[pabear]

I was hoping someone may be able to tell me about White River Jct. Snowfall amounts, things around the area? Thanks.

[NCOriolesfan]

Plenty of welfare.

[pabear]

Thanks to NCORIOLESFAN!

[arel]

I lived in White River Junction, briefly, about 20 years ago. Now, it's 20 years later, but a lot of my memories are still useful.

When I first saw WRJ, I was traveling with my parents. I saw the downtown and thought it was very ugly. I visited years later and discovered that the downtown was not as ugly as I had remembered, and that the rest of the town is very beautiful. I remember visiting the Veterans Administration hospital, coming out near or at dusk, and feeling awed by the beauty around me. I remember seeing fireflies one night by some birch trees lighting up so much it looked like a strobe light show. I remember visiting a craft show in nearby Norwich and thinking I never wanted to leave the place. I remember friendly people and a sleazy car dealership. I remember being a little shocked that such sleazy dealers were in a place like Vermont, but I was probably naive. I remember visiting Dartmouth College, Hanover and Lebanon a lot, and loving the mountains I could see outside the supermarket in, I think, Lebanon. I remember ruining my car in WRJ; I had an oil leak which was manageable in flat Rhode Island, but which flooded my clutch plate in hilly Vermont. I remember a street with a very steep incline; I was terrified at the thought of losing traction in the winter. I remember someone's back yard that ended with a sheer or very steep drop. That was also scary. I remember traveling down Interstate 91 to Brattleboro one day and disliking how much smaller and more paltry the mountains became as we moved south.

That said, I have read on this forum that there is not much to do in the area.

And I remember someone who lived there telling me how cold the previous winter had been.

That's about it for me. Others with more experience will have other things to share.

I don't know anything about the local economy.

Hope this helps.

[68vette]

My wife is from WRJ. She lived there most of her life. Her advice is not live there. There are many issues with the town. There are other towns outside of WRJ that are much better towns to live in, If you need to be in that area. Norwich or Hartford would be better towns in her opinion. Hanover in NH is also a very nice place (It was chosen as on of the best towns to live in the US).

[MRVphotog]

I too do not get great vibes from WRJ. I bought my Outback from White River Toyota back in July and they were pretty good. The downtown is depressed probably due to the fact of all the commercial expansion across the river. Lots of Vermont money goes over there.

For years WRJ had the best camera shop in the region but they also moved across the river. All my dealings with businesses there, plus they have a nice diner, have been very positive.

For me, living in Vermont is all about small town life. As mentioned Norwich is a nice town with King Arthur Flour, Montshire Museum, awesome general store and an easy commute to Hanover.

[VTeratheart]

Not sure what you'd be doing there, or looking for (do you have kids, for example). I grew up in the Upper Valley (the area you're talking about) and there's really no too much to do. WRJ is as all above have said~pretty depressed and not much life to it. There are, however, some cute, much more attractive towns surrounding WRJ, that would be easy to get to from WRJ if you're working there. Norwich is a VERY expensive town to live in now, and there are very FEW natives left. Really unfortunate. Anyway, Hanover, in NH is nice, too, but again, VERY expensive. If you're willing to drive, a nice town is Thetford, about 20 minutes north of WRJ. There's Wilder, which is the next town over from WRJ, and Hartford, Hartland, maybe Sharon, which is north on 89. These are smaller towns all within a 15-20 minute drive of West Lebanon, NH, where MRV is talking about "across the river", where most people in the Upper Valley do their shopping.