[FrogInTheGlen]

I'm hoping to leave the Seattle area within the next year for somewhere in the New England/mid-Atlantic area. Right now, I have Montpelier and Middlebury on my short list of places to consider, and I was hoping that those of you who know those areas can give me some advice. Here are my questions for right now:

1. What is the overall atmosphere of these towns and their citizens? Would an outsider feel welcome, particularly one who's single without kids?

2. I'm a Christian, and my faith is pretty important to me. Is that kind of thing accepted? I'm not looking for a place where everyone believes the same thing I do; I appreciate all perspectives and beliefs. I just want to know that mine will be accepted, too!

3. I'm not political at all, and what views I do have are best described as moderate. How important are politics in these towns?

4. How safe will I be walking around on my own, both in town and in any surrounding nature areas?

5. What's the transportation situation like? Would I absolutely need a car, or could I get by with walking/public transit? How easy is it to get to the nearest big city?

That should do for now...I might come up with more as I narrow things down. Also, if any of you who are familiar with the area and know of any other towns that you think might be a good fit, given what you now know about me, I'm taking suggestions. Thanks in advance!

[vter]

One question that needs to be asked that you did not address was employment. How do you plan to support yourself?
Montpelier is a town of about 8,000 people and is the state capitol.
Middlebury is a small college town of about 7,000 people.

That being said, I am most familiar with Middlebury.

1. Atmosphere - both towns have small, but fairly vibrant downtowns. Both towns have their movie theater downtown. Both have small restaraunts & shops. As far as an outsider fitting in, you definately would not have a problem in Midd as the college draws people from all over. Can't comment for Montpelier.

2. Religion - People are not overly religious. Yes, folks go to church, but its not a huge part of people's lives like it is in other parts of the country.

3. Politics - Middlebury, because of the college is pretty liberal. You get out into the rural areas and I think you'll find that most folks consider them moderate, though left leaning. Not sure about Montpelier.

4. Safety - Vermont is very safe. Just use your common sense like you would anywhere.

5. You'll want a car. The nearest city? Burlington, our largest "city" is only about 40,000 people, metro area a bit over 150K. Greater Burlington is about 35-45 minutes from Montpelier and an hour from Middlebury. Boston is 3ish hours south of Montpelier. Albany about 2.5 hours from Middlebury, then of course you have Montreal which would be about 2 hours from Montpelier and 2.5 from Middlebury.

These two towns are very small in rural areas. Do you have any experience living in a small town/rural area? It can be quite the culture shock for some-just keep that in mind

[FrogInTheGlen]

Thanks for the answer! In terms of employment, that's up in the air. I'm going to need a job, definitely, but I hate what I'm doing now and would like to try something different. Jobs and housing are two things I'll look at once I narrow my list down a little more.

[vter]

Just keep in mind that in Vermont good, high paying jobs are not in abundance, and housing costs are high. If you can make it work though, I think its a great place to live.