I'm a Texan who is seriously considering moving to Vermont

[RadicalTexan]

What can you say to recommend it and/or dissuade me?

I am a democratic socialist (like one of your state senators ;) ), have a master's in English, spent four years living in England and loved it there, and am sick of Palin's America (even though I currently live in Austin, a liberal stronghold in the middle of wingnuttery).

Thanks.

[Mopar151]

1. What will you do for money?

What sort of setting do you see yourself in? Off-the-grid homestead? Old farmhouse? Ski area condo? Ritzy townhouse?

I can be a lot more specific if you clue me in...

[RadicalTexan]

2. I am open minded

I don't want to be in a resort, or anything "ritzy" - I am not rich, but I am educated and willing to do a variety of jobs. I have experience as a smalltown reporter, editor/proofreader, online crafts seller, graphic designer, administrator, event planner, tour guide, and waitress, among other things. I have an MA in English, and would be willing to teach, but I am guessing English is not an in-demand subject for teachers in Vermont, and I am not certified.

[Mopar151]

3. OK, you are going in the right direction

I would suggest that you look near a "college town", like Middlebury (St. Michaels) or Randolph (Vt. Law School). Your "cirriculum vitae" is a lot like several of my friends who have relocated to VT.
I'll post more later....

[RadicalTexan]

4. Thanks

Feel free to PM me if you'd prefer.

I will be visiting Vermont (mainly the Bennington area) at the end of the month. :)

[Versailles]

5. Bennington

I grew up in Bennington and I know that they just had a recent turn-over of teachers in the local High School. (My mom was one of the 4 teachers that all recently retired.)Bennington is a great little town. Not a whole lot there, but Albany is about an hour away so if you need those "big" shopping trips it isn't that far away.

There are a number of colleges around Bennington as well. Bennington College, Southern Vermont, Williams (Mass. - about 40 mins away), RPI, and a few others in Troy/Albany area.

If I wasn't tied down here in South Carolina (definitely understand about being in wing-nut country!) I'd love to move back to Bennington. Nice thing about Vermont is how politically diverse it is. People generally vote for the best candidate, party be damned. Hence our having Patrick Leahy (a long time Republican before he saw the light!), Sanders (the socialist and one of my personal heroes.), and Dean (a clear democrat).

Ok, I've rambled on enough! Enjoy your time in Bennington and make sure you get out to see the leaves they should be beautiful around the next month or so!

[RadicalTexan]

6. Thanks!

I am SO excited.

Any state that will elect a socialist to the U.S. Senate has my support.

[kk3550]

32. medicine hat

[hlt3550]

40. carlisle

[hlt3550]

39. bradford

[kk3550]

31. Toronto

[hlt3550]

38. bath

[david_vincent]

24. Not to be pedantic, but St. Mike's is in Winooski, and

Vermont Law School is in South Royalton.

With an M.A. in English, you could conceivably teach at one of the CCV branches (Community College of Vermont). It seems like you have a lot of skills,which should stand you in good stead.

[kk3550]

33. glasgow

[kk3550]

29. northern ireland

[kk3550]

30. norway

[hlt3550]

37. chester

[TaleWgnDg]

41. Uuummm, Vermont Law School is

Vermont Law School is in SOUTH ROYALTON, Vermont, not Randolph . . . South Royalton is not far from Hanover, NH and Dartmouth College which is why students of both colleges -- Dartmouth and Vermont Law School -- exchange coursework and other campus privileges. Vermont Law School is a private college and is in no way affiliated w/ the University of Vermont (public) system. Another tidbit of information: Vermont Law School has repeatedly been ranked the number one environmental law school in America which reflects the known stance of Vermont, overall, as an environmentally conscious state. Just FYI . . .

[DianeK]

9. There is a small town newspaper for sale in

northern vermont. Just below the border and it would put you about an hour and a half from montreal and the same distance from burlington.

[kk3550]

28. lisbon

[hlt3550]

36. hereford

[CTyankee]

23. I am having the same thoughts. Hubby and I are retired so we have income wherever we go.

Currently, we live in New Haven, CT so our interests would be to get into a midlle income retirement community near cultural resources. I also want to be in nearly the same proximity to my grandkids in the Boston area. I figure we would get a decent amount of money for our house and we really don't need that much space...a one level, 2BR apartment would be fine, but we'd like to be a part of a culturally rich, well educated group of people.

If you could give me some pointers about towns there that fit my description I would be very grateful! PM me if you'd like and have the time...

Thanks!

