Comparing Burlington and Brattleboro (Colchester, Montpelier: car rental, living, cost of)

tkln · 10-04-2007, 06:14 AM

I avoid 95 at all costs. Hate, hate, hate 95. I take the Throgs Neck to the Hutch to 684, then take 84 across to 91. I have taken 100 most of the way up/down a few times and that's a pretty drive...but I hate the NYS Thruway, so I avoid that side and therefore haven't done US7. I've heard it is a beautiful ride...

quickdraw · 10-04-2007, 07:12 AM

When we considered moving to Vermont, I didn't think about being near big cities. Now that I'm here it's very important. Being two hours from Montreal is fantastic. Other than New York, San Fran and (old) New Orleans, there probably isn't a better restaurant city in Noth America. Burlington has Montreal for day trips. Brattleboro has Boston. I really hate being so far from NY though. Yes the airlines between Burlington and NY are cheap, but the taxi from NY airports to Manhattan is almost as expensive as the flight. Not to mention the $350 to $500 hotels from late spring to New Years.

phyllisnorth · 10-04-2007, 09:40 AM

Burlington is great, but it is not really like the rest of Vermont. It has lots to do, but more traffic than the rest of the state. It has Lake Champlain, which is great in the summer but provides a cold wind off the frozen lake in winter.

You sound like you want to try a smaller place, so I think yoiu should go with the Brattleboro plan. Some Vermonters say Brattleboro is in the banana belt of Vermont, since it is a bit warmer. Whether that is good or bad depends on whether you love winter sprots.

arel · 10-04-2007, 12:41 PM

Alnost every year, I plan to try skiing. So I am interested in winter sports. But the temperatures that were just described for Burlington. i.e. 20+ below zero are a little too cold for me. To be more precise:

You can freeze to death easily in that kind of cold. Even the warmest LL Bean parkas are only good to 0 degrees, unless you are doing some serious physical activity, in which case they are good to -50 or so. What happens if your heat goes off? I suppose people use various forms of heating in order to have redundancy, so that if the boiler breaks down, there is the wood or pellet stove, or fireplace, etc.

I would want to skip town in that kind of cold. Assuming, of course, that my car would start.

tkln · 10-04-2007, 12:49 PM

Two or three year's ago we were up there for the Christmas week...my fiancé's family had come up with us, including his four nieces and nephews, ranging from 4 to 10. If I remember correctly, the temperature was 5 below for a couple of days (not including wind chill). We were out sledding and snowboarding and having a great time...we took a lot of breaks, and the hot chocolate was sooooo good when we were done.

arel · 10-04-2007, 01:14 PM

Sounds workable. I guess if you are physically active and appropriately dressed, that kind of cold is manageable.

I was up in southern Maine for a few days one winter, and I hated being outside. But I don't think I was dressed warmly enough for the weather.

quickdraw · 10-04-2007, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arel

Sounds workable. I guess if you are physically active and appropriately dressed, that kind of cold is manageable.

I was up in southern Maine for a few days one winter, and I hated being outside. But I don't think I was dressed warmly enough for the weather.

I don't hate the cold. I do hate that we get shorted out of a nice month in Spring. When I was in the process of moving out here from Illinois, I was going back and forth in April. April in Illinois -fairly green. April in Vermont-brown, muddy and dreary. It's amazing how short gardening season is up here. You are really pushing your luck if you plant before Memorial day.

flu189 · 10-04-2007, 03:34 PM

While it is true Burlington can get cold spells extreme bitter cold is the exception. The majority of winter days are just fine for getting outside. The key is to dress in layers and then adjust to your activity. As far as fear of furnaces shutting down and the like, this can happen anywhere. We have a service contract with our oil provider and if the furnace were to break down and could not be fixed on the service callout you can always use space heaters to protect the plumbing from freezing up. Power outages are more common, but I have a generator to deal with that situation. More people die each year in the United States from heat related incidents than do from winter weather. The only hazzard I have witnessed from cold injuries results from people getting in their car dressed like they are going to the beach when its very cold out and then breaking down. I always make sure I have extra wool socks, jacket, gloves, balaclava, and a hat in my car/truck so that if I do have to hoof it for a mile or two I know I will keep my fingers, toes, and ears. Preparation and common sense is the key to most things in life.

arel · 10-05-2007, 10:11 AM

Apart from my concerns about the high cost of living and inadequate salaries, my biggiest concern about Brattleboro, at least today, is its proximity to the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. Safety there is problematic and I don't think it is being adequately addressed. And then if and when the plant is shut down, electricity will probably shoot up in price. I strongly doubt, though, that the town risks going dark.

.........................................

Unfortunately, I did not go up this weekend. The good news is that I feel a lot better and could have gone up. I think the bug largely burned out on Wednesday. The bad news is that my host just came home from a trip and we decided it would be a bit much for her if I came up this weekend. Anyway, the foliage will be better next week and Gallery Walk comes every month. Also, we have been reducing the cat's insulin dosage and I want to monitor him this weekend.

marcav · 10-11-2007, 07:43 AM

Arel, I've read lots of your posts and it seems to me that your biggest concern about moving to Vermont is the job situation. I would think that if you are a clinical SW your best job opportunities would be in the Burlington area, or even St. Albans. My sister is a SW working for the state in children's services. She lives about 25 miles from Burlington, but also does on call duties so she can stay home a couple of days a week. One of her coworkers lives on top of a mountain, and in the winter he will do double shifts while staying over at the office so they seem quite flexible. There are a few hospitals in the area as well as social service agencies. The VA even has a satellite clinic in Colchester. Do you get the Burlington Free Press? I believe they have a business section published every Monday that lists many professional jobs. I know you seem to prefer Brattleboro, but if job security is your chief concern it might be something to consider.