[cheshire]

We are tired of the pollution, bad schools, lack of healthy lifestyle opportunities in Houston. After the birth of our son we made the decision to simplify and move to Burlington, VT. My wife and I telecommute, so we can pretty much work from anywhere. (All we need is phone and high speed internet access.) Vermont seemed like the state for us and Burlington the city we found most appealing. We just sold our house and should be on our way in about a month. Eventually we plan to buy something in or around Burlington, but first we would like to get to know the place, make new friends and figure out where to live long term.

We currently live in what used to be the urban, gay/bohemian, artsy, counterculture part of Houston. I say "used to be" because it has become somewhat gentrified (and rather expensive); but still, it maintains some of its former eclectic flare. We don't go out much, but love the energy and diversity of place. Our neighbors are interesting, and sitting on our porch provides us with all the entertainment we require. Is there something like this in or around Burlington?

Thank you.

[KoZmiC NinJa]

Originally Posted by cheshire

We currently live in what used to be the urban, gay/bohemian, artsy, counterculture part of Houston. I say "used to be" because it has become somewhat gentrified (and rather expensive); but still, it maintains some of its former eclectic flare. We don't go out much, but love the energy and diversity of place. Our neighbors are interesting, and sitting on our porch provides us with all the entertainment we require. Is there something like this in or around Burlington?

Thank you.

There is...its called.........Burlington !

Welcome !!

[VTeratheart]

I would agree that Burlington is the busiest, most diverse city/town you'll find if you're looking for something similar (sounding) to Houston. If you do decide to move to outlying towns, make sure you check to see if they have high-speed available~not all do! Good luck and welcome to VT!! Oh, and let us know where you are!

[cheshire]

Is there a particular area of Burlington we should look into? We plan to rent for about a year and would like to maximize our exposure to Burlingtonians :-) We have a four month old and a dog, both require lots of walking and interesting scenery to keep them happy. Is Burlington pedestrian friendly? How about dog friendly? Like most Texans we have two cars. We are thinking of leaving one behind. How extensive is Burlington's public transportation?

[VTeratheart]

Burlington is very kid and dog friendly, and is a pretty good walking city. Seeing as you have a young child and a dog, you may want to look into the south end of Burlington, the "Hill section" is located in the southern end, in case you see that advertised anywhere you're looking. The transportation system (buses) run very frequently, with lots of stops throughout the city, and surroundint towns. They've added a couple new parking garages downtown too, if you decide to drive. What are you looking to spend for rent?

The reason I suggested the south end, is that it tends to be less populated with college students, a bit more family oriented and easier to get to downtown on foot. Remember that there are a few colleges right in Burlington so anywhere you go, especially to rent, you're likely to have college students in your neighborhood. I was one of them once, in Burlington, so I'm not saying it's a bad thing at all, just wanted you to have a heads-up! Have you checked out The Seven Days, and The Burlington Free Press for apartments? Also, I think apartments.com might have some listings. HTH

[harry chickpea]

Burlingtonians??? Never heard that term before. If you plan on "maximizing your exposure," I think there is a city at the south end of the state that might be more accomodating...

I get the impression that you are envisioning Burlington as a big city. It isn't. The Church Street market area is maybe the size of a couple of NYC long blocks. Take a good look at some of the aerial photos and maps to understand how compact the area is.

[vter]

I echo Harry...have you been here to visit? Houston to Burlington is going to be a bit of a culture shock. You're going from one of the largest cities in the US to a small college town (40kish). The "metro" area is 150Kish.

[cheshire]

VTeratheart -- The sound end of Burlington sounds lovely. Several of our current neighbors happen to be university professors. The large concentration of colleges/universities is one of the reasons we are moving to Burlington. Initially we plan to rent. We don't want to spend much on rent. We both feel that it is like throwing money down the drain. We like to find a two bedroom or one bedroom with study. As long as the place is clean and safe, we would be happy. Our goal is to get to know the lay of the land and buy something as soon as we are comfortable. How are rents in the south end or Burlington?

harry chickpea -- True enough on the aerial views of Burlington. A few days ago we scrolled our way up an across Burlington in Google maps in just a few minutes. Keep in mind that Houston looks like a parking lot from space so it is going to take us some time to happily unlearn what we have learned :-)

[cheshire]

vter -- We've both been in Burlington and love the culture. Can't wait to get out of Houston! In 2001 I spent six months hiking the Appalachian trail and fell in love with Vermont and Maine. My wife grew up in Austin, TX in the 70's and thinks Burlington has similar attributes. Though, I hear that it is a bit colder :-)

[luv80s]

Hi Cheshire,
My husband I just moved to VT from Houston ourselves about 2 months ago. We too were tired of all the same stuff you listed in your post and couldn't wait to get out of Houston fast enough. Well my husband found a really good job up here and here we are! We are renting also and live about 30+miles south of Burlington. As beautiful and peaceful as VT is, we are ready to return to Houston. We are going to give it time though and hopefully it will grow on us more. We have a 2 year old boy and another baby on the way and Vt has alot of nice family things to do I'm finding out. As for colder weather up here, heck yeah its cold!!! Digging the car out of the snow=not fun. But I guess you adjust like anywhere else. And yes, its a culture shock up here. I saw my first Goth kid today at the mall, which in Houston you see them just about everyday and everywhere, hehe.

What area of Houston are you coming from? Sounds like Montrose/Westheimer area.

Anyhoo, Welcome my fellow Houstonians!!! Let me know how yall like it here