[chumpy]

Hi my husband and i along with our two boys want to move to vermont. A realtor told us about danville vermont being a nice place, we are unsure where we should exactly go. We make primitive and equestrian style furniture and would want to sell to homeowners from the web. We also have been in the carpet and furniture cleaning business for many years and would want to still get work in vermont with that. We want to make a change living differently but need to continue having income from these two businesses. We love the country way of life, we want to have some chickens and goats and a garden in the summer. We would like to rent first with an option to buy, we would want at least 3 to 10 acres with a log home or some kind of country type home under 250,000 . Please help us find where we should be looking, and if we should be looking at all in vermont your input would mean alot,thanks Helen and Andy

[chumpy]

Originally Posted by chumpy

Hi my husband and i along with our two boys want to move to vermont. A realtor told us about danville vermont being a nice place, we are unsure where we should exactly go. We make primitive and equestrian style furniture and would want to sell to homeowners from the web. We also have been in the carpet and furniture cleaning business for many years and would want to still get work in vermont with that. We want to make a change living differently but need to continue having income from these two businesses. We love the country way of life, we want to have some chickens and goats and a garden in the summer. We would like to rent first with an option to buy, we would want at least 3 to 10 acres with a log home or some kind of country type home under 250,000 . Please help us find where we should be looking, and if we should be looking at all in vermont your input would mean alot,thanks Helen and Andy

This will make us make a right decision.

[vter]

Danvile is a small rural and very beautiful community in the Northeast Kingdom.
If you rely on the web for your livilyhood make sure you can have high speed access. I know some folks who are in Danville that have to rely on satellite internet and it is very spotty.
Danville has a couple good restaurants (The Creamery & Goodfellas), a couple upscale gifty stores a one stop market/gas station, school (K-12 in one building), post office and library. You'll be doing your major shopping in either St. Johnsbury or Littleton NH.

[greenmtn]

Danville could be a good place for you--it's a nice town with a nice community and you could definitely live the rural life there. Some things you might want to consider, though, are the weather and the economics.

The weather in northern Vermont can be quite cold in the winter and, worst of all, winter lasts a long time. (4-5 months of snow cover.) I personally think winter here is at least a month too long and sometimes wish I lived further south. Also, Danville is probably in USDA Zone 4, which limits what can be grown there. Also, for some reason, Danville always seems to be either raining or snowing. (I pass through fairly frequently. If there is any weather, I always seem to have to turn my wipers on when I get to Danville!) If you want a garden, the growing season is short, so you have to plan everything very carefully. (Plan last frost around June 1 and first frost around Labor Day.) Animals need a lot of hay or feed in the winter.

As far as economics go, an internet business would be fine in Danville, but in general, people up here don't have a lot of money. Carpet and furniture cleaning might be a luxury for most people and not in the budget.

I think you could find what you're looking for for under $250,000. Keep in mind that heating a house is expensive. Wood is usually the cheapest way to go, if you don't mind the work. In any case, heating our house is actually our biggest expense. (We use oil, wood, and wood pellets. We spend over $3000/ year. We have a large, old, drafty house and we keep it pretty cool inside.)

I hear mixed things about Danville school. Some love it, some don't. It's a K through 12th grade school. They actually teach the kids some latin, which I think is great. I personally find the inside of the school to be kind of dark and depressing. But that's probably just me.

Still, having said all that, the Northeast Kingdom is a beautiful, peaceful place and a great place to raise kids. It's not for everyone, but we really love it.

Good luck with your decision!