[Suzet2262]

I have noticed that most of the convos on here when discussing places to live, are about up in the Burlington areas and when discussing the southern part, it is mostly about Brattleboro. Does anyone on the board live or have lived in Manchester, Dorset or Bennington? Why does it seem like Brattleboro is a more favored place to live in the southern portion of the state?? Doesnt anyone like Manchester or Bennington. Haha.

[KoZmiC NinJa]

Ive posted this before but will again for thread specifics......
Bennington to me is NY, not Vermont. It looks nice but has
some growth problems its leadership seems inept at handling.
As with all Vermont, jobs are scarce but it does have some
nice scenery. Someone could very well like it although I dont.
I did see the Girls Gone Wild bus parked in a parking lot there
2 years ago so that might be an enticement to a perspective
Vermonteer !
Manchester......nothing but outlet stores that charge about 50%
over retail. As with any monied VT town, nice architecture and
houses but nothing otherwise unless you like to hang out
at the Gap. The traffic in the center of the town can be very
unpleasant too....Jersey blu-tips and arrogant NY, BMW driving
Chad 'n Buffy's abound If I want to co-mingle with that
species I prefer Woodstock or Waitesfield
The Bratt is just a real town, good, bad and ugly, real people,
lots of real stuff to do like take your cloths off in the square
etc. For me, a lowly throwback, hippy gnome who still misses
1972, the Bratt is the only one of all the towns mentioned I
would consider.

[vter]

Kozmic nailed it on the head. Bennington is a nice blue collar town, but it has more of a NY feel. Many folks commute over to Albany for work.
Manchester is a second home and tourist town. Lots of big fancy houses that sit empty most of the year. Lots of outlet stores and lots of traffic. In that area, I like Sunderland and Arlington. They feel more "real" to me.
Brattleboro is a working class town. Lots of artists, hippies, flatlanders and natives. A good "mix".

[arel]

Originally Posted by vter

Brattleboro is a working class town. Lots of artists, hippies, flatlanders and natives. A good "mix".

When you say "working class", are you referring to working class as opposed to middle class, or working class, in the sense of people working there and not just vacationing?

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by arel

When you say "working class", are you referring to working class as opposed to middle class, or working class, in the sense of people working there and not just vacationing?

'Working class' are folks dependent on an hourly wage

Brattleboro has plenty of these plus old and new hippies, environmentalists, new world farmers and herbalists, X new Yorkers and Californians, artists, other assorted liberal bohemians etc etc.

still a fun place that for a town of 12,000, and a town you will never be bored in.

[vter]

By working class, I meant essentially what skytrekker said. No huge office parks or such. Just lots of small businesses wtih folks just trying to make a living.

[bunnydavidson]

hi, I think manchester is more upscale as compared to realestate, schools, and shopping (oh how i love all the outlets)! brat does have an outlet mall but pales in comparison to manchester. you also have the mary todd lincoln HILDENE up by manchester , that place is always buzzin with some concert, craft show, musuem et... my advice is to visit both places when you can and check them both out. brattleboro has more out of work, special needs folks i think too... a couple sloppy neighborhoods. (boy do i sound like a snob?) LOL...dont answer that!!!!

just my opinion, whatever its worth. oh and both have a chamber of commerce site... also helpful on this forum you can do a search for each town and see all the stats for employment, ave income, population, sex offenders et... cool stuff here. cya!

[Suzet2262]

Originally Posted by bunnydavidson

hi, I think manchester is more upscale as compared to realestate, schools, and shopping (oh how i love all the outlets)! brat does have an outlet mall but pales in comparison to manchester. you also have the mary todd lincoln HILDENE up by manchester , that place is always buzzin with some concert, craft show, musuem et... my advice is to visit both places when you can and check them both out. brattleboro has more out of work, special needs folks i think too... a couple sloppy neighborhoods. (boy do i sound like a snob?) LOL...dont answer that!!!!

just my opinion, whatever its worth. oh and both have a chamber of commerce site... also helpful on this forum you can do a search for each town and see all the stats for employment, ave income, population, sex offenders et... cool stuff here. cya!

I dont want to sound like a snob either But the more I read and hear from people, Manchester sounds like the town I will be most comfortable and interested in finding a home.

[Suzet2262]

Originally Posted by KoZmiC NinJa

Ive posted this before but will again for thread specifics......
Bennington to me is NY, not Vermont. It looks nice but has
some growth problems its leadership seems inept at handling.
As with all Vermont, jobs are scarce but it does have some
nice scenery. Someone could very well like it although I dont.
I did see the Girls Gone Wild bus parked in a parking lot there
2 years ago so that might be an enticement to a perspective
Vermonteer !
Manchester......nothing but outlet stores that charge about 50%
over retail. As with any monied VT town, nice architecture and
houses but nothing otherwise unless you like to hang out
at the Gap. The traffic in the center of the town can be very
unpleasant too....Jersey blu-tips and arrogant NY, BMW driving
Chad 'n Buffy's abound If I want to co-mingle with that
species I prefer Woodstock or Waitesfield
The Bratt is just a real town, good, bad and ugly, real people,
lots of real stuff to do like take your cloths off in the square
etc. For me, a lowly throwback, hippy gnome who still misses
1972, the Bratt is the only one of all the towns mentioned I
would consider.

I did see the Girls Gone Wild bus parked in a parking lot there
2 years ago so that might be an enticement to a perspective
Vermonteer !

I was on that bus.... haha j/k

[KoZmiC NinJa]

Originally Posted by Suzet2262

I dont want to sound like a snob either But the more I read and hear from people, Manchester sounds like the town I will be most comfortable and interested in finding a home.

Dont post on our forum anymore, Snob !!
Tee Hee...J/K !
Realy tho'........
Thats only one of the beauties of Vermont !! Something for
everybody. You wont find a more diverse state on the
East Coast, in my opinion. Check M-Chester out......if
you like it, be glad you found your spot ! I love
book stores and coffee and Manchester has both.
I might even suggest that you check out Middlebury too,
if you find Manchester to your liking. I hate Middlebury,
but can very easily see someone who liked Bennington
or Manchester liking it, too.