[sheez73]

Hello,

I have an interview this week in Montpelier. If everything goes well, I could become a Vermont resident at the end of the week. I don’t know much about Montpelier. I’ve been searching on craigslists for apartments just to get an idea of what to expect to pay. My question is “what is Montpelier like?” Is it an easy commute from other areas in Vermont, like Burlington or Stowe? What is highway 89 like? I guess I’m looking for some comments and suggestion on working in and living around Montpelier.


Sheez73

[68vette]

Originally Posted by sheez73

Hello,

I have an interview this week in Montpelier. If everything goes well, I could become a Vermont resident at the end of the week. I don’t know much about Montpelier. I’ve been searching on craigslists for apartments just to get an idea of what to expect to pay. My question is “what is Montpelier like?” Is it an easy commute from other areas in Vermont, example: Burlington or Stowe? What is highway 89 like? I guess I’m looking for some comments and suggestion on working in and living around Montpelier.



Sheez73

Outside of Chittenden county the state is very spread out. Burlington is about 45 min away from Montpelier. The exit for Stowe is only 10-15 min from Montpelier, but you then have to drive a way to get into Stowe. It all depends on the traffic and the tourist season. I-89 is not that bad at all. The worst that happens is the interstate gets closed occasionally if there is an accident or with heavy snow. Is there any way for you to check Montpelier out before you accept the job? It's a nice town, but some people prefer to visit than live there. It will depend on what your likes and dislikes are, what you like to do, how old you are, etc. Like I said it's a nice town, but it's a small town.

[jackmccullough]

I've lived in Montpelier since 1983 and I think it's a great town. The population is about 8,000, and we have a compact, lively downtown. The population probably goes up to about 20,000 during the day, and more during the legislative session. Montpelier is the smallest capital city in the country.

Geographically, Montpelier grew up along two river valleys, the Winooski and the North Branch, which contributes to its compactness. Lots of people who work in the city are close enough to walk downtown to work. I don't know where you're coming from, but you may find housing less expensive to purchase than where you're living now. It's not cheap, though, and I suspect that rentals aren't cheap either. There is a lot of older housing in town, which you may enjoy for the well-worn charm of the Victorian buildings.

When I first moved here there wasn't much going on at night. Now there are more restaurants and enough going on so that you can hear live music at one or more of the local venues every night of the week. We also have a great professional theater, and both a mainstream and independent movie theater right downtown.

Useful sources of information:

The city's web page.
The local newspapers:
The Times Argus
The Bridge

For local real estate:
NNEREN (http://http://nneren.com/detailed.php?qclass=&state=VT&county=Washington - broken link)


Politically the town is very liberal. Also, because of the scale of the place, it's not at all unusual to see the members of the Supreme Court walking downtown to have lunch together, or to see our senior U.S. Senator, Pat Leahy, walking around downtown or shopping at the local supermarket.

Feel free to PM me for more questions, and good luck on the interview. What kind of job is it? And where?

[sheez73]

Thank you for all your help. I'm actualy from a small town in northwestern pa. According to city data the population is the same as Montpelier so I should fit in real well. As far as cost of living, yes Montpelier is much cheaper than where I currently work. Price range for homes start at $300,000. I currently rent and have about a 25 mile commute from Amish country. 25 mile commute is okay (vw TDI). Of course all of this depends on how the interview goes. Cross my fingers.

[Joyce32]

Do you mind if I ask if you are going to be a Montpelier resident?