[sevdie]

**I originally posted this on the New Hampshire Forum, but was told I would have better luck here**

I am a Native New Yorker who currently lives in the midwest and would like to relocate to New England. My husband and I have no children and are very much into fine arts. We are looking for a quiet place that's more suburban than rural and far away from but still within driving distance to the cities. We want to live some place SAFE and small, near the beach (preferably the ocean) with lots of snow and mild summers. We want to own our own performing arts theater someday in a nearby city from where we would be living and would love to be able to commute to that city where residents would support the arts.
We are an interracial couple (AA and Latino) moving to NE from the midwest where it can sometimes be very bigoted. Are there any towns in VT with the qualities I listed above and where racism is not such a big problem? Please let me know. Any info at all would be greatly appreciated.

[chaz longue]

Sevdie -

Please contact me if you wish, and I'll provide more info.

Burlington sounds like an area you'd like. I'll tell you some of the reasons I think this is the case and then outline a few possible drawbacks.

First - You'll find the performing arts scene here pretty vibrant for a small city. That's partly due to our proximity to Boston, Montreal, and NYC etc. But it's partly just a facet of the area and it's culture(s). Burlington is a very small city, but the surrounding county offers 2 or 3 times the population again. Picture both suburban development, as well as small towns in the classic sense. You'll notice right away that the development patterns are just different than in most of the rest of the country: Sprawl is being combatted here as people seek to keep a distinction between Town and Country. There's even a careful use of State tax policy to preserve some farmland.
But yes, we have suburbs...

I live in Downtown Burlington VT. There are 4 small theatres within walking distance of me (!), one of them recently purpose-built for theatre per se, one of them a 150 seat modular black box which gets used for theatre, music and multi-media performances ...oops, gotta go...more in an hour...

[chaz longue]

etc. ...Then there's the 1440 seat Flynn Center www.flynncenter.org which is (among many many other things) the home of Lyric Theatre, a very fine community theatre (equity perhaps) group of long standing. Then there's City Hall Auditorium which often hosts live theatre and live music. The Atlantic Theatre Co was in residence there a few years ago.

You mention Racism. I think Burlington is very welcoming to people of color. But Burlington is demographically still mostly "white" people. However, in recent years there's a significant influx of people of color from elsewhere in America. There are also significant recent immigrant communities, specifically Bosnian refuges, Somali Bantu families, Hmong people etc.
There's a significant African American population in The Burlington Area now, and there are a good number of Latinos. Some flavor: My kids went to a small private primary school for a while and celebrated Kwanzaa. There's a very well-attended yearly Latino Festival with very good local and out of town bands and great food etc and there are regular latin dance events. The Burlington Discover Jazz Festival has, most years, a well attended Latin Jazz/Latin music headliner in the 1440 seat room. I'm sure my opinion is not universally shared - but I don't imagine you'd feel racism was a problem here. Most people in Burlington seem actively to welcome cultural diversity, and schools typically include a diversity component in the curricula.
The demographic stats on this site may have been accurate in y2k, but seem to me to be out of date with respect to race etc, btw.

Another possible factor to consider is the weather.
I like distinct seasons. We have 5 of them here. If you're like most Vermont residents, you'll not be as fond of 2 of them as you are of the other 3, but you'll find abundant compansating factors. Me...I like 4 out of 5 quite a bit.

I hope this helps!

[sevdie]

This helps so much I'm glad I found this forum. Thanks for the informative posts. So then, Burlington is more "town" or "city" than rural? I don't mind at all living in a place that has mostly white people. That is just fine with me because I get along well with everyone. I just don't want to have to deal with so much racism. How sweet of your kids to celebrate kwanzaa! I haven't even done that!!! LOL. So 5 seasons, huh? How brutal are the winters in burlington? I love the winter and snow (keeps the "riff raff" away), so I hope Burlington gets lots. I like what I am reading so far about Burlington. it sounds like the place to be! I'm sorry to be so ignorant, but I have to ask...What is the 5th season?


I will probably PM you with more questions after I've done some research. Thank you so much!!

