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Are there a lot of absentee landlords? They tend to care the least about their units. We had a problem with that in Providence, though it seems like more and more locals are taking over control of the properties. We used to have a lot of landlords who didn't live in RI renting out most of the properties. Now many of them live around Providence, if not in the city itself or even in the neighborhood.
From someone who is living in VT right now and dealing with the same questions, here are some thoughts...
1) VT is beautiful and there is recreation aplenty, if you dont mind seasonality then great... living in a clean, gorgeous area has wonderful benefits on its own
2) the cost of living is ridiculous. My husband and i are preparing to head out west for this very reason. electricity, rent, transportantion, food, and fuel are expensive and you dont have much of a choice.
I would not move to burlington... it is liberal and fun but i feel its more work than what its worth, you can always live nearby and visit the "city" when you like. VT is small so everywhere within the state is only a couple hours of driving time.
Please, check out some other towns/cities in VT first, here are some ideas,
all of them have a town center, colleges nearby, some industry, recreation, and major hubs (like ski resorts) where there will be better paying jobs without all of the baggage of btown.
Thank you for your responses! I had no idea that rentals would be in
such poor condition. In Florida nothing is more than 30 years old, so
I guess that will be an adjustment. I suppose choices are limited in a
smaller city.
Can anyone comment on cost of heat, electricity, etc?
And how about the employment situation for a college teacher and
musician? Are the (liberal arts) colleges hiring, firing, making
budget cuts? Are there piano bars, or restaurants that have live piano
music in town?
Consider outside Burlington, I feel that is where the real Vermont is while also maintaining touch with your city roots. The RWD car should not be a problem at all, I went to college and lived in a similar climate and road area. I had a RWD car and worked as a ski instructor 60 miles away (the deeper the snow, the more urgent it was to get to work), anyway, if you truly know how to drive your RWD...nothing beats it as a total package. Sure they get stuck real easy, but it is nothing a bag of sand and some old floor mats was never able to solve, small metal shovel helps too. Oh, and when I say KNOW HOW TO DRIVE, I mean on the level of a professional driver...you should be able to control and recover from high speed spins, lateral slides and in an emergency how to direct the impact of the vehicle to the safest spot possible (empty car....rear, passengers...towards you). You should be able to do this without breaking a sweat...sweat means hesitation, hesitation means people get hurt, if people get hurt (especially passengers and pedestrians) you failed. If I scared you...its time to buy a subaru.
Now I just moved to Vt (so I don't know much about the area...just driving in it!) Go figure I don't teach skiing anymore, I don't have my RWD boat and I stopped driving professionally a few months ago when I moved.
BEST OF LUCK TO YOU....MOVING HERE WAS THE BEST THING I EVER DID FOR MYSELF AND DOG!!! (so far)
Thank you for your responses! I had no idea that rentals would be in
such poor condition. In Florida nothing is more than 30 years old, so
I guess that will be an adjustment. I suppose choices are limited in a
smaller city.
Can anyone comment on cost of heat, electricity, etc?
And how about the employment situation for a college teacher and
musician? Are the (liberal arts) colleges hiring, firing, making
budget cuts? Are there piano bars, or restaurants that have live piano
music in town?
Thank you very much!
Not all rental units are in poor condition, but many are in poor condition. The reason is that Burlington is a collage town. Apartments get trashed and most properties are over 75 years old. As I said, you will be able to find places that are nice, but those places will cost well over $1000-1200/month.
Heat, electric are sometimes included in some apartments, but not most. Heat costs will vary. If the building is old and poorly insulated, it could be a couple hunderd/month. Electric also depends on your use. An average for the area is about $100-150. Food will vary as well. We feed a family of five and eat a very healthy diet. It costs us at least $800/month. Cable, phone and internet are cheaper if you get a bundle. With taxes and fees our bundle is just about $200/month.
Burlington College has a math position and a film production position open, UVM did not list anything for college professor/assistant professor. Your best bet is to contact the libeal arts schools or programs and see if there are any openings that would work for you. My guess is that in this economy, most positions would be filled, but you never know.
Music can be tough to make a living anywhere. There used to be a place that had jazz and piano a few nights a week, but that place is long gone. I don't know of any piano bars in the area. Someone else may be of more help on this. Most of the music in town is rock/alternative, a few dance places. It's tough in a collage town unless you play guitar, drums, etc.
I imagine south burlington has some newer decent apartments, five minutes a way and a lot different vibe though. But for those who want to live in a nice place and have downtown burlington, the lake, and church street as their neighborhood, well everyone wants that so naturally $$$$
Burlington is a great city -- but it does have its downsides! Real estate prices are completely inflated and have not really decreased in the past few years. The houses that you have to choose from are not that nice, unless you can get into the 400,000 and above price range. There are absolutely NO JOBS except low-paying ones, mostly in human services. There are no jazz clubs--yes, occassionally jazz musicians play at one of the local bars, but I don't think there are a lot of gigs (and there are already lots of musicians). Pay scales here are lower than in the rest of the country (as far as I can tell and I work in the medical field). Church street gets old after a while--it's really just a big outdoor mall. The resturaunt scene is somewhat disappointing. In terms of "crime", it depends on where you live. Compared to other places, it is pretty mild.
