Like to visit Vermont..here is an observation... (Brattleboro: renters, homes)

GypsySoul22 · 07-29-2008, 04:06 PM

Thanks again...if I move it's closer to NH not deeper into VT!!!

arel · 08-02-2008, 07:51 AM

Have you considered Brattleboro? I haven't moved to town yet, but my experiences, so far, have been generally positive. There is a courtesy there that I do not find in Brooklyn, nor even found in the Upper Valley when I briefly lived there about 20 years ago. I certainly have not found it in parts of New Hampshire. Yes, I've had my feelings hurt a few times, but these were isolated incidents. I do remember getting honked at once by a car behind me. I looked in the rear view mirror and the car appeared to have a New York license plate.

If you want to be near New Hampshire, you can't get any closer than Brattleboro. It's right on the Connecticut River. And I believe there are strips of land by the riverbank that are actually part of New Hampshire.

Parts of Brattleboro are a little run down, but parts are very pretty. The scenery is not as breathtaking as it is further north - the mountains and hills are less high and less steep - but there are places that are very pretty, even beautiful. But what Brattleboro is known for are its people and its sense of community. I also like its relative proximity to other places that are of interest to me.

I love the beauty of places farther north, and I plan to visit often. If I have to work up there, I guess I'll have to move. But I know of someone who commuted from Marlboro to White River Junction. That commute may take an hour or more, each way, but it is a pretty ride.

quickdraw · 08-02-2008, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arel

Have you considered Brattleboro? I haven't moved to town yet, but my experiences, so far, have been generally positive. There is a courtesy there that I do not find in Brooklyn, nor even found in the Upper Valley when I briefly lived there about 20 years ago. I certainly have not found it in parts of New Hampshire. Yes, I've had my feelings hurt a few times, but these were isolated incidents. I do remember getting honked at once by a car behind me. I looked in the rear view mirror and the car appeared to have a New York license plate.

If you want to be near New Hampshire, you can't get any closer than Brattleboro. It's right on the Connecticut River. And I believe there are strips of land by the riverbank that are actually part of New Hampshire.

Parts of Brattleboro are a little run down, but parts are very pretty. The scenery is not as breathtaking as it is further north - the mountains and hills are less high and less steep - but there are places that are very pretty, even beautiful. But what Brattleboro is known for are its people and its sense of community. I also like its relative proximity to other places that are of interest to me.

I love the beauty of places farther north, and I plan to visit often. If I have to work up there, I guess I'll have to move. But I know of someone who commuted from Marlboro to White River Junction. That commute may take an hour or more, each way, but it is a pretty ride.

A two hour roundtrip commute can translate into $100 worth of gas each week.
Not to mention the concern of ice and snow in the winter when it's dark when you leave the house in the morning and drive home. We came very close to buying a house an hour away to save money, I can't tell you how many times in the winter when it was dark and snowing I said to my wife "I'm sure glad we didn't buy that house."

Nelly Nomad · 08-02-2008, 10:54 AM

When I'm driving, whether in my home state or in some other, I always keep an eagle eye on people walking dogs along the side of the road. It's not that I'm particularly interested in them (personally, I can't stand dogs), but until they are in my rear-view mirror, I want to be absolutely certain I'm alert in case they do something stupid, like dart out in front of my car. This is especially true on a busy main road (where you say you live), when maneuverability may be limited because of on-coming traffic.

Perhaps the people you think are staring at you are simply keeping you in their eyesight so they don't hit you or the dog?

Just curious, how do you know the people staring at you are tourists? Is it an assumption based on their license plates?

quickdraw · 08-02-2008, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nelly Nomad

When I'm driving, whether in my home state or in some other, I always keep an eagle eye on people walking dogs along the side of the road. It's not that I'm particularly interested in them (personally, I can't stand dogs), but until they are in my rear-view mirror, I want to be absolutely certain I'm alert in case they do something stupid, like dart out in front of my car. This is especially true on a busy main road (where you say you live), when maneuverability may be limited because of on-coming traffic.

Perhaps the people you think are staring at you are simply keeping you in their eyesight so they don't hit you or the dog?

Just curious, how do you know the people staring at you are tourists? Is it an assumption based on their license plates?

Or the natives are looking at the tourist and thinking "Are they looking at us again"?

And the tourist is looking at the natives and thinking "Why are these people looking at me"?

Lilybeans · 08-02-2008, 12:55 PM

I visited Woodstock last weekend and as usual, we had a great time. Bought some artwork, walked around, enjoyed the atmosphere, and then left. I do think it's a pretty town, in a beautiful area.

arel · 08-03-2008, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quickdraw

A two hour roundtrip commute can translate into $100 worth of gas each week.
Not to mention the concern of ice and snow in the winter when it's dark when you leave the house in the morning and drive home. We came very close to buying a house an hour away to save money, I can't tell you how many times in the winter when it was dark and snowing I said to my wife "I'm sure glad we didn't buy that house."

Well said. I guess I didn't think the thing through, as I may have written it as an afterthought. But I have thought about, and written about, my concerns about commuting to Keene, because of the winter driving. The last thing I want to do is skid off Route 9 and go into that lake by the side of the road.

I have been told, though, that I-91 is very well ploughed during the winter.

Of course, gas prices are another thing to think about, and probably will remain so indefinitely.

And then there is the time factor, too.

You are absolutely right.

To return to topic: GC22, maybe you'd like Brattleboro. It seems to be a very friendly community, with lots of people who came from elsewhere. There are lots of ex-New Yorkers there, I have learned, and I have even heard Brattleboro described as having something of a "New York vibe".

Asta · 08-03-2008, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arel

To return to topic: GC22, maybe you'd like Brattleboro. It seems to be a very friendly community, with lots of people who came from elsewhere. There are lots of ex-New Yorkers there, I have learned, and I have even heard Brattleboro described as having something of a "New York vibe".

To everyone who is considering moving to Brattleboro, I just want to add that I think it is a vibrant, interesting, and quirky town, but there is also an undercurrent of crime and drugs there which I think is higher than the average VT town. There are many reasons for it, including the fact that Bratt is the first exit off I91 coming from Mass and CT, although more and more drugs are coming from New York. Part of it is also due to the fact that there are a lot of transplants from the larger cities, and that some of the folks who are discharged from the Retreat decide to stick around town and some unfortunately resume their old lifestyle. Up until one month ago I had lived in Bratt for years and worked at the Retreat. For the past couple of years drugs and gangs hanging out in the Harmony parking lot were a huge problem, but the police have made progress cleaning that up. Bratt is a great town, but like all towns, it has problems too. I personally decided to leave for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the drug culture present there.

arel · 08-03-2008, 08:04 PM

I have been warned of three "bad" neighborhoods in Brattleboro: Clark Street, Elliot Street and South Main Street. But most of Bratt is regarded as very safe. I have a friend who lives there who doesn't even lock her car or her home.

I know that it will take one serious crime in town to take that sense of innocence away. I hope it doesn't happen.

I have also been told that most crime in town is between acquaintances. But I have also heard of robberies of businesses, and of drug dealing.

Oh well. I'll live in Bratt for a while. If I decide I don't like the ugly undercurrents, I'll move elsewhere.

OhBeeHave · 08-03-2008, 08:55 PM

I believe that you've 'arrived' GypsySoul22. You're walking along, looking the part, dressing the part. My husband has reached that. I lost him at the farmer's market -- he blended in with the vendors and the farmers.

But those tourists have a uniform: sun hats, designer cropped pants and crisp khaki shorts, polo shirts and shirt dresses, expensive slip on sandals and a designer woven bag for carrying about their purchases from the 'charming' natives.