[Val1212]

Having just moved from Los Angeles to the very northern part of VT (Alburgh) I can honestly write here that the change is larger than I had anticipated. I thought it would be an adjustment moving to the "country", but I wasn't prepared for the complete and utter lack of convenience that comes from living a hour away from Burlington (the largest 'city' in the area). If I want to do grocery shopping in VT then I have to drive at least 35 mins (for this time of year and I'm sure it will go up signficantly in the winter). Since I've been here I've received 2 speeding tickets because the speed limit changes so frequently (25 - 30 in towns/villages, to 40 as you're leaving, to 50 in some areas) and the speed limit signs and are few and far between. I still have my California license plates and I hear it won't be quite so bad once I get my VT plates (it's on my to do list for this week).

Was it worth it for me?? So far, yes. In LA I might have a grocery store down the street, but it would still take me 20 mins to get there with the traffic. I had a job that required I fly to SF weekly and a 16 work day was the norm. Since I've got here we've had dinner at home each night and my husband and I are reconnecting.

We're planning to start a business here (luckily we've got some capital to work with from the sale of our LA home) and we're in the process of doing that now. I've learned that the cost of living isn't as inexpensive as I'd hoped, but you get a lot more house for your money compared to LA.

Luck for us we like the quiet time at home and enjoy playing a game, spending time with our pets and watching a movie - it looks like we'll be doing alot of that in the evenings as things close up tight very early around here. For us it's all about keeping our expectations realistic and being flexible and willing to adapt.. so far so good..

[vter]

Wow...LA to Alburgh. That is quite a change. Have you had a chance to explore Montreal yet? You're only an hour away (if that)!.
What kind of business are you starting? Feel free to PM if you want.

[Val1212]

Haven't yet got to Montreal, even though we quite literally live on the road to the border (about 1/2 mi down). But I'm looking forward to taking a day off and enjoying a bit of Canada.

In terms of a business.. we've had a sporting good store in LA in the past, so some sort of retail business would work. Another option we've been exploring is a pet boarding facility, something that is primarily cage free and a bit on the high end. We're thinking of southern VT with the goal of marketing the dog daycare to guests in the inns/B&B's, etc. We had initially thought a B&B, but after looking into it a bit more we realized we'd have to get something bigger than we'd like in order to make ends meet. As you can see, we're still undecided, but fortunately I'm technically employed until mid 2008 with my current employer (amazing how much vacation time you can accure when you don't allow yourself a day off) so we've got a bit of time to decide and get it up and running before having to dig into our "funds'..

[arel]

That's some transition. Not big city to small town, but rather big city to tiny town.

At least in a small town like Brattleboro, if you live in town you are 5 minutes away from the grocery store (at least the Food Co-op. Price Chopper is a little further away and I don't really know where Hanniford's is.). You can walk to most stores you need, although I think some stores are about 5-10 minutes away by car. If you live outside of town, or in West Brattleboro, the trips for errands are a little longer.

But in the boonies, that is a whole other lifestyle. I used to fantasize about living like that, but realistically I do not want to deal with the inconvenience or isolation.

My hat is off to you, though. Anyway, I always admire entrepreneurial types.

Good luck!

[arel]

Originally Posted by Val1212

Haven't yet got to Montreal, even though we quite literally live on the road to the border (about 1/2 mi down). But I'm looking forward to taking a day off and enjoying a bit of Canada.

In terms of a business.. we've had a sporting good store in LA in the past, so some sort of retail business would work. Another option we've been exploring is a pet boarding facility, something that is primarily cage free and a bit on the high end. We're thinking of southern VT with the goal of marketing the dog daycare to guests in the inns/B&B's, etc. We had initially thought a B&B, but after looking into it a bit more we realized we'd have to get something bigger than we'd like in order to make ends meet. As you can see, we're still undecided, but fortunately I'm technically employed until mid 2008 with my current employer (amazing how much vacation time you can accure when you don't allow yourself a day off) so we've got a bit of time to decide and get it up and running before having to dig into our "funds'..

You're lucky. When I left my last full-time job, I had accrued about 6 weeks of vacation, including a week of vacation I had planned to use before I decided to leave. I wanted to terminate with my patients properly and ethically, which takes about 4 weeks. The agency had been falling apart and some paychecks had bounced, which is why I defected to my other job. I planned to use the money for living expenses until my new income kicked in. Well, guess what! When my check came, the vacation money was gone. Thousands of dollars! Seems the agency was taken over. Everyone lost their accrued vacation money. One secretary on staff also lost her savings in the credit union, and I would imagine other people who had money in the credit union lost theirs as well. Rumor has it..well, maybe I shouldn't go there.

Another agency I once worked for got shut down because of Medicaid fraud. But I had left before then. I was told offices were raided and even therapists were prevented from leaving.

No, that is not a New York thing. Right now, I work with basically nice agencies. Now, if I learn that an administration is corrupt, I will leave, because now I know that an administration's corruption can affect me personally.

