FYI: Gainesville’s population of 140K is slightly more than Hartford’s of 120K

As others have said, so much to access within 3 hour drive. E.g. Boston is less than 2 hours away from Hartford.

Keep in mind that CT is very town specific. A town could be right next to another but have completely different cultural, racial, and things to do. I’m originally from South Jersey and that’s a big change here. (I love it here!)