[LoopyLou]

Hi there,
Any thoughts about Springfield, VT? I'm hearing (from realtors & such) that ofo the Vermont towns, its one of the least desirable due to crime, schools and...?? Not too worried about schools as don't have any kids.

I'm also hearing that there are plans in the works to improve the town, but wonder how much of that is hearsay or if its really going to happen.

Anyone on this forum live in Springfield? Seems like a good location for work - e.g: reasonable size and commutable to Lebanon.

Thanks!

[vter]

Don't live in Springfield, but am somewhat familiar with it.
Back in the day, Springfield was the hub of the precision tool manufacturing industry. That industry has since died off and left Springfield - in it's wake, the town has been struggling.
I can't comment on crime there, but I can't imagine it's of the "bad" variety (ie. murders, rapes,etc) as we'd hear about it on the news. Most crime is most likely domestic related and vandalism & convenience store robberies (drug money). If I'm wrong, hopefully someone can chime in with some specifics.
I've found the downtown area to be pretty - neat architecture. The old mills are also neat (beauty is in the eye of the beholder LOL). There is a small shopping plaza and a McDonalds. Claremont NH is across the river a ways and has Walmart, Home Depot etc.
It's within reasonable commute to White River/Lebanon. Chester, just south west of Springfield is a beautiful little town. Check out Windsor and Hartland as well.

[Sporin]

I live in Windsor and commute to Hanover?norwich every day, it's an ideal commute in my opinion, and I'm not sure you'd gain anytihing or save any money going fruther down 91 to Springfiled.

Therefore, I also recommend the Windsor/Hartland area.

[KoZmiC NinJa]

I believe a 'sticky' should be added to the Vermont forum
that would simply explain to all people looking to move to Vt. that
it is breathtakingly beautiful just like the post cards, does have some
crime (drug related, domestic) but most importantly....make sure
you have a decent job lined up *BEFORE* you move here !

[rebuilder]

Lived in Springfield about 5 yrs ago, well, let's put it this way.....if you don't mind hearing ambulance and fire engine sirens all day long......don't need to work.....and aren't looking for much of anything to do......then you might like Springfield, VT.

It used to be a great place back when it was the "machine shop mecca" as I used to work there myself, but now it is like what VTER said about it.

[elevenhounds]

IMO Springfield is past it's prime. It was once a great place (long before my time, I hear) but now it's crap. Honestly. I used to live there (my husband grew up there and his parents still live there). I wouldn't live there again if you paid me.

[sugarmaple]

I think Springfield is beginning to turn around; there are projects like Springfield on the Move....there is now a new rec center, terrific place, beautiful pool and fitness center, some new restaurants have opened, new owners for the movie theatre with some pretty good movies, people are upgrading/rehabbing homes...and you do not have to live in the 'heart' of Springfield, there are side roads, back roads, outskirts.....and there are some good opportunities, real estate wise as well.....

[mackymoo]

I am temporarily living in Springfield at the moment until our house sells. It's a great house but the market is really slow right now. We are moving closer to Brattleboro to be near work. Unfortunetly we are selling our 4 bedroom house on 1 acre for $179,000 when if it was in the Brattleboro area it would go for at least $250,000. So we will have to settle for a lot less when we move.
The schools here are a not bad at all. I never hear sirens. Not much for work but we are 15 min. to Claremont NH and 30 min. to White River, Hanover, Lebanon area. Which all have many work options.
A jail was built here a few years ago bringing lower taxes and jobs.
And NO the inmates don't escape and they don't just get the door let open to the when their time is up. VT is very strick about making sure they all have a case plans in order for when they leave and a place to live before they get out of jail or they don't leave. Corrections screens the home they will live in and all the peoiple living there. My boyfriend and I both work in Corrections so we have lots of knowledge about the criminal system in the VT. If you are interested you can call you local police dept. to find out if you have any sex offenders in your area.
No robberies. Brattleboro has them.
No more vandlism tham the average small town USA.
Springfield has done a lot to improve itself. Especially creating activities for youth, improving schools and community involvement for all citizens.
The new pool and fitness center is great. We have a family membership there. (5 people, 1 month, $59.00!)
There are beautiful back roads surrounding the town that are great places to look for a home.
Let me know if there is anything else you'd like to know.

[zirak_90]

I don't live in Springfield but I don't really know what you all are talking about when you say that it got crimes?

Judging by the crime reports on Springfield's page it seems to be a calm city and it only got 3.5% unemployment.

[arel]

Originally Posted by KoZmiC NinJa

I believe a 'sticky' should be added to the Vermont forum
that would simply explain to all people looking to move to Vt. that
it is breathtakingly beautiful just like the post cards, does have some
crime (drug related, domestic) but most importantly....make sure
you have a decent job lined up *BEFORE* you move here !

Good advice about having a job lined up before you move.

But what if the new job doesn't work out? What if you get laid off? What if you get fired? What if you discover that you hate the job? Then what do you do? If you don't have alternatives you are stuck. To me that is a tremendous nightmare.

One thing about a large city is that there are alternatives - to jobs, to local businesses and even to recreational or other groups. If you don't like one oil company, for example, you can easily defect to another, and that acts as leverage for customer service.

When I lived in Narragansett, Rhode Island, I was asked to wait all day at home for a fuel delivery. I did and no one showed up. When I called and asked about the delivery, I was told that they didn't get around to it. Unfortunately, there was only one other fuel company I could use. I don't remember if I defected or not, but if I had, what would I have done if I got bad service from the second company? Re-defect to the first one? I have always remembered this incident. It is one negative aspect of small town living.

But it not so easy to find a new job or to build a business in a large city. I don't want to give the impression that it is. There is lots of competition for everything.

When I move up to Vermont, my plan is to diversify my income as much as possible. I want to buy property with some rental units. That way I will cover my housing costs, which are reportedly substantial in Vermont (in Brattleboro everything seems pretty expensive, but I'm sure insurance costs are lower than in Brooklyn) and, hopefully, provide income if, for whatever reason, I can't work at a job. Or if I retire. If I want to leave the area and can't or don't want to sell, I can rent out my own unit and have a little more income from the building. So I won't be trapped in an area I don't want to be in.

As you can see, freedom to leave an obnoxious situation is very important to me. I absolutely do not want to be one of those people who move to Vermont for the beauty and the fantasy of Vermont and then find themselves miserable and trapped.

Regarding Springfield, I have never been there, but I have heard some feedback about it. Someone told me to consider moving there, as housing is less expensive than in Brattleboro. Someone who overheard told me later that Springfield is not a desirable place. From what she said, I got the impression that Springfield is a dreary dump. But again, I've never been there and can only report what I was told.