Johnson or surrounding areas (Burlington, Morrisville: house, rent, lease)

[ab8mi]

I accepted the offer, after a few adjustments and will be starting work the first week of June. Looking forward to it with the exception that my wife and children will only be following sometime in July.

Will get to do some house hunting once I get out there, along with getting adjusted to my new job. Both my wife and I are looking forward to it!!!

[giselle]

Happy house hunting!. Keep us all posted on where you settle.

[ab8mi]

Originally Posted by giselle

Happy house hunting!. Keep us all posted on where you settle.

I will do that, my wife will only be able to follow a month or so later and the company will be putting me up for a couple of months at the Sunset Motor Inn in Morrisville. By the way does anyone know anything about that motel, is it half decent???

[harry chickpea]

Nothing against the Sunset motel, but you'll find living in a motel a great motivation to go house hunting.

[Jason_Els]

Last time I stayed at the Sunset they only had dial-up internet. I will say that the Sunset was clean and friendly. The drive to Johnson isn't bad and Morrisville does have a good sandwich shop for lunch, but the area isn't particularly prosperous. Be sure to ask for a room toward the back and not near the side parking lot where semis idle all night. There are other places to stay in Morrisville, none of them as nice.

There is a movie theater, a McDonald's (where you can get wireless), a hospital, and John's Gun Shop which is run by one of the most famous survivalists in the country.

Do NOT speed in the Hyde Park school zone between Morrisville and Johnson. The cops sit right there frequently and will bust you. Get your plates changed over to VT as soon as you get there. Car insurance is dirt cheap and you'll want the benefit of local plates.

The shortcut to Stowe is closed in winter but the main road, route 100, stays open. Either way, plan on buying an AWD car before winter. Stowe is a nice place with good restaurants, shopping, and lots of diversions. You'll be driving to Stowe a lot. Unless it's a house party in Johnson itself, the professionals in Johnson all party in Stowe summer and winter. There are no bars in Johnson (last I checked).

My sister's old apartment in Johnson was really nice. The entire downstairs of a converted barn with two bedrooms, laundry room, 1 bath, off street parking, home office, and a gas fireplace. It's on 100c right across from the school. You might want to look into it, ran $600 a month and might be good for you. I don't know if it's available, but I could check. It's a bright and sunny apartment with wood floors and exposed brick.

[ab8mi]

Jason,

Thanks for all of the info, I really appreciate it and gave me some things to think about.

At least I can get wireless at McD's, maybe I am lucky and the hotel has changed. And a gun shop woo hoo in heaven...lol. Actually both my wife and I do enjoy shooting sports. Are there any nearby ranges or clubs to that area.

As for changing my plates I am lucky enough that I will have a company vehicle and at least until the wife gets out here that will not be a problem, and insurance has to be better than in Detroit!!! As for me my truck will b e 4 wheel drive and the wife already has a 4-wheel drive Explorer Sport-Trac so that won't be a problem, though I grew up in Eastern Canada (New Brunswick) and drove rear wheel drives for many years.

Thanks for the speed trap info, I have a terribly heavy foot as in MI, the state police won't even look at you funny anywhere below 80 mph.

Also thanks for the info on the apartment in Johnson, but we will actually be looking to purchase a place, especially since we have 4 boys (one out on his own) and a house makes more sense to us.

Again thanks for the info it was very helpful and I am looking forward to getting out there.

Wayne

Originally Posted by Jason_Els

Last time I stayed at the Sunset they only had dial-up internet. I will say that the Sunset was clean and friendly. The drive to Johnson isn't bad and Morrisville does have a good sandwich shop for lunch, but the area isn't particularly prosperous. Be sure to ask for a room toward the back and not near the side parking lot where semis idle all night. There are other places to stay in Morrisville, none of them as nice.

There is a movie theater, a McDonald's (where you can get wireless), a hospital, and John's Gun Shop which is run by one of the most famous survivalists in the country.

Do NOT speed in the Hyde Park school zone between Morrisville and Johnson. The cops sit right there frequently and will bust you. Get your plates changed over to VT as soon as you get there. Car insurance is dirt cheap and you'll want the benefit of local plates.

