[hateMaryland]

I assume that the market for software engineer's is less then Maryland. But I am sure there are a few areas that at least have a market for my profession. I would love to be somewhere that is great for a family and close to snowboarding, but can still make a living programming. If there are any cities I should look into please let me know. I am tired of Maryland and do not want to go south to the heat, but need somewhere with a market and that is affordable.

[vter]

You'll want to look in the Burlington area. It's Vermont's only city per se. GE Healthcare IT (formerly IDX) comes to mind. It's a medical software division of GE. There is an IBM plant in the Burlington area (Essex Jct), but I believe they do mostly manufacturing there - I could be wrong.
Other than that...I can't really think of anywhere else. There are some small firms here and there. Try the State of Vermont and the University of Vermont. NRG Systems in Hinesburg might be worth a look too.
My SO works for GE and the pay is fairly competitive...they don't want to lose employees to the higher paying cities to the south. He's been there for years and enjoys his work. He loved working under the IDX ownership, but the jury is still out on GE, but so far, so good.
Housing can be expensive here. Housing costs have been rising a heck of a lot faster than salaries. We're lucky enough to have good paying jobs, so housing is not much of an issue for us.
Good luck with your research and if you have any questions, please let us know.
PS. Was just in Maryland this week...went to Baltimore to catch the Orioles/Sox and also checked out Annapolis. Had a great time!

[hateMaryland]

Thanks for the info, I will definitely look into it. Housing here in MD is outrageous, it would be hard to imagine VT is worst then here. The only reason I stay in MD really is the abundance of work. I do like the mountains in winter, annapolis is fun for a night out but everyday it gets old.

But again thanks for the info and I will be looking into the places you mentioned.

[vter]

If you get bored with Annapolis after a day, then maybe Vermont isnt for you. The state's population is only 600K. Burlington, the state's largest city, has a population of just under 40K. "Metro" Burlington is somewhere around 150-200K.
Burlington, being a college town, does have a lot to offer. Lots of good shops & restaurants, the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Higher Ground (for music), a good hospital, and a decent airport - Jet Blue, United, USAir, Northwest, Continental & Delta fly in/out.
Burlington is a little under an hour to Stowe & the Mad River Valley (Sugarbush & Mad River Glen). 20ish minutes to Bolton Valley.
Montreal is about 1.5 hours north, Boston 3.5 hrs SE, and NYC, about 5 hours to the south if you need your city fix. YOu can get cheap flights on Jet Blue to NYC. $69 one way last time I looked.
Hope this helps!