[DauntlessDan]

Visited family last weekend in an upper valley Vermont town and noticed the outrageous gas prices ($3.59 a gallon). Had just come in through southwestern Vermont and noticed they were $3.41 there. Continued on the next day to our destination in central Maine and saw a price of $3.37 a gallon. What's up upper valley? Over across the line in NH the prices weren't much better either. Why is there a pocket of high prices there when there never used to be?

[vter]

It is like that on the western side of VT too. Gas prices in Middlebury are much cheaper than in Chittenden County.

[tkln]

$3.59 here in Waterbury too.

[FrugalYankee]

I think that kind of thing comes and goes. It may be equal or evern reversed next month.

[Sporin]

Originally Posted by FrugalYankee

I think that kind of thing comes and goes. It may be equal or evern reversed next month.

Yup, it comes and goes, and varies widely from station to station and town to town. Lately I've found the cheapest gas in the UV at the Maple Fields off 89, Exit 19. Usually 10 cents or more cheaper then here in Windsor.

[Lenora Kimball]

Originally Posted by DauntlessDan

Visited family last weekend in an upper valley Vermont town and noticed the outrageous gas prices ($3.59 a gallon). Had just come in through southwestern Vermont and noticed they were $3.41 there. Continued on the next day to our destination in central Maine and saw a price of $3.37 a gallon. What's up upper valley? Over across the line in NH the prices weren't much better either. Why is there a pocket of high prices there when there never used to be?

Great question! I've noticed gas prices being up to $.25 to $.30 less a gallon, the further you get into NH, from the Lebanon area. The least expensive gas around is at the Irving station, in the center of Hanover & also the Mobil station over next to the Hanover Co-Op….substantial less.

[Sporin]

Seeing 3.4X for regular all over the upper valley the last couple of days.

http://www.vermontgasprices.com/GasPriceSearch.aspx

[Fenway Freak]

Originally Posted by DauntlessDan

Visited family last weekend in an upper valley Vermont town and noticed the outrageous gas prices ($3.59 a gallon). Had just come in through southwestern Vermont and noticed they were $3.41 there. Continued on the next day to our destination in central Maine and saw a price of $3.37 a gallon. What's up upper valley? Over across the line in NH the prices weren't much better either. Why is there a pocket of high prices there when there never used to be?

I left New Hampshire in 2011 and I seem to remember gas prices always being a little higher up that way than the lower parts of the state. It's possible that the problem has gotten worse in recent years though.

I asked my dad about it once and he said that it likely had to do with the higher costs of transit to a northern mountainous area.

[cgregor]

Back in 1974 (during the first oil crisis), a writer for Barron's observed, "Gasoline is to the American what opium was to the Chinese." Just saying...

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by vter

It is like that on the western side of VT too. Gas prices in Middlebury are much cheaper than in Chittenden County.

Costco will eventually win the battle to sell gas after the local trio of gas station owners exhaust all of their stalling tactics in court, should bring the prices down. One thing I notice is that Burlington area people don't seem to care about spending more on gas. Gas stations on rt 15 are much less expensive than those on Williston Road and the drive is a mere two or three minutes on the highway. Still, you see plenty of people filling up on Williston Road or Taft Corners.