Info requested please: Charlotte vs Shelburne vs Hinesburg (Burlington, Colchester: for sale, real estate)

[nurshthr]

Hello all!

I am relocating to VT this fall/winter and have been having a terrible time deciding where to live with my three daughters! My first priorities are to live in a town that has excellent schools and a strong sense of community, secondly would be convenience to their activities such as dance, theater, music, horseback riding lessons, swimming and skiing etc. It seems that from most of the above mentioned towns that I will be going to South Burlington for dance, 30-40 min or so away from skiing (?Bolton Valley closest?), the town schools themselves offer Drama, Chorus and Band, and horses are all over! Shelburne and Hinesburg have more of a village area (Shelburne being bigger) and great summer programs, where Charlotte does not...where do Charlotte parents send their children for these activities? All of the above mentioned communities seem to fit the bill, Charlotte being the most rural feeling, then Hinesburg, with Shelburne feeling the most suburban. I am finding it hard to find a house to purchase that fits my budget (around $300,000) and my tastes...it seems that most of the properties in these towns that are currently for sale in this price range need a significant amount of work.
If there are locals who could comment on these towns, I would GREATLY appreciate it. I have an excellent job opportunity at Fletcher Allen, and do not want to pass it up due to not being able to find housing. Which ever town I choose, if I am unable to purchase right now, then I will rent until that perfect (or close to perfect) house becomes available to me.
Thanks everyone who responds for your help

[vter]

Shelburne, Charlotte and Hinesburg are great communities. They belong to the same high school district so the towns are pretty intertwined.
Shelburne and Charlotte are the most expensive Burlington "suburbs". Very desirable area to live.
Kids activites are in Shelburne, South Burlington, Williston etc. So yes, you will do quite a bit of driving around from place to place.
Not sure if you've seen these links yet. Will give you a good idea as to what is going on in the towns:
The Hinesburg Record
The Citizen | Charlotte/Hinesburg News
Shelburne News | What Shelburne Reads
Congrats on the job offer!

[harry chickpea]

A commute from the south end to the hospital would get old fast. The general "feel" of Charlotte is more open and sunny than Hinesburg, but Hinesburg closer to Williston could be more practical. Bolton is good skiing and close, but Cochran's is closer. Cochrans Ski Area

[vter]

It is an easy commute to Fletcher Allen from the towns south IMO. No need to take Route 7/Shelburne Road. Spear Street is a great option and brings you right to the entrance (on the other side of Williston Road) to FAHC. Mt. Philo Road and Dorset Street are other good options (parallel Route 7). From Hinesburg you have 3 different options (Shelburne Falls Rd/Dorset St, Route 116 to Route 2, or Route 116 to 2A to 89). I personally would much rather do that commute than commute via I-89. It seems as though there are always accidents on 89 during rush hour, especially during winter. Between exits 14-16 seem particularly bad for accidents as well as French Hill in Williston (between the Williston & Richmond exits).
Ditto Cochran's. GREAT ski area for kids to learn. Very affordable too. When they master skiing you can move on to the bigger places.
Have you been up to visit yet? I think housing wise you'll get more for your money in Hinesburg than Shelburne or Charlotte. Are there reasons you are not considering the other surrounding towns (Williston, S. Burlington, Essex, Colchester, Richmond etc)?

EDITED to add...that I used to commute from Northern Addison County (Ferrisburg, just south of Charlotte) to South Burlington (Kennedy Dr) every day...25 minutes door to door via Spear Street. No traffic until my destination in SB. I had co-workers from Colchester and it took them just as long (traffic).

[nurshthr]

I have looked at houses in Essex, South Burlington and Colchester...don't like the suburban feel. I grew up in MA and left to go north for a reason...wanted a slower/country lifestyle to raise my children. Where I live now in Wolfeboro, NH I have everything for my kids right in town as far as activities (dance classes, horseback riding, good schools, strong community) so very little driving around daily for that, BUT lack of work options for me. It is still 40-60+ min to a mall or Target or Walmart, but local downtown village stores suffice for most everyday needs. I fear that I would be sacrificing the quieter lifestyle I desire for closer conveniences if living in Essex, S.Burlington, Colchester or Williston, but will be doing a lot more driving around for my children's activities if I choose Hinesburg or Charlotte. Such a conundrum! I do know that the outskirts of some of the (more suburban) towns are more rural, but housing options there are few and far between (esp under $300k).

