[Sonnenwende]

I was messing around in careerbuilder and saw a job posting for this town. I looked it up with Google maps and it seemed to be pretty small. I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on the town and/or if it has anything going for it economically or culturally.

[harry chickpea]

Historically, St Albans was the big town for farmers in the northwest part of the state and the (Lake Champlain) Islands. The Central Vermont Railroad had a major operations center, shops, and even a foundry there back in the steam days. That drove the town into being a small city. There is still a railroad yard there, and still some farms around the area, but not a whole heck of a lot else. IIRC, some closeted Abenaki indians lived in the immediate area, mingled with people of French Canadian extraction. I think St Albans has a spring maple festival and was the purported source for the b movie "Super Troopers," but has no cultural claim to fame. Economics? Hard to tell. It is almost close enough to Burlington to be a bedroom community, and almost close enough to Canada to benefit from trade differentials, and has an outlying area large enough to almost support a city.

During the 1950s and 1960s things looked bleak for the city, with lots of unemployment. Things have improved somewhat since then, but unless the Abenakis put in a casino, or some other major change happens, it'll never be a "growth" city.

[Sonnenwende]

I saw that it was close to Burlington, but didn't know what the commute would be like. I guess maybe a bit too long by your use of 'almost...a bedroom community'.

Thanks for the information.

[square peg]

I would say Burlington and St. Albans are separated by about 30-40 minutes of interstate driving, depending on the time of day and weather.

I dare say that St. Albans has one of the best looking Main Streets in the state. Possibly the best museum of US history in VT too. No Wal-Mart here (yet). But that day is close at hand. The north end of town (rte 7) is starting to look like it's a done deal. Some of the chain drug stores and supermarkets that tend to follow the big boxes around are already in place. I don't think that Wal-Mart alone will kill the downtown area. Their parasites, to me, are the bigger culprits.

[Missi]

St. Albans is also 1 hour south of Montreal - one of the truly great city of North America. St. Albans Bay and surrounding communities (Georgia, Fairfax) are lovely - rolling hills, lush farmlands, the Lamoille River flowing into the broad lake. A number of Burlingtonians have camps or 2nd homes along the Bay. I spent last night at a Christmas party talking to a friend from Swanton who spent the day duck hunting. He's a lawyer in his 40s who still plays hockey in a men's league. If you appreciate the outdoors, you'll appreciate Vermont.

The downside to relocating to Vermont is that if your job doesn't work out, you may have to up and move again. And, housing costs, even in a bedroom community are high.

Another downside is that if you are single, it can be hard to meet people. Although there is an influx of flatlanders, Vermont is still a small, rural state. Social circles are tightknit groups which often revolve around family.

[Psherryred1]

I live in Ca. now, however I was born in St. Albans. It is a beautiful old railroad city. It was called the Railroad City and at one time there were 200 trains a day that went through. The trains brought a few immigrants too, namely my grandparents the Grodzinskys and the Wainers (Winner). Railroad money really built the city. The place is also full of architectural styles from the Victorian palaces on High Street to the Craftsman on South Main. I think the biggest employer may still be IBM Essex Junction and Fletcher Allen in Winooski/Burlington area all about 30 miles away. If you are self-employed this is even better for the area. Also, the Northwest Medical Center is right in town and they, of course, need registered nurses and physicians. The only and biggest problem is the snow and ice in the winter-but if you're from Germany, it may not bother you. In fact, my German uncle, Fred Weck, relocated there for a while because it reminded him of his country. There are a lot of gentle rolling hills and the landscape is breathtakingly green and carpet-like in the summer and absolutely gorgeous when the maples turn crimson in the fall. Also the area is famous for its' maple syrup and has a maple sugar festival in the spring. Sugar on snow is a famous "dessert." It's made out of maple syrup that has been boiled to taffy state and poured over shaved ice (they used to use fresh snow). It's really delicious and it's served with a dill pickle to cut the sweetness!

[Psherryred1]

I don't know if Walmart is a "done deal" but I've written the St. Albans Messenger and commented on the fact that "What economy would be ruined in St. Albans?" I don't understand those folks, however I DO know that they turned IBM down to locate there in the 50's-60's. I'm not sure why they do this although the area is not all that welcoming to new blood. In short, I've heard people say upon moving there is it's hard to gain acceptance. My grandparents, the Winners, were very well thought of in the community. They were Jewish and so good were they to their neighbors that they were termed "good Christians." So there are exceptions to every rule!

[haddas]

Originally Posted by Psherryred1

I don't know if Walmart is a "done deal" but I've written the St. Albans Messenger and commented on the fact that "What economy would be ruined in St. Albans?" I don't understand those folks, however I DO know that they turned IBM down to locate there in the 50's-60's. I'm not sure why they do this although the area is not all that welcoming to new blood. In short, I've heard people say upon moving there is it's hard to gain acceptance. My grandparents, the Winners, were very well thought of in the community. They were Jewish and so good were they to their neighbors that they were termed "good Christians." So there are exceptions to every rule!

My grandparents were the Winners, too. We are obviously cousins on my father's side. Send me an e-mail with more information about yourself.
Haddas