[VT_born]

I've never lived anywhere but Vermont ... so far. In preparation for retirement, I started looking at other places to live where I wouldn't have a $6,000 property tax bill on a $313,000 valued home, and my husband can wear shorts everyday.

When I looked at Florida, the much higher car and home insurance rates ate up any savings in property being less pricey for the same as I have now. For me I'd save maybe $500 a year to live in Fl, even counting the zero income tax. And NC has cheaper property tax but higher income tax and too much of a right wing thinking majority.

I live in Chittenden County, which is not rural for Vermont standards. I've had no trouble finding an adequately paying job in accounting and in fact do very, very well. Chittenden County's unemployment rate is and has been below the National average for a very long time, other areas of VT are not so lucky. IF you pick the right field you won't have trouble finding a job.

As to what I enjoy about Vermont, I love, love the Fall, all my family is here, cold doesn't bother me I can always add layers, eat local movement and farmer's markets, many hiking trails, liberal thinking

What I don't like - the darkness from November to February, lack of shopping and variety, lack of things to do, long permitting process for anything to be built,

[68vette]

The tax situation is a major concern. What you pay this year will have no bearing on the tax structure in the next couple of years. The state has passed a single payer health care system, completely seperate from the affordable care act. This will cost 1.61 billion dollars to fund. It is not a secret, the Shumlin administration has openly discussed what this will mean. It will be the largest tax increase in state history. To put it in a way that makes it easier to see the tax implications, The tax increase will be one half times what Vermonters pay in income taxes, and nearly five times what the state collects in sales and use taxes each year. There will be no tax rebate like on property taxes, this will and has to be funded by all of us. I'm sure it will be based on a % of income. The numbers that have been mentioned in Montpelier are between 14-18%, but they will not release anything officially because there is a possibility it could be higher.

[VT_born]

The sky is falling the sky is falling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[harpoonalt]

Life is full of "What If's?". People worry about all sorts of stuff that may or may not come to pass. Not much you can do about it anyway. I prefer to deal with reality and spend my time dealing with and playing the game of life I'm in now.
We're 5 years away from retirement. I've visited places, run the numbers and have concluded that staying in Vermont and spending 3 months of the worst part of winter elsewhere is my best option. Like VT Born, you need to look at the whole picture. They get you one way or another. The net savings after all is said and done isn't worth the quality of life tradeoff to me.
Go read the state forums for the most popular retirement places and you'll find alll sorts of complainers just like VT. People ready to get the H*** out of there because they hate it. Too hot, too many bugs, snakes, or people.
Vermont has its warts and problems as do all states. If it was perfect, everybody and their brother would move here and ruin it anyway. So revel in the fact that you need to be a hardy soul to live here and be happy. Complaining about things you can't change isn't a very productive use of anyones time.

[zhugeliang1]

"IF you pick the right field you won't have trouble finding a job."That's the only thing between me here in Texas and there in Vermont. I am in a program now training to work in blind rehab (like helping veterans with severe eye injuries learn to get around independently) which I guess is sort of like health care. Am wondering if that would be the right field to lead me to Vermont in the next ten years or so.

[VT_born]

Originally Posted by zhugeliang1

"IF you pick the right field you won't have trouble finding a job."That's the only thing between me here in Texas and there in Vermont. I am in a program now training to work in blind rehab (like helping veterans with severe eye injuries learn to get around independently) which I guess is sort of like health care. Am wondering if that would be the right field to lead me to Vermont in the next ten years or so.

Sounds pretty specialized to me. The VT population is only 600,000 in the WHOLE state.

A quick search says in 2011 - 9,800 of Vermonters had a visual impairment disability.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by VT_born

Sounds pretty specialized to me. The VT population is only 600,000 in the WHOLE state.

A quick search says in 2011 - 9,800 of Vermonters had a visual impairment disability.

He could live in Vermont and work at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, which seems to be the major medical center that serves most of upper New England. There's a visually impaired rehabilitation center there.

[zhugeliang1]

Yes there is... also there's a VA in Vermont too I think in White River Junction, most VAs have rehab services for those with vision loss from diabetes, combat, etc. I think what I might end up doing is try for a job in a state near Vermont then when a Vermont opening comes up then go in and try for that. I may be interning in Maine anyway.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by zhugeliang1

Yes there is... also there's a VA in Vermont too I think in White River Junction, most VAs have rehab services for those with vision loss from diabetes, combat, etc. I think what I might end up doing is try for a job in a state near Vermont then when a Vermont opening comes up then go in and try for that. I may be interning in Maine anyway.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock is top notch though. If you work there, you can get a job anywhere in the country.

You can easily live in Vermont and work at Dartmouth. It's right near the Vermont-New Hampshire border.