How lonely is it in the winter? (Chester, Strafford: house, employment)

leedspaddy · 02-22-2007, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vter

leedspatty - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh boy..think you're generalizing a bit? I'm a native Vermonter and I'm not a weirdo or a redneck. I lived in Boston for 6 years after college before moving back home, so I have "experience" with life outside the of the state. I found Metro Boston to be an "insane" place to live - the pace of life was WAY too fast for me, and (yes I'm going to generalize- sorry ) people seem to have a more pronounced "me first" attitude - selfishness, rudeness etc. Not everyone of course.
Did you not do your homework before you moved here? Did you come here with a romanticized view of what life is like here? Thats what it sounds like to me. The kind of attitude you show in your previous posts is the "it's better where I came from" attitude. Vermonters don't like that. We're pretty good at reading people. We like our slow pace of life, our state's beauty, or neighbors. Yes, salaries are low. Yes, housing is high compared to salaries, and it sucks for lots of folks. But we stay because of the quality of life here.
If you don't like Vermont, you're certainly not going to like Maine. We're very similar.
Sounds like you'll fit right in in Boston.
Good luck with your move.

Vter, I have to say that you seem to be a very nice bloke. When it comes to generalizations, I think that it is my wife rubbing off on me and if I am honest, I am not angry at anyone in VT (with the exception of the 2 small companies that my wife worked for and had an awful time because she was treated like an outsider)............I am more angry at myself because as you rightly pointed out, I did very little research on the state apart from what I managed to do during our many vacations in the VT. My family and I did the big city thing living in Baltimore and DC and wanted the quiet life. to raise our twins. I always knew that the job front was going to be a challenge coming to a rural state but I didn't think it was going to be as bad as it has been. I have a great job that I love in Burlington but after what has happened to my wife, I have become a little on edge because of the simple fact that if my job disappears then there isn't any viable alternatives in VT unlike if I was living near NYC or Boston. So for my own sanity, I still want the quiet small town feel but have to be close enough to commute to a city that has the jobs. You again were right about Maine.............I did actually do the research on the state and discovered I would very likely experience similar problems there on the job front.........I still think Maine is a great state but it is going to have to be a place I retire to rather than work in. So I am now beginning my research of CT and RI to see whether one of them will be feasible.................my wife wants somewhere close enough to NYC and I want somewhere close to Boston so it looks like a compromise will lead us to the middle of CT. At the end of the day, we won't repeat the stupid mistakes of our move to Vermont where we made a huge profit on the sale of our house in PA and then bought a house in VT before we had found jobs here. Thanks for all your comments and I am sorry for the offensive manner in which I expressed myself........I think the fact that my wife was laid off had something to do with it!!!!!!!!

giselle · 02-22-2007, 09:01 PM

leedspaddy,
We live outside Providence, and are able to access Boston and NYC. We've been to Boston 4 times this week (school vaca). The T (commuter rail, subway, bus system in Boston) has a commuter line that runs all the way down to Providence. So taking the T (NOT Amtrak) from Providence is much more economical. We also often take the bus (Peter Pan) from Providence to NYC. They have 7 am and 9 am buses most days, a Dunkin Donuts inside the station (yes, we all have our obsessions), and you can park for free in the lot. I've even left my car there overnight with no problem. So living in RI, one can get to the beaches and cultural offerings, while being not too far from larger urban areas. Might be a good match for you. However, real estate has gone through the roof.

leedspaddy · 02-23-2007, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by giselle

leedspaddy,
We live outside Providence, and are able to access Boston and NYC. We've been to Boston 4 times this week (school vaca). The T (commuter rail, subway, bus system in Boston) has a commuter line that runs all the way down to Providence. So taking the T (NOT Amtrak) from Providence is much more economical. We also often take the bus (Peter Pan) from Providence to NYC. They have 7 am and 9 am buses most days, a Dunkin Donuts inside the station (yes, we all have our obsessions), and you can park for free in the lot. I've even left my car there overnight with no problem. So living in RI, one can get to the beaches and cultural offerings, while being not too far from larger urban areas. Might be a good match for you. However, real estate has gone through the roof.

Thanks Giselle for the information. I'm not afraid of high housing prices just as long as the salaries allow you to pay the high housing costs.............something I have found not to be the case in VT unless you work for IBM. I'm trying now to arrange time off work for next week to go down to Providence and Eastern Connecticut. What areas outside of Providence do you suggest we look at and do you know any areas in eastern CT such as norwich we should take a look at. Going down maybe moot as I might end up getting a job in NYC, but it seems that I could also live in RI and commute to Boston.............I like the idea of having a lot of options.....something I haven't found here in VT.

giselle · 02-23-2007, 10:21 AM

East Greenwich, Barrington, Lincoln, all desirable. I used to work in eastern CT, and Pomfret is lovely as well as Woodstock. Not a lot going on there though. It sounds like you want more than the country life right now.
I grew up near Norwich and it wasn't much then, but I imagine it has developed much more. The big casinos are nearby, so traffic has changed. You can always take in a show at Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun.

giselle · 02-23-2007, 10:22 AM

P.S. I recommend you post your inquiry on the RI forum.

Julie* · 02-23-2007, 07:12 PM

Thanks for the explanation leedspatty- I can certainly understand why you would be frustrated.

I guess I am just fortunate because my husband and I both make a decent salary as do most of our friends. I will agree though that if my husband were to lose his job relocation would certainly be a possibility. Oh, and I have lived out of stateI lived in Florida after college and my husband moved here from Waltham, MA in his mid-20's so we're not that naive.

Good luck to you.

Giselle: I think you'll get a good feel for VT coming during April- it's our 5th season.... mud season.

Again, let us know if you have any other questions.

Julie

giselle · 02-23-2007, 08:37 PM

Julie,
that's why it was surprisingly easy to get a hotel room in April. only us silly tourists would get excited about visiting Vermont in April during mud season.
Hey but that will give us one real snapshot of the state, instead of coming during glorious autumn when everyone in the world wants to get to Vermont.

VTeratheart · 03-30-2007, 12:20 PM

You had mentioned the St. Albans area and visiting in April~if you happen to be here over the last weekend of the month (27-29) there is a fun Maple Festival in St. A that's cute and fun. Enjoy your visit

giselle · 03-30-2007, 03:04 PM

thanks. We'll check it out, but their high school is bigger than we prefer.

pucabear · 03-30-2007, 03:49 PM

The high school is the school for all of the small towns in the area. It is large, but not big city large. I am a Realtor in St. Albans, and would be happy to send listings if you PM me. Also, Jeff's Maine Seafood is very much open and wonderful! You will also find an old fashioned candy shop & soda fountain on Main Street.