[ranchero]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

Thank you for the compliment.

Can you share the photos of the house? I already own, so your house is safe with me

If there's an address, I might be able to give you a better idea of what that part of Chester is like. Chester is 50 sq miles, so it covers a lot of ground. Feel free to ask. I'm happy to help if possible.

OhBeeHave,
Trying to quote here, hope it works out....I think I'll send my son up there to check it out before I reveal its location, just because I fear someone discouraging me. I want to keep my dream a little longer...But it is in town. Thanks so much for the offer of help! If he gives it the thumbs up I may well seek out your opinion.
And thanks to all about the ski culture vs. Bible belt comments. In any case, I'd much rather ride a ski lift than a church van.

[catfeet]

I'm in Bellows Falls, which is about 20 minutes S/E of Chester. It's not a culture of winter sports here unless you are right _at_ one of the ski mountains. I do ski, but I've never done so here, and I'm a NYer who transplanted 10 years ago. We commute to both Brat & Waterbury daily right now. We're looking at moving in a more northerly direction so's we cut my drive. Though, I do warn you, there can be excessive churchgoing here too, it's just a little more hidden...

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by cbags

Ranchero,

I grew up in the Bible belt - a small town in Western NC. Frankly, I couldn't wait to get out of there because of the close-minded mentality.

When I got my dream job in a tiny town in Vermont, I was very nervous about living in a small town again. I have to say, all my worry was for nothing. I've met wonderful, educated and open minded people here who are warm and not judgmental. The winter sports influence is not at all like the religious influence in the south. I don't ski at all and no one has ever given me a hard time about it.

I live between Chester and Ludlow. Both are great towns and it is breathtakingly beautiful. There is a great theatre in local village Weston as well, with a lot of ties to famous local residents like Tim Daly and The Lloyd family (Christopher-aka Doc Brown-, his brother Sam and nephew Sam Jr., who plays Ted on Scrubs.) Jennifer Connelly and her husband Paul Bettany also have a home in Weston. The Playhouse hires folks for the summer season and also has many volunteers- it's a great way to get involved locally.

My emotional adjustment to this area was almost nonexistent, though I still have a lot to learn about living in this kind of weather. I'm not used to driving in this, and eventually broke down and bought a Subaru. Some folks swear that you'll be fine with good snow tires on a front wheel drive, but I just feel safer in my outback. (Plus, my Camry would never make it up my steep driveway.) People here are great and very helpful. To me, it's all the benefits of a small town without the judgment I was used to in the south. You do have to plan ahead- stores close early and the modern conveniences are not available. You have to drive further distances for shopping and entertainment - one thing I miss is a nearby movie theatre! Travel will take longer if your family is a flight away since there isn't really a close airport. But if you like being at home, cozying up by the fire with a good book or your favorite movie, then walking outside to fresh air and beautiful scenery, this is the place for you.

Hope that helps!
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]

Great post

Perhaps we've passed each other in Singletons or at Crows Corner?

Have you gone to the Bellows Falls Opera House -- they run movies there Friday - Tuesday. Tuesday is bargain night - $2.50. First run movies and inexpensive concession stand

[cbags]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

Great post

Perhaps we've passed each other in Singletons or at Crows Corner?

Have you gone to the Bellows Falls Opera House -- they run movies there Friday - Tuesday. Tuesday is bargain night - $2.50. First run movies and inexpensive concession stand

Thanks OhBeeHave!

Very possible! My techincal town is Proctorsville, though I live very close to the "Welcome to Chester" sign. LOVE the bread at Crows Corner. So good.

You're the second person to tell me about the Bellow's Falls Opera House. I'll have to check that out. Right now my husband and I usually go to Claremont, NH for movies and basic grocery shopping. Shaws and Singletons can get expensive! Is there a good grocery store in Chester?

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by ranchero

OhBeeHave,
Trying to quote here, hope it works out....I think I'll send my son up there to check it out before I reveal its location, just because I fear someone discouraging me. I want to keep my dream a little longer...But it is in town. Thanks so much for the offer of help! If he gives it the thumbs up I may well seek out your opinion.
And thanks to all about the ski culture vs. Bible belt comments. In any case, I'd much rather ride a ski lift than a church van.

Good luck I hope it proves worthwhile for you

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by cbags

Thanks OhBeeHave!

Very possible! My techincal town is Proctorsville, though I live very close to the "Welcome to Chester" sign. LOVE the bread at Crows Corner. So good.

You're the second person to tell me about the Bellow's Falls Opera House. I'll have to check that out. Right now my husband and I usually go to Claremont, NH for movies and basic grocery shopping. Shaws and Singletons can get expensive! Is there a good grocery store in Chester?

The Opera House reminds me of old movie theatres -- there is even a balcony. Tickets are $4; bargain night is $2.50. They offer a 'triple up' bargain at the concession stand $3.75 buys you a soda, popcorn and candy. Water is free. There are 4 of us so on a regular night we spend $23.50 for a night out with treats. Sometimes we stop at Fat Franks before the show instead of buying goodies.

Crows Corner: The jalapeno cheddar bread is a favorite of mine.

Singelton's is pricey -- no doubt about it -- but their bacon is sooo yummy. As I've mentioned earlier my time is split between VT and NY, so I tend to have everyone in NY asking me to bring home Singleton's bacon. With a nod to my PT status, I tend to buy mostly non perishables at Shaws, so I coupon and stock up on sale items.

I spend more time in VT when school's not in session, so I do a lot of produce shopping at the Bellows Falls, West River and Chester Farmers Markets during the spring and summer.

Lisai's Market in Chester Depot has a good butcher counter and often has some reasonable meat sales. It's a small grocery but I find it has many things I might need to save me the trip into Springfield.

We head into Claremont about several times a year; I'm over on the Andover border off 11 so it's a bit of a ride for me. If I am only up for the weekend, I don't want to spend too much time driving elsewhere. I want to enjoy my beloved Chester!

[ranchero]

Cbags,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I also would miss movies at the movie theater, especially foreign films. I guess I could invest in something bigger than a 19 inch TV and join netflix. And a good book by the fireplace is pretty ideal (except when cabin fever hits, I guess). Here it's going down to 1 degree tonight, so it's good practice for VT. Thanks again!

[Integritysbest]

Originally Posted by ranchero

Hi, I was reading people's suggestions about places to live. Does anyone have any thoughts about Chester? I'm thinking of relocating from the Midwest/South and though the advice to rent is good, I think that living in a rental would definitely cloud my perception of a place, since home itself is so important. For those who've moved to Vermont or those who live there, where are places in the state you'd rather live now that you know it? I'm looking in the southern part -- afraid of Burlington winters. Thanks for any ideas!

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I can say that I have been here since 1997 and I think it is a great place to raise the kids and to find serenity in an otherwise crazy world!
Quaint ~ Scenic ~ Quiet ~ Good Schools
Caution ~ Be prepared to get sick of snow shoveling after a few years!

[pabear]

Snow shoveling...isn't that for the children?.....snowblower?

Originally Posted by Integritysbest

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I can say that I have been here since 1997 and I think it is a great place to raise the kids and to find serenity in an otherwise crazy world!
Quaint ~ Scenic ~ Quiet ~ Good Schools
Caution ~ Be prepared to get sick of snow shoveling after a few years!

[sugarmaple]

Hi Lisai's Market is in Chester and they have good food, especially their meats AND every so often they have a 'truckload sale' which basically is bulk packages practically at wholesale prices. Perhaps I have had coffee and snacks at Crow's Corner when you have been there, I live in Cavendish and love Cavendish.