[scamper]

Hi Everyone,
First let me say how excited I am to hear from all of you!! Secondly, let me introduce myself. I am 30 years old, am married with no children (yet!) and 2 small dogs. I am an interior designer & artist. I work both as a designer for a small architectural firm as well as a design educator at an art & design college in Denver. My husband is a social worker. We currently live in Fort Collins Colorado, and are looking to move back East to be closer to famly & friends. (I am originally from Mass. and all my family is scattered around New England-we moved to Colorado for Grad School).

We are looking to move to either Vermont or New Hampshire to start our family. We would love to buy a home in a somewhat rural area with a good amount of property (1+ acre(s)) that is located close the ammenities of a more urban community. We will both need to find new jobs, so oppurtunities for both of our fields are important as well. We would each prefer a commute to work that's under 30 minutes.

Other things that are important to us and our lifestyle include:

- great outdoor activities like skiing, bike riding (trails?), hiking, etc.
- variety of locally owned shops & restaraunts (and breweries!)
- music, art, and various local festivals
- family-friendly communities where we can make new friends our age
- great school systems
- pet-friendly vibe
- good jobs (social work, art, interior design)
- nice people & community with healthy, outgoing, liberal, & optimistic
views on life!

Any advice on where we should be looking would be so greatly appreciated!!!

[vter]

EEK....Vermont sounds exactly like what you are looking for....EXCEPT....jobs. There are some small architect/construction/planning firms around, but not many. Social work....not sure but I'm sure it would be easier than trying to find work in that field vs. architecture.
From the sounds of it you would really need to be near a more urban area (for architecture), Boston for example. In Southern NH you can find what you are looking for, except that NH is not a liberal state and its got a more suburban feel (well south center and SE NH anyway). Have you considered Southern Maine? I would strongly suggest you look into it.
If you do have your heart set on Vermont, you should concentrate on the Burlington area as its the state's largest population/job center. Check out Seven Days | Vermont's Independent Voice for an idea as to what kind of jobs are out there.
Also, you can use google (search Burlington, VT architects) for a list of firms in the Burlington area.

[chaz longue]

vter is correct as usual - you've just described Burlington, although it can indeed be tough to find two suitable jobs at once.

[scamper]

Thanks for the advice vter and chaz longue! In order for the move to take place, we would need to make sure that at least one of us had a job guarunteed beforehand - probably my husband since we will be looking to start a family. We have actually found a few posted that seem pretty good. Is Burlington a good choice for all of the other factors we are considering? Are there any other parts of Vermont that could be a fit as well?

[vter]

Vermont overall is a very rural state. Metro Burlington, as noted above, is the state's largest populaton/job center. Metro Burlington has around 175,000 population or so. The rest of the state is dotted with small towns.
The Upper Valley (White River Junction/Lebanon NH/Hanover NH would be another part of VT/NH that you could check into.

[chaz longue]

Scamper - Don't take my word for it. Check out the threads (there are quite a number of them) on Burlington and see if it doesn't sound like it has exactly what you put on your list.



Best,
David Beckett

[flu189]

Chittenden County (Burlington) fits essentially all the mentioned criteria, but of course there are no guarantees. Employment and cost of living issues could cause you to perhaps tweak certain expectations, but then again you may be very fortunate and land the right work opportunities. Geographically, the surrounding towns of Burlington offer much variety and country to all out rural atmosphere while still putting you in a reasonable commute environment. Research and visits are a must to see if the region is your "spot".