Woops. Off topic. So back to topic: I hope there is less corruption in Vermont. Problem is, though, that you don't have the large number of potential workplaces in Vermont that you have in New York. So if a job becomes problematic for one reason or another, you have a lot fewer options.

[Jay.Dee]

It's been a year now since I moved from Toronto to Bellows Falls, VT. I had hoped to move into Brattleboro, but found an amazing, beautiful big Victorian home to rent in for far less than what I'd pay to be in Brattleboro.

1. Job prospects - well, the suburb I grew up in was as bigger (population wise) than the entire of Vermont, so job prospects were easy to come by. Toronto can be really competitive, but with my training and education, it wasn't difficult to find something. In Toronto my students would pay between $24-$30 a half hour for a piano lesson with me and I had between 50-70 students at once. I don't think I could find that many students in Bellows Falls, and I definitely don't think I could charge that much for a lesson. That's just my own personal example of comparing jobs and such. I couldn't tell you what it's like with an "industry" type job.

2. I love the pace of life. It's why I moved here in the first place. It would be a different story if I moved here 10 years ago when I was big on going out to all-night/all-morning clubs every weekend. I came here seeking a slower pace.

3. In the 'burbs where I grew up, you'd have to drive 20-30 mins in horrific stop and go traffic for the "convenience" of malls and supercentres. What's inconvenient is parking, paying for the parking, manoeuvering through the lots, waiting in long queues and making your way back home, frazzled. It's a shame Lisai's isn't bigger in BF, else I'd walk there to do groceries. I shop at the Brattleboro Co-op and even though it's a half hour drive, the food is great and the staff are friendly. i don't feel I'm missing out on not having supercentres and big box shopping. I like the small shops in town and in Bratt.

4. I've found there's LOTS to do. There were times in Toronto when I'd be sitting around with friends going, "what do YOU want to do?" There's canoeing, kayaking, hiking, skiing/snowboarding, and I've made a ton of great friends attending my husband's ultimate frisbee games. BF has an amazing theatre with $4 tickets ($2.50 on Tuesdays and 25 cent popcorn on Mondays). Boccelli's often has concerts and cultural events. I have dropped in on dance lessons at the Church in Bratt. I have taken Bellydance lessons from a teacher in Marlboro VT. I am currently in love with circus classes at the New England Center for Circus Arts in Brattleboro. there's a gallery walk every first (i think) Friday of the month in Bratt and that's lots of fun, and I haven't yet been to many of the galleries downtown. A couple of my friends work in a cool wine bar downtown, if wine's your thing. (It's not my thing, but I have a great time there with my friends anyway.) Between those activities, plus all the get togethers and parties with my new friends, I have no shortage of things to do. I think if you're bored, you're not doing enough to stay active!

5. Ooooh, good one. I still lock my doors, and my car doors too, and I doubt that will change! I sometimes don't lock my door if I'm out for a short walk, but there were kids in my neighbourhood I wouldn't trust! But overall, I've gotten over my paranoia about walking around town late at night. At first I was really really worried about running around the neighbourhood, for fear of being mugged, beat up, raped, or well...being teased about how slow I am! I've gotten over that now. Sure, there's groups of intimidating teenagers lurking around, but they're just hanging out. No one's attacked me during a run. But I'll still safeguard my possessions by locking my doors.

6. Yes, I miss ethnic diversity, but I also like adding some colour to BF, so I'm here.

A lot of the friends I've made are college aged or so. (I'm in college for the second time.) Many of them tend to have moved around in life and so they're really friendly - I think they know what's it's like to be the new person in town. I've made a lot of great friends since I moved here and just love life! If you're looking for a slower pace of life, then maybe it won't be a shock to you. If you're expecting life to be the same as life in a big city...well...that's where you'll be disappointed.

I thought I would miss having a diversity of good, ethnic food, but I've been very surprised by some great finds - like Anon Thai in Bratt, and there's another good Thai place right downtown, but I forget the name. There's amazing Japanese food just outside of Chester VT at the Old Town Farm Inn. I've made a lot of life changes since moving here - like cooking at home instead of eating out - but the local food is so good, I love cooking at home! Next on my list of things to explore is the farmer's market. I've already gone blueberry and raspberry picking and love baking.

It's hard to determine how you'll feel about moving from big city to small town (hey, at least Burlington and Bratt are bigger than BF) and it's probably all up to your expectations and what you hope to make of living in a small town.

[arel]

Great post. Thanks.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by arel

Woops. I meant foot-dragging.

Hmmmm. A Freudian slip?
Or have your cats been writing some of your posts?

[arel]

Hahahaha

Perhaps it was a Freudian slip, but I suspect it was a typo.

No, the cats didn't write my posts. Kasha or Molly like to sit on the radiator in the room, but none of the cats seem interested in the keyboard.

[kevinpm]

I'm thinking of moving to Rutland. I currently live on Nantucket Island and have been here for 21 years. I'm tired of the growth that has taken place and wish to live in a rural area that sees less change. Also, an area that is less focussed on money. Am I looking at the right town in Vermont?

-kpm