[Wil03Liv05]

Hi,

As the title says, my husband is interviewing tomorrow at the Tech School in Bradford. We are seriously considering moving up to Vermont from Central Connecticut, if he is offered the job.
We have two young children. I am curious about schools in Orange County; specifically Bradford, Fairlee, Newbury, Corinth and Vershire.
Also, I am a licensed massage therapist and will be looking for part-time work. Anybody out there have any thoughts, suggestions on towns that are preferable for my husband's commute, good schools, and job prospects for a massage therapist? Thank-you in advance

CT Lady

[MRVphotog]

I don't have any firsthand knowledge of the schools but regarding the list of places to live to commute...you do realize I assume that Bradford is the biggest town of all the ones you have listed and by Ct standards, a pretty small town.

Vershire has no real village but has some nice areas, Fairlee is like a small strip mall along Rt 5 but the Lake Morey area is beautiful. I always liked Bradford, small, but has some fun restaurants, even some live music at night, some interesting shops. Corinth has a very small but much photographed village. Very rural like Corinth. I'm not that familiar with Newbury other than driving thru from time to time. To be honest if I had a job in Bradford I would also consider Thetford Center. Abit away from the hustle and bustle of Rt 5/I91.

All the elementary schools are very small. You don't have to live in the villages as many families live along the countless dirt roads in the townships you asked about. Depends on how rural a living situation you are prepared to live with.

Hopefully someone will chime in with firsthand school info for ya but in the meantime I would check out the schools website. If anything it will give you baseline/demographic info about the diferent schools. Try the new Microsoft search engine bing.com, seems to work well. Good luck!

[vter]

As the previous poster mentioned, Bradford is small and the other towns you mention even smaller. It'll likely be quite the culture shock for your family! If your husband doesnt mind a 1/2 hour or so drive, you may want to consider Hanover NH or Hartford VT which are a bit bigger and livlier. I also like Thetford as the previous poster mentioned.
Good luck!!

[Wil03Liv05]

Well...my hubby left at 5am to interview. We'll see how it goes. I appreciate your thoughts.
I think I generally know what I am getting myself into moving to this area. I had a close friend that owned a second home in Danville. I spent several spring, summer, winter and falls there. Not much there except beautiful country. That is really OK with me. You see...I can see 7 houses just out of my dinning room window. I grew up here, (Bristol 60,000 pop.); but REALLY do not like my neighbor being able to say "God Bless You" when I sneeze in the summer. LOL Please do not get me wrong. I LOVE my neighbors. I consider myself very neighborly too. I just think it is easier to be happy neighbors if you are not on top of each other, ykwim?

Where is Hartford VT? We do not mind driving to get to things, so the tiny towns might be ok. I am thinking of my husband on a snowy morning going to Bradford from Hartford. Would a 30 minute communte turn into an hour and a half? I think will need a new car soon.

Anybody out there know anything about Resorts or Wellness Centers within driving range that a massage therpist with 15 years experience could pick up a few hours? I currently work in a Hospital. I see maternity patients, oncology patients, hospital employees and the general public. I love what I do and would love to be able to find/create something like that up in VT. I don't think there are any local hospitals around Bradford. So i realize I may have to drive a bit.
Anyway...thank-you for "listening" and for the advice. It is much appreciated. When I have more specific questions, I will know who to write to!

Ct Lady

[Wil03Liv05]

Hi Ct Lady again,

Anybody know of any health food stores or community supported agriculture type farms within a reasonable driving distance? We try eat pretty "granola" and I just realized that there is no Whole Foods in Vermont..."oh the horror", (joke). LOL I don't like buying from big chains anyway. : ))

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by Wil03Liv05

Hi Ct Lady again,

Anybody know of any health food stores or community supported agriculture type farms within a reasonable driving distance? We try eat pretty "granola" and I just realized that there is no Whole Foods in Vermont..."oh the horror", (joke). LOL I don't like buying from big chains anyway. : ))

I hear you! When I went to the Whole Foods near my sister, I thought, "WHY can't we have one of these?" But I now feel differently and don't even go into Whole Foods when I'm near one.

We do all our grocery shopping at the Rutland Co-op and the farmers market, which now runs once a week all year long and twice a week in summer.

Here are some resources by region. If you can pick county, check out Orange & Windsor.

VT CSAs:
VAAFM - Where to Find a Vermont CSA

Food co-ops:
Coop Directory Listing

Farmers markets:
VAAFM - Where to Find a Vermont Farmers' Market

The other day I stopped into a "regular" grocery to pick up something for work and was shocked by how much of the food looked inedible to me -- processed, chemical-filled, packaged everything. With some exceptions, even the produce was from far away. Where were the bulk bins? How does one pick out grains, beans, seasonings, and cereals without seeing them and getting exactly as much as one needs? I was lost -- and in that sense, I hope I'm never found.

[vter]

Hartford is more commonly referred to as White River Junction. Yes, snowy mornings could pose a challenging commute, but if the weather is that bad school would probably be cancelled anyway!
There are lots of CSAs in Vermont. Sherylcatmom kindly posted the link for you above. There also may be some options just across the river in NH.
The Hanover Co-Op in Hanover NH is awesome. There is also a "branch" of it in Lebanon, near the hospital. If you end up in Bradford or the area, I think you'll find yourself driving to Hanover/Leb quite often for shopping.
As far as resorts....look into the Inn at Lake Morey. It's in Fairlee, the next town south of Bradford. The Hanover Inn in Hanover might be another option.

[Wil03Liv05]

Thank-you so much for the great leads! I will keep you posted of our progress North.

Ct Lady

[vermontsewn]

There is actually a small locally owned natural foods store right here in Bradford, plus we have more than our share of farm stands and a farmers market. Fairlee has a seafood market.

You didn't mention what your housing budget is, but the closer you are to Lebanon/Hanover/Hartford, the higher the price. Most people do the opposite commute - live up here or in other outlying towns, and commute to Hanover area - because down there is where most of the jobs are, and the more reasonable housing prices are further away.

As far as shopping, it depends on what you're looking for. There's a P&C in Bradford, but it's pricey. We used to do all of our general grocery shopping down in West Lebanon until the Super Walmart in Woodsville, NH opened up. We save about $50 a week over the prices in West Leb.

Speaking of Woodsville, there is a hospital up there that could go on your job hunting list: Cottage Hospital - A Critical Access Hospital. Woodsville, NH - Full service community hospital offers walk-in clinic, 24 hour emergency room, and birthing center.

I think you asked early on if there was a resort in the area: try the Lake Morey Resort, Vermont Lodging | Lake Morey Resort | Resorts in Vermont

Good luck,
Crystal in Bradford

[Aptor hours]

There is a Shaws supermarket in Woodsville NH that has a small (very small) section of "Wild Harvest" that you can find some organic stuff. There are some Veggie Farms in the area of Wells River. I take some Yoga classes so they are a great resource