[vter]

Well...for beginners....read all about ACT 250.
There is a reason Vermont is full of small businesses and very little in the way of commercial development - it takes to darn long and costs too much $$$ for the permitting process.
An example.....Lowe's - Lowe's in Littleton NH went up within a year of announcing they were interested in coming to town. Vermont's first Lowe's is finally ready to open next week after TEN years of permitting & appeals (by an out of state environmental watch group).
NH has seen TREMENDOUS growth due to the easiness of getting things built there...just look at what has happened in Littleton over the past 5 years and southeastern NH.
While I applaud the theory behind Vermont's permitting process, it's a little extreme IMO, yet on the other hand, I don't like what I see happening in NH. So....we've just got to find a good medium IMO.
Regarding Coos Cty....there is no demand for this kind of growth. There is not much industry, very low population etc. Littleton has become the commercial "hub" for Coos County. I know some folks from Colebrook and also Canaan VT (just across from West Stewartstown) and Littleton is their shopping destination.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by vter

While I applaud the theory behind Vermont's permitting process, it's a little extreme IMO, yet on the other hand, I don't like what I see happening in NH. So....we've just got to find a good medium IMO.

I agree.

Once open land is developed, the probability of it turning back into nature is almost nil (I mean, in the near future versus a million years from now). Once a large corporation has a foothold in an area, the likelihood of that area returning to locally- and regionally-owned businesses is almost nil, as the large corps put small businesses out of business.

Along these lines, there seems to be some dispute between Rutland and Rutland Town. Rutland City is growing its downtown as best it can, and encouraging locally-owned and locally-managed businesses. It makes for a more diverse and lively downtown. And the dollars spent in a locally-owned downtown stay in the region.

Rutland Town, which is where nearly all of the Rutland-area malls, strip malls, and big-box stores are (e.g., Bed Bath & Beyond, Staples, Dicks, Big Lots, Home Depot, & chain restaurants like 99, etc.), also needs businesses to create a sustainable tax base and revenue stream. Rutland Town literally has no downtown where it could develop locally-owned businesses.

I'm not sure what the answer is. I know I prefer to live somewhere more like Vermont than NH. My husband and I are more than willing to earn less money and pay higher taxes for the privilege of living in a low-population area that lacks most big box stores and mega-corporate activity. We've created our work and our lives around this value and we enjoy ourselves tremendously. When we visit other places (we've noticed that parts of Colorado increasingly look like parts of Florida and Minnesota), we feel even happier to return to Vermont.

We also put our money where our mouths are -- we do not shop at mega-chain stores. We start with locally-owned businesses and go to regionally-owned when necessary. For example, Ace Hardware is regionally-owned and -managed. When in Ace, we buy the more expensive tools made in the US, not the cheaper ones imported from China. It's nothing to do with China, it's just that we're here, not there. So we buy the stuff from here. We shop at a locally-owned bookstore and have them order what we need if it's not in stock; we do not order from Amazon. Our bookstore's owner feel so sad when he sees the UPS truck pull up and deliver stacks of boxes from Amazon to employees at neighboring businesses when they could have kept their hard-earned dollars right in Rutland. I think this dynamic is one important factor draining money out of Vermont and draining the life out of its businesses.

I also understand that many other people need a thriving business community to earn a living. Not sure where the balance lies.

Much more about locally-owned and -managed businesses here:
Why Local First?
Q&A about Local First Vermont

[vter]

Props to you Sheryl. I try to shop locally as much as I can. Its hard for most folks though as they cannot afford to pay more for stuff that is made locally....I know I can't all the time, but I do try my best.

[Sherylcatmom]

Check out homes for sale by owner. Click on the county of interest to see the homes there.

Picket Fence Preview Properties in Vermont

[Bella41683]

I lived in Brattleboro for 21 years and adored it! I love it now but it's not the type of town for a Systems Engineer :-( I think it would fit you great. The town has about 15,000 people and is close to other larger cities where you could practice.

There is a lot of outdoor adventure and nice relaxed people. Brattleboro is all about keeping downtown alive though there is a Wal-Mart right next door in NH, about 10 minutes away.

I haven't bought a house there but on average they are about $200,000 with a large yard and good neighbors. There is excellent health care and the schools systems are better than average, and getting better.

[ian_m]

I live in Vermont, and really love it here. However, I've been reading a lot of complaints about the cost of living here.......Maybe Ithaca, NY area would be what you are looking for. Very affordable real estate and very good farmland and growing season. The Finger Lakes Region in New York is known for vineyards and wine. Cornell University in Ithaca does great things with Upstate agriculture. Also near Ithaca is the Fingerlakes School of Massage (maybe a teaching possibility?). Trumansburg, Hector, Newfield, Watkins Glen, and Danby would be the (very nice) towns to check out for cheaper alternatives to the city of Ithaca.

[cindra]

Ian, thanks for the suggestions, however, we picked VT for numerous well thought out reasons. Now, we just need to decide where in VT. We have a year or so.

Simon Pearce has a foundary, gift store and restaurant in West Chester, PA. I was a dining room manager there when it first opened, until we moved south. I am wondering what the travel time is between Queeche and Norwich/Hanover area. Also, area there any cute & rural, but not touristy villages anywhere between the two?

Does quaint and rural equate to touristy everywhere in VT?

[Sherylcatmom]

Hello again Cindra.

You can use Mapquest's "Directions" feature to find distances, such as Quechee to Norwich/Hanover. Here is what Mapquest says about that particular distance. The two towns are only 13 miles apart so you could probably pick anywhere in that region. I have a friend who raised her (now adult) kids in Norwich and loves it there. It's not my kind of place, but then it's all subjective, right?

I do not find most of Vermont to be especially touristy, but I do find most of it to be quaint and rural. To be fair, both are in the eye of the beholder. I grew up in Miami Beach -- most people have not lived with such an extreme degree of "touristy," at a level so bizarre that I think it deserves its own word.

There are Vermont towns that are more touristy than I'd want to live with, meaning that the population changes greatly during certain seasons and the preponderance of businesses cater to visitors & 2nd homeowners versus locals. Many other Vermonters love living in such towns.

[cindra]

Sheryl, thanks for the mapquest tip, that will prove very useful. I am assuming when it gives driving time it is referring to fair weather conditions. How much extra time should I account for winter conditions?

You say that Norwich is not your kind of town, any particular reason?

I don't mind tourists as they can be good for any economy, but I would like to live in a town that can sustain itself. (Taxes, I know.)

I don't know anything about Miami, but I do know the outer banks. In winter 3/4 of the stores close for months, which is fine because most of them were tourist oriented anyway. Then come summer a commute that takes 5 to 10 minutes tops, takes 30. And the prices in the grocery store are jacked up, because the tourists are on an island and have no other choice but to pay the inflated prices.

I know this sounds extream, but my brother lived there for 2 years, and I have seen these seasonal changes for myself. This is the type of "touristy" I am trying to stay away from.

I would like to be close (30 minutes) to a university, as I intend to go to school part time. Thus my questions about these towns. I also have a very strong interest in Middlebury, but it might be out of my price range for the amount of land I want.

Lots of questions. Thanks for any answers.

[Lilybeans]

Norwhich is really a bedroom community for Dartmouth, just across the river. It's nice though.