About Manchester
What it's like to live here
Manchester is a Hartford County town of about 59,700 people, about 9 miles east of downtown Hartford. I-384 and I-84 both run through town, so Hartford is roughly 15 minutes away, and the Buckland area on the north side is one of the region's main shopping districts. Between the busy north end and the wooded Case Mountain trails in the southeast, you'll find a downtown Main Street, old mill villages and quiet residential streets.
Manchester was settled around 1673 as part of Hartford, known for a time as Orford Parish, and broke away from East Hartford in 1823. The Pitkin Glassworks, the first successful glassworks in Connecticut, ran here from 1783 to 1830. In 1838 the Cheney family started what became the world's largest silk mill, and the mills, worker housing and family mansions they built in South Manchester are now the Cheney Brothers Historic District, a National Historic Landmark.
Our Glastonbury office at 59 Sycamore Street is about 20 minutes south, and our East Hampton headquarters is at 40 West High Street. Our agents live and sell here.
Manchester Highlights
- The Cheney Brothers Historic District, a National Historic Landmark
- The Shoppes at Buckland Hills and a classic downtown Main Street
- Wickham Park and the Case Mountain trails
- Everything from 19th-century mill housing to newer subdivisions
Manchester market at a glance
Manchester real estate market
Year to date through August 2026, single-family homes in Manchester sold for a median of $350,000, closed at a median of 106.0% of list price, and spent a median of 19 days on the market. At the end of August, 71 single-family homes were for sale (2.1 months of supply). Condos and townhouses sold for a median of $245,000.
Written figures: SmartMLS Local Market Update, single-family, year to date through August 2026. Charts update automatically from SmartMLS, include all property types, and show rolling 12-month data.
Neighborhoods
Getting to know Manchester
South Manchester and the Cheney District
The 175-acre Cheney Brothers National Historic Landmark District, with brick silk mills along Pine and Elm Streets, Cheney Hall, and blocks of former mill worker houses.
Downtown Main Street
The Main Street Historic District between Eldridge and Center Streets, built up from 1890 to 1940 and anchored by Center Memorial Park and the Cheney Memorial Library.
Union Village
A 19th-century mill village on the north end around Union Street and North Main Street, where one of Connecticut's first cotton mills opened on the Hockanum River around 1794.
Manchester Green
One of the first settled villages in town, near Middle Turnpike East and East Center Street, with Manchester's first post office in 1808.
Buckland
The northwest section, once a village of mills and farms known as Jambstone Plain, now the commercial area around the Shoppes at Buckland Hills.
Highland Park
The southeast mill community the Case brothers built around their 1862 paper mill and the Case Ponds, right at the edge of the Case Mountain trails.
Buying or selling
Why Manchester?
Why buy in Manchester
- I-384 and I-84 put downtown Hartford about 15 minutes away
- Manchester Public Schools, with six elementary schools, Bennet Academy, Illing Middle School and Manchester High School
- Time outdoors at 280-acre Wickham Park, the 640-acre Case Mountain Recreational Area and Center Springs Park
- The Shoppes at Buckland Hills, downtown Main Street, and Shady Glen, named an American classic by the James Beard Foundation
- History close to home: the Cheney Homestead, the Pitkin Glassworks Ruin, the Fire Museum and the Lutz Children's Museum
Why sell in Manchester now
- Single-family homes are selling in a median of 19 days (year to date through August 2026)
- Sellers are getting a median of 106.0% of list price
- The single-family median sale price is $350,000 year to date
- About 2.1 months of supply, still a seller's market
Questions
Manchester real estate FAQ
What is the median home price in Manchester, CT?
For single-family homes, $350,000 year to date through August 2026, according to the SmartMLS Local Market Update. Condos and townhouses: $245,000. The live charts above show the latest trend.
What is the property tax rate in Manchester?
The mill rate for fiscal year 2026-27 is 41.00 for real estate, per the Town of Manchester. That is $41.00 in tax per $1,000 of assessed value, and Connecticut assesses homes at 70% of market value.
How far is Manchester from Hartford?
Downtown Hartford is about 9 miles west, roughly 15 minutes via I-384 and I-84.
What schools serve Manchester?
Manchester Public Schools is the town's own district: Bowers, Buckley, Highland Park, Keeney, Verplanck and Waddell elementary schools (K-4), Elisabeth M. Bennet Academy (5-6), Illing Middle School (7-8) and Manchester High School (9-12).
Does Carl Guild & Associates have an office near Manchester?
Yes. Our Glastonbury office at 59 Sycamore Street is about 20 minutes away, and our headquarters is at 40 West High Street in East Hampton. Call 860-474-3500.
Currently on the market
Homes for sale in Manchester
Search the live MLS feed and filter to Manchester to see everything available right now.
Nearby
Other towns in Hartford County
Thinking about Manchester?
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll send you Manchester listings the day they hit the market, plus the ones we hear about first.