[sevdie]

Oh, what is the cost of living like?

[chaz longue]

Sevdie -

Yes - Burlington's a real City. But it's a small one.

Asking what the 5th season is isn't ignorant at all! Just my little joke about "Mud Season", which is really only an issue if you live in the country on a dirt road. Mud season is that lovely time of year between the end of Spring and the beginning of Summer. The snow-melt from the mountains has begun it's journey to Lake Champlain, but has made a stop (in your driveway if it's dirt) on the way.

Fortunately, there's a cure for Mud Season. We call it Spring Skiing. Spring Skiing is a joy because A) it's warm, B) the accumulated snow from the entire year is both abundant and softer than it's been during the year C) you're skiing all morning with a sweater and a ballcap on instead of a parka and a knit ski hat - then having lunch (perhaps barbeque, pizza, chowder, or a sandwich) on the deck. Then you get to ski some more. Sunscreen is involved. Shades are worn. Participants have even been known to enjoy a glass of wine, or a local brew on the deck. Spring skiing has two further noteworthy effects: it postpones ones actual physical contact with the mud until the end of the day when one is trudging across the parking lot to get in the car; and it makes your feel very fortunate. Fortunate because an awful lot of people come and spend a fortune at the ski areas over the hollidays at the end of December - only to find it's crowded and the skiing is lousy. Whereas you...you're getting a discount ticket, fabulous snow, and wall to wall sunshine. And you have the place practically to yourself. There's nothing like it on the planet. I was a ski instructor for 17 years - I used to beg people to come in late March rather than at the usual Holiday times. Now I just don't even bother to ski unless it's March or the conditions are perfect. I'll make an exception for a foot of powder on a weekday, but I really do tend to wait for Spring skiing. The views are absolutely spectacular - even from the beginner slopes. You'll have deep blue sky, white snow, and in the distance GREEN GRASS. It's dazzling. From the top, you'll even get the lake to look at and it'll be a rich jewel blue. You'll even get hoar-frost on the trees at the top in the moring on Spring days, so the scenery is really more like a hallucination. But don't trust me - I've got pictures to prove it!

Now - where was I....
Ah! Cost of living. Really, it depends upon what you're used to. High, I'd say. But I'm just parroting what people tell me. I live here and wouldn't move at gunpoint - so I'm just used to what stuff costs. The schools are funded with property taxes. That's rather unfortunate. My parents live in Northern California, and they think the cost of living is LOW here. So does my best friend who moved to Seattle and can't wait to move back.

And yes - There's snow in Burlington. But it's interesting: The "Lake Effect" makes it warmer in Burlington. It's warmer here in town than it is just a bit farther from the lake. The lake is warm in relation to the frozen ground elsewhere and that moderates the temperature around it. It's an odd meteorological phenomenon. We get a lot of Snow here in town, but it often goes away between storms depending on the year and the time of year etc.

[sevdie]

Oh! I am laughing so hard at your description of mud season and its "cure". I am researching Burlington now and it is absolutely gorgeous! You have a beautiful home. I husband and I are planning to visit some time this fall. Thanks again for your posts, it has helped me narrow my search tremendously.

[chaz longue]

Sevdie -

Can I show you around when you come?

It's fun to have friends come from out of town - ya get to see all the stuff you don't notice every day or take the time to go see... Sort of like the people who live in Manhattan and only see a show or go to the museums when the country cousins come to visit...

I posted (to the front page where the other contributed photos are) a nice photo I took. It hasn't appeared yet. :-(

Just don't come for Stick Season (I forgot the 6th season)...

Last week it was in the high 90's. This week they're warning people who live at higher elevations in "mountain hollows" to cover thier tomato plants, because there's a chance of frost.

Ciao,
Chaz

[sevdie]

Oh no, there's a stick season? LMAO! Yes, I would love for you to show me around when I get there this fall. I am looking forward to seeing the foilage in person.

[GypsySoul22]

sevdie--
I hope you've FOUND YOUR SPOT...
I like following success stories..good luck.