[eastcoaster1]

We are moving from Seattle to the Northeast in a couple months and we can pretty much live anywhere in the VT/NH/ME area. (My husband is in sales and this will be his new territory.) We are in our mid-30's with two preschool-aged kids. I am not sure if VT has the suburbs we are looking for. Here is a list of what we want... any advice??

1. Schools: Great public schools is absolutely necessary.
2. Suburbia: We are not looking for long country roads with houses sitting on 2+ acre lots. We want a neighborhood where kids are out playing in the street, neighbors chatting with each other, etc.
3. Amenities: We'd like to live in a neighborhood where schools, grocery stores, health clubs / gyms, etc are all within 10-15 minutes or so.
4. Health Club: Having a nice health club / gym close to our neighborhood is very important to us. Something where my husband and I can exercise and there is an indoor pool for the kids, etc. (We are year-round swimmers.)
5. Young Families: We are looking for neighborhoods with young families so that we (and our kids) have friends close by.
6. Transplants: We are looking for an area where other people move in/out and it's not all "born and bred" ... but I'm going to assume that if all of the above items are met, you are going to get transplants in the area!

Cost is not a big issue, as most of the areas in these states are within our budget. If the territory included Mass, we'd move to a suburb of Boston (and have to spend a lot more $$), but as it turns out, we need to look in VT/NH/ME. Is VT the place for us, or should we stick to NH/ME? I appreciate any info that might help!

THANK YOU!

[vter]

Williston, Essex, South Burlington, and Colchester (suburbs of Burlington) Those are really your only options. All have what you are looking for.
Vermont overall is a very rural state. Not "big city" like Boston at all. If you prefer to be closer to Boston I'd look in Southern NH. Though Burlington is less than 2 hours from Montreal.

[harpoonalt]

You won't find much in Vt. With that criteria. Check out Burlington area, but with his area, NH makes more sense. You're welcome to visit anytime .

[68vette]

The only option in Vermont are the towns that border Burlington. Even 15-20 minutes out of Burlington, the landscape starts to get rural. It sounds like you want some population density. NH has more options when it comes to suburban living. The closer you get to the Mass border in NH, the more suburban it becomes.

[swanstone2000]

In a way sounds more like Nashua or Manchester, NH. I don't really see VT as having suburbs. Maybe a quaint neighborhood or two in a town but definitely not "burb" material. But, that's just me.

[jenny1951]

Check out the Upper Valley towns on both the NH and VT side of the Connecticut River. Hanover and Lebanon, NH have what you are looking for, as does Norwich, Hartford, Hartland and Windsor, VT. There are 4 health clubs in the area, and one devoted just to swimming:

Swimming - UVAC

Hanover and Lebanon, NH have excellent public schools. In 20 years, I have lived on both sides of the river and there isn't a huge cost difference.

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by eastcoaster1

I am not sure if VT has the suburbs we are looking for.

It probably doesn't. I lived in suburban NY and Chicago and I think I know what you want. There were a few towns mentioned

Williston - a few nice subdivisions here and there. not much else

Essex Junction - has some neighborhoods but housing stock is surprisingly
small and poor quality for the most part. a highly coveted town here - but I don't see it.

South Burlington - probably the most like a large city suburb, will still pale greatly to a Seattle or other large city suburb.

Colchester - no

The gyms are terrible too. The Edge is a large gym with swimming - dirty and expensive. My wife goes there, she's not happy there but there's no real alternative.

Southern New England has more towns with city centers and neighborhoods. It's just too rural here. Housing quality is pretty poor too.
The weather takes it's toll and lots of houses are on their third aluminim/vinyl siding job.

[murphy7845]

Shelburne I think would fit your needs well. We just purchased a home in Shelburne and we love it. Same age group with one preschooler.

[square peg]

With the three states you named as your husband's territory, I'd think something central to all locations might be a priority. Concord, NH (40,000 pop.) has everything that you're looking for and would put you 3 hours from Burlington and 2 hours from Portland in the other direction. Nice city, too - with quite a few distinct neighborhoods. I grew up in one of them.

[arctichomesteader]

Warner's Grant.

Actually, you'd probably be better off in southern NH.