[sphenoid]

I've seen many Vermont towns discussed but haven't seen much written about St. Johnsbury. We live far from New England and are considering a possible future job prospect in that region. I'd love to hear from folks living there now, especially those who have relocated there from other areas.
What is St. Johnsbury like? What is the good and bad about that region? Thanks in advance for your help!

[giselle]

I'm glad you brought up this topic, because I've also been reading about the town lately. I'm curious if it's difficult for local kids to get in to the academy there. If they have to pay full tuition, forget about it. Is it no cost to residents or regional students? If not, I would hope there would be some scholarships available.

[vter]

I grew up in St. Johnsbury, so hopefully I can help.
Regarding St. Johnsbury Academy...it is a private school, but since the town of St. Johnsbury does not have a public high school, the town pays the tuition for students to attend. It's not very difficult to get in - the Academy recongizes that the local kids need an education, so if you arent the smartest in the world, you can attend. Admissions may be different for boarding students. Towns that surround the area that do not have public high schools tuition their students there -Barnet, Waterford, Walden, Monroe NH, Lunenburg, Peacham to name a few. It's a great school.
The town itself is fairly nice. It has an interesting history and is home to the Fairbanks scales. The FAirbanks family left their legacy in town in the form of the Academy, the Atheneaum (library/art gallery), the Fairbanks Museum of Natural Science, and numerous beautiful homes.
The town has a full time police and fire departments.
The town does have a bit of a drug problem. YOu have to seek it out though. I grew up there and never saw any, but sure heard about it from my fire dept/police dept friends.
The local hospital is affiliated with Dartmouth/Hitchcock. You go to the local hospital for basic stuff (broken bones, birth, etc), but if you have a more serious problem you'll be sent to Dartmouth. There is a new cancer treatment center in town which is nice for folks so they don't have to drive to Dartmouth every day for treatment.
There is not much shopping in town at all. You have 2 or 3 supermarkets, but no big boxes. You have to drive to Littleton NH for WalMart, Home Depot, etc. There nearest major malls are in the Burlington or Manchester NH areas. StJ does have a small mall called theGreen Mountain Mall which only has about 10 stores, one of which includes JCPenney.
The nearest airports would be either in Burlington or Manchester.
There is great skiing nearby at Burke Mountain. Cannon (NH) and Jay Peak are fairly close too. Snowmobiling is a big winter sport in the area as well. In the summer there are numerous lakes for boating, swimming, etc., and many mountains for hiking.
I enjoyed growing up there, but now, as an adult, it's a little too isolated for me. I prefer the Burlington area.
If you have any questions, please let me know!!!
The local newspaper is www.caledonianrecord.com REading it will give you a good idea about the area.

[chaz longue]

St. Johnsbury is one of my favorite places in VT to visit.

...and as a veteran Realtor, I can tell you you're going to love the home prices up there too.



David

[giselle]

Thanks guys!
Do people there readily access Burlington, or is it too far a drive?

[chaz longue]

It's about 75 miles - an hour and a half.

It's simpler and very nearly as quick for me to drive to Montreal, which is 90 miles from Burlington.