How is Burlington for a young single professional? (Shelburne, New Haven: best cities, apartments)

[RLCMA]

I'm in my early 30's and single and may be taking a position in Shelburne and would like to live in Burlington since I enjoy more of a city vibe than a rural one.

First off, is Burlington a pretty city with plenty to do and is it good for single people?

Second, are there any nice apartment buildings on Lake Champlain or downtown? I've driven through Burlington but have never spent any time there. I'm just really curious about how some people on here feel about the city and if there are a good amount of singles and things to do.

[RunawayJim]

I get the feeling that there are more single college-aged students and people in their early 20's than people in their 30's. Burlington is probably the best place for a single person in VT though.

I would recommend going up there and visiting. I don't remember seeing a ton of apartment buildings like you would see in a bigger city. I think most of the apartments are in multi-family houses, but someone from the area can probably chime in on that.

Burlington is a pretty city and there's a fair amount to do. It's a very small city with a population of about 40k. If you're into music and beer, it's a great city, but it lacks some of the stuff you would find in a larger city (and I'm not talking Boston large, I'm talking cities of 100k-200k, like Worcester or Providence). That said, if you're into outdoorsy stuff, just a short drive will bring you to pretty much anything - kayaking, hiking, skiing, biking, climbing, etc.

[RLCMA]

I actually live in Worcester now and I'm not the biggest fan. I've heard good things about Burlington but it's just so small.

[Vermonr]

I'm a twenty-something living in Burlington now and I love the city. The night life is fantastic, the streets are relatively safe, and there is plenty of outdoorsy things to do in the surrounding area. There are a lot of college students in the city, but it's also a great place if you are a single professional and probably the best place in VT to meet new people.

Finding an apartment in Burlington is incredibly difficult. I'm a clean, responsible young person who works full time and I'm having a very hard time finding a place. I keep getting rejection after rejection- competition is extremely fierce because Burlington lacks the suburban sprawl of other cities that provides housing. Right now I'm looking at shared houses/apartments and most of the places I've seen are in the 400-700 dollar range. If you want a single apartment you are going to be spending at least 1000. If you are looking for a place right on Lake Champlain you're going to have to fork over a lot more.

[RunawayJim]

Originally Posted by RLCMA

I actually live in Worcester now and I'm not the biggest fan. I've heard good things about Burlington but it's just so small.

Worcester might not have been the best example, but think Providence, New Haven, etc. Burlington, while it has quite a bit going on for a city of its size (more than one would think in a city of only 40k), it does lack some of what larger cities have.

[vter]

I would suggest getting in contact with this group:
The Burlington Young Professionals Group
They'll be a great networking resource and should be able to answer a lot of your questions.
Good luck!

[foxxygrl82]

I'm going to jump on this thread...

I'm looking at possible relocation to Burlington, VT too and got in touch with a few people. Some questions that I asked were:
1) How is the music scene/nightlife?
2) What is the dating scene like for a single 28 y/o woman?
3) Public transportation in the area?
4) Train or bus to Montreal, Boston, or other big cities?

Here are some responses that I received in an email:
"Burlington is a great place. Try to hit Church Street while you're in town. Things stay open late on Church Street and should give you a feel of the night life and music scene. Also pick up a copy of the weekly newspaper 7 Days. Its free and you'll find it around town. Burlington is a college town which keeps things young. The chamber of commerce website lists the long list of "best of..." awards Burlington has won. I'm not sure about trains to Boston, but there's one to NYC. There are buses to Boston, NY, and Montreal which is a fun city. Burlington has its own public bus system."

Here's another response via email:

"the music scene- The FLYNN, Nectar's and Higher Ground are the main venues but there are many other smaller clubs and restaurants that have music. Being that Burlington is a University town, the music and art scene is supported and active.
I have a friend who is recently divorced though- she's 41- and has quickly found interesting single men / dates. It seems Burlington is an "anything goes" sort of place so heter and s/sex relationships seem to be accepted as the norm.

The type of person who I think is most happy here really loves the outdoors- the buses have bike racks, there's a great bicycle trail that runs along the lake, people like to get on the lake to sail, kayak and canoe, and with the mountains nearby there is plenty of skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing and snow shoeing in the winter.

Burlington is a sophisticated little town, the airport is 8 minutes from where I live and Jet Blue and Delta service this airport with other airlines. 90 minutes to Montreal, 3 hours to Boston- it's surprisingly central."

I had to cut some parts of the email. Another site I would suggest is meetup.com. I have found several groups that I know I want to get involved in. I found some privately owned houses turned into apartments near Church Street just doing a google search for apartments in Burlington. Also several of these units include gas heat and water. The prices ranged from $1000 - 1400 which isn't bad for that area.

Hope this helps!! I don't live there...yet, but again this is information I found out through others who live there.

[BickleTravis]

Originally Posted by RLCMA

I'm in my early 30's and single and may be taking a position in Shelburne and would like to live in Burlington since I enjoy more of a city vibe than a rural one.

First off, is Burlington a pretty city with plenty to do and is it good for single people?

Second, are there any nice apartment buildings on Lake Champlain or downtown? I've driven through Burlington but have never spent any time there. I'm just really curious about how some people on here feel about the city and if there are a good amount of singles and things to do.

There are very few jobs and consequently very few single professionals. There are single college kids, but you don't want to hang out with them.

There aren't really any nice apartments in Burlington at all. Most are very rundown because the vacancy rate is so low landlords have zero incentive to even maintain their properties beyond what the city code requires. Burlington, because of the age of the housing stock, has an asbestos and lead paint problem.

There are not a good amount of singles. The downtown scene is what it is, primarily geared towards crunchy college kids (certainly the live music is). There are some decent restaurants and the city has some nice parks.

[clamarche72]

Burlington is one of the best cities in new england I feel, there is so much to do with all the shops, bars, resturants, outdoor activities. I think it is one of the best cities you could live in. Also Switchback Beer is king