[fuddy]

I've lived here in west-central MI for ten years now, & wish I'd never come here. The place is utterly depressing, stained, rotting trailers for mile after mile, trash all over the yards & surrounding woods, insular, vacant people who look like they havn't showered in weeks. Oh there are exceptions to the squalor, but squalor is the rule rather than the exception. The economy isn't coming out of the gutter for years yet, & the stinginess & inherent apathy of the people around here seems as much to blame for that as the MI government. I don't get it. Oh well, I'm considering the general area from Burlington to Montpelier for a move, can anyone give me an idea what it's like? I'm just looking for relatively clean people, houses & towns, and a few acres to start a tree farm on, and a little 'culture', something a bit beyond a slavering mania for hunting & mindless drooling over wrestling magazines. Gee whiz that sounds harsh. There are plenty of great people & places in MI, but it's not for me anymore. And I've nothing against hunting, hunted in CO myself when I lived there, but it was not the ONLY thing I thought about, either. I've lived on Long Island NY, Sarasota FL & 40 miles west of Denver, so maybe I just miss the cosmopolitan mix, the 'awake & aware' feel of the people in those places. Thanks a bunch for your insights.

[vter]

Just a heads up - there are "rednecks" here in Vermont as well and hunting is a way of life here. But, the State also has an air of sophistication too. The Burlington-Montpelier corridor sounds like a good bet for what you are looking for.
What is your budget? Will you be looking for work aside from starting up a tree farm?
Here are some towns to look into: Westford, Richmond, Waterbury, Duxbury, East Montpelier, Middlesex, Moretown.
Burlington has lots of great restaurants, theaters, shops, bars, museums, music venues etc. Montpelier as well, but on a smaller scale.

[square peg]

For a moment, Fuddy, I thought you were describing the northeast kingdom - to an extent. Vter has it right, and so do you: The Burlington to Montpelier area is probably what you are seeking and Addison county could also be a good fit. I've lived in the kingdom for over 20 years and truly enjoy the rural ways of life, but it has more trash strewn about than any other part of the state - something that's always bothered me. It took some time and effort, but over the years I got to know and accept my neighbors. I consider many as friends, and for the most part, each of them will lend a hand or just give you the time of day at the drop of a hat. I have learned that good folks live in all kinds of homes, some with six junk cars in the yard and others with manicured lawns and three stall garages. Taste, circumstance, education and income play major rolls in what shapes all of us. But inside, there ain't much difference. Good luck in finding your new home.

cheers! / Jim

[Dragondog]

Fuddy

Try parts of Hartford county Connecticut. Also very popular is Tolland and New London counties in eastern Connecticut. The last two rural, but close to sophisticated Providence RI and Hartford, the ocean, wineries and more-plus the winters are milder.

[fuddy]

Thanks, all. I apologise for the rant yesterday, most folks around here really are good people, I guess environmental and personal esthetics just happens to be at the bottom of the list for the majority of them. That's O.K. I want to live somewhere where people are appreciative enough of the towns, woods and fields around them to make some effort to maintain what they have to look at and live around all their lives. The soils here are mostly coarse sand, glacial outwash that becomes extremely droughty in summer. The Burlington-Montpelier corridor has a much better soil/climate profile for the tree farming. It'd be swell if you could give me an idea of some acreage prices, I don't mind if I'm ten, fifteen mi. N. or S. of anywhere from I-89. And thanks again.

[vter]

Go to realtor.com and type in the towns mentioned above. Also try Underhill & Jericho. There is an option on their to search land.

[nhyrnut]

This site is real good for house hunting as well. It breaks the counties down into towns, and gives you the home prices. Oh and the tax rate. WWW.NNEREN.COM (broken link) Between the 2 you should be able to find something.