[DaveWroteThis]

Hi there... We have not yet visited Vermont, planning a trip for early June of 09. So, simply going by realtor.com searches we've noticed that Milton is very affordable. Please correct me if I'm wrong. If it is in fact as affordable as I see online, is there a reason why? Is Milton less desireable than other locations close to Burlington? Within two years we want to move our family of 4 to a very liberal place. We want 10+ acres with 3+ beds within 30 minutes of Burlington. Charlotte appears much more expensive. East of Burlington seems higher than Milton as well. Can anyone give me the lowdown on where we'll find what we're looking for? Our maximum price range is $350,000. Any reccomendations? After years in rural Minnesota, Nebraska, Dallas, and central Colorado, we'd really like to surround ourselves with like-minded folks.... With teeth...

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by DaveWroteThis

Hi there... We have not yet visited Vermont, planning a trip for early June of 09. So, simply going by realtor.com searches we've noticed that Milton is very affordable.

Something about Milton that caught my attention:
Junkyard Dog | Seven Days

[vter]

I don't know much about Milton except that it has a "reputation" of sorts....not a bad one though...just not great. It's a fairly fast-growing town (by Vermont standards. There is no real town center although town officials are working toward having one developed somehow. There is a poster who posts here occassionally that lives in Milton, so hopefully he/she will chime in.
Just as an FYI, there is plenty of rural poor here in Vermont (commenting on your no teeth comment). AND not everyone here are liberal either, like the media leads the rest of America to believe (we currently have a popular Republican governor), though politics in general certainly lean more left than right.
Is it possible to come visit to scout out areas and spend some time here? Thats the only way you'll know if it'll be a good fit for you.

[DaveWroteThis]

Yup, we're coming in June. Just want to use our time as efficiently as possible, ya know? We don't want to check out areas that just won't work for us. I hear ya on the rural folk. Now, we live 30 miles from any town. Does the "liberal" reputation apply only to the "urban" (yeah, I know) areas? I looked up voting results on Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed, link removed and found that things do in fact become more conservative the more rural you get in VT. That's just common sense I suppose. But, consider where we've spent our lives. MN, NE, TX, CO. I assume a VT conservative is equal to a bread-basket liberal. Just an assumption. I could be totally wrong and let's not let this turn into a political conversation. I'm just trying to find a little spot that will make US happy. I don't care what other's politics are, I just want to find people that mesh with us... We keep trying to force friendships with people we have nothing in common with. It doesn't work. Our latest "friend" gave me a death threat (literally, phone and IN WRITING) because (I'm serious) I'm "too nice." This is a guy who eats road kill (again, for real). We also have two school age children and want to make sure the school district is at least decent. Holy crap, I rambled. Anyway, any locales near Burlington sound perfect for us?

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by DaveWroteThis

Yup, we're coming in June. Just want to use our time as efficiently as possible, ya know? We don't want to check out areas that just won't work for us. I hear ya on the rural folk. Now, we live 30 miles from any town. Does the "liberal" reputation apply only to the "urban" (yeah, I know) areas? I looked up voting results on Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed, link removed and found that things do in fact become more conservative the more rural you get in VT. That's just common sense I suppose. But, consider where we've spent our lives. MN, NE, TX, CO. I assume a VT conservative is equal to a bread-basket liberal. Just an assumption. I could be totally wrong and let's not let this turn into a political conversation. I'm just trying to find a little spot that will make US happy. I don't care what other's politics are, I just want to find people that mesh with us... We keep trying to force friendships with people we have nothing in common with. It doesn't work. Our latest "friend" gave me a death threat (literally, phone and IN WRITING) because (I'm serious) I'm "too nice." This is a guy who eats road kill (again, for real). We also have two school age children and want to make sure the school district is at least decent. Holy crap, I rambled. Anyway, any locales near Burlington sound perfect for us?

If I had kids and I was looking for ten acres plus I'd look in Hinesburg or rural Williston, if you can afford them. They're priced somewhere in between Milton and Charlotte. If you didn't have kids I'd say Milton would be ok, but since you do I'd look elsewhere.

[vter]

I was going to suggest HInesburg as well. Also check out Richmond, Jericho, and Underhill.

[DaveWroteThis]

I don't want you to get the wrong idea about how I feel about rural and poor people... So here's a disclaimer: I have nothing against rural people, I am one. I have nothing against poor people, I was one. We just want to live where the majority of people have a thought deeper than what to order on the dollar menu. That said, thanks alot! Not sure I've looked into Hinesburg, but that Jericho area looked a little too rich for us considering the property we're looking for. What's life like on the Island?

[vter]

Keep in mind when looking at properties to take into account what the property taxes are/will be and add those into your budget....they are on the high side (to say the least!) here!

[radioclown]

If you have kids, stay out of the Milton School District. Don't get me wrong, the teachers are fantastic but it usually takes four tries for the budget to pass. Because of this, quite a few good teachers are leaving the district and moving on to places like South Burlington, Burlington, etc.

[Alt Dach]

Originally Posted by DaveWroteThis

Hi there... We have not yet visited Vermont, planning a trip for early June of 09. So, simply going by realtor.com searches we've noticed that Milton is very affordable. Please correct me if I'm wrong. If it is in fact as affordable as I see online, is there a reason why? Is Milton less desireable than other locations close to Burlington? Within two years we want to move our family of 4 to a very liberal place. We want 10+ acres with 3+ beds within 30 minutes of Burlington. Charlotte appears much more expensive. East of Burlington seems higher than Milton as well. Can anyone give me the lowdown on where we'll find what we're looking for? Our maximum price range is $350,000. Any reccomendations? After years in rural Minnesota, Nebraska, Dallas, and central Colorado, we'd really like to surround ourselves with like-minded folks.... With teeth...

Really Burlington is more yuppy than liberal,think Boulder only colder.