[fjh195]

Hi all,

What can you tell me about this area in general (employment, things to do, safety, etc)? We found a house we really love in Andover,VT sitting on 10 acres, 6 miles from Okemo resort. My wife and I are from NJ originally but have been living in Colorado and want to move back east to be closer to family and friends. We feel Vermont has just about everything we're looking for (outdoor activities, mountains, beauty, etc). From what I've gathered it seems to be a pretty rural area, which is not necessarily a negative for us. We enjoy a lot of land, wildlife and peace and quiet. My wife works in the hospitality industry, she's an event planner and has experience in hotels and restaurants. I feel she would benefit from the proximity to Okemo and other ski resorts. Is that fair to assume? I also have worked in hospitality as well as construction and could find some type of labor work. Everything I've read talks about low paying jobs available but with a mortgage that would be under $1200/mo (prop tax and insurance included) It seems doable. Ive also read about high property taxes but being from Northern NJ anything coming in around 3-6k/year seems very reasonable to us. Also keep in mind it's just the two of us and our dog, no kids and no plans of that changing. This is a new topic of conversation for my wife and I but we are very serious about making this happen. After many years working and living in NYC, dealing with hustle & bustle and overpriced everything.. we chose quality of life. We feel pretty strongly that we can build the life we want in Vermont but of course making this big of a move without employment lined up can be a challenge. So with that said, what can you tell me about this area?

Thanks for all your help/advice!


P.S. Northern VT/Burlington area doesn't really interest us

[Biker53]

The tough part about moving now is the unknowns of how the economy reacts to the re-opening post-covid-19. Given the tourism industry in VT more caters to the affluent I would not be surprised to see resiliency in that regard. Too early to know the answer to that though. Andover being sort of wedged between Weston, Londonderry, Chester, and Ludlow puts it in the midst of a lot of affluent 2nd homeowners and affluent out-of-state retirees which is good from a construction standpoint perhaps. Okemo of course is a major employer. Killington and Rutland are within commuting distance too.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by Biker53

The tough part about moving now is the unknowns of how the economy reacts to the re-opening post-covid-19. Given the tourism industry in VT more caters to the affluent I would not be surprised to see resiliency in that regard. Too early to know the answer to that though. Andover being sort of wedged between Weston, Londonderry, Chester, and Ludlow puts it in the midst of a lot of affluent 2nd homeowners and affluent out-of-state retirees which is good from a construction standpoint perhaps. Okemo of course is a major employer. Killington and Rutland are within commuting distance too.

Coming from Chester, I agree this is going to be a wait and see. Chester's biggest mistake was losing it's identity when it merged into the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce. In 16 years I've seen the loss of a pharmacy in town, the medical office, Baba Louis bakery, the local book store was on shaky ground for a while, children's shop is closed (retired and moved out of state), Farmers Market closed, hair cutter gone, laundromat closed. One small local grocery closed a while back and Lisai's is barely hanging on, since the Dollar General arrived. I had noticed pre Covid-19 that a few small B&Bs have shuttered.

I love the area and accept that I have to drive into Springfield or Bellows Falls for services or items I can no longer get locally.

Residents in Ludlow have complained about their tax rates in the past, they've closed a school and supervisory unions have merged. Loss of a school might not impact the childless OP, but once they've become dependent upon VT salaries, it may hurt a little. When looking, we were warned that Ludlow taxes were higher because of the expensive real estate on Okemo and South Hill.