I have been to all of the mentioned areas numerous times...have actually lived in VT 4 times in the last 20 or so years. In Burlington for a short period of time, Addison, Bristol and Lincoln, and have commuted to FAHC from all locales. This time I want to put down roots, which is why I have been agonizing over this decision...

[vter]

I hear you! I much prefer southern Chittenden County myself as I am also not a suburb person!
That said..keep Williston in your search. The southeast part of Williston is rural and very pretty. The area around Lake Iroquois.
Good luck with your move! I hope you are able to find the house you want!

[momnh]

I was also going to add that Williston is pretty large land wise and is actually pretty rural. Don't judge it by Taft Corners and the two suburban housing developments (Southridge and Brennan Woods). Those actually exist through good zoning that encourages density in one part of the town and lots of open space in the rest (versus sprawl all over). It's part of the same school district as Charlotte/Hinesburg/Shelburne and is convenient to a lot due to its location. Real estate may be a little less than Charlotte and Shelburne too. Taxes certainly are since the retail establishments in Taft Corners collect an extra 1% local tax to offset homeowner taxes. Shelburne would be my second choice with having kids since it is still big enough to have a variety of tracks and extracurriculars in school, and is near the lake (but a little further from skiing). If I didn't have kids (or when they grow), Hinesburg may be where I move to. There is something special about it not being home to estates and "money" as much as the other towns, and still so close to Burlington.

[suz1023]

With your budget I'd look at Richmond and Jericho where they are close to rt 119--aka River Road, and along the Milton/Colchester town line.
Historically Milton hasn't had a reputation for great schools, but that may well have evolved by now.
Richmond/Jericho is Chittenden East which is an excellent district.

[adriatic]

When I was house hunting, I thought Williston was just sprawing suburb with big box stores, but recently discovered some beautiful rural parts on my way to the doctor's office there. Also, once you hit Williston(heading east) you can get some gorgeous views of the Green Mountains that we don't have here in Shelburne where I live. I'm not that thrilled with the school in Shelburne...it's OK, but suspect Williston and South Burlington probably have better schools. I find myself driving from Shelburne to South Burlington area all the time!!! Non stop. Everything is there (or in Williston) and very little is in Shelburne. Lots of gas in my SUV. We belong to the Edge sports club which gives tennis lessons in S. Burlington (and at its other locations) and I even take some of the great rec. dept. night courses in S. Burlington. Shopping of course, is in S. Burlington and Williston (and downtown Burlington). My daughter does art classes at Davis Studio on pine St. in Burlington. She has friends who do their modern dance/ballet/hip hop/jazz dance classes in Williston. I know that there are kids from Charlotte in her tennis classes at the Edge in S. Burlington, so maybe that's where kids from Charlotte go. She did riding lessons in Charlotte, but there are horse farms all over the place, including many near Colchester. We really loved riding our bikes on the bike path in Colchester and across the lake to South Hero Island. Colchester has a variety of housing in all price ranges and although it has a big main road with a Costco, it has plenty of residential areas, many houses near gorgeous and lively Mallet's Bay, some of the most beautiful town parks and rec. fields in the area. It certainly feels livlier and more diverse than Shelburne. I think if you will be out in Charlotte or Hinesburg, then you will definitely have a quieter, more rural feel, but depends how many activities your kids will be in. I often tell my daughter we should have bought in S. Burlington, or even Colchester, given how many times we drive there from Shelburne. (I took French classes at Alliance Francais at St. Michael's college in Colchester and also go to ballroom dancing events over there. The Vermont Youth Chorus and Orchestra's also practice in Colchester (I think those are St. Michael's buildings). Shelburne is OK, but it is growing and the traffic is often a mess and very jammed up on Route 7, especially approaching the main intersection in the center "village" by the Shelburne Country store. I think Shelburne is only a "village feel" if you are living right near the small center. Otherwise, it can feel spread out too with a number of typical suburban developments (that are nice and great for kids).

I think S. Burlington schools are probably very good and have a lot of competitive kids in them to bring up standards. They also have excellent sports teams. Colchester high school also came up in the ratings a lot since years past. I'm not looking forward to sending my daughter to CVU, which is the collective high school for about 4 towns (including Williston) and is rather far away on a treacherous road from Shelburne.

[suz1023]

The commute from Charlotte to Burlington isn't bad by boat!