[arel]

I would guess that Burlington is a better choice for you. For one thing, there is the airport. You wrote that your husband needs a nearby airport for work. You are not really near an airport in Brattleboro. Secondly, if you want to take your child to NYC for acting opportunities, you can fly there in an hour. (Well, the flight itself is an hour, but you have to get to the airport 2 hours before your flight and, once in NYC, you have to travel from Queens to Manhattan.)

I looked at the airport's website, though, and it only offers relative short flights, to NYC, Washington, Plattsburg, Cleveland, etc. It calls itself Burlington International Airport, but I did not see any international flights on the schedule. But at least its flights will take to you to more major cities where you can change planes.

By the way, I drive between Brooklyn, NY and Brattleboro and the trip is way more than 3 hours. It is more like 4 1/2 to 5 hours. But once I get to the NYC border it is still about an hour to get home. Probably it's a shorter trip if you are driving straight into Manhattan. (I bypass Manhattan and go through Queens.)

Finally, I would imagine, although I do not know, that Burlington has better facilities for your autistic child. It is a city and there is a major university there. I recommend you call the University and ask about autism research and/or services in Burlington.

On the other hand, Brattleboro does not have the University of Vermont, but it does have the School of International Training and, about an hour south on I-91, the University of Massachusetts, Smith College, Hampshire College and some other well-regarded schools. An hour north on I-91 is Dartmouth College and the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. You might be 45 minutes to an hour away, but there are schools, universities, hospitals and probably autism resources.

So if your preference is still Brattleboro, you will not be out of the university and hospital loop if you don't want to be.

But for the needs you have described, a city might be a better choice than a relatively small town, if only for the airport.

Good luck!

[giselle]

Thanks Arel. Your points are well taken. We will probably go up in the spring to scout both areas, but it seems like Burlington has more of what we are looking for. I'm really looking forward to checking out the surrounding areas to get more of an idea.

[chionactis]

I'd vote for Burlington for sure if I had to choose.
I like it for the city feel. Better shopping, too. You are closer to more ski areas. I am biased towards northern and north central VT because I have good memories of places in that region. I do not like Brattleboro as it is way way too liberal for my liking.

[arel]

What do you mean by "liberal"? Do you mean "liberal" as in left-of-center politics, or "liberal" as in permissive? Or both.

Brattleboro is very liberal in both ways. When I read editorials in the local paper I feel almost like I am back in college. Very left-of-center politics, and also very permissive and tolerant attitudes.

Down on Main Street, there is a bridge to New Hampshire. So, if necessary, a conservative break is 5 minutes away.

[flu189]

Definately Burlington area. Plenty of rural towns within short commute and traffic really is not an issue up here. Just be prepared to write several checks to keep our programs funded. The property transfer tax and no eligibility for prebate on your first year property taxes (assuming you are buying vs renting). I really like it here, but am keeping a Plan B option on the table over the next few years.

[Mustard]

Actually when we flew from NYC to Burlington on JetBlue we showed up (unintentionally) 10 minutes in advance with no problem because JetBlue allows you check-in a day in advance and print out your boarding pass. And coming back flying from Burlington, the airport there is so nice that it was a breeze -- no crowds, relaxed, easy parking.

The flight itself is one of those that by the time you reach altitude it is about time to start coming down again.

[giselle]

If you fly into NY, how easy is it to get into Manhattan? I.E. If we had to get from Burlington in the morning to make a 1 p.m. appt. in Manhattan, is that doable?

Also, on another topic (sorry), I was investigating real estate in Charlotte and was hard pressed to find anything below 300k. I have only looked online so far. Is Charlotte that exclusive??!!!

[flu189]

Charlotte and Shelburne are south of Burlington on US 7. As the saying goes, location, location, location! The city is to the north, nice communities, Lake Champlain on the west, the mountains to the east. 300k in this area will not buy what you want as it would in many other places in the US. As mentioned earlier, be prepared to pay and then pay some more. Keep in mind your first year will have a whopping property tax and property transfer tax. To get a good feel for the homes in the area you really need be "boots on the ground" as I found out when I got here. The selection is limited depending on what features you desire. For me it was having land in a rural setting, but within 20 to 30 minutes commute to the Burlington area. Several of my colleagues have extensive commutes and for me that just would not be pleasant 90% of the time, not to mention the expense of fuel and wear and tear. Another factor to be aware of is potential costs to fix defects. I bought a home that was only fours old and after a year several defects surfaced that needed attention which added to the overall costs.

[vter]

I believe there is an early morning JetBlue flight leaving BTV (6ish am) so I would think you could definately be in Manhattan by 1.
As flu mentioned above, Charlotte is one of Vermont's most expensive communities to buy real estate in. Any particular reason you were looking at Charlotte. I really like Hinesburg, just to the east, and is a bit more affordable. Richmond, Jericho & Underhill are other options.

[nhyrnut]

Originally Posted by vter

I believe there is an early morning JetBlue flight leaving BTV (6ish am) so I would think you could definately be in Manhattan by 1.
As flu mentioned above, Charlotte is one of Vermont's most expensive communities to buy real estate in. Any particular reason you were looking at Charlotte. I really like Hinesburg, just to the east, and is a bit more affordable. Richmond, Jericho & Underhill are other options.

Jerico is nice. Isn't there a couple of decent sized horse ranches there? That is a nice area of the state.