[flu189]

Originally Posted by LisaMc46

They all left for financial reasons. Two were native Vermonters and one had lived here since college.

One was a young man who realized he and his new wife would never be able to afford a decent starter home b/w the price of real estate, taxes, and his paltry salery.

One was a middle-aged woman who got tired of working two jobs for several years and still struggling financially.

One was a 62-year-old woman who realized that it would be much more expensive to retire in Vt than down south.

The young man moved to Maine and is very happy there. The two women moved to North Carolina (one moved to the research triangle and the retired woman moved to the mountains). They have both come by the office to visit and seem much happier and relaxed.

My husband wants desperately to leave Vt even though he doesn't mind the winters and works part time at a ski resort so he can ski every weekend. He worries about how little we make and how we'll get by after retirement.

If I left it would be partly because the long winters are starting to wear on me and partly because I know there would be better career opportunites for myself and college opportunites for my kids in other areas of the country.

This is exactly the experience that many of us witness. Granted, there are some who just object to paying increasing taxes and dealing with the COL despite their ability to be able to absorb it, but a great many with deep regret are researching other options and plans because they are slowly sinking. Retirement concerns, especially in an aging state such as ours, force prudent folks to make plans and adjustments to try and safeguard their futures. Cutting costs to balance and stretch pensions and savings to insure a comfortable lifestyle while trying to maintain funds for unexpected events is a major concern and unfortunately Vermont does not and is unable to put itself into a favorable position for this age cohort. Then of course there are the folks that do leave because of the weather and this is understandable. What may have been tolerable in the past could now become a physical and emotional burden. Quite a few that do leave do come back to spend time here in the summer and fall.

[GypsySoul22]

Lack of jobs...I am ready to go...

I am not clueless, stupid, lack skills or whatever but I feel like I have taken a huge step backwards in the 9 *yes 9* months I have been looking for a job.

Yes, it's lovely here, but when you can't get hired for a 12 hour a week job, you know it's pretty bad.

I am beginning to think you have to know SOMEONE to get any job here. I am just really worn out by this. I spent all winter shutting off lights, cutting corners, and every day I hope this will be the day I get a call from the numerous resumes I send out.

Meanwhile I run into people in their 50s and 60s in my complex who say "You gotta start at the bottom" implying I am too arrogant and I need to get a job in retail like they did so they could move up to their 'great' food service jobs.

Yes, you have to love it.

[KoZmiC NinJa]

^^^ We had huge plans for VT but stuff went bad from day one.
The Universe just didnt have Vermont in our plans as we did.
As soon as I realized my business wasnt going to happen, I got a
temp job on a UPS truck. The hardest physical labor Ive EVER done
but it was real fun. I had a great driver and we had a lot of laffs.
I was 45 at the time and one of the only temps who made it to the end.
I signed with an employment agency and got some temp work and really,
no kidding, want to write a memoir about it for our family history.....
I worked in some CRAZY situations.....Real funny stuff(most of it)
I was offered a postion at a car dealer, but 70+ hours a week, commision
only !! huh ?!?! No thanks......No place is worth that .
But, I digress.....Did you try an employment agency ? I called Addecco
for some information once, and about a week later they called me to
go to work....I never even went in an filled out an application, didnt
even know where their office was !!!!!!!

[ex-springfielder]

When the rest of the country was enjoying the last boom vermont was missing most of it due to the anti expansion laws in place, so very little building went on in vermont. Now that we're once again in a recession/depression vermont is again hemoraging jobs. Other than government or medical there is getting to be very few good paying jobs and with vermonts taxes and cost of living even the government workers and teachers are struggling to make ends meet. My three children all looked for jobs outside of Vermont after they finished college and I left two years ago after spending over fifty years in Vermont. Vermont is expensive, has an anti business government, offers little for decent emplyment and has very long, cold winters...any of those reasons are enough to look for something better elsewhere and as many long time Vermonters are finding out there are better opportunities if you're willing to move. Most of the young who are smart and eager leave to find a better life, better opportunities, better pay, lower taxes and less expenses. Vermont is a nice place to visit but I would hate to have to go back to live there.

[kjjmac51]

