[TrapKick]

Well, I currently live in South Central PA. Everyone is moving here from DC and commuting to work everyday. Takes about 1.5 to 2 hours one way. But you can make more money that way. This is sky rocketing our housing and land prices.
I'm 24, married 3 years ago with 1 two year old daughter. My family here is currently looking to find some land with a decent house, which cost for land here averages around 90k for half an acre. There are some better deals out there where you can get 3 acres for 125k or so.

Anyways, you get the point. We both love mountains and forest.

I am a work for a small computer consultant company, drive to houses and business's repairing computer. And my wife is currently in college for accounting. Mainly I'm just wondering what the business market is for these jobs. And what town in VT. you all think we would best like.

The hardest thing is that I live 5 minutes here from all parent's and 3 sets of Aunt's and Uncles and cousins.

From what Ive read, there's not to many people that are tech savvy... How can I explain.... If you understand, I have a media center PC, hooked to Xbox 360 42" Plasma w/ Surround sound, I have a 2003 sbs exchange server running for personal use, 2 desktops, 2 laptops, 1 Linux laptop just to play.

Now, I'm just afraid I will be going into an area where everyone's against computers and most business's don't use them, and I won't be able to find a job.

Hopefully someone has an answer for me, or classifieds for some area's?

[Chimp]

I know what you mean...my husband is my computer geek and he is a bit worried about the same things you are. Though his amount of toys had to diminish a bit when our second was born and he had to give up his computer room. (He is really hoping to get a house that has room for his "toys") We are looking in the St. Johnsbury area so that our kids can go to St. Johnsbury academy. Have you looked at state jobs? If not in Vermont, I have noticed there are some in New Hampshire.

Good luck on your search.

[mels]

Originally Posted by TrapKick

Now, I'm just afraid I will be going into an area where everyone's against computers and most business's don't use them, and I won't be able to find a job.

This struck me as funny. How backwards do you think Vermont is? Yes, people have home computers. Yes, businesses use computers. Yes, schools use computers. I haven't heard of an anti-computer movement in Vermont yet, so I think you will be safe.

If your fear is that VT is too rural and the locals haven't caught on to technologies that happened past 1978, you are wrong. There are many colleges in VT, meaning you have many college towns which gives you an automatic built-in tech savvy group. It is just like any other state in the union where computers play a vital role in day to day operations.

Check websites for local jobs that may interest you, like Monster and the like. You can also check for IT jobs with the state, municipalities, or local school districts. I don't know if you have even been to VT, but Burlington is a decent sized city and home to UVM, so there may be more job opportunities in that neck of the woods.

[Adream]

We live in NJ, but our internet provider is based in Stowe, Vermont, the location of our little home-away-from-home. That company provides our email homepage, and other things - I'm not the tech savvy one in the family, DH is the one that sets these things up. I feed him, so we have a great arrangement!

Anyway, there are lots of techy stuff (how do you like that terminology? ) in Stowe, and the surrounding area. I'm sure other towns too, certainly Burlington! Heck, there is an IBM location in Essex Junction (outside of Burlington) employing hundreds (thousands?).

Vermont LOOKS rural and old fashioned country - but I tell you, there are some of the smartest, most tech savvy people there that you'd ever want to meet.

Also, lots of people from metropolitan areas live up there, either part time or full time. With them comes the demand for the tech goodies like flat screen t.v.s, Direct TV satellite hook ups, computer & internet access,etc.

Do some checking around - you'll be pleasantly surprised!

[TrapKick]

I guess from others and from what my sister has told me about Vermont, I took it as, yes, very backwoods. My sister told me that you have to have some sort of trade to live in VT after visiting Brattleboro. But after researching it some after I posted. I found that there are a lot of small companies just like the one I work for up there. And VT life seems just like everyone else. I guess I almost pictured it as Amish after I heard you had to have some type of trade or a B&B.

Anyways, thanks for the response. The more I look into Brattleboro, it seems good for jobs, but I was looking to live out in the middle of no where but still have a job within say a half hour or so. Brattleboro, seems good for that.

[boyze]

Interesting. Chimp mentions St J Academy. I graduated from the Academy in 1970. We used the Dartmouth computer via dialup in my junior year physics class. Point being that computer geeks had infiltrated VT by the 60's

[vter]

For tech jobs, your best bets are either the Burlington area, or the White River Junction/Lebanon, NH area. The smaller areas (Bratt, Bennington, StJ, Barre/Montpelier) have some small firms as well. Start reading the daily newspapers online. For Burlington it's the Free Press and in White River the Valley News.
SJA class of '92 here!

[Chimp]

Is St. J the only town that send their high schoolers to St. J Academy (free tuition)?

Did you guys like the school? Was it hard to make friends with the Boarding kids?

Thanks!!

[vter]

If the town you choose does not belong to a high school district, then your children can go to the school of their choice. We had kids commuting an hour each way. Towns in the StJ area that do not belong to a district are St. J, Barnet, Waterford, Monroe NH, Lunenburg, Peacham, and Walden. We had kids commuting from the Newport and Montpelier areas as well.
I had no problem making friends with boarding students. They integrate well with the day students.

[boyze]

I was from one of the outlying towns mentioned by vter. In my 4 years at the Academy there weren't that many dorm kids, but we all intermingled with no unusual problems. The biggest problem for some of us non St J kids was participating in after school activities given the distance from home to school.

The Academy has grown its boarding enrollment significantly which surely makes it an even more diverse enrollment. I found my Academy education to be a good foundation for the next 30+ years. I haven't actually resided in VT since going off to college. But my folks, siblings and many friends still live there and I visit quite often.