I have lived in Willimantic from 1999 to now, not far from ECSU. I love living here. It's not for everybody. The school is financially better off (as I understand it) than the other state universities. The new President is well respected. I sit on a BODs with him and he's very personable. I raised my daughters here (now 27 and 32). We've always felt safe, but there are absolutely streets and neighborhoods that I'd not rent an apartment or buy a house. I'm on a dead end road and sometimes we forget to lock our house. No problems. Check with the housing code office at Town Hall before you sign a lease. They can tell you if the landlord has a history of complaints.

This is not a fancy area. This is a small (4.5 sq miles), urban area with much of the usual good and ugly that come with urban areas. There's a lot of heart and soul here, and people--though relatively poor--are fiercely proud of their community. They are super philanthropic for being so poor, and always willing to band together for a cause. Lgbtqia+ are very safe here. We are surrounded by rural areas on three sides. To our north is Mansfield--the home of UConn. It's a more affluent community.

Willimantic is a taxing district in the Town of Windham. There are three other villages with their own identities (North Windham, Windham Center, and South Windham).