In search of a mountain town... (Burlington, Jeffersonville: home, schools, income)
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Another area I would consider is the Upper Valley - White River Junction/Hanover NH/Lebanon NH area. Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center is a large hospital that serves that area.
Thanks to everyone who has replied. I’m diligently taking notes with suggestions! Although I’m sure the winters in Appalachia are not as bad as VT, but I always feel like the argument of “but...snow” is kinda condescending ��.
I honestly wonder what happens when people say they want to move to Arizona or Florida? Do people say to them “you won’t be able to stand the heat. Or the humidity. You’re not used to it and will move in a year.”
My cousin has lived in Alaska for 15 years (grew up in Miami). My aunt in Baltimore and D.C. for 30.
They are still alive to talk about it. Half of the country (or at least a third) is under snow for part of the year. I am 110 percent aware of the clouds, gray, snow and ice. Digging my car out. Sliding down hills and trying not to crap my pants....
I won’t be renting because I have 2 large dogs, three cats and 2 teenagers. Very hard to find a landlord willing to rent with that kind of baggage.
We’ve also considered Cedar Rapids, IA but it doesn’t have the mountains I miss. It’s still on my list though. NH is another one. My friend lives there and loves it.
Again, thanks for the suggestions!
I think you will find work anywhere. You might have to drive a bit, but I have a friend who is a nurse and it is literally amazing how readily she can get work. She was recently out of for months because of an injury. When employers heard she was going to be available they actually sent someone to her house to interview her. Have you ever heard of such a thing? That is how desperate they are for nurses. On my drive into Brattleboro today I saw a sign out in front of the brattleboro retreat they put it out by the road ----looking for 3 RN nurses -- You literally could not be in a better field for employment.
Now the possible bad news. If NC is furthest north you have lived you are going to be in for a shock. I don't want to completely rain on your parade but VT is a tough place to live. You have to love something about it to be here. It is going to seem bone chilling cold an endless winter. The cloudiest state in the nation. Dark. You should rent a place for a year. You can buy a house in VT in a day but it may take you many years to sell it. I would move slowly with this decision.
Thanks to everyone who has replied. I’m diligently taking notes with suggestions! Although I’m sure the winters in Appalachia are not as bad as VT, but I always feel like the argument of “but...snow” is kinda condescending ��.
I honestly wonder what happens when people say they want to move to Arizona or Florida? Do people say to them “you won’t be able to stand the heat. Or the humidity. You’re not used to it and will move in a year.”
My cousin has lived in Alaska for 15 years (grew up in Miami). My aunt in Baltimore and D.C. for 30.
They are still alive to talk about it. Half of the country (or at least a third) is under snow for part of the year. I am 110 percent aware of the clouds, gray, snow and ice. Digging my car out. Sliding down hills and trying not to crap my pants....
I won’t be renting because I have 2 large dogs, three cats and 2 teenagers. Very hard to find a landlord willing to rent with that kind of baggage.
We’ve also considered Cedar Rapids, IA but it doesn’t have the mountains I miss. It’s still on my list though. NH is another one. My friend lives there and loves it.
Again, thanks for the suggestions!
I have lived in Vermont, New York City, Charlotte NC, south Florida, Atlanta, Birmingham AL, and rural AL. I feel qualified to respond.
FWIW, The first thing people comment on in south Florida is not the heat and humidity (that is actually worse in Orlando) but the concern for a job that can support the surprisingly high cost of living. BTW, I too had a cousin who lived in Alaska - through the earthquake in the 1960s. He had interesting stories and pictures.
There are some people who move to Florida who CAN'T stand the heat. Not only does their thyroid level play into heat/cold sensitivity, but genetics plays a role as well. To the extent that people who are sensitive can be in a controlled environment, they can usually survive and thrive. I've been in jobs where I was far too busy to have more than a passing awareness of the weather. However, even then other issues can arise. My father was fairly insensitive to temperature. He related how when he was growing up there would be ice in the washbasin when he awoke many winter mornings, and he would regularly use a snowmobile to get to a transmitter on top of Mt. Mansfield. Even he had to leave Vermont, because the dryness in winter created life-threatening nosebleeds that doctors couldn't resolve.
On the plus side, Vermont is also a lot warmer than it was when I was growing up. A fall day here that starts in the 50s and barely reaches 70 used to be a somewhat common summer day for me in Vermont. I vividly remember my paper route, where on occasion I had to wade through snowdrifts up to my upper thighs to get to the last customer on the route, a farmer who always paid a great tip. I remember more that a couple of -30 degree days with blowing wind, where I had to soak in a tub for half an hour after my route to warm back up. However, a time in the late 1970s may have been the most stressing for me. I have SAD, and one winter there was NO break in cloud cover for November and December and part of January. I remember when that first frigid PARTLY sunny day in January arrived I raced out to my car and sat in it with the sun on my face for the full 40 minutes it was out.
I am simply relating personal experiences. If you find that condescending, so be it. I will also say that Charlotte NC was stupid easy weather compared to Vermont.
Today looks like a decent day in Vermont: 57 degrees +- some light rain.
People are just trying to give you a heads up. I'd suggest not reacting as if it is an affront.
Work in the Burlington area. Plenty of Medical facilities, and a decent University. Go east a few miles to find plenty of mountain communities.
Remember, Vermont is a small state., It doesn't take long to get from here to there. Few snow storms of any magnitude are handled easily. Highway departments know how to deal with weather. Mud is worse if you are on a dirt road or driveway.
