[nunoco]

Plattsburgh and its Target (and WalMart) are an hour and 5 minutes away from Burlington on the ferry; Montreal and its Ikea are about an 95 minutes; but who needs that? Burlington has COSTCO! (Well, it's in Colchester, actually.) And what Chaz Lounge said. Although there's actually really cool WINDsurfing on the lake, both near the South Hero Island causeway and at the Plattsburgh Bay. The waves can get up to 5 feet.

[flyingdiva]

Wow, I am so glad to find this post. My husband and I lived in Plattsburgh just across the lake from Burlington for 7 years. We left to move forward in our professions, and low and behold 2 years later we find ourselves moving back to the berg from Boca, so we can stay in our professions in this crappy economy. A lot of peoople here made very good points. I love Burlington, and would go over at least once or twice a month on days off for shopping, eating out etc. I have enjoyed living in Florida, but I have to admit it was something of a culture shock at first. There are things I will miss, but I think there are more things to look forward to. I just realized the other day, that even though we live in Boca and there is so much around, we actually DID more up there in the berg' where there was less shopping, less entertainment venues, attractions etc. As others have mentioned, Montreal is close by and weekend trips to Maine, New Hampshire, Mass are always good options.The lake is great too. The one thing that is hard for me being way up there is not that I hate winter, it is that winter is very, very long. The daylight hours are short, and it gets and stays very cold. You must get up early and shovel or plow, warm up the car etc. There can be many gray days and that can get old too. I found that taking vacation in the winter (preferably Feb) and going somewhere warm & sunny really helped. Even if for only a few days. I think the summers are gorgeous! That being said, no place is perfect and as others have pointed out there are many great things about the area. I am looking forward to going back. It all depends on your likes and dislikes and what you are willing to put up with. No matter where you live there is something you won't like and just have to live with. I would not go anywhere right now without a job though. Good Luck to you!!

[Skadess1]

Originally Posted by Sherylcatmom

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

st augustine is the best part of florida i think as well but florida pretty much sucks!! it was 92 degrees today and its only may... and super humid i HATE it... sad thing is that its pretty much the same temp in winter... i am ready to go north!!

[Skadess1]

I am just ready to try something new... The "winter" here makes me a little happier because its not AS hot... but, I am just ready to try it. I think if I don't i will wonder what if... and the fact that I can drive to go snowboarding is awesome, rather than flying somewhere, getting a place to stay, and all that stuff. I don't mind the cold as I spent many winters in NY. At least I will be in the north and I can move around from there, what I do know is that I HATE Florida... thanks for all the input, it really helps!!

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by Skadess1

I am just ready to try something new... The "winter" here makes me a little happier because its not AS hot... but, I am just ready to try it. I think if I don't i will wonder what if... and the fact that I can drive to go snowboarding is awesome, rather than flying somewhere, getting a place to stay, and all that stuff. I don't mind the cold as I spent many winters in NY. At least I will be in the north and I can move around from there, what I do know is that I HATE Florida... thanks for all the input, it really helps!!

When you say "I spent many winters in NY" I hope you mean UPSTATE NY and not the NYC area. While we certainly have winter down here, it is quite tame compared to winter in VT (I haven't really been there in the winter, but I lived for 5 years near Bennington on the NY side, so I remember what that was like). It gets a lot colder and snowier once you head a little north of metro NYC.

[ex-springfielder]

Spring moves north at a rate of 15 miles a day which puts Burlington a week north of Bennington. Fall moves south at the same rate which means winters in Burlington are two weeks longer than Benningtons. Food for thought.

[Skadess1]

Yes upstate NY, NYC and Long Island. Also spent some winters in Newport, RI and been snowboarding out west in the winter in Tahoe, Utah and Colorado... Love the cold... and if it gets too cold I could always move to southern new england hahaaa

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by flyingdiva

That being said, no place is perfect and as others have pointed out there are many great things about the area.

Great point. I've lived in a lot of places and I can make, for each one, a list of things I loved and things I hated. You just go with the flow.

Two things for sure though-if you can't stand the cold don't move to Vermont and if you can't stand the heat don't move to Florida. At least that is cut and dry. I hate extreme heat so much that I wouldn't consider moving south of Philadelphia. At the same time, I can understand why people wouldn't want to wake up in twenty below weather to start the car.

[chutzpahgrrl]

Personally, I hate the cold and gray here and after 10 years am trying to move someplace warmer and drier. I hear you've been here in the winter, just keep in mind that when you're trudging to work through the icy roads and biting wind, it's not quite the same as snow boarding. The spring and summer here are amazing, though sometimes colder than I would like. Also, it does get very humid here at times. You won't escape that here, but you won't have more than a handful of days over 90.

When you do get here, invest in some long underwear, a good winter coat and good boots. I like the kind that go over my regular shoes because I hate to change my shoes when I get to work and leave my boots to drip all over my office floor. Listen to local merchants about how to dress for the cold too.

And like someone else said, jobs are scarce. Try to find one before arriving or have enough money to make it several months.

Good luck.

[momof3heatherns]

Wow glad I found this post. I'm a native Floridian, and to be quiet frank I can't stand this place anymore...lol yea 92 and humid today. Alot of retirees have moved into the area (I have lived near "The Villages" all my life) All I can do is look around at all the pavement and houses and cringe. I will be moving to Vermont around October with my fiancee and three kids. I am transfering into the Burlington Post Office....Any "less expensive small towns" w/in 1/2 an hour? Any advice would be greatly appreciated