest assured that we didn’t use personal opinion when it comes to what classifies a city or town as “boring”. We crunched actual numbers to figure out which towns are statistically more boring.
And at least they didn’t end up as the worst places to live in Connecticut.
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How We Determined The Most Boring Places To Live In Connecticut
In order to find the most mind-numbing and down-right exhausting places to live in Connecticut, we used the U.S. Census data to gather up all of the places in the state with populations of over 5,000, which gave us a total of 128 spots. Then, we used the Census to research each place in each of the following categories:
- % of Population Over 35 (Higher is more boring)
- % of Married Household (Higher is more boring)
- Median Age (higher is more boring)
- % of Households With Kids (higher is more boring)
- % of Households with People Over 65 (higher is more boring)
- Percentage of young residents ages 18 to 34 (lower is more boring)
- Population density (lower is more boring)
Next, we ranked each place with a score from one to 128, according to the seven criteria above. The lower the number, the more boring the place.
We averaged these rankings into an overall score, where again, the lowest score was the most boring, least fun, or mind-numbing. And, the winner is: West Simsbury!
But, like all U.S. states, there are good and bad, fun and boring, places everywhere you go. So read on for a look at the most boring places in CT or hop down to the end of the page and check out the top ten least boring places in CT.
Here we go!
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1. West Simsbury
Population Over 35: 65.51%
Median Age: 49.5
% of Married Households: 59.30%
% of Households With Kids: 40.95%
When 65.51% of the population is over 35, chances are things aren’t going to get wild in your town on a Saturday night. In fact, the median age in West Simsbury is 49.5. As you can imagine, the nightlife isn’t exactly bumping when the percentage of households with children is 40.95%. Most people here are about to enter grandparenthood.
2. Orange
Percentage of Old People: 48.18%
Median age: 46
% of Married Households: 63.39%, 11th Highest In The State
% of Households With Kids: 36.14%
If you’re living in Orange, chances are you’re not looking to live the single life: 63.39% of households in Orange are married, meaning you’re not going to find Mr. or Mrs. Right for you here. Plus, the median age is 46 and almost half the population are classified “old people”.
3. Essex Village
Population Over 35: 84.1%, 2nd Highest in CT
Median age: 59, 2nd Highest in CT
% of Married Households: 70.35%, Highest in CT
Break out your AARP cards and dentures, cause Essex Village is boring enough to be a nursing home. 84.1% of the population is over 35, which is the second highest percentage in CT. Plus, the median age is 59 (also the second highest in CT). And if you thought Orange was bad when it comes to dating, Essex is even worse: 70.35% of people in Essex Village are already married (the highest percentage of married households in Connecticut).
That being said, there are surprisingly less children in Essex Village (only 14% of households have kids), meaning that the town is mostly filled with older couples who still enjoy adult activities (like drinking cocktails during a night out on the town). Just make sure grandma doesn’t have one too many
4. Georgetown
Population Over 35: 63.65%
Population density: 13th for lowest population density
% of Married Households: 54.55%
% of Households With Kids: 36.38%
What really makes Georgetown boring is how so few people live there. It has the 13th lowest population density in Connecticut, meaning there’s really not too many new friends and acquaintanceships to make. Most people you see you’ve known forever. That being said, at least the people here are slightly younger than in Essex. And there are twice as many children in Georgetown, as well.
5. Northwest Harwinton
Population Over 35: 64.96%
Population density: 7th lowest population density in CT
% of Married Households: 63.65%, 10th highest in CT
% of Households With Kids: 34.96%
If you thought Georgetown was bad when it came to a total lack of people, then Northwest Harwinton is going to upset you: They have the 7th lowest population density in CT. Again, this is not the place for meeting new people and shaking things up. Plus, the percentage of married households is the 10th highest in the state. That being said, the median age is 44.5, which is a whole two years lower than Georgetown, so at least you’ll be surrounded by a younger pool of people.
6. North Haven
Population Over 35: 63.80%
Median Age: 46.4
% of Married Households: 59.91%
% of Old People: 49.82% (15th Highest In The State)
While North Haven is definitely home to slightly more single ladies and gentlemen than Northwest Harwinton, the people are just as old. In fact, the percentage of old people living in North Haven is the 15th highest percentage in the state. So invest in an old tobacco pipe and some suspenders because North Haven is grandpa-land.
7. Somers
Population Over 35: 62.00%
Population density: 25th lowest in the state
% of Married Households: 58.84%, 22nd highest in the state
% of Households With Old People: 46.12%, 24th highest in state
If you’ve ever been to Somers, then you know it’s not necessarily the most hip town in Connecticut, unless you define hip as “surrounded by cornfields and farmland”. It has the 25th lowest population density in the state, so there aren’t necessarily a whole of people to keep you busy. Plus, just about 59% of the population is married and 46.12% of the population are old people. Yeah, it’s not gonna make for a great time.
8. Westport
Population Over 35: 63.02%
Median Age: 45.3
% of Married Households: 64.56%, 9th Highest in the state
% of Households With Kids: 41.68%, 12th Highest in the state
While Westport is near the ocean (making it automatically less boring than some other towns and cities on this list), it’s not necessarily the most happening place in Connecticut, especially considering it has the 9th highest percentage of married people in the state and the 12th highest percentage of households with kids. Basically, if you’re living in Westport you’re either married with a family or single and having a miserable time.
9. Old Saybrook
Population Over 35: 64.00%
Percentage of Old People: 51.82%, 10th Highest In the State
% of Married Households: 58.24%
% of Households With Kids: 30.81%
While Old Saybrook might be slightly more exciting than Westport, especially considering less households are “married with kids”, this town still has the 10th highest percentage of households with old people. Old Saybrook is, therefore, accurately named
But, that said, at least there’s ocean and coastline nearby!
10. Cheshire
Population Over 35: 72.08%, 5th Highest in the state
Median Age: 51.8, 5th Highest in the state
% of Married Households: 60.49%
% of Households With Kids: 26.21%
Cheshire has the 5th highest population over 35 in the state and the median age is almost 52, the 5th highest median age in the state. That being said, at least the population density is higher here than some of the other towns on this list, and less people are married with children. This means that there are more (single?) people here to meet and hopefully more adventures (preferably outside of Cheshire) to go on with them.
But Hold Your Horses! Connecticut Can Be Fun Too…
As we mentioned in the beginning, there are certainly areas of the state that are, without a doubt, more exciting than others. There are plenty of upbeat, fun, and entertaining places here too, like these ten least boring cities in Connecticut:
- New London
- New Haven
- Storrs
- Jewett City
- Rockville
- Hartford city
- Thompsonville
- Willimantic
- New Britain
- Bridgeport
Of course, if cornfields, farmland, and a place to settle down and have children is what you’re looking for, then maybe these “most boring places” in Connecticut are, in fact, your perfect match. To each his own, right?
You might also find our list of the 10 Most Miserable Cities in Connecticut to be an interesting read.