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Old 06-27-2013, 08:23 AM
 
216 posts, read 561,655 times
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I have had several posts in the past regarding my families situation in living in Florida and return to the Northeast. We are former lifelong Connecticut residents who are square pegs living in a round hole down here. We have the have the opportunity to somewhat choose the state which we will move to because of my wife's job. We will, without a doubt, return to New England. Our obvious choice would be to return back home to CT. It's what we know, who we know, and what were used to. But is it the correct choice? My wife and I had to wait till modern advances in medicine allowed us to have children. We are now in our mid 40's with 2 little boys and wonder would CT be the place for them. All the recent news of the Patriots star player, Aaron Hernandez, and his questionable gang related past in CT, makes me wonder. Look, I'm not naive and realize gangs and drugs are everywhere, probably in Vermont. We just want to do what's best for my boys and maybe a very rural upbringing would be best? Another parent's perspective would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 06-27-2013, 08:35 AM
 
Location: Vermont
3,457 posts, read 10,229,495 times
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I personally think it is a fantastic place to raise kids. Be forewarned..you'll get plenty of naysayers chiming in on this thread. Yes there are drugs here. They are everywhere...not just Vermont. Yes kids will get bored. Kids get bored everywhere. Vermont is consistently ranked the #1 or #2 safest state, healthiest state, and healthiest state to raise a family.
Anyway....there is always something to do with kids here. We are outside constantly-in all seasons. My kiddos LOVE to be outside whether it be hiking, swimming, skiing, or just playing on our property. They are rarely bored.
In my neck of the woods there is always some sort of kid related activity going on weekly. Playgroups, music groups, festivals etc.
There is very little "keeping up with the Jones" here. Maybe in the Burlington suburbs but I don't see it in the rural town where I live.
Some links:
Kids VT - small people, big ideas!
Vermont's Find & Go Seek

There are also various facebook groups focused on raising kids on Vermont.

If you are into what I call "Manufactured Fun" - Chuck E Cheese, amusement parks, malls etc then Vermont is not for you. If you love the outdoors, value a slow place of life, etc. then Vermont is for you and your family.
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Old 06-27-2013, 08:55 AM
 
274 posts, read 672,121 times
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What VTER said! I have 2 young boys and we moved here from southern NH. It's been wonderful! There is a 'it takes a village to raise a child' vibe here which has helped us settle into our community very easily and for the boys to make a lot of friends. And we no longer need to rely on 'manufactured fun' as VTER describes. Our fun is located either outdoors or at the many, many festivals that are year round.
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Old 06-27-2013, 09:15 AM
 
216 posts, read 561,655 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vter View Post
I personally think it is a fantastic place to raise kids. Be forewarned..you'll get plenty of naysayers chiming in on this thread. Yes there are drugs here. They are everywhere...not just Vermont. Yes kids will get bored. Kids get bored everywhere. Vermont is consistently ranked the #1 or #2 safest state, healthiest state, and healthiest state to raise a family.
Anyway....there is always something to do with kids here. We are outside constantly-in all seasons. My kiddos LOVE to be outside whether it be hiking, swimming, skiing, or just playing on our property. They are rarely bored.
In my neck of the woods there is always some sort of kid related activity going on weekly. Playgroups, music groups, festivals etc.
There is very little "keeping up with the Jones" here. Maybe in the Burlington suburbs but I don't see it in the rural town where I live.
Some links:
Kids VT - small people, big ideas!
Vermont's Find & Go Seek

There are also various facebook groups focused on raising kids on Vermont.

If you are into what I call "Manufactured Fun" - Chuck E Cheese, amusement parks, malls etc then Vermont is not for you. If you love the outdoors, value a slow place of life, etc. then Vermont is for you and your family.
Thank you so much for your input. I wasn't sure how to post the question as I do realize there are drugs and bad influence everywhere in today's society. As I stated before, CT would more than likely be the best place for my wife and I, but maybe not so much for our boys. I like the idea of non-manufactured fun. What part of VT do you live in? If my wife was to transfer to VT, it would be White River Junction. We've had our eye on a home in Weathersfield a long time ago. It has since sold, but we studied what we could of the area, and it seemed like a great place.
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Old 06-27-2013, 09:27 AM
 
Location: Winter Springs, FL
1,792 posts, read 4,647,702 times
Reputation: 945
I can give you a little help because I lived/live in both places and am very involved to this day in some historical preservation in CT. Vermont is without question a great place to raise kids. The drug issue is everywhere, but drugs are mostly a problem with families that are not tight knit. If you are a family that is tight knit and you are involved with your kids lives to the point where you are an inspiration to your children, then the drug problem will be less likely in your case. Nothing is 100%, but those are the types of cases where kids do best.
CT has every type of living conditions that can be offered. There is city life right through to rural life. It isn't a cheap state to live in, but neither is Vermont. Both states are in the top 10 in the nation for cost of living. As a family moving to a new location you have many more options. You can pick the town that best fits your/family needs. As a state ranking Vermont has one of the best overall school ranking in the country, but this is a little misleading. There are gold, silver and bronze rated schools. There are no gold ranked schools, there are nine silver medal schools and five bronze medals schools in Vermont. Connecticut has 11 gold medal schools, 24 silver medal schools and four bronze medal schools. The inner-city schools in CT bring the rankings a little lower overall, but as you can see, by choosing a town to live in, you can get a great education in CT also.
The age of your kids and what type of environment they are used to living in will be a factor in both states. If you are a suburban family and your kids are used to that, most of Vermont may not work well for you. Going from a city or suburban environment to a rural environment is not only tough on kids, but it can be tough on the entire family.
I would have no hesitation moving to either state with kids. You will get to choose where you want to live in both states. The one huge edge CT will have over VT is jobs and culture. Pay will be higher as well but with both states having higher costs of living it all pans out.
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Old 06-27-2013, 09:46 AM
 
