Rural and affordable near Burlington? (Williston, Hinesburg: middle-class, transplants, for rent)

[Nerda]

Hi there!

So my boyfriend and I are planning on moving to Vermont within the year and I was hoping to gain some insight from all of you. We currently live in the city (Austin), but the both of us have lived in more rural settings (from a ranch in the hill country of Texas, to a farming hamlet in upstate ny, to a small working farm in south east Asia) and have longed to return to them since leaving them behind.

However, because of work, we must live within reasonable driving distance to Burlington where there is a level one trauma center (my boyfriend currently works as an EMT in a level one trauma center here in Austin). We are both in our twenties and won't be buying, just renting for the time being. We love being outdoors and while I currently teach pre-k, I would love to gain some experience working on farms and/or ranches if ever the opportunity were to present itself to me.

Again- not looking for specifics, just a general idea of what life in Vermont for two transplants in their twenties who love to be outside and desire/crave snow and long winters, as well as a future in farming might be like from those who would know. Where would you suggest we look? What's the atmosphere in those places?

Thanks so much!

[vter]

When you say affordable what does that mean to you? How far of a commute do you want?
Addison County (to the south of Burlington) and Franklin County (to the north) are the biggest farming areas of the state. Rents are generally cheaper in these areas than in Chittenden County but you'll have a 1/2 hour + commute.

[Nerda]

By affordable, I mean below $1300 a month for rent, while still having some kind of yard. We wouldn't need a huge amount of land- just enough yard for two dogs. So it doesn't have to be a single family home, it can be a duplex- however I'm not sure how many of those can be found in Burlington or those surrounding areas.

Being from Texas (where everything is spaced out, it seems) a 30 min commute isn't awful, although I imagine that 30 mins can quickly turn into an hour during the winter season? While it would be ideal because we would like to farm one day, are there any other neighboring areas that aren't as far- even if they also happen to be more urban than the ones you've mentioned.

Thanks for the response! Any info about Vermont is so appreciated!

[NorthernPhoenix]

I was in a similar situation and background to you when I moved to Vermont a few years ago.

All of the online research I did was no substitute for visiting. I really truly had no grasp on anything until I went in person. Initially just for a couple of nights to check out the area. From the topography to how traffic was on certain roads, I absolutely would not recommend picking out a residence until you visit an area that appeals to you.

That being said, I narrowed down my search to a few areas and then went back home to find prospective places online. I was renting with a similar budget to you. The best I could do was research each address and view aerial photos and try to figure what was best for my desires.

When I returned to Vermont, I found I had done my homework very well, and rented the second place I viewed. In Monkton, down a private road, on a lake, very quiet and secluded, 1600 square feet for $900 a month plus utilities. It was exactly thirty minutes to Burlington, or Williston in a slightly more northeasterly direction.

I ended up buying a house at the Huntington/Richmond/Hinesburg triangle area and could not be happier. Though the land was just as important than the house to me as I wanted (and now have) a hobby farm.

Best of luck to you folks!

[Nerda]

WOW! Thank you so much for that response- it gives me a lot of hope in this search.

As of right now, he and I are juggling both Vermont and Montana as prospective locales for the two of us, and we definitely plan on visiting both states within the year (to year and a half, since we don't want to be too hasty with our decision for obvious reasons).

Were you native to the north east? I have lived in the north east (in a small hamlet just outside of Ithaca called Brooktondale) and found it to be very difficult on me, not because of any political difference I had with those around me (quite the contrary, both my boyfriend and I are liberal socially and fiscally), but just because of how private and introverted everyone around me came off as. It bordered somewhere on pretension after a while to me. But I was told by many Vermont natives that I came into contact with and became friends with that Vermont was something of an enigma to the region, as the people there were more welcoming, outspoken, and surprisingly aggressive in comparison to their north eastern neighbors. I don't mean any offense in saying "aggressive", my friend simply meant that the folks there weren't as passive, and were much more passionate and open. As a Texan, I can relate to that. One friend even said it was a west coast state stuck in the north east, and that has stuck with me since. I had hopes of relocating to the VT when I left upstate NY, but due to personal reasons returned to TX to re-gather my eggs and plan more accordingly.

I try my very best not to define groups of people based on where they come from. Being a native Texan who, despite loving my home state, has been the focal point of a lot of hasty judgement calls from people not from Texas I can completely empathize with what it must feels like to have someone do that to them. So by no means am I trying to say that the only people I came across in the North East were unwelcoming and cold, but I did meet with a significant amount of resistance in just not being a local- not necessarily a Texan. How would you describe the culture of Vermont? Also, when we do visit the state, where would you suggest we put our feelers out considering all that I mentioned we are hoping to find as far as affordable housing/amount of land in relation to Burlington? I would love to have a hobby farm with the hopes of joining a co-op in time.

Again, thanks so much for your insight and response. These tiny bits of help from so far away mean a great deal to me as our visit can't happen instantly and due to budget restrictions when we do go, having as much of a heads up for us would be a real blessing.

[NorthernPhoenix]

I am originally from Cape Cod, MA, which is a night-and-day difference from VT. However I lived and worked closer to Boston before coming here. I have lived all around the country for work and military obligations. I chose Vermont mainly because of the opportunity for outdoor adventure and the less crowded environment. I am one of those people who prefers cool/cold weather to warm/hot any time of the year.

I have lived in Texas, in the DFW area, one of those decent middle-class neighborhoods where I was within a ten minute drive of both a really bad neighborhood and a high-end area, so I have seen a mix of things in life.

Vermont is unique, I will say that. There is more a sense of community here than anywhere else I have lived, and that is painting the state with a broad brush and not just meaning on a neighborhood level. Though addresses may be physically distant in many areas, people are brought together with farmers' markets, community events, email subscription lists, and so on and so forth. When I was trying to keep my roots down in MA, I found that none of that was the case. The type of things that bring everyone together in VT were always attended by only the same few close-minded snobs who did not welcome outsiders in Massachusetts. I lived in four towns in MA over the course of 15 years or so, and sadly that was the case everywhere. People in VT seem to care a lot more about each other (I am still shocked to see broken-down vehicles roadside with multiple strangers stopping to help, all the time) and go out of their way to learn about their neighbors. Many Vermonters choose to support local businesses and small businesses and care about what goes on in their communities.

Heck, I had an awesome experience just the other day. My wife and I stopped at a small family farm stand to buy pumpkins, a typical five-minute stop. We got to talking to the proprietor about all kinds of things as we found that we were all hobby farmers. The man was a wealth of knowledge and we exchanged all kinds of wisdom. Two hours later when we left, not only did we purchase the pumpkins we initially chose, but the gentleman sent us on our way with "all you can haul" of slightly damaged pumpkins to feed our livestock. We will surely be back there next week! We could have paid a faceless entity such as a chain supermarket or Agway for those pumpkins, but instead we kept our money local, learned something, and made a new friend in the process.

And I could go on and on...