[atypicalLIer]

Originally Posted by FredsMom

I am moving to VT in a few weeks and am orginally from the Cocoa Beach area (I've spent the last 5 years in Atlanta)... I'm very excited to make the move but I've also been researching and visiting for almost a year. Almost every day someone tells me I am crazy for moving, but I know I am ready.

BTW - I will never live in Florida again! I lived in Orlando for a few years, too. YUCK! One of my Vermonter friends said after visiting Jacksonvile, "You could put a roof on the state and create one huge strip mall!"

I just came back from the Jax/Ponte Vedra area. Your friend is so right!

I did see one small farmer's market in St Augustine. All hope is not lost!

That's one of the things I find refreshing in Vermont -- there are many small, locally owned businesses.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by atypicalLIer

I did see one small farmer's market in St Augustine. All hope is not lost!

St. Augustine is about my favorite part of Florida. But then I only ever lived in Miami-Dade so maybe I'm romanticizing it.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by atypicalLIer

I just came back from the Jax/Ponte Vedra area. Your friend is so right!

I did see one small farmer's market in St Augustine. All hope is not lost!

That's one of the things I find refreshing in Vermont -- there are many small, locally owned businesses.

While I am far from a lover of Wal-Mart, malls or sprawl (and ironically the NYC area, where I'm from, is probably the one place in America other than Vermont that has mostly resisted Wal-Mart to this day), it is this very same aspect of Vermont that makes it a very expensive place for it's small population (I wouldn't call it NY City or California expensive, but many people from elsewhere may be shocked, especially if they think smaller population automatically means cheaper living).

I was in the Burlington area for a few days last month, and some things that struck me (not necessarily good or bad, but different):

1) Just 1 Wal-Mart (not different for me as I was in the one "big" area that had no Wal-Marts until recently).

2) No Target stores

3) No CVS (which I think is national and originated in the Northeast, so this one really surprised me). There were a lot of Rite-Aids and some nice independent pharmacies though.

4) Even supermarkets seemed limited for an area the size of Burlington (a few Shaw's, one or two Price Choppers and that was it for chains.....in some rural parts I visited I saw Grand Union, which was nice, they used to be all over the Northeast but I think are now limited to VT and rural parts of upstate NY). A lot of food coops instead of supermarkets.

5) T-Mobile almost doesn't work at all! I would expect this in the rural areas, but not in Burlington!

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

No CVS (which I think is national and originated in the Northeast, so this one really surprised me). There were a lot of Rite-Aids and some nice independent pharmacies though.

That is weird! I thought CVS was all over the state. There's a CVS in Rutland, along with Rite-Aid, Walgreens, and two independent pharmacies plus the pharmacies at WalMart and the grocery stores (3 different grocery chain stores in Rutland).

[harry chickpea]

If you have lived your whole life in Florida and enjoy snowboarding, you haven't lived your whole life. Burlington is probably the LEAST depressing area in the state. You'll find out the first winter if you have SADS. If you do, you'll be gone. Florida is never dark. Even in the winter, there are some many street lights that the sky glows. In Vermont, night can be brutally dark. The costs of living in Vermont have been beat to death in other threads, so I won't go there.

You are young enough to give it a try. Life is all about experiences. I grew up in Vermont, and I've lived in a ton of places. Each one was an adventure.

[atypicalLIer]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

While I am far from a lover of Wal-Mart, malls or sprawl (and ironically the NYC area, where I'm from, is probably the one place in America other than Vermont that has mostly resisted Wal-Mart to this day), it is this very same aspect of Vermont that makes it a very expensive place for it's small population (I wouldn't call it NY City or California expensive, but many people from elsewhere may be shocked, especially if they think smaller population automatically means cheaper living).

I was in the Burlington area for a few days last month, and some things that struck me (not necessarily good or bad, but different):

1) Just 1 Wal-Mart (not different for me as I was in the one "big" area that had no Wal-Marts until recently).

2) No Target stores

3) No CVS (which I think is national and originated in the Northeast, so this one really surprised me). There were a lot of Rite-Aids and some nice independent pharmacies though.

4) Even supermarkets seemed limited for an area the size of Burlington (a few Shaw's, one or two Price Choppers and that was it for chains.....in some rural parts I visited I saw Grand Union, which was nice, they used to be all over the Northeast but I think are now limited to VT and rural parts of upstate NY). A lot of food coops instead of supermarkets.

5) T-Mobile almost doesn't work at all! I would expect this in the rural areas, but not in Burlington!

What's the population of Burlington - about 40,000? How many WalMarts do they really need?
There's a Target over in Plattsburgh, but I have no idea how far a ride that is.
The lack of a CVS surprised me.

There are several Hannafords, a couple of Price Choppers and a Shaws; that seems like enough to me. Being from NY(LI) I think we are a little jaded by everything around us. I find it to be too much, but that's just me.

I've had better luck with Verizon in VT. I've groused about it a few times, but more recently I have found service improving.

Back to the FL/VT: it really is a different life style. I would consider the Floridian experience a little more in line with downstate NY and an easier transition.

I believe Harry Chickpea summed it up nicely when he wrote life is about experiences.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by atypicalLIer

What's the population of Burlington - about 40,000? How many WalMarts do they really need?
There's a Target over in Plattsburgh, but I have no idea how far a ride that is.
The lack of a CVS surprised me.

There are several Hannafords, a couple of Price Choppers and a Shaws; that seems like enough to me. Being from NY(LI) I think we are a little jaded by everything around us. I find it to be too much, but that's just me.

I've had better luck with Verizon in VT. I've groused about it a few times, but more recently I have found service improving.

Back to the FL/VT: it really is a different life style. I would consider the Floridian experience a little more in line with downstate NY and an easier transition.

I believe Harry Chickpea summed it up nicely when he wrote life is about experiences.

Mapquest says Plattsburgh is 80 miles because you have to go around the lake. I agree with you on Wal-Mart, but I was really surprised about CVS to the point that I looked it up in the phone books (both white and yellow pages) and confirmed. The fact that there are so many Rite Aids eliminates my suspicion that it is for legislative reasons.

I forgot about Hannaford, I did see one there. They have almost reached down here, there's one on the Putnam/Westchester County, NY border now.

[vter]

Metro Burlington has 150K ish population. The largest pharmacy chains in Chittenden County are Rite Aid and Kinney. Most if not all of the Rite Aids used to be Brooks before Rite Aid bought them out. I do know that Walgreens and CVS are trying to break into the market there.
Plattsburg is 80 miles if you drive all the way around. You can take the ferry at Grand Isle and be in Pburg in about an hour if you hit the ferries right. In addition to Target, Pburg also has Gander Mountain which is a cool outdoor store.

[nunoco]

There's plenty to do in Burlington. And I'm not being facetious. It's a great college town, with all the music, film and bar scene that entails. If you can afford it and can land a job, go for it.

[chaz longue]

We have but one Walmart.

We have no billboards.

I can't remember a drive-by shooting

But we have 5 seasons - well, 4 this year - (each more beautiful than the last it seems) depending on how you count.

I can drive to Montreal Canada for dinner or a concert - and back the same night - in less time than many people spend on the daily commute. I can walk to see the Vermont Symphony, Diana Krall, or James Taylor, have a beer, and walk home again. I can ski or snowboard at any of 5 different places in less than an hour drive. I buy maple syrup, spinach, tamales and cheese, and eggs from a neighbor...on foot.

I have no gators, gangs, or termites to worry about. But the surfing's pretty marginal