Vermont is not cheap. LOTS of Boston and NY'ers have pushed up prices. Stowe, for example, VERY costly. Other side of the mountain, Morrisville, much less...and closer to Burlington.
Thanks to everyone who has replied. I’m diligently taking notes with suggestions! Although I’m sure the winters in Appalachia are not as bad as VT, but I always feel like the argument of “but...snow” is kinda condescending ��.
I don't believe anyone is being condescending. There's good and bad everywhere, folks are just trying to temper their answers with reality.
My own experience with Vermont snow runs the gambit between fun and a nightmare. I had been warned about snow-packed dirt roads which turn to ice under freezing rain. While visiting a friend's house (about 10 miles from my own) we had listened to the forecast and it indicated that there would be flurries mixed with freezing rain. We left to get ahead of this as our house is up a hill with a long ascent. The weather started to change as we got to our road. We were less than 1/2 mile from the house, at a point where the grade gets steeper. My husband's large truck slid backwards down the hill, turned sideways, and mercifully, stopped before it would have gone off the road and into a drop off. I called the VSP to see if we could get someone up to block off the other end of the road, fearing anyone coming down the hill would have slid into us. VSP could not make it up the hill. VSP in turn contacted the local town highway department. They send out a large dump truck with a sander. It had chained tires. He couldn't get passed us. Our truck had to be winched (thankfully husband had one) up the hill to a neighbor's driveway in order to let the town truck pass and spread sand. What should have been a 15 minute ride home took 3 hours. Keep this in mind if you're looking for a mountainside home.
I'm back and forth between Long Island, NY and Vermont -- literally 185 miles from door to door --no where near as far apart as Appalachia and Vermont. Yet the climate at the Vermont house is very different. Looking at the live cam in my VT community, it would appear that in NY we are easily 3 weeks behind VT in foliage. Come spring, in NY I have crocus popping up while there is still snow on the ground in VT. In other words -- later spring and earlier fall than I was familiar with in NY.
I've got property on a mountain in a northeast kingdom town that sends high schoolers to St. Johnsbury Academy. No not for sale. But my point is as suggested above you can live in an affordable town that tuitions their school kids to highly rated schools out of town. But Catwoman hit on an important point: it's dicey as all get out going down my road in the winter. Studded tires, 4x4 and I still have had close calls. A few times a year I need to put tire chains on to make the ice-covered hill. About half a mile of my drive is on a class 4 road but that's often not the bad part of the drive as another property owner plows it well. It's the steep hill where the town plows that's bad but it's the last road they plow so at times it's been noon or later before it was plowed and salted. You can live on a less steep road close to a nice mountain and have a nice hike to a mountain in many places and often have good views too. I like my mountainside cabin but I don't drive in and out on a daily basis in winter.
I agree, I had a cabin on Burke Mountain for 30 years.. sold it 10 years ago ..I live in NJ and use to spend summer and fall there, Rustic Log cabin, original part built in 1913. absolutely beautiful and private but the winters and mud season were hellacious.
Local hunters used to squat in the cabin during my absence..most times they replenished the firewood they burnt..( most times)
I don't believe anyone is being condescending. There's good and bad everywhere, folks are just trying to temper their answers with reality.
My own experience with Vermont snow runs the gambit between fun and a nightmare. I had been warned about snow-packed dirt roads which turn to ice under freezing rain. While visiting a friend's house (about 10 miles from my own) we had listened to the forecast and it indicated that there would be flurries mixed with freezing rain. We left to get ahead of this as our house is up a hill with a long ascent. The weather started to change as we got to our road. We were less than 1/2 mile from the house, at a point where the grade gets steeper. My husband's large truck slid backwards down the hill, turned sideways, and mercifully, stopped before it would have gone off the road and into a drop off. I called the VSP to see if we could get someone up to block off the other end of the road, fearing anyone coming down the hill would have slid into us. VSP could not make it up the hill. VSP in turn contacted the local town highway department. They send out a large dump truck with a sander. It had chained tires. He couldn't get passed us. Our truck had to be winched (thankfully husband had one) up the hill to a neighbor's driveway in order to let the town truck pass and spread sand. What should have been a 15 minute ride home took 3 hours. Keep this in mind if you're looking for a mountainside home.
I'm back and forth between Long Island, NY and Vermont -- literally 185 miles from door to door --no where near as far apart as Appalachia and Vermont. Yet the climate at the Vermont house is very different. Looking at the live cam in my VT community, it would appear that in NY we are easily 3 weeks behind VT in foliage. Come spring, in NY I have crocus popping up while there is still snow on the ground in VT. In other words -- later spring and earlier fall than I was familiar with in NY.
I used to live on a mountain with a dirt road. Coming home one night, the car didn't make it up so it was parked at the bottom for the night and we had a hike up the mountain. Couldn't walk on the road-it was a sheet of ice but had to walk on the snow on the side. I did have an urge to go into the the middle of the road, sit down and just slide all the way down the mountain but knew that wouldn't have been a great idea.
There was another time when I was heading out in the morning and again, there was some ice on the road. There was just a small hill and I THOUGHT I could get up it. I made it half way before I came sliding back down. Instead of turning around and going the other way, I backed up to give myself a running start, again I made it half way and starting coming back down. This time I started fishtailing and ended up in a snowbank. The thing was, the lock on my door was frozen and I got in through the passenger side. The passenger side was now embedded in a snowbank. I climbed out through the window. I was only a half a mile from my house so I walked back to get help. After shoveling a bit, the guys who helped me finally decided to pick up the car (I had a Nissan Sentra). By the time my car was freed, the road had thawed and I was able to make that hill.
Cat
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