[jackmccullough]

I'm not sure what's going on this weekend, but go over to sevendaysvt.com for a look at what's going on in the state's largest alternative weekly. The new issue comes out tomorrow.

[MassVt]

In order to satisfy both of your occupational needs, I think that somewhere in Chittenden County ( Burlington) would probably be necessary. The most desirable communities are South Burlington, Shelburne and Charlotte, but are also the most expensive. North of Burlington, towns such as Colchester and Milton are growing by leaps and bounds, and might offer more reasonable housing proces, while still being very accessible to Burlington.

I agree about renting; probably the best thing to do for the first year.

[BickleTravis]

Originally Posted by TheTops

Hi everyone! My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to Vermont to scope out possible towns to move to. We are in our early 30’s, no children, and currently living in the Midwest. I was hoping you guys could help us narrow down a list of towns to check out. (We have already visited Burlington, Woodstock, and touristy activities in Waterbury.) Here are some of the characteristics we are keeping in mind when deciding where to live.

- We would like to be close (15-20 min) to a town that has some dining, shopping, and a good library.
-A welcoming community. (Community groups/activities/volunteer opportunities)
-An area where the cost of living isn’t ridiculously high. I know Vermont as a whole has a higher cost of living. We enjoy Burlington but it seems to have a pretty high cost of living)
- I am a special education teacher and my boyfriend is in finance. Are there any towns that would offer the best chance to find white collar jobs? (I know the job market isn’t the best)
-We are also interested in the possibility of getting a couple acres of land. (Enough to have some chickens, gardens, maybe a goat, etc)

Any towns come to mind as a good fit? Some towns on our list of places to check out are Bennington, Middlebury, Rutland, St. Johnsbury, Brattleboro, Montpelier, any Burlington area. Do these seem like good options/ any other ideas? What towns close to Burlington should we check out?

Thanks in advance for any ideas you have!

Good luck with that.
Hope you are on state or parental assistance.
By the way, there are no jobs here.

[Ellwood]

Have you checked out Saratoga area in NY? The outlying villages (Quaker Springs, Northunderland, Moreau, Glen Falls, Schuylerville) have farmland with acreage. Saratoga and Glen Falls are both interesting towns. Saratoga Springs has some great restaurants, SPAC for concerts, Glen Falls as a convention center, etc. but you can drive 10 miles out of Saratoga and be in the rural country.

[Wingfoot]

Originally Posted by TheTops

Hi everyone! My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to Vermont to scope out possible towns to move to. We are in our early 30’s, no children, and currently living in the Midwest. I was hoping you guys could help us narrow down a list of towns to check out. (We have already visited Burlington, Woodstock, and touristy activities in Waterbury.) Here are some of the characteristics we are keeping in mind when deciding where to live.

- We would like to be close (15-20 min) to a town that has some dining, shopping, and a good library.
-A welcoming community. (Community groups/activities/volunteer opportunities)
-An area where the cost of living isn’t ridiculously high. I know Vermont as a whole has a higher cost of living. We enjoy Burlington but it seems to have a pretty high cost of living)
- I am a special education teacher and my boyfriend is in finance. Are there any towns that would offer the best chance to find white collar jobs? (I know the job market isn’t the best)
-We are also interested in the possibility of getting a couple acres of land. (Enough to have some chickens, gardens, maybe a goat, etc)

Any towns come to mind as a good fit? Some towns on our list of places to check out are Bennington, Middlebury, Rutland, St. Johnsbury, Brattleboro, Montpelier, any Burlington area. Do these seem like good options/ any other ideas? What towns close to Burlington should we check out?

Thanks in advance for any ideas you have!

The only place that MIGHT fit your criteria is St. J , any number of places in ,say,Central Wisconsin would.
Moving to VT without already obtaining a job is foolhardy unless you have plenty of cash.Welcoming is not a term I ever heard applied to any VT town in my decade there.

VT is a great place to live IF you have money,perhaps the roughest place to live in US if you don't.

[Wingfoot]

Originally Posted by Ellwood

Have you checked out Saratoga area in NY? The outlying villages (Quaker Springs, Northunderland, Moreau, Glen Falls, Schuylerville) have farmland with acreage. Saratoga and Glen Falls are both interesting towns. Saratoga Springs has some great restaurants, SPAC for concerts, Glen Falls as a convention center, etc. but you can drive 10 miles out of Saratoga and be in the rural country.

Good point, large areas of upstate NY are actually what people think Vermont is.
Cheaper and friendlier people as well, with far fewer snobs.
There are 50 towns in upstate NY that are better than any in VT.

Canton, Potsdam area in St.Lawrence Valley have much of the "vibe" of Burlington as does Plattsburg and real estate is Half the price of VT with less competition for jobs and NY pays teachers a lot more than VT.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by TheTops

Any towns come to mind as a good fit? Some towns on our list of places to check out are Bennington, Middlebury, Rutland, St. Johnsbury, Brattleboro, Montpelier, any Burlington area. Do these seem like good options/ any other ideas? What towns close to Burlington should we check out?

I think Rutland is worth checking out. It's got several of the things you mentioned wanting. It's 90 minutes from Burlington so if you think you'd want to be there a lot that's kind of a haul. Here's a post I made several months ago with some updates:

If you're looking for what's wonderful about Rutland, I can offer some of that, at least from my perspective:

• Great public library & library community
• Very good Co-op where we buy all our groceries
  
• Awesome year-round weekly farmers market & increasing ties between local farms and businesses/restaurants
  
• Two locally-owned, independent bookstores
• Decent Japanese food & a veg-friendly café & juice bar (Back Home Again), a couple of good restaurants (Table 24, Little Harry's), neat new places like Café Terra
  
• Very walkable town. We live about 1 mile from downtown and can walk just about everywhere we want to go
  
• Affordable, diverse housing stock, at least for Vermont
• Full-service hospital that's never done us wrong plus 75-minute drive to Dartmouth-Hitchcock whose stellar services, unfortunately, we need right now and are very grateful to have
  
• Good selection of mainstream and integrative/alternative health & wellness providers (our M.D. in Brandon is the best I've ever worked with)
• Nature and outdoor activities very accessible in nearly every direction
• My experience is that it's a caring, neighborly community where I feel safe and have friends, acquaintances, and connections who are there when I need them -- and I'm glad to be there for them, too
  

There's also plenty that's not wonderful in Rutland: Limited job opportunities, serious need for clean industries and economic growth opportunities, increasing sprawl draining vitality from downtown, heroin and other drug issues, and more. I feel grateful that for me the upside has far outweighed the downside.

[TheTops]

thanks!