[brattpowered]

Anyways, back to the question at hand-- Ithaca has more going for it but Brattleboro feels less like an island of cool and more like part of a very cool region. But then again, if you don't leave town all the time it probably doesn't matter that much.

Also to add to the list: Flagstaff, AZ and Portland, OR. Also Mount Airy and University City in Philly have the vibe.

[organick]

Originally Posted by RATT

False alarm old chum,i was a little bit premature...the town i was speaking off was Durango.Co,
After you mentioned it ,i did some preliminary research and i thought WOW!!!!
This is it i found Nirvana.
However as with a one night stand in the light of the morning often the reality is brutally disappointing in so many ways.
Many knocks Durango for being to expensive but that is to be expected for what is a desirable place to live,however the dirty little secret that nobody talks about is the violent crime situation witch exist there.I had dinner today with a California couple that use to live in Aspen Colorado but have relocated to saratoga spring by all place whom told of that unspoken crime situation.Witch according to them is also the case in Aspen no less.
The reason why that is,















as to the do with the absolute invasion of illegals witch have literally taken over Colorado.I was incredulous(or in denial)at first but when i got home i started digging in and i saw on a local Durango blog similar to city-data testimonies that corroborate the couple's assessment.In the outlining area of Durango(as in Aspen)is where the proverbial help lives and you guest it a lot off them are illegals and according to the FBI report link on that website the sub-human MS-13 street gang as set camp there.However i do not know if that sub-human MS-13 crap on 2 legs is also in Aspen but they have a large illegal population there nonetheless.
Astonishingly if you look at a the demographic of the towns in CO. witch have a 85-90%(+) white majority you will see that the Latino population form a disproportionally large portion of the minority population.

here i pasted what i red from the locals on that blog:

" Durango has the second-highest violent crime rate, with 810 violent crimes per 100,000 residents (where 450 is the national average and 700 is considered high.) Englewood had the highest crime rate, with more than 900 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. Of course, that doesn't even include the extremely violent small towns like Cripple Creek that have less than 5,000 people, but Durango definitely has a high enough crime rate. And this is based on official FBI data, so the statistics are NOT wrong. Rates of aggravated assault, forcible rape, and murder are especially high. And speaking of murder, there wasn't a murder in Durango for years and years, but the silence was broken in 2004, when 1 or 2 murders started happening each year. This is just ridiculous for such a small, isolated town. This, combined with the extremely high cost of living, makes Durango a bad place to raise a family."

Huh???I know a bunch of people who live/ lived there and never heard of that before. I would check it out a little deeper but could be.

[organick]

Originally Posted by pabear

I lived 25 minutes south of Ithaca growing up. It was a great town to go out to visit/shop/eat/see things. Yes it has Ithaca college and Cornell University. Don't get me wrong, Cornell University was incredible to have nearby. My mother worked there for many years and took me to some pretty amazing agriculture exzibits. After you have been there for a bit it is the same as any place else. I know live in NH, have been to Brattleboro many times, and I can tell that the fall scenery is not even close to what there is to offer up further in New England. Brattleboro may be "artsy", but trust me, Ithaca is as well, and the all mighty dollar is all that talks as well in Ithaca. Hope this helps.

Can you elaborate on the almighty dollar comment. Not really sure where your coming from on it. Are you saying money rules both places??

[joe moving]

very interesting about Durango. Last time I went there was 13 years ago and it seemed very quaint. Things must have changed! I do too like Flagstaff.

[YankeeTom]

I have been to many of the fore mentioned places; East to West. I can say no place is quite like the North East. New England in general has a special feel to it, for me Vermont, Maine, Essex, and Berkshire counties in Massachusetts all have that feel posters have been speaking of. New York is cheaper, has big water and the Adirondacks. It's all good.

[joe moving]

Does Brattleboro really have much of a town? I feel like I was there and didn't find much but a Wendy's???

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by joe moving

Does Brattleboro really have much of a town? I feel like I was there and didn't find much but a Wendy's???

You must not have made it to downtown, which has everything I could imagine wanting and needing: great food co-op, locally-owned restaurants, galleries, music, library, bookstores, other resources. More here:

Building a Better Brattleboro
Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce | Member Business Directory

[arel]

I moved to Brattleboro, from Brooklyn, NY. I have almost everything I had in New York, and closer, too. 5 minutes to downtown arts venues. I don't have to budget an hour or more each way.

I've found I'm doing more here - classes, workshops, concerts, volunteering, swimming, etc. - than I did in Brooklyn. Overall, I think I'm happier here.

Brattleboro is a rural town with a downtown that feels urban. It is only a town, but it has urban amenities. I feel at home here.

Of note, there seems to be a psychological connection between Brattleboro and New York City. A lot of New Yorkers live here, and lots of people are based both here and in NYC. The town seems more New York focused than Boston focused, although New York City is almost twice as far away. It is almost as far away as Montreal.

Even though Brattleboro is in the country, and downtown is minutes from real rural environments, I've begun to consider Brattleboro, maybe southeastern Vermont in general, as the seventh borough of New York City.

The sixth borough, of course, is South Florida.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by arel

The sixth borough, of course, is South Florida.

This South Florida native/escapee agrees!

As a child, I didn't even notice that New Yorkers had accents. I thought it was just part of the Miami patois. 24 years ago when I was living in the West Village, I came home to an answering machine message from that began, "Hello DAH-ling!" And I went, OMG, Grandma has an accent!!! I had never, ever noticed before that moment.

[xyz affair]

Arel said it all

I have found the culture in Bratt enormous -Theater groups, museums. Plus great restaurants, wine bars, martini bars, non chain coffee houses, shops offering unique clothing & a downtown that in fact looks and acts very urban, but is 10 minutes to the Vermont countryside.

If you want urban sophistication that offers the best of New England, NYC & Boston in a small capsule, Bratt is it. A great little town- that offers so much.