[harry chickpea]

Saphyre, you might be better off in a town or village if you only want an acre of land. Country land is subject to more change than a home in a village covered by zoning. You can live with some privacy in a town, while in the country the rule is more likely to be to check on neighbors.

Ticks and skeeters and brambles and poison ivy and ground bees and various flies? I grew up in the heart of Vermont, and even back then the locals knew to wear dungarees when traipsing the woods or pastures. I could usually tell the tourists by their cut-off jeans, semi-clean hiking boots, sunburn and welts on the ankles.

[vter]

Saphyre -
You can't move anywhere in Vermont and not expect change (fortunately or unfortunately?). You "can't shut the door behind you". The slowest growing area of the state is the Northeast Kingdom (Orleans, Caledonia & Essex counties). I grew up there, and when I go back to visit I feel like I've stepped back in time.
If you're really worried about growth, stay away from the Burlington area.
Like the above poster mentioned, you should look to buy property in a town/village center. This will reduce the amount of "sprawl".

[Saphyre]

LOL - Maybe I should rephrase that! Change is good...to a point. I just don't want to see big box, chain stores, or fast food places every other block. There is just way too much of that here! You all are such a wealth of information for me! I love reading your opinions and advice. Please pass on as much as you want. I guarantee, it won't be too much!

[vter]

Saphyre - The State has really tough land use laws as well as many of the individual towns. Many towns are adopting "big box" ordinances which limit the size of a retail building. With only 600,000 people in the whole state, I don't think you're going to see that kind of development that you speak of, only in the larger areas (greater Burlington, Barre/Montpelier, Bennington, Bratt). It happens at such a slow pace. Lowe's has finally started building in South Burlington after 10 years of going through the permitting process (was held up by appeals).
The other areas that experience lots of building/growth are the resort towns (Stowe, STratton, Waitsfield/Warren, Woodstock, Manchester). Lots of wealthy folks from downcountry are building there second home mcmansions there. Just went through Ludlow, another ski town, this weekend, and was disgusted by some of the homes I saw. So not Vermont.
Do you have any other questions? I'd be happy to help (as well as the others I'm sure!).

[mackymoo]

All the co-ops I've been to in VT you don't have to be a member. You can get discounts if you become one.

[arel]

Is Brattleboro growing? If so, does that mean that the home prices will go up?

[juniper berry]

Hi folks - I've looked around and can't find an answer... hope you can advise.

Is it possible to work in Burlington and live in, say, Plattsburgh or another NY community? From what I can tell from maps and online -

a) A daily ferry commute with a car could run $360-$655 per month, depending on what line you take. Yow! (It doesn't look like they offer monthly discounted commuter tickets like some areas.) But I recall reading that people do it... I think.

b) I'm embarrassed to say that I can't figure out the bridges that link VT with NY. The maps I find (online, wherever) show tiny graphics and I can't tell if those are viable commute options.

Is there some super-secret workaround to working in Burlington and living in NY? Obviously I'm trying to cut housing costs. Thanks.

[MRVphotog]

Originally Posted by arel

Is Brattleboro growing? If so, does that mean that the home prices will go up?

Here is more info than you probably want.
https://www.city-data.com/city/Brattleboro-Vermont.html
With the national real estate decline it looks like Vermont and Bratt, in particular, is holding strong. With the closeness to Boston and points south once we get thru this economic downturn Bratt should grow and real estate will rise.

[vter]

The closest bridges that cross the lake from Burlington are the ONLY 2. There is one just a hare south of the Canadian border that connects Alburgh VT to Rouses Point, and the Crown Point Bridge which connects Addison VT to Crown Point NY. Both bridges are about an hour from Burlington. The only other option are the ferries. There are people who do live in the Plattsburg area that make the commute. Some walk on the ferry and leave a "beater" on the Vermont side, or know someone they work with who lives in the Grand Isle area and catch a ride with them.
IMO, your high transportation cost would offset any savings you may have by living on teh NY side.

[68vette]

some companies offer discounted or free ferry travel, but I belive most of the companies offering that deal are on the NY side.