I lived right by the capital there’s a string of apartment complexes down there. As other people said, it’s a pretty quiet area for the most part, a lot of businesses are leaving because it’s impossible to afford rent in that city. But that being said I really enjoyed my building, I was on Union Pl so the train station was across from me if you get used to the train noises that’s about the only noise you’ll hear because the landlady has driven any business out of that street basically. There’s one small smoothie shop run by a Florida lady (so you won’t be getting too far from the south 😅) but she’s very friendly and maintenance is very efficient and I never had issues with things, just wasn’t a fan of the landlady she was kind of racist but very LGBTQ friendly. One thing to note in downtown though as any other city, be really careful with your belongings, there’s a car robbery on that street at least once a week, I paid an ungodly amount of money to LAZ for a covered garage for this reason, didn’t want to risk getting my stuff stolen. But I guess if you’re willing to spend an extra penny on safe living I’d definitely recommend it in Hartford. There are also many great towns around Hartford which I felt were pretty safe and more affordable such as Manchester or south Windsor, anything west of Hartford will be expensive, you’re looking at minimum $1500 for a studio. I’d avoid east hartford altogether and Wethersfield is also a nice town nearby. Newington goes hand in hand with Wethersfield, some parts get expensive. Glastonbury is a very safe town also but very expensive. Connecticut is like a checkerboard, one town is outrageously expensive while the next town over is a complete shithole lol. But I think it’s a great place to live if you can afford it, everything is nearby, literally you’ll probably only ever drive 15 minutes to get to anywhere you need to get to. The nearby states are between 2-3 hours away at most, some even less and you’ve got great hiking everywhere great weather (unless you’re a swimmer then prepare to say goodbye to that lol the water is never swimmable)

Connecticut is a great choice ! Expensive but it’s great I hope you find what you’re looking for, feel free to reach out if you have any specific questions.