[maggieclmt24]

My boyfriend and I are looking to relocated to Vermont. We already visited the Bennington area and liked it however we need a town with a little more activity. We have lived in Ithaca NY ( LOVED IT!!) and now we are living in Long Island and HATE IT!!

We are going to visit the Brattleboro area at the end of the month and wanted to know what small towns surrounding it to look at for real estate. We would like a nice piece of land with a home. And also if Brattleboro is similar to Ithaca NY. Thanks!!

[cleobarker]

Hi,

I've lived in the Brattleboro area for the past 15 years and I love it. It's a town that's small enough to be comfortable to live in but large enough to have alot to offer. It has a number of good restaurants, an active arts & cultural scene and it's reasonably safe.

As for the towns surrounding Brattleboro (you didn't say if you planned on renting or buying a home) I am partial to Dummerston, Newfane and Putney. All are quiet and rural towns. Vernon has Vermont Yankee and while housing prices (not to metion taxes) are more reasonable there I just don't want to live in a town with that.

I have never been to Ithaca so I can't make any comparisions. I will say this however, if you move to a town other than Brattleboro you won't have curbside recycling you'll have to take your bottles, cans, etc to whatever spot your town designates and put it into roll-off containers yourself. My little town hasn't seen our roll-offs since Irene. You'll have to pay a private company to take your trash away and there's no such thing as town water/sewer...you'll have a well and a septic system.

Feel free to pm me if I can help further.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by cleobarker

You'll have to pay a private company to take your trash away

This is true in every Vermont town I know of. I don't even remember what it's like to have city trash pickup. Does Burlington have city trash/recycling pickup? That area might be an exception.

Originally Posted by cleobarker

there's no such thing as town water/sewer...you'll have a well and a septic system.

Really? Brattleboro doesn't a have municipal sewer? I thought that's what this map is of. If you meant W. Dummerston, Newfane, and Putney, that's another matter.

[arel]

Guilford is also right next to Brattleboro, and it is very rural.

Putney has its own cultural institutions, including the internationally renowned Sand Glass puppet theater and the Yellow Barn Music Festival. Putney also has some stores and restaurants, a big basket store (Basketville) and schools, including Landmark College. It has a more thickly settled downtown (of sorts), but is mostly rural.

One advantage (or disadvantage) of Putney is that it has its own exit off I-91. To get to West Dummerston, Newfane, and other towns along Route 30, you have to get off the interstate in Brattleboro, go through town and then get on Route 30 by the Brattleboro Retreat. For Guilford, you have to get onto Route 5 and then backtrack.

Brattleboro is a small town of about 12,000 people. I've even seen it described as "tiny". But in southeastern Vermont, Brattleboro is the Big City! There is a lot of cultural, civic and commercial activity in Brattleboro, and it has three exits of its very own off the Interstate. When area locals in speak of "going into town", that usually means going to Brattleboro.

The Brattleboro area has lots of people who come from other places, so you won't experience much discrimination or exclusion for not being a native Vermonter. It also says something about the area if people choose to move here.

Brattleboro also has a strong connection to NYC. The connection to NYC is much stronger than the connection to Boston, even though Boston is half the distance away. Maybe this is due to the Amtrak station downtown, which provides direct service between Brattleboro and Manhattan.

On the negative side, though, the economy is tough. The cost of living is high and incomes are low. If you can telecommute, that gives more economic security.

The weather can also be a problem. It gets very cold and snowy in the winter here. When people leave, it's often because of the economy or the weather.

Check the area out. Look around and talk to people. I don't think I've been to Ithaca, but from what I've read about it, the vibe there is somewhat similar to the vibe here.

To get a sense of local culture, visit iBrattleboro.com, the local citizen journalist website. And also ask questions on this forum. That's what I did before I moved to the area.

[arel]

Really? Brattleboro doesn't a have municipal sewer? I thought that's what this map is of. If you meant W. Dummerston, Newfane, and Putney, that's another matter.


Brattleboro has a municipal sewer, and even some more rural areas of town use it. But more out-of-the-way homes often have septic systems.

Real estate listings describe a house's sewage system.

I can't write about Dummerston and other towns. I have friends in Dummerston. I can ask them.

[brattpowered]

I'd say Ithaca is a mix of Brattleboro and Northampton. (A town/city about 45 minutes south of Brattleboro, in Massachusetts)

Ithaca is hippier than Northampton and more "Northeast liberal intellectual" than Brattleboro due to the presence of all those colleges.

So yes, Ithaca is like Brattleboro, somewhat.

[maggieclmt24]

Thank all soooo much for all the info!

[gboston621]

Is Brattleboro gay friendly?