[CoyeMuse]

Hey, I currently live in Seattle Washington. But I am looking at moving east in about 6 months or less. I'm trying to do my research and make sure I know what I'm really doing But I have a few main questions.

What is the housing market like in the smaller towns? I want to live somewhere that has between 7k and 25k people. But I want it to be affordable.

I work as a Certified Nursing Aide here in Seattle and I make about $9.00 and hour starting wage. What is the average starting wage for my field?

I have a dog, is it easy to find places to live that accept dogs?

I have a cat who likes to go outside. Is it safe to let her out as long as she has tags?

Would I be better off finding a room-mate or could I afford something on my own?


Anything else you can offer in the way of advice would be really appreciated...

[momnh]

There are countless small towns in NH and VT. NH has more jobs because it has more industry and more people that need services. I think you can find a CNA job pretty much anywhere though since all of New England has an aging population. The politics are very different between the two states, although southern NH and some pockets of NH are becoming more liberal as people move in from other areas (mostly from MA). Schools are better in VT (generally, I am sure there are exceptions). And even the scenery is different even though they are so close to you. Both have great mountain ranges but VT is more pastoral and NH is more rugged.

If you like natural foods and overall living a sustainable lifestyle, VT is better for that. I just moved from Manchester, NH (pop 110k) and there was only one small natural foods store there. The culture there is more 'nascar' than 'natural' (again, a generality!). But one nice advantage of Manchester is the 50 minute drive to Boston, the best city in the US in my opinion!

Good luck to you!

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by momnh

If you like natural foods and overall living a sustainable lifestyle, VT is better for that. I just moved from Manchester, NH (pop 110k) and there was only one small natural foods store there. The culture there is more 'nascar' than 'natural' (again, a generality!). But one nice advantage of Manchester is the 50 minute drive to Boston, the best city in the US in my opinion!

Good luck to you!

Nice concise way of defining Vermont and NH- more pastoral vs more rugged. I'm going to use that. I usually go into a long definition and no one knows what I'm talking about.

I know how you feel about Boston. Have you been to Montreal? Really great markets with flowers, vegetables, bread, cheese. I'm always a little jealous of that way of shopping when I'm there. I don't know about organic stuff though, I don't see that word thrown around like at the Burlington Farmers market. Maybe it's the language? Great little inexpensive cafes throughout the city too. A great big city escape about 1 hr and 45 min from Williston. My wife and I love it.

But you have to be careful about what you bring back into the US.

[Iwon'tforget]

I have been living in NH for over five years, and will be moving back to VT next week. I haven't lived in Vermont since I was in high school, but I can tell you that different parts of Vermont are very different to live in. I do consider myself extremely lucky to have a job in Vermont to move there for. On the other hand, the job market in NH has bottomed out too - I included NH in my job search and got a job in VT first. However, working in health care could be a totally different story.

Here is an overview of what I have found -
NH has been great in many ways - very friendly people for example. But the lack of an income or sales tax really holds it back. I know you'll read on the VT forums about how oppressive the taxes there are, but the reality is, when you live in a state without taxes, you notice. The schools are sorely underfunded in most towns, there are very few nice parks or public places to enjoy a Sunday afternoon, far fewer cultural events and people in general seem more concerned with work and making ends meet rather than quality of life. Manchester, where I live, is downright depressing because there aren't enough funds to keep things maintained. If you call the police, sometimes noone answers because they are so short staffed - seriously - I tried for an hour once and noone could answer, I even started dialing extensions to see if someone, somewhere would pick up. Furthermore, our property taxes in NH are very high - so the "low tax" advantage for NH is really more of an advantage for wealthy people and business owners...not necessarily the average Joe or Jane. Other good things about NH - being close to Boston, good hiking in the White Mountains, closer to the ocean. Being in NH for elections is a lot of fun if you are into politics (on either side).

I am moving from Manchester to the Burlington, VT area - and I would say that the costs of housing in Burlington are higher, but so are the salaries ...at least for my line of work. The scenery is better, the facilities are much better, and in the winter when it's dreary, you can actually go walk around Church street at night and feel connected to other people who are out and about whereas in most of NH you can't. (One exception to this would be Portsmouth, NH - if I had a job there, I would be very happy to move there)There are more cultural events in parts of VT for the population, and more people who are conscious about their lifestyle and the overall quality of their life. But as I said before, different parts of VT are very different from each other...

[momnh]

I am moving from Manchester too. I have spent 8 years here and really like to root for the underdog so there have been times I have been happy with the way the city was progressing. I love the Fisher Cats, the Verizon arena, the YMCA, etc. But I have always wished that Elm Street and the surrounding downtown would get a little more active so we would have other things to do in the winter than pay to go to restaurants or concerts. But the recession is starting to reverse some of the progress, and I don't care for the current mayor. If I stayed here, I probably would have moved to Bedford for the schools. And while Bedford is nice, it doesn't have a town center like many other New England towns do. We are moving to VT for a great job opportunity, and I think we're going to come out ahead in other ways too. If we ever move back to NH, it will be to the seacoast.

[Iwon'tforget]

I second that about Manchester's current mayor - he's really hurt this city. (For example, has really undercut the public schools while sending his own child to a private school) But the good ? news is he's announced he's not running for re-election because he wants to run for a higher office. Perhaps with the right leadership, things will turn around, but many people have already given up on Manchester, which is too bad. It has a lot of potential.

[CoyeMuse]

I want to thank the few people who have responded in my absence. Being at Job Corps I cannot often check the thoughts on here. I keep coming back to wanting to move... and all I want to do is just DO it and get it over with so I can see for myself Anyone else have their two cents?

[CoyeMuse]

I actually really cant stand Seattle. I grew up in Alaska with smaller towns and a very laid back unconnected way of life... I remember when I was little, the "new release" movies for theaters always got to us a month late... But as kids we weren't too interested in movies anyway, it was much more fun to go play outside with everyone in the neighborhood. You don't get too much of that in Seattle... to dangerous I expect. I found a place in Tunbridge Vermont that Im moving to, Its a little drive to places I could work, but it works... Any thoughts on Tunbridge?

[MRVphotog]

Tunbridge is a very small town with just a Post Office and general store in the village. It does have the Tunbridge Worlds Fair, Vermont's best ag fair which starts in a few weeks. Something like it's 158th year.

It's on one of the most scenic roads in the state, Rt 110. Closest shopping is in Barre/Montpelier, about 30 min north. South Royalton has a nice co-op which is about 8 miles south.

[Lilybeans]

The landfill in Tunbridge has one of the nicest views I've ever seen at a dump.