A Look at Living and Visiting Vermont

I have somehow found myself in Burlington Vermont again after a five year refuge to North Carolina. I was born and raised here until I was seventeen and had a nice, safe upbringing, mainly due to my parents however the family life in Vermont is one that many communities desire.

Vermont has increasingly upped the ante for housing, real estate development and is quickly becoming what appears to be a suburb of New York City. Costs have risen substantially in the past five years and now that I am back here with my new family, I can barely afford to make ends meet.

I guess it would all be worth it if there was a bang for your buck. Yes the area is nice, quiet and very family oriented however for 250,000 you are lucky if your options for housing are a two bedroom flat condo with one bathroom or an OLD 1970’s ranch no bigger than 1200 sq ft. For about 300,000 you can get a nice home about 3 bedrooms on a little bit of land but you’ll have to commute into Burlington anywhere from 30 minute to 2 hours. And in the winter that is not the most appealing idea.

While I am on the subject lets discuss winter. My husband, (not a native) spent his first winter in Vermont using every curse word known to man. I have never seen someone from the south so disenchanted by 2 feet of snow, -10 degrees and having to shovel our car out of the driveway. Needless to say he was not very “plused” about our first winter in Vermont. If your home requires gas heat (as most do) you will be looking at a gas heating bill in the winter months (November-march) ranging from 90 to 190 dollars. I have a 1300 sq ft townhouse (that I rent for 1100.00 per month, no utilities included) and my highest heating bill this winter was 245.00 for the month of February, and I never turn my heat up past 78 degrees.

If you are from a town like Raleigh, NC or somewhere were there are great highways and lots of them then moving here will be a huge culture shock.

Route 7 runs straight from Vergennes (about 40 minutes away) to the heart of Burlington. Route 7 is a two lane road ALL the way and is the main route for truckers and individuals coming to and from New York. Interstate 89 isn’t too bad, when they aren’t working on it, which runs from White River Junction all the way up to the Canadian border. If your car has a great suspension and shocks you should be all set. The roads in Vermont are horrendous and rarely worked on. And if they are worked on you will see a patch of new pavement over the problem, we are not known for actually paving entire roads.

Gas in town is almost at 2.30 a gallon. Most people who live in town don’t spend a lot of money on gas because it doesn’t take too long to get to where you need to go here. BUT if you live out of town, be prepared to spend lots of money.

The colleges around the area are nice and Church Street is a beautiful Yuppy-eque haven for young adults and professionals. It didn’t used to be that way when I was growing up and was for the longest time taboo for a teenager to be seen hanging around without a parent on Church Street (me). Now that the more expensive shops have moved in Mums and Daddy’s feel it appropriate for their children to frolic freely among the cobblestone street.

Here are my ratings for Burlington Vermont (remember I have lived several places so I do have some base comparisons) Scores are based on 1-10, ten obviously being the best.

Housing: 1 (high rent, high property values, LOW quality!)

Heating: -10 (can I do that? It’s my story so yes I can)

Family Life: 8 (nice and quiet, low crime, but little to do)

Schools: 9 (very nice schools here)

Shopping: 4 (no target, 1 Wal-Mart which is a disgrace as far as Wal-Mart’s go, 1 best buy overly priced grocery stores and
nothing thrifty in this town. Just need a TARGET!)

Entertainment / Adults: 9 (Jazz Fest, tons of bars, Choo Choo Fest, many open mike things and we have a DRIVE IN!)

Entertainment/ Children: (SEE DRIVE IN)