[arel]

What is the crime situation in Bratleboro? What about the rest of southern Vermont? What about the rest of Vermont?

I have been told (by a local realtor) that the murder rate is so low that a murder will be front page news until the purp is put away.

I have also read of several armed robberies in town.

And now I have read a post from someone who does not want to move to Brattleboro because of the high rape rate. The rate was reported in City-Data. I just checked it. Its 2005 rape rate (per 100,000 population) was higher than that for New York City!

Can anyone shed light on this? Does anyone know if this rate is correct? Does anyone know (or can give an educated guess) the extent to which the rapes are stranger rapes, acquaintance rapes or domestic violence rapes? Also, since the actual number of rapes is very low, and the population is small, does this somehow skew the perception of the numbers?

I am aware that Vermont, like everywhere else, has a big probelm with domestic violence.

Also, the reported rape rate may be only a fraction of the actual rapes, considering what women are put through when they report a rape.

Also, how good are the Brattleboro police? I have read there have been problems, especially in the area of race relations.

[sbohandley]

Southern Vermont has a very low crime rate. If I were going to move here I would not choose Brattleboro as it is run down and overpriced. I would choose some of the surrounding area's such as Dummerston, Putney, Guilford ect. In these communities many don't lock their doors. As far as RAPE goes. yes it is higher than New York, but still below the national average. Contrary to what most people think New York is actually a very safe compared to many large cities in the nation. Rudy Guillianni cleaned the place up. Brattleboro only had three RAPE'S which may not be what you are even thinking and could also be defined as something as simple as someone "copping a feel". Bear in mind these are just statistics and don't tell the true story of an area. As far as robberies go they are just the odd desperate junkie and I don't think I have heard of any acts of violence accompanying it.
As far as the Brattleboro police are concerned, I am sure they have their problems, but I think they are a better department than the County Sheriff.

[greycella]

Murders occur in Brattleboro (and the surrounding Windham County) at a rate of less than one per year. I'm 23 and was raised in this area, and can count the number of murders in Brattleboro in my lifetime on my fingers. As for the above reply about Brattleboro being run-down and overpriced- that does seem to be the position of people who live in the more rural and outlying towns. But to most folks relocating from elsewhere on the east coast it would seem affordable and a very nice small town.

About the rape rate, I walk around Brattleboro at night and feel perfectly safe. My understanding is that the rape rate in NYC is relatively low because the odds of such an act being committed without a witness isn't good. Brattleboro IS fairly deserted at night, so like anywhere else, it's good if you're a woman walking alone to be on your guard and aware of your surroundings.

But overall, the only crime that is committed here with any frequency would be DUIs. That's what the police blotter is always full of.

[MRVphotog]

If the rate is measured per 100,000 than the fact that Bratt has probably 12,000(?) in pop. means that the comparison is not in real terms comparable. Simply multiplying the number of rapes to get to the 100,000 will greatly skew the real picture.

Saying as result of this that Bratt is not as safe as NYC is rediculous. I nor my wife have any qualms about walking aound Bratt at night but doing the same in many parts of NYC, no way Jose.

There was a murder in Westminister awhile back, using the per 100,000 sample of am sure statistically they would have a very high rate. It's smaller than Putney, just down the road. Murder can happen anywhere, relying on these kind of stats give a very warped picture

[csalkows]

arel, I've scanned many of your previous posts. I'm quite interested to find out if you completed your move to vermont, and if so, how was the experience.

I too, dream of relocated to vermont to escape the oppressive heat and crime of the Texas coast.

[arel]

No, I'm still in Brooklyn. And still thinking of moving to Vermont. And still struggling with the idea.

Still afraid of the Vermont economy. Still worrying about low incomes and a cost of living almost as high as in NYC. Still worrying how I'd get a cat to an emergency vet in the middle of the night in the middle of the winter. Still getting anxious when I think about giving up what is comfortably familiar. Still worrying about disrupting my cats' lives. Still worrying about the effect of moving on one cat's diabetes.

Still holding back on developing a private practice in New York because I don't know when I will pick up and move to Vermont.

Still making list after list of why I want to move, why Brattleboro is a good place for me, what I would be giving up in New York.

Still thinking and writing, posting on the forum and journaling in private. Still talking to friends. Still obsessing and escaping from obsessing. Still holding back out of inertia and anxiety. Still researching.

Still in a holding pattern.

Still working on it? Or still stuck? Or both? Or neither?

Still trying to decide.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Still up late.

[GypsySoul22]

Arel,
I have about 5 panic attacks (not real ones but...) a day since we are moving so soon.
Part of me thinks it's nuts, but the other part says you have to try something.
I would not plop myself in the middle of any state without jobs, but hopefully we can get something in NH.

I'm going to summon up my courage and go for it. (keep telling yourself this).
You have a profession, and I think you will be fine.

[arel]

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

Still up late.

Yup. Still up late.

Actually, I work a lot in the evening, so often I don't have to get up early in the morning. So I often do stuff at home late at night, such as go online.

Being a therapist, I'd probably be working a lot in the evening up in Vermont, too. So I don't have to worry about the town closing down. But I do have to worry about the drive home, if I have to deal with dark, icy roads.

[arel]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

Arel,
I have about 5 panic attacks (not real ones but...) a day since we are moving so soon.
Part of me thinks it's nuts, but the other part says you have to try something.
I would not plop myself in the middle of any state without jobs, but hopefully we can get something in NH.

I'm going to summon up my courage and go for it. (keep telling yourself this).
You have a profession, and I think you will be fine.

I hope so.

Logically, moving is a no-brainer. But it's the psychological stuff that is holding me back right now. I could wait until house prices go up, but they would go up in Vermont, too. Or the economy could crash altogether.

My fear is making the move, seeing it was a mistake, wanting to go home and being unable to.

Sometimes I feel ready to go. Other times I get a knot in my stomach when I think of leaving. I have spoken to some realtors, but I haven't committed myself. Actually, the realtor who lives across the street from me says it's not a good time to sell now. I have spoken to a couple of others, and I just had a gut sense that I didn't want to trust them.

My plan is Brattleboro. Plan B is Burlington. Plan C? I don't know. Returning to Brooklyn is Plan Z.

Once I'm out of here, I probably won't want to return. I'll be in a different place, figuratively as well as literally. And if I do return, I'll want a smaller, easier-to-manage living space.

So here I am, acting as if my life is somehow on hold, and not making the move I am on hold in preparation for.

So my first order of business should be: Make a decision. Sell the house and move to Vermont. Or stay in Brooklyn, get a better job and build a private practice.

Well, I could do both, somehow, or I could develop work that I can take with me to Vermont.