We thought it would be great to live here as well, but we are now, after six years, trying desperately to be able to move to another state where the cost of living is less, there are a few more jobs, and we can buy a decent house for under 300,000. Also, the college population makes the average of the city around 28 or so. As 40-somethings, we definately feel old quite often when we look around us.
In terms of travel, Burlington is not a direct connection to anywhere except New York (jet blue) and Chicago (United--very expensive flight). Also Washington, DC. But it's pretty difficult and expensive to get anywhere by plane. In addition, in the winter it is very icy in Burlington which is a real pain. yes, winter sports are fun, but when the roads and sidewalks are covered with a few inches of ice, regular day-to-day living gets to be kind of a drag.
You also have to pay for garbage removal (about 40.00/month) unless you want to transport it yourself (do-able). Electricty is outrageously expensive. We live in a 1700 square foot place and work f/t out of the house and our bill is usually around 120/month. I think that utilities here are very expensive. Food definately is;
On the up side--it's gorgeous (for some of the year), the lake is awesome, the state is beautiful, Vermonters are pretty accepting of people from "away", low crime, community building, and there is a very nice bike path.
Burlington is a great city -- but it does have its downsides! Real estate prices are completely inflated and have not really decreased in the past few years. The houses that you have to choose from are not that nice, unless you can get into the 400,000 and above price range. There are absolutely NO JOBS except low-paying ones, mostly in human services. There are no jazz clubs--yes, occassionally jazz musicians play at one of the local bars, but I don't think there are a lot of gigs (and there are already lots of musicians). Pay scales here are lower than in the rest of the country (as far as I can tell and I work in the medical field). Church street gets old after a while--it's really just a big outdoor mall. The resturaunt scene is somewhat disappointing. In terms of "crime", it depends on where you live. Compared to other places, it is pretty mild.
We thought it would be great to live here as well, but we are now, after six years, trying desperately to be able to move to another state where the cost of living is less, there are a few more jobs, and we can buy a decent house for under 300,000. Also, the college population makes the average of the city around 28 or so. As 40-somethings, we definately feel old quite often when we look around us.
In terms of travel, Burlington is not a direct connection to anywhere except New York (jet blue) and Chicago (United--very expensive flight). Also Washington, DC. But it's pretty difficult and expensive to get anywhere by plane. In addition, in the winter it is very icy in Burlington which is a real pain. yes, winter sports are fun, but when the roads and sidewalks are covered with a few inches of ice, regular day-to-day living gets to be kind of a drag.
You also have to pay for garbage removal (about 40.00/month) unless you want to transport it yourself (do-able). Electricty is outrageously expensive. We live in a 1700 square foot place and work f/t out of the house and our bill is usually around 120/month. I think that utilities here are very expensive. Food definately is;
On the up side--it's gorgeous (for some of the year), the lake is awesome, the state is beautiful, Vermonters are pretty accepting of people from "away", low crime, community building, and there is a very nice bike path.
THANK YOU!
This was really helpful in one post sums up what I keep reading and thinking about Burlington. Nice place to move if you have a trust fund.
We are re-considering moving there and really appreciate this forum.
No commentary about those with a trust fund, we just don't have one.
My husband and I are seriously considering moving to Burlington after having spent too many years in Orlando. We hope to find a place with cultural life, a real town center where we can walk to most amenities, and a liberal environment that could provide us with opportunities and entertainment for the next twenty years. . .
I am a Liberal Arts college professor and tutor and my husband is a jazz musician.
Will we be able to make a living?
We have read many stories about the high cost of living in Vermont. What cost level should a couple like us, hoping to live in a safe town center apartment, count on? Rent, heat, electricity, etc.Do we have to get rid of our rear wheel drive car?
Finally, we hear contradictory news about crime in the Burlington area. I understand that living north of Pearl Street is not advisable, but what is the rest like? Are there areas where you can’t go out at night? Is the town center generally safe at night? And what kinds of crime do people experience most?
I’d really appreciate any responses that might help us get a clearer picture of life in Burlington. BTW, we have both lived in places with rough weather so the winter is not a negative for us.
THANK YOU!!! I love this forum!!!
Probably not.
How do you feel about trying to find 2 service/labor jobs apiece?
From someone who is living in VT right now and dealing with the same questions, here are some thoughts...
1) VT is beautiful and there is recreation aplenty, if you dont mind seasonality then great... living in a clean, gorgeous area has wonderful benefits on its own
2) the cost of living is ridiculous. My husband and i are preparing to head out west for this very reason. electricity, rent, transportantion, food, and fuel are expensive and you dont have much of a choice.
I would not move to burlington... it is liberal and fun but i feel its more work than what its worth, you can always live nearby and visit the "city" when you like. VT is small so everywhere within the state is only a couple hours of driving time.
Please, check out some other towns/cities in VT first, here are some ideas,
all of them have a town center, colleges nearby, some industry, recreation, and major hubs (like ski resorts) where there will be better paying jobs without all of the baggage of btown.
hope this helps!
If cost of living is an issue, not sure why you suggested Stowe.
Cross Middlebury and Montpelier off the list as well.
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VT - Pros and Cons
My husband and i are preparing to head out west for this very reason. electricity, rent, transportantion, food, and fuel are expensive and you dont have much of a choice.
