To my peers across the country, if you're tired of being in a place that seems all built up, where you feel priced out of participating in the future of your community, Connecticut needs you. Don't let the talk of this place being expensive fool you — it's a much more affordable place to raise a family than the nearby metropolises (we're expecting our first baby this fall). Plus you can still take advantage of many of the things those cities have to offer. But most of the time you won't need to, because life is pretty great here. Denying that fact is sort of a local tic, but you'll get used to it.