Thinking of a move to Burlington area (South Burlington, Winooski: apartments, job market)

[jpayne1021]

My family and I are planning on moving to the Burlington area. We have two children and currently live in Charleston WV. I had a couple of questions that I was hoping someone could help me out with. We have done a lot of research about the area but I would appreciate any tips or suggestions from people who live there.

1. What is the job market like? I am a cpa and my wife is a dental hygienist.
2. What areas are the best places to live for a young family if I find a job in the Burlington area?

Thanks.

[68vette]

You and your wife have specific training for work. The job market is heavy on the service industry jobs and some of the higher paying jobs can be competitive. What you both need to do is apply for work and see what happens. I don't think your wife will have a difficult time finding a job in the Burlington area. I know my dentist has temp hygienists they hire from time to time. You may get lucky and both of you will get offers at the same time and on the other hand that might not happen. If the household relies on your income primarily, start at that point. Have a move date set, meaning you get a job off or she gets a job offer and go with that. What can happen is if you both wait to get an offer, then you may never make the move. Don't wory about a place to live until you have job offers. If you lived in the furthest section of Essex and then got a job in Downtown Burlington, that could be a 45-60 minute commute with traffic. Most of the areas are nice to live in. I would avoid all of Burlington with the exception of the New North End and avoid Winooski. The other towns you will need to visit and see what you like or don't like about them.

[Vermonr]

I agree with everything 68vette says, but the only thing I would add is that not ALL of downtown Burlington is unsuitable for a family. The hill section is quite nice, if you can afford it, and getting into South Burlington by Pine Street there are some wonderful neighborhoods. The area north of Pearl Street is mostly college students/apartments and gets noisy on the weekends though.

Most people with small children want to live in the suburbs, which is understandable, but remember that young children grow up to be teenagers. My friends were bored silly living in Essex Jct. when they got older, and I'm still thankful that I was within walking distance of a nice downtown when I was a teen.