[margo0645]

Any nice rentals in Montpelier?

[LSU]

I am being tranferred from Louisiana to the Burlington area. We have 2 small children. Any suggestions on schools and towns within a 40 mile??

[68vette]

I'm not sure if you are from the north or not. If you haven't lived where it snows I would stick closer to Burlington for at least the first year so you get a feel for driving in the snow. The Burlington area doesn't get as much snow as the towns further from the lake. It's one less stress you will have to worry about. There are many nice towns in the area. South Burlington has one of the better school systems. The towns of Essex, Colchester, Burlington, Shelburne, Williston and Hindsburg are all nice towns as well. When you come up before you transfer check out these towns and see which areas you like best within those towns.A real estate agent can also be a big help. They have access to a bunch of demographic information so you don't have to try and figure it all out on your own.

[pagrma]

Hi,
I am new to this forum, and not exactly sure on how to start a new topic. But I have been thinking of moving to Vermont for a while now, still trying to convince my other half. We moved from Pennsylvania, where we were born and raised, to Texas about 25 years ago. Now that the kids are raised and we have grandkids, I would like to get back to the north, and have always wanted to see the New England states. My only question is employment for the older person. I have worked for the Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice for the last 14years as a prison guard and my husband has been doing appliance repair for about 15 yrs. We would like to be in a small quiet town.

[UpstateNewYorker]

Originally Posted by LSU

I am being tranferred from Louisiana to the Burlington area. We have 2 small children. Any suggestions on schools and towns within a 40 mile??

I couldn't let this post go without telling you that I lived in Shreveport for 10 years while I was growing up. My father was stationed at Barksdale and eventually retired. I went to St. Vincent's (now, I believe, Loyola College Prep). This was all in the 70s.
I live in Upstate New York now, but we are relocating to Burlington too, this summer. Small world.

[quickdraw]

I like the fact that Brattleboro is so close to Northampton, Massachusetts. And not terribly far from Boston.

I don't want to steer you out of Vermont, but have you considered Northampton?
I like Brattleboro, Middlebury, and Montpelier, but I find them all different.

Montpelier very handsome New England small city, but I get no college buzz there.

Middlebury, very nice town. Cute. Lots of IQ in town, that's for sure. Not the hardcore
artsy, funky, creative college town though. Some artsy types but a bit more stately. Nice place though. I'd be happy there.

Brattleboro, lots of 40 and 50 year old hipster bohemians that split from the eastern metro areas. A cool vibe. Slightly older population than most college towns.

But if you want a real liberal, artsy, creative hardcore college town, you might want to check out Northampton. More Berkley types there than the other cities you listed. There are still plenty of rural areas in the Pioneer Valley.

[DogLady321]

Originally Posted by summers3d

I know there is not really a college in Brattleboro

Brattleboro has SIT and Putney has Landmark College but I wouldn't say we are your typical college town.

Homeschooling, great place to homeschool.

I've enjoyed raising my children here in Bratt but have grown tired of the town and am ready to move on, to CA maybe!

I agree with one of the other posters you may want to consider Northampton or Amherst.

[looking4home]

Having read the OP's several posts, there seems to be something of a conflict in what he wants in a town. It's hard to find a town that "has it all" no matter where you go. He said he wanted acreage and a hobby farm to do some organic gardening, but then also wants a small town with a vibrant night life, or at least that is not boring and rolls the sidewalks up in the early evening. Being from CA he doesn't realize that the weather in Vermont, for much of the winter and into the spring, doesn't lend itself to hopping into the old pickup (or in VT, perhaps the Subaru wagon!) and going into town to look for entertainment when you're bored. Living outside the town on a farm in a cold, wintry area can make you feel very isolated, and sometimes lonely and depressed.

I just see some fantasy stuff going on with this person - a desire to get "back to the land", but not totally or very authentically. Someone who wants a town with a cool, hip liberal college vibe but also wants to be a part-time Pa Ingalls. I'm being particularly critical because I currently live in the Sacramento area, too. I think moving to Vermont along with these drastic lifestyle changes will be a shock and a possible disaster for this man and his family. Another thing that I find curious and a bit hypocritical is professing to hate sprawl and the congestion and hectic pace of the suburbs, but wanting to live in a rural area and go to town frequently. This is also a form of sprawl. "Smart Growth" principles, which this liberal person undoubtedly ascribes to, encourages living within the city-town area so you have access to amenities and don't have to use your car as frequently. You also put less strain on town/county infrastructure by utitlizing existing city services. I think a better more realistic choice would be for this person to live within the town limits in a home which has an acre or two, which is not hard to find with older homes. He could then try his hand at organic gardening, and see how that goes before committing to something like a farm, which is an unbelieveable amount of work.

Another thing that rankles me is the "I've got to get outta here" syndrome. How about trying to make where you live a better place? Or even examining why things have gone so wrong where you live? Not everyone has the ability or can afford to flee their unhappy living conditions. It's sort of an elitist mentality, IMO. And why choose the notheast? Are you secretly pining away for some nostalgic, four-season, Currier-and-Ives/Norman Rockwell past while claiming California just isn't progressive enough for you? It sounds like it to me! Going back east, living on a farm in an old house really conjures up old-time values and Americana. I mean, if you want liberal, why not stay in California? You can't get more liberal then that! But then again, maybe there has been a lot of negative fall-out from years of implementing progressive policies in this state. Maybe you're running away from that, too. Hmmmm...it's all very sociologically/psychologically complex, isn't it?