Northfield/Norwich U area (Barre, Montpelier: vacation, housing, university)

[ShellsNJam]

Hello all!

My husband is considering a position at Norwich University and as a born & bred Southern girl, I have lots of questions.

I have lived in TN, GA, AL, MS, and UT. Hubby is from CT and we have spent some time vacationing in the NE during most of the seasons except for the fall. We love the outdoors (both summer & winter sports - especially backpacking), gardening, and wide open spaces. In UT, I experienced powder snow, but I imagine it is quite different there.

Anyone from this area out there? Looking for info on avg heating bills. Also, is it reasonable to commute 15 miles to the school during the winter? Best places to live in & around Northfield? How is the soil for growing veggies? Are there any grocers in Northfield or must I drive to Montpelier?

Any other info would be great!

Thanks!

[MRVphotog]

There is a mid sized grocery just north of town..think it's a Grand Union/Shaw's.
We sometimes get powder, around 40" over Valentines Day weekend this past winter, for example. The Labor Day celebration in Northfield is fun.

Being a farming state I can safely say you can grow veggies here.

[VTeratheart]

The next closest grocery store (Hannaford) and "bigger" shopping will be in Barre, about 15-20 minutes north, off exit 6. As far as heating bills, it's going to depend greatly on how old a house you get, and whether that house has been updated recently with new windows and/or insulation. Also, the source of the heat will vary, too, with electric most likely being the highest. As for commuting times, 15 miles in or near Northfield could take you 30-45 mins at least in the winter. Living out there I'd recommend 4 WD. Do you have kids in school? That might depend on which towns you'd chose over others.

[ShellsNJam]

Thanks for the info!

We do not have any school age children. We have a 5 month old and would be moving again before he reached school age.

We would be looking at an older home - the Northfield Municipal plan states that 40% of the housing was built before 1930 - and these seem to be more in our price range (250k and below). I was thinking about using a wood stove for some heat and oil. I am trying to stay away from electric heat as we have this in AL and it is somewhat pricey in our mild winters. My husband has some HVAC/plumbing background from his childhood, so I'm hoping purchasing an older home wouldn't be too much of a nightmare for us.

Is the Northfield newspaper still active? I found a couple of links, but none were able to link me to the site.

Thanks again!

[VTeratheart]

If schools aren't a concern, then you have a LOT more choices, I think. I'm not exactly sure of the distance, or the best routes, but you might want to consider a house in Barre Town. There's more "to do" in Barre and Montpelier than Northfield, but all are within a short drive (longer in the inwer, though!) I've heard, too, that you might think about renting first, but if your husband is in a contract for a few years, and moving again soon is NOT an option, then you may as well buy and (hopefully) make a little money. Hope this