[kk3550]

27. newfoundland

[hlt3550]

35. exeter

[Tace]

7. I Moved To Stockbridge, Vt., A Little More Than A Year Ago

I moved to Stockbridge, Vt., with my wife and young children (girls 8 and 11). My wife and I had lived in Midtown Manhattan for 20 years.

To us, it's a dream-come-true.

I opened a small bureau for World News Trust in Bethel, Vt.

[RadicalTexan]

8. Wow

Thanks!

Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? Feel free to pick and choose and/or answer by PM.

How did you decide to make the move?

What have been the drawbacks and improvements compared to your uber-urban life? What surprised you?

What advice do you have about picking an area, choosing housing, etc.? I am youngish and have no real assets. How much money should I save before considering moving up there? I don't know what minimum monthly income I would need while settling in.

Is Vermont a good place to open a business, as you have done? Are their regulations conducive to that?

Have you been more accepted by your neighbors or viewed as a carpetbagger?

Thanks!

[david_vincent]

10. VT is a good place, but

it's not paradise. I moved here several years ago and will be happy to share my experiences. I wouldn't dissuade you from coming here, to begin with. If you can handle the winters, this is on balance an excellent place to live. But you do have to be aware that there are plenty of rednecks here. I've been to 47 states and have never seen a place where so many people are so obsessed with drinking, hunting, and buying lottery tickets. On the other hand, there's a real "live and let live" ethos here and you'll find fringe-lefty folks living side by side with hard core (and I mean HARD core) rednecks -- the theocratic type.
The state legislature has a huge Democratic majority, but there's a Republican governor and lieutenant governor. Howard Dean was a real anomaly; Vermonters generally elect a Republican governor.
Another thing to be aware of is that there's a lot of petty crime. There are a lot of bored teenagers here and they feel sorry for themselves that they're not living in a more exciting place, so they wind up stealing the antennas off cars, stealing packages off neighbors' stoops, and even burning unoccupied cabins down just for something to do (all of which have happened to me or someone I know).
A previous poster said St. Mike's is in Middlebury... actually, Middlebury College is in Middlebury. St. Mike's is in Burlington. Burlington also has the Univ. of VT, Champlain College, and Burlington College. Bennington has Bennington College (blacklisted in the 90s by a national faculty association) and Southern VT College. Poultney has Green Mountain College. Brattleboro has S.I.T. Sterling College is up in Craftsbury Common. There are state universities in Lyndon, Johnson, and Castleton. Vermont Tech is in Randolph. Goddard College is in Plainfield. Montpelier has Union Institute & University, which is actually headquartered in Cincinnati so it's not allowed to be a member of the Consortium of Vermont Colleges. I can't remember where Landmark College is... and I'm probably forgetting a couple of others. Oh yeah, there's Marlboro down close to Brattleboro.
Feel free to contact me, but I don't check DU very often so there could be some delay before I get back to you.

[DianeK]

12. Howard Dean not really an anomaly

since he was not voted in as Governor but as Lieutenant Governor, was swept into the office after the death of Governor Richard Snelling ( a Republican ) who died in office 1991. Hopefully we will have an independent Governor this time around with Anthony Pollina.

Also..your list of schools is pretty comprehensive but you left out Woodbury College in Montpelier

[jkappy]

19. yup, and that cultuaral mix takes much adjustment

because it's hard to find people who even begin to talk about it.

[Mopar151]

11. More on Vt

NH native 50+yr., grew up near the border, have worked, still race<www.hillclimb.org>, play, and party there. Areas of adjoining states share a lot of the carachter, but some of the VT thing is unique. Underemployment and intellectuals of all sorts abound, everybody is some kinda half-fast farmer, crafter, racer, flea-marketer, hippie, or free-range beer drunk - you can have some amazing conversations in some very unlikely places. We're all broke, mind you - cost of living is high, and wages are in the tank like everyplace - and there's that underemployment thing. The weather can be amazingly perfect, heartbreakingly cruel, and any stage in between, and all deliverable in the next half hour.
David's observations are correct from his perspective - My old boss at the car lot used to get his best stock at Ted Green's - you could say they cleaned up well! From my perspective, the place floats on beer, suitcases, 30paks, Trout River, Magic Hat, hard cider, the Doctor, and a bottle tucked under the seat. if Jah is your prophet, some of the local produce will stupefy an ox. The usual problems to do with inexperience, a lack of ready cash, and boredom often ensue. Town drunks are often beloved carachters, though, and tolerance of youthful screwups seems to go along with tolerance of lots of other "eccentricities".

