[g-bus]

Hello,
My girlfriend and I are strongly considering moving to VT this coming summer from Harrisonburg VA. We originally were looking to move to the Burlington area, but I think we'll probably have to end up being a little further out to fit our budget, but hopefully within an hour tops. We definitely want privacy and want to be able to have at least a few acres, or a lot that backs up to common/forested land. However I don't really want to be too far out from basic shopping needs (grocery, hardware, restaurants, bar, etc). The closer to the slopes I am the better, as well as mountain biking trails. We're pretty low in the budget range (especially since I don't think we'll be getting much for our current house) but would like a relatively new place, or may try to have a small place built. I'm in the process of finishing up my teaching licensure in art, but would also probably be happy working at a ski resort, at least part time, and will probably try to do some freelance graphic design work as well. So a place with possible jobs in education or art would be good, and just more art in general would be really good. My girlfriend would probably be looking at a job in archaeology or historic preservation, but is open to other ideas. So yeah, with our possible job situations it might be tough. We're going to be visiting some of my GF's family in Plattsburgh later this month and plan to come over to VT to get an idea of what some of the areas are like, but probably won't have a lot of time (and I know winter isn't the best time to check out real estate, but at least we'll get a feel for what the winters are like up there). Waterbury seems to be a good option, as well as some places closer to Stowe and Sugarbush. If anyone has any suggestions of areas to looke into I would greatly appreciate any input. Thanks a lot.

[vter]

Jobs will be your biggest obstacle. Due to the economy, many places are cutting jobs and/or putting on hiring freezes. I can't imagine a lot of jobs in historic preservation. Education/art jobs? Not quite sure about that either. You can probably get a ski resort job, but be forwarned the ski resort jobs arent the best paying jobs out there.
What exactly is your budget for housing? You can probably find what you are looking for within an hour of Burlington, but a fairly new house with acerage will cost you...most likely 250K plus. You can find cheaper properties than that, but the house will generally be a fixer. In your budget you also need to remember to take into account property taxes (which can be high depending on where you are) and heating costs, which can be a huge expense.
How nearby do you want shops/services? I live within an hour from Burlington and the hardware/restaurants/grocery stores etc are 10 ish miles away. We do have a small general store with gas pumps for the basics a couple miles away.
Please do tons of research and don't come with rose colored glasses like many seem to do, only to turn around and leave disappointed.

[mustmove]

Originally Posted by vter

Please do tons of research and don't come with rose colored glasses like many seem to do, only to turn around and leave disappointed.

+1. Yes you must pre-embrace the suck. Or adjust rapidly. On the other hand it is gorgeous, laidback(productivity is scorned, mediocrity rewarded), liberal as can be, and darn pretty.

[flu189]

Do your research and know yourself. Understand that right now times are tough all over and especially here in Vermont every day more and more people are competing for minimal wage jobs. The romantic notion of living off the land or having a small house which you can afford may work, but then again when the other bills of life come due it may not. I live in Hinesburg right on the Huntington town line and it's great for nature and close proximity to skiing or whatever else outdoor activity you may desire. It also works for me as it is within reasonable commuting distance to the general Burlington area. The problem is that with rising costs across the board, taxes, etc, I work more hours now than I ever have before (well, except when I was active duty military, but then at least I had 30 days of leave a year) and the only thing that keeps me afloat at the moment is that I get to work all the holidays and even get overtime on occasion to boot. Without this I would be in much more serious shape. The truth is that you must either have a very good job, good cash on hand, or a very good pension, otherwise you may very well be very disillusioned when you find out that all the goodies of living here are either unobtainable due to cost or time to be able to savor them.

[Summerz]

You might want to keep in mind short summers. long winters, heating bills.

[g-bus]

I've done quite a bit of research on moving to VT, so I am at least a little bit aware of what we'd be looking at. The winters are a bit of a concern, but at the same time are part of the reason we're interested in moving there. Snowboarding here in VA is a joke. I know anywhere on the east coast is going to be a bit icy, but Vermont does have a good concentration of resorts in a fairly small area. The snow might not be the best powder, but at least there's a lot of it. However the extended, gray, bitter-cold winters might take some getting used to. We both looooooove snow, but we've never had to live with copious amounts of it for long periods of time (I don't think we've had anything more than about 6-8 inches since '96) The shorter mountain biking season will be rough, but the riding up there looks amazing, and the longer snowboarding season will help make up for it. We're both from Northern VA (suburbs of DC) so we are no strangers to high cost of living, which is part of the reason we got out of there (that and the traffic, development, crappy people, etc). We just really want to get out of VA and discover some of the rest of the country. VT seems to have so much to offer, but I do realize that a lot of the places we can afford to live (assuming we can find jobs) may be a bit more rural that we are looking for. So how long did it take some of you transplants to adjust to the cold? Thanks for all the input. I know you're probably all sick of getting the same questions over and over again.
-Greg

[flu189]

Questions are great and from the responses you can probably glean some sort of impression. No surprise that winter can seem to be the dominent season especially now as we appraoch the shortest day of the year with several months to go. At the moment it is 4 degrees and snowing. We should get a foot where I am at and then on Sunday maybe yet another foot. While some winters may have less snow than others, once you get any elevation it always seems to plentiful. Adjusting to winter coming here was not an issue for me as I came from Ak after spending 22 years there. However, despite liking to get out and snowshoe and X-cty ski I am looking forward to eventually moving further south to perhaps knock a few months of winter off. I really enjoy to hike and would like a milder spring and longer fall season, hence I have been eyeing locations in Va. As far as ski areas go here in Vt, there are a few in proximity to each other, but they exist from the southern edge all the way north to almost the Canada border so it's like a 170 mile swath along the Green Mountain range.

[LisaMc46]

So how long did it take some of you transplants to adjust to the cold?

The key to adjusting to the cold is getting yourself a nice,warm jacket. You don't have to spend a fortune, a jacket from Lands End or L.L. Bean will last for a decade and most of their stuff is temperature-rated to 5 to 10 degrees. You'll also want to buy lots of fleece or flannel tops and a pair of good-quality boots.

Still, you get used to it to some degree. I used to think that 20 degrees was cold when I lived in N.J. Now, I take my dogs out to do their business in 20-degree weather without wearing a jacket. However, once it dips into the single digits it can be really uncomfortable, especially if it's windy.

The worst is in February (statistically the coldest month in Vermont). There are some mornings where little icy pellets blow around and sting your skin and the air is so cold the hair inside of your nose freezes.

You'll want to make sure the house you rent or buy is well insulated so you can be comfortable without spending too much on heating fuel. And a wood stove would be a plus.

Lisa

[edkop]

I read this forum like its my job. It seems so many people want to move to Vermont, that by the time I get to move up there it might be the most populated state in the nation. lol...

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by g-bus

So how long did it take some of you transplants to adjust to the cold?

I'm a Miami Beach native born to Miami Beach natives. But my Russian ancestry must be stronger than my upbringing because when I moved to Northern New England in 1988, I had a much harder time in the sticky summers with minimal air conditioning than I ever did with winter.

The hard part of winter for me is when it gets dark sooo early, like it is now. As soon as I notice the days start getting longer, say in late January and into February, my spirits rise. I love cold, bright winter days.

I also agree that on days when temp dips into the single digits and the wind whips, it just feels darned insulting.