Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Vermont
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 08-29-2017, 04:23 PM
 
312 posts, read 351,588 times
Reputation: 322

Advertisements

This is going to sound like a stupid question...

This is what I've been looking for: I want to live somewhere (at least for awhile, but maybe forever) where you can be really walk-out-your-front-door-and-get-hit-in-the-face-with-nature close to nature. I read about cities like Denver and Seattle with "outdoor lifestyles," but which generally seem to mean planned parks in the middle of the city or drives into the mountains or foothills. I want to be able to walk out my door (or driveway) and be "in nature." I want my kids to be able to walk in the woods without having to get in a car to do it. I want them to be able to play in creeks and find a frog or two (as God as my witness, I have not seen one single frog since we've lived in Virginia).

Is this Vermont? And, if so, which part(s)?

And, if not, anybody know where this place might be? ( )
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 08-29-2017, 06:23 PM
 
Location: The Woods
18,332 posts, read 26,355,074 times
Reputation: 11328
You described VT outside of the urban parts. Some parts are wilder than others (i.e., Essex County is heavily forested vs Addison County's farmland and forest mixture).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-29-2017, 06:24 PM
 
Location: Venus
5,836 posts, read 5,221,872 times
Reputation: 10688
When I first moved to Vermont, I lived on a mountain and only saw ONE house from my window-it was actually on the same property owned by the same person. All around me was woods except the dirt road. For some strange reason, I never saw deer in my yard but I knew they must have been around there-since there were old crab apple trees growing and I'm sure they loved them. Someone told me they once saw a bear about a half mile from the house. Again, I never saw them. I would say that was being hit in the face with nature when I walked out my front door.

I now live in the village.




Cat
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-29-2017, 06:27 PM
 
1,078 posts, read 928,106 times
Reputation: 2867
If that's what you want I honestly recommend Anchorage, Alaska. All the big city amenities but many properties in town back up to greenbelt and state park, not to mention numerous outdoor amenities. I enjoy found anything comparable through New England in terms of a mix of commerce and wilderness. It's pretty unique and the climate is quite good compared to further inland in Alaska (which is much colder) and further south in Alaska (which is much more gray).

We lived within walking distance of places like Fred Meyer, the post office, and library, but my kids could also play in the forest in our backyard and see moose, voles, etc on the hillside there. Just amazing.

If you're thinking outside the box that's what I recommend
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-29-2017, 07:06 PM
 
23,511 posts, read 69,899,087 times
Reputation: 48860
There are plenty of places around the country where that is possible. Before the interstate was built I used to be able to walk out the back door of my parent's house in central Vermont and could have walked for miles in forest. Houses on or near the state forests are obvious possibilities.

Where I live in Alabama, I have a creek in my back yard and constant frogs and skinks (the lizard, not misspelled skunk). Nature in not only in my face, it keeps trying to take over.

The usual caveats apply for anyone thinking of such a place:

If you can go to wildlife easily, it can come to you just as easily. That includes skunks, bear, moose in rut, coyotes, raccoons which may or may not be rabid, and loads of ticks and chiggers.

Gardens and flowerbeds are at risk.

Not only animals are in woods. Snowmobilers, four-wheelers, and hunters are there as well.

Crime does happen in rural areas, and drug making and activities are a fact of life.

Shoveling snow off a 30' suburban drive is a whole lot different than a 200' driveway leading to a secondary county road.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-29-2017, 07:11 PM
 
312 posts, read 351,588 times
Reputation: 322
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schmooky View Post
If that's what you want I honestly recommend Anchorage, Alaska. All the big city amenities but many properties in town back up to greenbelt and state park, not to mention numerous outdoor amenities. I enjoy found anything comparable through New England in terms of a mix of commerce and wilderness. It's pretty unique and the climate is quite good compared to further inland in Alaska (which is much colder) and further south in Alaska (which is much more gray).

We lived within walking distance of places like Fred Meyer, the post office, and library, but my kids could also play in the forest in our backyard and see moose, voles, etc on the hillside there. Just amazing.

If you're thinking outside the box that's what I recommend
I visited Alaska (including Anchorage) years ago before I was married and loved it. My kids would like to be closer to our families, though, in upstate NY and CT. If it weren't for that, I'd definitely be willing to give AK a try! My favorite trip ever.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-29-2017, 08:01 PM
 
809 posts, read 991,422 times
Reputation: 1380
You can be as close to nature in Vermont as you want. One family I knew built their house a quarter-mile off the road and lived there for decades, with only a footpath through the woods (about four square miles). They never had a problem with ticks, but they used a lot of bug spray for the flies of the season. Never had to shovel! Snowshoeing in and out a few times give them a path as flat and durable as a concrete sidewalk. $1200 gave them a solar system to power the water pump; they had a grey water system and an outhouse. The wood stove provided heat and hot water, and propane lamps gave the atmosphere of a high-priced restaurant's lighting. Bear, deer, raccoons, foxes, turkeys, quail grouse, the usual variety of birds. They got used to the bow, muzzle-loader and rifle hunters knocking on the door. Never had a problem with crime, but the dog could not leave the porcupines alone. Helpful hint: Snip off the end of the quill, and the barbs will retract, making it easy to pull them out.

Cross-country skiing was a little risky because of the downhills with all the trees; snowshoeing was great for fitness-- 18 calories a minute, and scenery to die for!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-29-2017, 08:30 PM
 
Location: Østenfor sol og vestenfor måne
17,919 posts, read 24,172,210 times
Reputation: 39020
Definitely available in Vermont. new York and the rest of New England, too. And Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, California, Oregon, Washington, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, etc.

Basically, if a state is well forested, there are properties in said forest. The problem is, if there are jobs the properties tend to be expensive and if the properties are cheap, there are no jobs.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-30-2017, 06:08 AM
 
Location: Western views of Mansfield/Camels Hump!
2,060 posts, read 3,941,797 times
Reputation: 1265
We live in on ten acres in Waterbury Center. I've got a fox family with a den on our property (and they eat all my raspberries right as they ripen). Tons of deer (who dine on my fruit trees and veggie garden). And we have a 'local' bear. I have trails running from my property that meet up with other trails nearby. I can go days without seeing a person if I want. But we are also about 10 minutes from town, including all the amenities we need.

it is definitely doable. Probably harder to find Burlington, Montpelier, Brattleboro, etc....though I'm sure if you were 10 minutes outside of those places it's more than possible.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-30-2017, 12:54 PM
 
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,940 posts, read 36,707,217 times
Reputation: 40634
Most of it fits this, and nature seems to be reclaiming more and more.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Vermont
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top