[Levi's Mum]

After much thought my husband has decided to stay at his current job, which means we are relocating to somewhere in Rutland County.

I need some help from people who live there on best schools, play group information etc. I have a 15 month old and am a stay-home-Mommy but would like to be able to take him out and do some fun stuff.

We are just in the first stages of home searching so any advice on towns would be much appreciated as well.
THANKS

[vter]

Not a huge fan of Rutland and environs, but can give you some ideas.
My parents just moved from the Bennington area to Wallingford, which is about 15 minutes south of Rutland. Wallingford is a nice, small community. It has a nice, but tiny downtown with a good pizza place, an inn, a store, and a couple churches.
The other town in Rutland County that I like is Brandon. It's a bit bigger than Wallingford and has a nice downtowon with some good restaurants and a good bookstore. It's about 20 minutes from Rutland.
Hopefully someone can chime in that has more intimate knowledge of the area.
Good luck!

[VTeratheart]

Not much knowledge here, either, on Rutland, but I wouldn't live in Rutland. I'm not sure if Poultney is in Rutland County, I've been through it and it's cute. Sorry I can't be of much help.

Koz is moving from there....come out, come out, wherever you are!!! He'll give you an honest opinion!!

[KoZmiC NinJa]

Originally Posted by VTeratheart

Not much knowledge here, either, on Rutland, but I wouldn't live in Rutland. I'm not sure if Poultney is in Rutland County, I've been through it and it's cute. Sorry I can't be of much help.

Koz is moving from there....come out, come out, wherever you are!!! He'll give you an honest opinion!!

Ha ha ha ...here I am !

Actually, I live in Proctor, which is Rutland area, but not Rutland
town. Proctor is the quintessential family town. There is not a lot
to do here but the school system is first rate (it should be $$$$ )
and you can walk to the park and enjoy a wednsday evening concert,
go to the library etc....A very nice place albiet not a lot to do.
My neighbors are friendly and I have to look for the key to the front
door to give to the new owners. I would highly recommend Proctor
as a place to raise a family or put down roots. Conversely, there is
Rutland. For the sake of brevity all I would say is that the first
sylable of Rutland, 'Rut' , is a portent of things to come. The
vision of Rutland to me was almost like the desparation in a sad
Tom Waits song....There is nothing open past six except the
WAL*MART and seedy bars. Almost every block has something
depressing or in disrepair and the school system can be ruff on kids
who are a little 'different'.
There are some plans in the works to make Rutland a little more
culturly freindly but they are far off. I will miss Proctor, but not
Rutland.
In a nutshell....Proctor, a resounding 'Yes', Rotland---NO.
Also, look at Brandon. A small amount of undesirable stuff but
a nice main street and a concerned community.
Good Luck ! Vermont is spectacularly beautiful right now !

[vter]

Brandon definately is on the comeback. It used to house a state hospital, and I will not post what nickname the town had as not too offend anyone. The community is great and has totally revived the downtown area. I love Cafe Provence restaurant and the bookstore. There is a strong community of artists in Brandon as well.

[KoZmiC NinJa]

wUt Vter sed !

We've gone to the bookstore and listened to music
upstairs while drinking coffee. Very nice !!
Sometimes I ride my bicycle into Brandon, have something to
eat at Sullys, watch the waterfall and world go by in that little
gazebo and then ride home on Florence road. Makes for a very
nice day ! The park is very nice too.....I can sit there and look at
the architecture on the older houses for hours !

[proudflatlander]

I must disagree about Proctor. I have been living here for 5 years now.
It is a good looking town but there is really nothing. I mean nothing...not even a main street worth of that name. The park is just a piece of land with a gazebo. Not even a playground for the children.
The bank will close its doors next April.
Schools aren't that great and there is no school bus, which might be a big problem in the winter.
Rutland might not be the best place on earth but there are some very nice neighborhood in Rutland Town that are worth exploring. David Rd. and Victoria Drive areas for instance are very nice and quiet but a few minutes from downtown. The whole area east of Stratton Rd is very nice. Newer homes and nice environment. Avoid Rutland City and West Rutland instead which are pretty run down. Among other things West Rutland has a very bad problem with the presence of radon gas in basements.
If you are thinking of a smaller town I heard great things of Wallingford. Brandon is also very nice in the very central area. Plenty of little stores that keep the downtown area alive and good looking.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by proudflatlander

Avoid Rutland City and West Rutland instead which are pretty run down.

Hmm, there are rundown parts in every town. But avoid ALL of Rutland City and West Rutland? I disagree. I think there are wonderful areas in both. It all depends on one's lifestyle and needs.

[proudflatlander]

Originally Posted by Sherylcatmom

Hmm, there are rundown parts in every town. But avoid ALL of Rutland City and West Rutland? I disagree. I think there are wonderful areas in both. It all depends on one's lifestyle and needs.

It would be interesting if you could share with us the wonderful areas in Rutland town and West Rutland.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by proudflatlander

It would be interesting if you could share with us the wonderful areas in Rutland town and West Rutland.

Actually, I said Rutland City, but there are also wonderful areas in Rutland Town. And I repeat: what is "wonderful" depends completely on what someone is looking for.

Rutland City: We live just west of Route 7 on the north side of town. It's quiet, neighborly, and close to everything. I also like the northeast section and the waaay northwest section (e.g., Hazel Avenue). There are older homes, some of which are rundown, but many have been restored and others are just awaiting some love.

West Rutland: Heading out on Route 133 there are some lovely homes.

Rutland Town: Take Killington Avenue east through Rutland City and Rutland Town; explore streets to the north and south in this area. Also, McKinley Avenue and parts of Grove Street and other streets running between Route 7 & Grove Streets.