[Wingfoot]

Barre more working class, Montpelier more middle class, a matter of taste.
Barre is more "real" VT to me ,like I remember from the 40"s.
Your mileage may vary,people like what they like.

[Patsy41]

Golly, I am dismayed to read the quotes on this page. I was born in Barre in 1941 and grew up there. It was a great place, very safe, lots to do. I have dreams of returning, (I now live in No. Cali) There was the Magnet, we could spend all afternoon from lunch til supper for 15 cents, that was addmission and treats. The plunge opened when I was 8. We played in the woods behind Hope Cemetary; we rode card-board "sleds" down the grassy hill behind St Monicas; we played hide n seek, tag, kick the can and other games til after our bedtimes on warm summer nights while our parents watched and chatted with neighbors fromthe porch; we had corn roasts; we went to the Paramount as a family to see movies. I had a great, happy safe childhood in Barre city, and we were "poor". I am sad to read that that is not the childhood experiece now. I guess I was really lucky, I KNOW I was.

[JTrilogy]

As a junior at Spaulding I gotta say, if you have had a good upbringing any kid can thrive in Spaulding. The school is so delightfully backwards: cheerleaders are at the bottom of the social chain, band geeks are celebrated, homosexuals are embraced by (almost) the entire school. I have never witnessed any student being bullied. I would recommend that you push your children to join band because we're just a big, loving family, especially the jazz band. The teachers all love their job and a quarter of them are Spaulding grads. There are a good amount of marijuana users but they generally don't push their hobbies.

Montpelier may have better test scores (I don't actually know) but I doubt they can match the welcoming environment that Spaulding creates for any student that is willing to put in a lttle effort to stay on the straight and narrow.

[eddieniknak]

Barre City is labeled as "Parolee Valley". Call the Barre City Police department and they will confirm this.

If you do live in Barre, be vigilant. Remove all items from your car, lock your house and invest in renter's insurance because you will need it.

[jackmccullough]

Originally Posted by eddieniknak

Barre City is labeled as "Parolee Valley". Call the Barre City Police department and they will confirm this.

If you do live in Barre, be vigilant. Remove all items from your car, lock your house and invest in renter's insurance because you will need it.

I've lived in Montpelier since 1983 and I've never heard anyone call Barre "Parolee Valley". I drive to court in Barre, I have friends who live there, and neither I nor anyone I know has been the victim of a crime there.

Sure, Barre has its problems, and given the choice I've always wanted to live in Montpelier, but I think you're exaggerating the situation.

[Cali momma]

I'm looking to move I live in California, I'm a single mother, I have two children. My kids are 10,5, I am 29. I want to live somewhere that has low cost of living, good school's, a good place to raise kids, with a touch of the city but peaceful. I'm a Security Guard so I don't have tons of money. Should I consider Vermont or look else where. Any suggestions???

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Cali momma

I'm looking to move I live in California, I'm a single mother, I have two children. My kids are 10,5, I am 29. I want to live somewhere that has low cost of living, good school's, a good place to raise kids, with a touch of the city but peaceful. I'm a Security Guard so I don't have tons of money. Should I consider Vermont or look else where. Any suggestions???

VT absolutely does not have a low cost of living. It is very high, especially compared to the wages paid.

[Oriz]

Personally I'd take Berlin over Barre or Montpelier