Norwich attracts new residents to the town each year, often by virtue of the town's convenient proximity to some of the region's largest employers — the casinos, Pfizer, General Dynamics/Electric Boat, the Coast Guard Academy and the Naval Submarine Base New London. It's a harbor town, formed by the intersection of three rivers. Its post-colonization history is steeped in maritime commerce, transportation and industrialization.

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Norwich had 40,125 city residents. Its downtown district has seen some recent rejuvenation with new restaurants launching and an emerging cultural and music and arts scene. It benefits from green spaces, at the waterfront and Mohegan Park, which affords locals a place to hike, bike, walk, play sports and host family picnics.

Norwich is also home to the highly regarded Norwich Free Academy, a privately endowed independent school that is also the primary high school for Norwich and several surrounding towns.

Norwich's housing options are diverse, in terms of architecture, price range and age — from antiques to new construction.

Frank Busch is the broker-owner of Performance Realty Group in Lisbon, Connecticut. He estimates that approximately 35% of his business is derived from representing buyers or sellers in Norwich.

"Norwich has become more popular in the past couple of years," Busch told Welcome Home. "It is located close to all major highways; it's close to Hartford and Providence, close to the Coast Guard Academy and also the Naval submarine base."

Housing options run the gamut, and during a more typical market, there are plenty of options from which to choose, and across a fairly wide price range. The market in Norwich remains a bit more limited this spring, mirroring other areas of Connecticut experiencing "low inventory."

"Norwich has many housing options, from single family to multifamily," Busch explained. "The city itself has many older homes dating back 100 to 200 years. Prices in Norwich have increased, but buyers still can get a really nice home in the $250,000 to $400,000 range."

In fact, Busch's brokerage is currently representing the seller of 22 Belmont Street in Norwich, a two-bedroom, 1,560-square-foot ranch. The interiors afford a manageable floor plan, with built-ins, a fireplace and hardwood flooring. A breezeway connects the house to a two-car garage. Plus, the property includes an eight-person hot tub on the covered back patio, an above-ground pool and a utility shed.

The listing broker said one of the property's most compelling attributes is how it's situated on a 1.35-acre lot at the end of a dead-end road. It provides a buffer of privacy and quiet.

"Living there, you do not feel that you are in the city or an urban area," he remarked. "Another attribute? Single-level living." 22 Belmont Street's owner is asking $279,900 for the property.

Realtor Stephanie DeBiasi, who is affiliated with the East Lyme brokerage of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, New England Properties, is the listing agent for 28 Michele Drive, Norwich, a four-bedroom Cape-style colonial, with three baths, 3,171 square feet of living space, and an attached two-car garage — on a 0.92-acre lot.

"The property really feels like a home in the country, given its location near farmland and open spaces," she said. "The huge basement can be finished, to create even more living and entertaining space."

No sooner had this home debuted on the market, with an asking price of $338,000, the seller had multiple offers in hand and one they've accepted.

"Norwich, really, is quite diverse," DeBiasi said. "We have historic homes, 1960s neighborhoods, farmlands, and more recently, the redevelopment of some mill properties, like Ponemah Mills."

"I think the area is very convenient, not only to our local, large employers, but the convenience to Route 2 and Route 395 make it convenient for buyers hoping to have a close-to-shoreline home but may work north," she added. DeBiasi said that many of the buyers who came to the open house at 28 Michele Drive were people who plan to move to Norwich because of job relocations, or they're choosing to retire here.