The shortcut to Stowe is closed in winter but the main road, route 100, stays open. Either way, plan on buying an AWD car before winter. Stowe is a nice place with good restaurants, shopping, and lots of diversions. You'll be driving to Stowe a lot. Unless it's a house party in Johnson itself, the professionals in Johnson all party in Stowe summer and winter. There are no bars in Johnson (last I checked).

My sister's old apartment in Johnson was really nice. The entire downstairs of a converted barn with two bedrooms, laundry room, 1 bath, off street parking, home office, and a gas fireplace. It's on 100c right across from the school. You might want to look into it, ran $600 a month and might be good for you. I don't know if it's available, but I could check. It's a bright and sunny apartment with wood floors and exposed brick.

[Jason_Els]

Then you'll love Vermont's non-existant gun laws!

I so not mean to disparage your driving skills, but I wager that New Brunswick likely has better road clearing. Vermont's snow removal is excellent, but at times, and particularly in that area, the snow can come down harder and faster than the crews can clear it. Snow can also appear suddenly without forecast. It's one reason why Stowe is such a great ski area, but also why AWD is imperative. Glad you've got that covered.

The Grand Union in Johnson is adequate for most basic food stuffs but it's quite small. You may want to venture to the larger and better stores in Williston (the Hannafords is great) or Montpelier. Montpelier is a great little capital with good restaurants. Big box stores and malls are in nearby Barre. There's a good back road to Montpelier from Johnson but you can make it to the Burlington area in summer in just about the same time.

Do yourself a favor and enjoy Vermont's summer. It's wonderful. Try to get out to Lake Champlain, ride the ferry, visit the shops on Church Street, and enjoy the great restaurants. Burlington also has a food co-op if you're interested.

All I can say is be prepared for a lot of driving to get anywhere. Also take the time to visit Montreal if you've never been. It too is a lot of fun in summer and in winter. Lot of Vermonters go to Montreal when they need a big city. The Burlington Free Press is good to read as is 7 Days.

The following is from my sister:

I lived in Johnson for about 6 years. I was a little apprehensive about moving there as it seemed a little isolated, but after a while I fell right in. For starters, I would stop most mornings for Green Mountain Coffee (offered 12 different flavors) at CH Stearn's located at the corner of Main and Route 100C. It's pretty cool cause the same people frequent the store day in and day out so you get to know some folks and eventually you're on a first name basis with everyone. Same goes for the Post Office, Grocery Store and Pharmacy. The Plum & Main is a local dineresque restaurant located in the heart of the village. Prices are a little high but the food is good. There are tables and a counter to sit at. More than anything , you will enjoy Not to mention the Natural Foods Market, Bakery and bookstore. And yes, both the Forget-Me-Not and Zoe's are pretty cool stores.

Some links for you:

Sunset Motor Inn
Village of Morrisville
Town of Johnson
Town of Stowe
Stowe Chamber of Commerce Tourism Site

[ab8mi]

Again thanks for more great info. Lots of great advice and some great links too. As far as driving I probably spend at least 1.5 hours each way on the road every day (providing traffic is good), so driving doesn't deter me and my wife and I look forward to exploring VT. I also enjoy Montreal, been there many times and even spent a couple of months working at Mirabel Airport a number of years back.

Lake Champlain sounds like fun and the plus is that we own a boat and with my new job I may finally get to use it a little. When I was out for my interview my boss to be took me to a great restaurant in Burlington called the Single Pebble, really excellent Chinese food.

We probably won't live right in Johnson, as we have leads on a few houses in a variety of areas. No hurry though as I will have a couple of months to look.

Thanks again.

[ab8mi]

Woo Hoo....four more days and I will be in VT to start my new job.

[Jason_Els]

Keep in touch and good luck with the migration.

You'll be happy to know Champ doesn't appear to eat people or attack small boats. The Single Pebble is very good. What kind of food do you like? I'm sure we can name some good places in Stowe, Burlington, and Montpelier.

BTW, now that you'll be up there without family, may want to take in a few movies. Stowe has a nice but small movie theater. If you sit in the back seats you can get nice leather loungers and order drinks and finger food. Another good one is The Savoy in Montpelier. It's an independent theater that shows offbeat and foreign films. The video shop in the basement has everything Criterion has done.

The Savoy

Check Go Stowe for things happening in the area. There always a lot of things going on even in summer.