Taxes,taxes,taxes! I transferred to Vermont 22 years ago with the Postal Service.What was I thinking? We lived in a small town in Ct.My daughter was three,and my sister lived in Vt. with my niece and nephew.Thought it would be nice for cousins to be close(I grew up with most of my cousins in the same five mile radius)Now,my sister is back in Ct.,her children are grown and living in northern Vt(I live in southern)and I have retired. Vermont is in the top five most expensive states to live in.Unless you have a lot of money that you'd rather use on taxes than living or fun,don't come here! If you are looking for a job,you won't find one.The winters will shock and numb you if you are not used to them,and you will end up driving HOURS just to get to some cultural event. Yes,it's nice to look at in the fall,which lasts(peak) about 2 weeks,Then what? I have become very disillusioned about Vermont in general. The state discourages business from coming in by taxing them(other states get a tax ADVANTAGE)so no one wants to come here. Thus,the majority of the tax burden falls on the residents.
I can't wait to leave! And by the way,Vermonters are very unfriendly.I have been researching for a year a place to relocate to,and I think I have found the perfect area. The Eastern panhandle of WV. It is very different from the rest of the state in that the AMtrak and MARC trains(Maryland commuter train) both go into and out of DC daily,so no shortage of things to do,and many residents of that area are educated.(what a relief) Four seasons,but much milder winters,with hardly any snow. WV is 49th on the list of taxes.Just so you people who are thinking of coming here KNOW THIS:I am paying $4,000 property tax on a house I paid $82,000 for 20 years ago. We can BUILD a beautiful 4-bedroom,2-car garage colonial in The Martinsburg area for $215,000 and pay taxes of about $1450. There's no debating here. If you don't want to go south to Fl or NC,SC,where homes are on a slab,and the summers are endless(not for me),the Eastern panhandle is the place to be. We are looking at the Shepherdstown area also,with Shepherd University right there. For retirees,the state of WV exempts the first $20,000 of the value of your home once you have lived there for two years and are 65. I could go on and on,but there is no comparison to Vermont. For anyone who is looking to retire to Vermont,you either need to LOVE the long winters and short summers,or have loads of money to throw away.Do your research people before you make such a life-changing decision. I researched for a year,and then we made two separate trips to the Martinsburg area to see if we would like it. We spent it talking to builders,looking at houses(we have been working with a local realtor down there who is an absolute sweetheart.She is a transplant from San Diego.The first trip we spent a week,the second,three days,visiting areas and builders we hadn't the first time.Loved it! Martinsburg is like a Burlington,but the interstate 81 runs north and south through it,so it is very convenient to get to anywhere.Oh,that's another thing about Vermont. You will spend a lot of time and gas getting ANYWHERE,as there are no decent highways.I have to drive an hour and twenty minutes to get to I-91 to go to Ct,and I have to drive 45 minutes to I-87 in New York.Have I said enough to dissuade anyone? There are NO good paying jobs(unless you transfer with a job like I did)the weather is awful,and the cost of living is exorbitant. I can't imagine that would be a good formula for ANYONE retiring!

[arel]

You didn't say where in Vermont you live. You must live out in the boonies somewhere.

I live in Brattleboro, and there is loads to do. There are cultural events every day if you want. I live in town and it takes me about 5 minutes to get from my home to where I want to go, unless I have to spend time looking for parking.

And I can be in a rural area within about 10-15 minutes.

I have gone through one winter here so far (I moved here from Brooklyn, NY last fall). There was a lot of snow, more than in Brookyn, but there was little difference in the cold. And because I rent, I didn't have to shovel snow like I did in Brooklyn! Also, I learned to negotiate rural winter driving, and driving without street lights, which were things that intimidated me when I thought about moving up here.

But I do agree that taxes are a problem. Real estate taxes are much higher here than in NYC. You can pay higher taxes here than you would pay in NYC for a bigger house. But NYC taxes have gotten higher, so I don't know how they currently compare with taxes here.

And salaries are definitely lower than what I was used to. At a job I applied to, the salaries were less than half of what I got at one job in NYC. That was demoralizing. But I am in health care, so I am optimistic about financial survival. At least for now.

If I eventually decide to leave Vermont, it will probably be because of the economy. The other possibility is that I feel the need to return to a big city, but right now, that seems unlikely.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by kjjmac51

You will spend a lot of time and gas getting ANYWHERE,as there are no decent highways.I have to drive an hour and twenty minutes to get to I-91 to go to Ct,and I have to drive 45 minutes to I-87 in New York.Have I said enough to dissuade anyone? There are NO good paying jobs(unless you transfer with a job like I did)the weather is awful,and the cost of living is exorbitant. I can't imagine that would be a good formula for ANYONE retiring!

NH, VT, and ME all have less in the way of interstate highways because the population in all three states is quite low. It makes sense that VT has a lack of highways considering it is in the top five most rural states in the US in terms of the percentage of people who live in non-metropolitan counties.
I do agree that travel can be slow across VT into NH via 9 highway. Vermont takes special care that you go through every single stoplight in Bennington before getting on the highway and then routes you through Brattleboro on the other side of the state.

[MinuteMan]

Originally Posted by arel

You didn't say where in Vermont you live. You must live out in the boonies somewhere.

Do the math!

80 minutes from I-91, 45 minutes from I-87, I would say Fair Haven.

[Swede in CA]

What kind of truck should I buy to attach snow plow?

[RJARRRPCGP]

Originally Posted by Amy K

If you are ok with no sun and no warm weather (it rains for most of the summer), you should be fine.

That was 2006 for you!

2006 sucked, more showers than warm days. wet days=more mosquitoes

There was definite evidence of that, the stream in Cavendish was already real high in May during 2006.

At least in 2007, 2008 and 2009, May wasn't particularly wet and it looks like late July could be drying up.