Living in Connecticut: The 10 Biggest Risks

Nestled between New York and Boston, two of America's largest and most fascinating cities, the state of Connecticut has a great deal to offer people who choose to live here. From small-town farming communities, shoreline villages and historical landmarks to suburban shopping malls and two of the world's largest casinos, there is a little something for everyone in the Nutmeg State.

Like any locale, however, there are some risks to be considered before establishing permanent roots here, and author Taylor Ellis recently analyzed a number of those factors on the web site OnlyInYourState.com.

The top 10 risks cited are:

1. Extreme weather patterns - "Especially if you have kids and you're used to nice weather on Halloween. They'll want to show off their costume but you'll have to wrangle them into a winter coat."
2. Cost of living - "Everything in Connecticut is expensive, which is pretty upsetting because a large amount of the state's wealth actually comes from folks who work in New York."
3. Taxes - "Jokes and fears about what they're going to tax next are constantly coming up over dinner."
4. Driving stinks - "The commuter traffic is just horrendous, especially when you're dealing with two lane highways."
5. Snow days are rare - "Don't get your hopes up every time the weather channel says storm. The roads will likely be cleared."
6. Politicians - "After John Rowland, Philip Giordano, Joe Ganim and Ernie Newton, Connecticut was nicknamed "Corrupticut" in the papers."
7. High population density - "Unless you live on a farm or can afford a large plot of land, chances are you live pretty close to your neighbors."
8. It gets boring - "If you grow up here, you've usually been to most of the attractions by your teens."
9. The economic divide - "In one county, there can be the richest and the poorest, the highest performing schools and the lowest."
10. The biggest risk is falling in love - "The beautiful landscapes are hard to part with, and people will pay the price (literally) to remain a Nutmegger for life."

Read the full story at www.onlyinyourstate.com.

Pictured: Four Connecticut icons which contribute heavily to item number 4 on this list - the state bird (the orange cone), the state flag (the orange sign), the state tree (the orange barrel) and the state flower (the orange mesh fencing).