[mikeandaija2009]

My wife and I are currently living in Florida. Originally from Connecticut, we moved down here a year ago for my wife's job transfer. I guess some things you can never change and one is we are New Englanders thru and thru and can't adjust to Florida. In a nutshell, we hate it here. My wife has explored transfers back and has heard there will be openings in White River Junction, VT in the near future. We want to go back to New England, but thought about a change from CT. Our concern is the area. We are in are early 40's and have to small boys, 1 and 3. We want good schools and a town with a family atmosphere. Although we are educated and tolerant, we lean more towards a christian/conservative lifestyle. I hope I'm not offending anyone but we are looking for a town or area that suits our lifestyle just as others look for areas that suit their lifestyles. Maybe we should forget Vermont? Any thoughts would be great. Thank You

[sugarmaple]

Hi, I am thinking about Wilder [extremely close to WRJ], perhaps Quechee which borders Woodstock. Are you referring to healthcare transfer, such as the VA Hospital, or a different employment arena? Woodstock is approximately 15 mins from WRJ [Rte 4]

[mikeandaija2009]

Originally Posted by sugarmaple

Hi, I am thinking about Wilder [extremely close to WRJ], perhaps Quechee which borders Woodstock. Are you referring to healthcare transfer, such as the VA Hospital, or a different employment arena? Woodstock is approximately 15 mins from WRJ [Rte 4]

Hi, yes the VA hospital. We are originally from CT and have spent a lot of time in Vermont over the years. My parent's owned a vacation home in Strafford when I was a kid. Loved it up there but I think it might be a little too far of a commute for my wife, especially in the winter. We are looking for a quiet town with great schools and a community atmosphere made up of families like us.

[harry chickpea]

New Hampshire might be better and cross the river. WRJ... can't imagine moving there intentionally. By the way... did you mean TWO boys?...

[mikeandaija2009]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

New Hampshire might be better and cross the river. WRJ... can't imagine moving there intentionally. By the way... did you mean TWO boys?...

OOPS.....my mistake......yes, I meant 2 boys

[FrugalYankee]

Except that the Hanover / Dartmouth area is one of the liberal pockets in NH. Granted New Englanders don't get in your face with politics or religion, but if OP feels more comfortable in a conservative Christian community, they might be better off staying on the VT side of the river and avoiding places like Woodstock.

[68vette]

If religion is important to you, Vermont and New Hampshire should be places to avoid. Vermont is dead last in the US including D.C. Less than 23% of residents have religious beliefs. While there are conservative areas in the state, the vast majority of the state has liberal beliefs. While no one really shoves this down your throat, as a christian-conservative you will feel frustrated and almost without a voice.
A recent Gallup poll shows that Vermont is primarily a moderate state with liberal and conservatives dividing the remainder of the population. Mississippi Most Conservative State, D.C. Most Liberal Just looking at your political beliefs, you will see Vermont is near the bottom of the list.

[sugarmaple]

Good morning! Hmm, I have to minutely disagree w/you 68 [smile] -- I think there are several communities in the WRJ area that are more conservative-oriented -- and, apologies to NH- - I agree that perhaps the Dartmouth/Hanover side is a tad more liberal -- I do agree - stick to the VT side of the river.

[mikeandaija2009]

Originally Posted by 68vette

If religion is important to you, Vermont and New Hampshire should be places to avoid. Vermont is dead last in the US including D.C. Less than 23% of residents have religious beliefs. While there are conservative areas in the state, the vast majority of the state has liberal beliefs. While no one really shoves this down your throat, as a christian-conservative you will feel frustrated and almost without a voice.
A recent Gallup poll shows that Vermont is primarily a moderate state with liberal and conservatives dividing the remainder of the population. Mississippi Most Conservative State, D.C. Most Liberal Just looking at your political beliefs, you will see Vermont is near the bottom of the list.

I realize Vermont is a liberal state, as are most of the New England states. I guess when I stated we were Christian/Conservatives, that can be viewed one way or another. We are from CT, a primarily liberal state also. When I say we are Christian, I mean we go to church on Sunday and live a moderatly conservative lifestyle. We don't protest gay marriage, hand out pamphlets to our nieghbors, etc. I like to watch football on Sunday and have a beer after work. If I considered us true Christian/Conservatives, we would be looking for a home in the Bible Belt. We don't argue politics, religion, or lifestyles with others but I have my beliefs just a they have theirs. When we lived in CT, we would go to church on Sunday and get together with others from the congregation after church, talk about life, let the kids play, things like that. Down here they go to church all day!

[FrugalYankee]

I'm sure you can find a community that you will enjoy living in if you decide to make the move to WRJ. There is no shortage of churchgoing people who enjoy a beer, watch ball sports and have traditional values on both sides of the river. It is possible that you will find the the VT politics at a state level frustrating. I grew up in VT and consider myself a liberal, but many state policies are far too liberal as far as I am concerned and many posters here seem to think of me as a conservative. I'm now on the NH side of the river and can't wait to move to FL actually.