[Kmommy]

I currently live in Quincy, Ma, and am getting extremely sick of the quality of life down here. I'm a young mother, who barely makes enough to survive, especially for this city and state, and want to move my family to an area where we can have a decent life. I have a 3 year old son who will be in school soon, and I want to give him the best education possible. We're looking into the Burlington Area, i.e. St. Albans, Colchester, Essex, etc. I have the opportunity to transfer in my job to Burlington, and we just need to find a nice town to live in that won't break our bank account. Also, we're curious to know if any areas offer full day Kindergarten or affordable Child Care. I will appreciate any input, Thank you.

[sevdie]

check out the post in this forum titled "Burlington" read all of the posts in there. VTer and Chaz Lounge are very friendly posters and will have info on Burlington and surrounding areas.

[chaz longue]

Kmommy -

I just sent you a PM.

Housing cost is not cheap here in Northwest Vermont.
But the good news is that the seller's market we were experiencing here 18 months ago has softened considerably. Buyers now have twice as much to chose from as they did one year ago, although average sale prices are right where they were a year ago.

Renting is not cheap. But the rental market has softened considerably. This is partly because new rental units have been built in the last 2 years or so, and also because of the enormous number of first time home buyers (former renters) who have been able to take advantage of the historically low mortgage interest rates in the last few years.

Sadly there's no central database for apartment / rental info like there is for houses for sale. So you'll just be browsing The Burlington Free Press, Seven Days, and so on for the classified ads. I can email you the number of a local property management firm which offers apartments. They'll email you thier list if you email them. They don't have a website as such.

Finally, here's the best school info site.
http://crs.uvm.edu/schlrpt/ (broken link)

Daycare also isn't cheap, of course. Your employer may be able to suggest some options. There are more daycare providers in Burlington of course. than in outlying towns...

Please PM me and I'll gladly help as best I can.

[chaz longue]

Thanks for the kind words Sevdie...

[vter]

Chaz has given you some good info.
I am most familiar with South Burlington. In South Burlington, a starter house goes for $200K + (a small ranch with a couple bedrooms). You can get condos (older ones) for under $200K. Taxes are $1.7ish per $100 of assessed value.
South Burlington, Essex, and Colchester all have good schools. Not sure about Burlington.
St. Albans is a fast growing area. There is a steady flow of traffic heading south to Burlington every morning. The problem spot is getting over the Winooski River bridge (lots of accidents). The trip normally takes about 1/2 hour one-way. You're about an hour from Montreal in St. Albans.
Definately post back if you have any more specific questions.

PS. I lived in North Quincy for two years during my 6 year stint in the Boston area after college. I couldnt get back home to VT fast enough!

[Kmommy]

I can't find a place to live in VT fast enough. I've lived here (Boston Area) my whole life and I'm really tired of it. Why so many accidents on the bridge? People going too fast, or too small a road? I'd be transferring to Burlington so any traffic advice..(quickest time, safest roads, etc.) would be appreciated. Also, I'm not opposed to going south of Burlington either. We just don't want to live IN the city. I've heard Shelburne is nice. Anything else you have to tell me I would apreciate.

[vter]

RE: the bridge. It's a combination of the way the road is configured and the speed of traffic. Lot of my friends who live in the Northeast Kingdom think that traffic is horrific here. I gotta laugh...they ought to drive in Boston!
Traffic can be a bit of a bear getting into and out of Burlington...there are only 2 major ways out to the interstate (Route 2/Main Street & Shelburne Road to 189) so during "rush" hour, you may have to wait a light cycle or two.
Shelburne is really nice, as is Charlotte. Both are very expensive though. School systems are good.
Other towns to check out would be Hinesburg-has a rural feel yet 20 minutes to Burlington...same with Richmond.
PS...where in Burlington would your office be?

[Kmommy]

I'd be transferring to Riverside Ave....(u-haul). The traffic really doesn't sound bad at all!!! I live 15 minutes away from Boston, and the other day it took me an hour to get there! The traffic up there sounds like it would be a welcome break for me. I'm willing to move a 30-35min(max) away. Mileage doesn't bother me, I'm all about the time. Also cost is a bit of an issue so it would seem that Shelburne or Charlotte wouldn't be the best choice for me.

[vter]

That part of Burlington is a bit of a pain in the you know where to get to -i.e. not close to the interstate. You'd have to either get off at Colchester/Winooski and go through downtown Winooski to Riverside Ave or take the Burlington/South Burlington exit and have to go by UVM, the hospital etc.
So...I would suggest concentrating your housing search to Colchester, Milton, Essex, Georgia, St. Albans, and even Burlington - the new north end is very suburban..not an urban atmosphere.

[Kmommy]

It's unfortunate for me that the earliest I can move is February (when my lease expires) but you've given me a really good starting point. Within the next few months I'll be making frequent trips to Vt. Starting in St. Albans, and working my way down, i'm sure to find a good place for my family. Any more advice you can give me will be helpful, though i'm not sure how much more you can tell me...you've been such a great help already. I want to get as far away from urban as possible....city is just not for me. Thanks so much!!!