216 posts, read 561,655 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 68vette View Post
I can give you a little help because I lived/live in both places and am very involved to this day in some historical preservation in CT. Vermont is without question a great place to raise kids. The drug issue is everywhere, but drugs are mostly a problem with families that are not tight knit. If you are a family that is tight knit and you are involved with your kids lives to the point where you are an inspiration to your children, then the drug problem will be less likely in your case. Nothing is 100%, but those are the types of cases where kids do best.
CT has every type of living conditions that can be offered. There is city life right through to rural life. It isn't a cheap state to live in, but neither is Vermont. Both states are in the top 10 in the nation for cost of living. As a family moving to a new location you have many more options. You can pick the town that best fits your/family needs. As a state ranking Vermont has one of the best overall school ranking in the country, but this is a little misleading. There are gold, silver and bronze rated schools. There are no gold ranked schools, there are nine silver medal schools and five bronze medals schools in Vermont. Connecticut has 11 gold medal schools, 24 silver medal schools and four bronze medal schools. The inner-city schools in CT bring the rankings a little lower overall, but as you can see, by choosing a town to live in, you can get a great education in CT also.
The age of your kids and what type of environment they are used to living in will be a factor in both states. If you are a suburban family and your kids are used to that, most of Vermont may not work well for you. Going from a city or suburban environment to a rural environment is not only tough on kids, but it can be tough on the entire family.
I would have no hesitation moving to either state with kids. You will get to choose where you want to live in both states. The one huge edge CT will have over VT is jobs and culture. Pay will be higher as well but with both states having higher costs of living it all pans out.
I understand your points exactly. My wife and I both grew up in the CT school system, and I was fortunate enough to live in a more rural CT town than my wife. The schools I attended were ranked much higher than my wife's hometown schools, and are such even today. I would move back to my old hometown now except for what we would have to pay for the type of house we want. Those better towns in CT also come with a much higher price-tag today. We are looking for a home with a land, not 100 acres, just a little room to roam. Our price range will unfortunately force us to settle for the suburban end of a good rural town (if that makes sense). In some of the good towns I've researched in VT, it appears we could be in a fairly nice home a descent sized parcel of land (5 or so acres) without breaking the bank.
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Old 06-27-2013, 10:21 AM
 
Location: Winter Springs, FL
1,792 posts, read 4,647,702 times
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Here is info on high schools for both states:
Search Connecticut High Schools | US News
Search Vermont High Schools | US News

I would focus on high schools even if your kids are not there. How well a high school ranks is also an indicator of how good the elementary and middle schools are and they show you how prepared kids are for collage as well as math and reading. Vermont will have most schools in a rural area because most of the state is rural. On the other hand most of the towns in CT are suburban or very large towns. Some even border on city size.
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Old 06-27-2013, 01:18 PM
 
Location: Vermont
5,439 posts, read 16,815,066 times
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high schools have been a concern here also. not only the quality but how far away they can be and how far apart the towns can be that attend. we haven't come to any real conclusion there. Harwood is our school where we presently live and doesn't have a great ranking. I understand that our elementary school is ranked #1 in VT. Right now our son is going into pre-school, so middle/high school is literally 10 years away, hard to even fathom.

Here is another site for rankings
Top 10 Best Vermont State Elementary Schools - VT School Rankings


All other things aside, we really enjoy the lifestyle.

income in vt as a whole should be less than vt so you would expect cost of housing to be less as well.

Last edited by joe moving; 06-27-2013 at 01:32 PM..
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Old 07-01-2013, 10:52 AM
 
Location: RI dreaming of Florida
564 posts, read 1,867,727 times
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East of Hartford CT is largely rural and affordable.....and I understand has decent schools.
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Old 07-02-2013, 10:40 AM
 
43,011 posts, read 107,716,990 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeandaija2009 View Post
Look, I'm not naive and realize gangs and drugs are everywhere, probably in Vermont. We just want to do what's best for my boys and maybe a very rural upbringing would be best?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeandaija2009 View Post
Thank you so much for your input. I wasn't sure how to post the question as I do realize there are drugs and bad influence everywhere in today's society. As I stated before, CT would more than likely be the best place for my wife and I, but maybe not so much for our boys. I like the idea of non-manufactured fun.
As a parent, I'd rather battle suburban drugs than rural drugs. The drug problem in the country is significantly worse in rural areas simply because there isn't much else to occupy people's time. Seriously consider that Vermont ranks second in the nation for illicit drug use for young adult between 18 and 25. That's mostly because Vermont is almost entirely rural IMO. Similar drug use statistics are in rural areas of states that have large cities but those states don't rank as high because the city populations don't have as high of a drug rate compared to the rural areas of the states. Research the drug problem in the Appalachian mountain regions to further understand how drugs and rural poverty go hand in hand. This problem is replicated in rural areas throughout the country.

Non-manufactured fun is a great concept, but it only works with adult guidance. When children become teens, they'll want to be doing what they're friends are doing. If their friends' parents are leaving them to wander aimlessly, their idea of non-manufactured fun can change to loafing and doing drugs. There's something to be said for the busy suburban lifestyle where children's days are filled with activities.

I'm not saying your kids can't have a happy drug-free life in Vermont. I'm just saying to not expect it to be easier parenting. I think your parenting challenges will be greater when it comes to drugs. That innocent Norman Rockwell rural upbringing isn't so innocent anymore.
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