[NEOhioBound]

My husband and I along with our toddler son are preparing for an upcoming move this spring. He, my husband, is a military recruiter and it has come time to start making our 3 choices for our next duty station (not that we will get any of the ones we list, but it has happened 2 times so far)

Anyway, he wants Kansas or Oklahoma. He is taking first choice and leaving the other two to me. He will have his choice narrowed down by the 1st of Dec when we fill out our list.

I am considering New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Washington. I have never been to any of those states. We have lived in Texas, Hawaii, South Dakota (where he is from) and now Ohio (where I grew up).

I came here to see if those living in the state of Vermont could give me some insight on what you like and don't like about living in the state. Maybe some info on crime rate, cost of living (for apartments) schools, what there is to do for fun, ect.

We do not get to pick exact city, just the state unfortunately.

Thank you so much in advance for any feedback

[mustmove]

COL is very high, schools vary- majority suck IMO. Test scores adjusted for race are middling. Stuff to do is outdoors make your own fun or drive, drive, and drive some more. Not many kids in VT and it was hard on my toddler when we were there as finding kids to play with was a chore. Some one else will weigh in with how great VT is, then you get to decide for yourself.

[momnh]

Yep, I have two kids, age 6 and 3, and find Vermont to be heaven for raising children. I live just outside Burlington. I love that the area is very community-focused, and the schools are great, compared to NH, which is my only frame of reference. I also love that my kids are generally safe (low crime) and can play around a neighborhood like how I did when I was young.

[vter]

Vermont has a great quality of life - lots of great outdoor activities, community oriented,safe, etc as mentioned above. However, in general, salaries are low in comparison to housing costs which is a huge problem for many. BUT, there are lots of people who make it work too. It all depends on YOU and what you want out of life. For me the higher cost of living is worth it.
Overall Vermont is rural except for a few small cities. Our largest city is Burlington at 40K. Metro area is about 150K. Burlington area is your best bet for job opportunities.
I LOVE living here except that winter is about a month too long IMO. Come April I'm ready for warm weather, not more snow/cold rain.

[Wingfoot]

Originally Posted by NEOhioBound

My husband and I along with our toddler son are preparing for an upcoming move this spring. He, my husband, is a military recruiter and it has come time to start making our 3 choices for our next duty station (not that we will get any of the ones we list, but it has happened 2 times so far)

Anyway, he wants Kansas or Oklahoma. He is taking first choice and leaving the other two to me. He will have his choice narrowed down by the 1st of Dec when we fill out our list.

I am considering New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Washington. I have never been to any of those states. We have lived in Texas, Hawaii, South Dakota (where he is from) and now Ohio (where I grew up).

I came here to see if those living in the state of Vermont could give me some insight on what you like and don't like about living in the state. Maybe some info on crime rate, cost of living (for apartments) schools, what there is to do for fun, ect.

We do not get to pick exact city, just the state unfortunately.

Thank you so much in advance for any feedback

If you can even find an apt. in VT,it will cost you double compared to Kansas
or Oklahoma.
New England in general doesn't do apt. complexes, VT is the worst.

[NEOhioBound]

Well, if the cost is higher in VT, COLA will increase in order to ensure we are able to get housing. For instance, our BAH in Milton would be 1800/mth. Where we are at now in Ohio it is 1100/mth

[sundialstreet]

If you're a military family, I don't know if I'd pick Vermont. We have a big deployment happening and NOBODY is talking about these guys shipping out. I don't think of VT as a military friendly place, and I have lived on bases and military communities all over the world.

[vter]

Well, we're certainly talking about it as my cousin is amongst those shipping out. I don't think we'll hear too much of it in the media until they actually ship out after the holidays. They are down in Louisiana training right now. But, sundial does have a point. There is not much of a military culture here.

[NEOhioBound]

Yes we are military, but we wouldnt be living on a base or probably even close to one. My husband is a recruiter and we have never lived anywhere near a base in the last 8 years of him being a recruiter.

Too bad there isn't much of a military culture there though- Are the people military friendly on a whole though?

[jackmccullough]

Originally Posted by sundialstreet

If you're a military family, I don't know if I'd pick Vermont. We have a big deployment happening and NOBODY is talking about these guys shipping out. I don't think of VT as a military friendly place, and I have lived on bases and military communities all over the world.

This is simply false. WCAX has run a number of feature stories and covered the departures,Vermont Public Radio has had programs about it, Peter Shumlin is working to raise money to enable them to return for the holidays before going overseas.

Particularly in the small towns and rural areas there is a high level of participation in National Guard. Whether that translates into receptivity to military recruiting I don't really know. It is true that the larger cities and towns tend to be more liberal politically, and probably less likely to sned their sons and daughters into the military.