[tkln]

We had once considered moving to Spokane...it's supposedly quite beautiful, with a great climate and it's a pretty decent sized city as well. Lots of amenities. It doesn't have the gray winters of Seattle, since the mountains keep the clouds away. It has been rated a great place to live, as well...but moving to the West Coast was placed at the bottom of the list - too far from friends and family for me.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by tkln

We had once considered moving to Spokane...it's supposedly quite beautiful, with a great climate and it's a pretty decent sized city as well. Lots of amenities. It doesn't have the gray winters of Seattle, since the mountains keep the clouds away. It has been rated a great place to live, as well...but moving to the West Coast was placed at the bottom of the list - too far from friends and family for me.

Yes, it is WAY FAR away from anywhere but Coeur d'Alene and Seattle.
FWIW the Spokane cops seem to like to abuse the helpless. Google Otto Zehm Fatal confrontation between Spokane Police and Otto Zehm :: Ongoing coverage from The Spokesman-Review (http://www.spokesman.com/sections/zehm/?ID=125009 - broken link) for a pitiful story.

Too far away, yes it is.

[arel]

Back to Brattleboro.

I am excited to report that the town has taken action about the problems in Harmony Lot. A neighborhood association has formed and committees have been set up. The association has even set up a web site.

Amazing community action. I'm proud of my possible future town.

Check out iBrattleboro.com for details and links.

I'm planning to go up this weekend for Gallery Walk. I hope I can talk to potential employers, realtors and others.

Unfortunately, I have just learned that Brattleboro has the highest property tax rate for any town or city in Vermont. Bummer. Another concern.

[flu189]

Brattleboro is, well, it's Brattleboro. The problems listed are actually not what I would call "serious" when I compare them to issues in other places I have lived. Myself, I don't find the amenties of Brattleboro to be a lure, but then for some it's a perfect fit. I would think the economic impact and the probability of costs continuing to spiral upward unchecked would be the greatest concern, especially, for lower middle and middle class baby boomers. What goes on in downtown Brattleboro does not have to be part of your daily life as the region has many nice locations to be able to settle in, but cost will be a factor. As far as the Vernon Yankee plant goes the safety issues there in my opinion are being overblown, but this is a topic where I guess both sides will never compromise on. It's kind of moot anyway since the fact is that the plant is getting to end of it's operational life span and by being a small generating reactor by industry standards it will be retired and I can't imagine that any utility would attempt to construct a new reactor there due in part to space limitations and more so the political and economic impact of doing business in Vt. Once Vernon Yankee goes so with it will go 35% of Vermont's power supply and coupled with the decommissioning of Yankee Rowe in '95 which was just southwest of there, the region will be nuke free which for many comes as a relief and that's fine.

[arel]

Brattleboro has lots of urban-style amenities, but I agree that the economic issues are paramount.

Costs are through the roof while salaries are inadequate to meet them. I really don't know how people survive there. Costs-vs-income is my biggiest concern. I have some small town issues, too, but Brattleboro is not so small or isolated that one would suffocate there. Keene, Northampton and Hanover are nearby. Boston and New York are further away, but they are accessible.

I'm a professional, but I work in one of the lower paying professions. I like what I do but I have no illusions of a high paying job in Brattleboro. I will want to develop a private practice.

I was hoping to get involved in some real estate investment, but who knows how that can go now.

We'll see. I'm planning to go up at the end of the week. I haven't been to Gallery Walk in over a year, and the last time I went (the only other time) it was raining.

[Sporin]

There is no way you would want to commute from Hanover to Bratt... and Hanover isn't slightly upscale, it's full blown upscale, not ahouse in town for under a half mill and the surounding area isn't much better. I'd also say the Upper Valley has a much better economy then Bratt so there would presumably be more jobs here then there anyway.

I think you might be overanylizing Bratt's problems (not a critisism, just an observation). It's like when buy a car, I can find you plenty of angry unhappy owners for ANY car you want to buy, even the most reliable ones. Look hard enough and everywhere and everything has it's downsides... the quest is to find the one who's downsides are smallest in context.

As an alternative, I love the Keene NH area, it's got a little bit of everything and feels way more like VT then NH.

Enjoy Gallery walk and see how you feel afterwards.

[arel]

If I worked around Hanover, I'd be commuting to there, not from there. I would probably live nearby. Maybe I'd live in Vermont, but I might do better nearby in New Hampshire, without the income tax. Who knows?

I heard of someone who commuted from Brattleboro to the VA Hospital in White River Junction. It's about an hour's commute each way. Kind of a lot, especially if the snow and ice are bad.

If I move up and can't get a decent job in Brattleboro, I might want to look at the Hanover area. If I work in the Upper Valley, I might want to move there, just to minimize my commute.

But right now, my focus is on Brattleboro.

You are right. I may very well be overanalyzing. But I want to feel at home in my new locale. I want it to be a good fit. Now that I know what I do about Vermont, I do not want to make a mistake. As a poster said once, you can't eat the scenery.

BTW, when I lived in White River Junction, I visited Hanover a lot. I found people to be somewhat cold and unfriendly. Maybe things have changed. Maybe not.

[flu189]

Arel, analyze away. It is important to make informed decisions. I have to agree with you on the commuting angle. True, winter commutes can be at time stressful, but to be honest even during good weather do you really want to spend two to three hours on the road everyday? I like to drive and until a few years ago drove for a living in all kinds of weather and I don't want to get into a daily grind of excessive commuting.

[arel]

I turned down a job in the South Bronx a month or two ago, because of the 2-hour commute each way. There were other reasons to reject the job, but that was the deciding one.

No, I don't want a big commute, and I certainly don't want a big commute in the northern New England winter.

If I have to work in the Upper Valley area, I will want to move there. I do not want to live in Brattleboro if I have to work for peanuts, or commute a long distance to get a living wage. I would even consider living in New Hampshire to avoid the income tax.

I loved a lot of features of the White River Junction area. The scenery is wonderful. But the inclines and drop offs can be genuinely scary. And, I am told, the winters are very harsh.

I plan to visit Brattleboro this weekend. I'm really looking forward to Gallery Walk. I haven't been to one in over a year.

[GypsySoul22]

Arel,
If you move to the Upper Valley, I'm here and will help you as much as I can! We live about 20 minutes from Hanover in Vermont.

There is definitely a different vibe on the NH side and the VT side of the river!