West of Hartford

As the middle class fled Hartford [1] in the 1950s, much of it ended up in the city’s western suburbs, where professional workers built trophy houses on the on cul-de-sacs and settled down to life in the much-vaunted Connecticut [2] suburbs.

Unlike many cities, however, these transplanted urbanites took the city’s commercial base with them; today, the highways in towns like Avon, Farmington, and Simsbury are lined with Madison Avenue retailers and big-box department stores.

Outside the immediate suburbs, the Farmington River Valley quickly becomes wooded, with a dozen historic villages scattered through the trees.

Events

Pies, parades, and face-painting usher in the harvest at the Pumpkin Festival (860/232-1134, mid-Oct.), a tradition in West Hartford for more than 30 years.