More to follow

[RadicalTexan]

15. I'm a Texan

Responsible gun use doesn't bother me.

I support the whole Constitution, including Amendment number two. They put that in there for a reason.

[SteveM]

13. Most pro-2A state in the union. Gun laws? What gun laws? (nt)

[Mopar151]

14. It's a different life up here

Non-domestic personal violence is an exception to the norm here. Thanks to stuff like hunter safety, crafty game wardens, and draconian penalties for illegal hunting and many gun crimes, there is no big impetus to solve what we largely beleive to be a city problem.

[momdogz]

16. Been around the world and then some.....always come back to Vermont

I grew up in Michigan, got my BS at U of Michigan, have seen a lot of the world, and I LOVE Vermont. It's been my home for 26 years. Great arts - music (will help you meet your 'Austin needs'), literature....still a pretty white state but MUCH more colorful than it was 26 years ago. Easy access to incredible locally grown/raised/produced food; a lot of it organic. You sound like you'd fit right in. Yes, there are rednecks and right-wing conservatives, but for the most part I meet open-minded, tolerant, friendly, outdoorsy, progressive, biking, hiking, care about the rest of the world sort of people. Community mentality is a lot stronger here than most places I've lived in the US. Public transportation is poor, but getting better.

I'm very proud of Vermont. First state to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. It was very active in the underground railroad. Only state that Bush and Cheney have not visited (there are a couple of towns that voted to arrest them for war crimes if they showed up). Only state that doesn't have a MacDonalds, or any other fast food place for that matter, in it's capital city. Cheney told another one of our esteemed Senators (Pat Leahy) on the Senate floor to "fuck himself", and it was caught on mike. There's lots more....

Montreal is only 1.5 hours from Burlington. Boston is 3.5 hours from Burlington. NYC - 6 hours.

I won't be able to say anything to talk you out of it. Winter - is beautiful. Can be hard, but it's beautiful.

I guess the worst thing I could say is that you probably have more access to excellent Mexican food down there, although we have a couple of good spots up here too that aren't TexMex.

[RadicalTexan]

17. Having lived in the UK for four years, I have learned to meet my Tex-Mex needs

and Mexican, often only with weird ingredients.

;)

[Mopar151]

18. You'll have no problems here

A late friend of mine was in the fresh salsa biz for a while - I kept ribbing him about ending Vermont's dependence on fossil fuels by heating it with habanero peppers!

[flamingdem]

42. Your post is the closest to my ex-Vermonter experience

I'm wondering what area you are from .. sounds like Burlington or Montpelier where the organic and progressive scene is prevalent.

[Honeycombe8]

20. Did you decide to move to VT? Just curious. I'm researching areas to "retire" to...

altho I'm too young to retire yet. But I want to do plenty of research and get opinions before I make the move. And I might move ahead of retiring, and then just float into retirement where I am.

So just curious if you decided to move, and if so, to move to VT.

Why am I checking on VT? A weird answer, I suppose. It's one of the prettiest places I've seen in movies. The Trouble With Harry (Hitchcock movie with Shirley MaClaine) was filmed there, for instance. I think all the places in the northeast would be too pricey for me to retire there, but I wanted to check them out, anyway. (And no...I don't need a warm climate like Florida. I grew up on the Gulf Coast and have spent most of my life in one season: summer. And have had my fill of waves and sand and sweat and deaths from heat. Yes! I'm in TX now, and every year people die from the heat!)

[sugarmaple]

21. Vermont

I think it is important for Vermont to be able to remain as it is...a socially-responsible state; I think it is important for people who share those beliefs to be in Vermont, and if you have any additional questions, including possible places to live in Vermont, please email me.

[glinda]

25. Tried to email you but get a message saying mods have not allowed it. Maybe cuz U

have only 1 post. Email me. I have some questions.

[voteearlyvoteoften]

22. Very little sprawl

They do not have a mcd's or 7/11 on every corner. More like country stores. It's refreshing. Burlington would be a bit like Austin.
May be hard to find work...just too small. Good state medical care I've heard. Looong winters...but may be mitigated by warming. Great farmers markets. Stunning scenery.
Lots of country boys...not all hippie types. In fact there is a big division between old timers and the new folks. Haven't lived there in a long while, but hope to return someday. Good luck!

[kk3550]

26. Halifax

[glinda]

34. What about Halifax? Want your thoughts. Cooler?

[flamingdem]

43. Apparently real estate and land prices are pretty high in Vermont

due to the flatlanders moving there. On the up side you could say an investment in land / property would hold its value there.