[GypsySoul22]

Originally Posted by mustmove

Some of the cheerleaders are less than honest. VT has serious employment/COL issues. To deny that is dishonest. Sure is pretty though.

I do agree.

I have lived here 2 years and I feel entitled to 'tell it like it is' according to me. I am not a trust fund entitlement person who came from NY to play where other people work...

I like this state...it's physically clean, lovely to look at and very good for raising kids. The pace is slower which can be good or bad depending...

However, it's hard to get a job. People will be kind and polite at interviews. They are chatty and friendly. But getting hired and at a 2009 wage that is fair? Well, that is another story. But like my husband says, you can't have it all.

[68vette]

Originally Posted by tdna

I think this is part of the problem. Most of the negative posts have very little substance. Vermont is not perfect (as if any place else is) and potential new residents deserve honest answers to their questions. However, it's one thing if someone makes a comment that is relevant, insightful, and well thought out, even if it is negative; but, when the poster comes across as bitter, whiny, and childish, what are they really contributing to the dialog? Their comments end up just sounding...well...bitter, whiny, and childish. And, honestly, who listens to those kinds of people?

I expect most people to see past childish posts. They are easy to see, but if someone makes a complaint that doesn't affect most other posters, their post is just as valid. Maybe what that person has to say will affect me.

[tdna]

Originally Posted by 68vette

I expect most people to see past childish posts. They are easy to see, but if someone makes a complaint that doesn't affect most other posters, their post is just as valid. Maybe what that person has to say will affect me.

I never meant to imply that anyone's opinion is not valid. My point was more that the phrasing used in a lot of the negative posts is not conducive to an honest discussion. For example, I've seen many posts where the claim is made that "you can only afford to live in Vermont if you're an out-of-state trustfunder". That is simply not true.
Vermont is highly taxed. There is no question about that. Here in Idaho, food is taxed. That hurts when you are on a budget and trying to plan your grocery shopping and you're used to not having to pay taxes on food in Vermont. High paying jobs can be hard to find right now. But, that's true everywhere at this point in time. Every state has pros and cons and, of course they should be discussed honestly. I don't think anyone who poses a question in this forum is looking for people to tell them only what we think they want to hear. But, I've sometimes wondered if people might look at a few of these threads and think, "Wow, I'm not going to Vermont. They're a miserable bunch who seem to hate life".

[68vette]

Originally Posted by tdna

I never meant to imply that anyone's opinion is not valid. My point was more that the phrasing used in a lot of the negative posts is not conducive to an honest discussion. For example, I've seen many posts where the claim is made that "you can only afford to live in Vermont if you're an out-of-state trustfunder". That is simply not true.
Vermont is highly taxed. There is no question about that. Here in Idaho, food is taxed. That hurts when you are on a budget and trying to plan your grocery shopping and you're used to not having to pay taxes on food in Vermont. High paying jobs can be hard to find right now. But, that's true everywhere at this point in time. Every state has pros and cons and, of course they should be discussed honestly. I don't think anyone who poses a question in this forum is looking for people to tell them only what we think they want to hear. But, I've sometimes wondered if people might look at a few of these threads and think, "Wow, I'm not going to Vermont. They're a miserable bunch who seem to hate life".

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you felt that way. The point I wanted to make was that someone may state something that has little relevance to many here, but it may be something that is important to others.
If you look at many of the posts made by some of the posters here, many consider these people to be nay sayers. Reading most of the posts, they also have very positve things to say as well. As someone else mentioned, don't veiw everything through rose colored glasses. In many cases people are considering picking up and moving to a place they see in a Norman Rockwell painting. It's not only a disservice, but it's completely unfair. Give all the facts. Good and bad. A coworker of mine moved to Vermont from Southern Florida about ten years ago. He was told (not on the Vermont forum) "the winters are not as bad as you think. It's better than the constant heat and humidity." That may have been true for that person, but he had no clue. Now that he lives here he hates it here because of the winters, but his wife loves it here. He has told his wife he wants to move after the kids are out of school. Now what if she still doesn't want to move? How fair was it to not give all the facts from the start.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by 68vette

A coworker of mine moved to Vermont from Southern Florida about ten years ago. He was told (not on the Vermont forum) "the winters are not as bad as you think. It's better than the constant heat and humidity."

The statement about VT winters being better than SFla heat and humidity has proved absolutely true for me. I also know that there are people who actually prefer Florida's weather to Vermont's. Having been around a few decades, I don't just take someone else's word for it, especially with an important decision.

I feel for your friend. I'm sorry he hates where he ended up and hope he gets to move if that's what he wants. But did he really take it on faith that another person would know his standards for a "not bad" winter and other aspects of where he should live? I hope people do more thorough research before moving and realize that asking others what they think of a place will reveal personal experiences, not some ultimate truth.

[mustmove]

The default advice should be spend two weeks in Jan or Feb in VT. Weekend in April- so you can see how far off spring still is, and a week in June- Now that spring is here note how often it rains. If that plays OK then find a suitable job and you are all set.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by mustmove

The default advice should be spend two weeks in Jan or Feb in VT. Weekend in April- so you can see how far off spring still is, and a week in June- Now that spring is here note how often it rains. If that plays OK then find a suitable job and you are all set.

This is GREAT advice. Even someone who loves winter here had better be prepared for March-April-early May. I met a mom and son who were considering moving here. They visited in late March. They never came back.

[GypsySoul22]

Originally Posted by Sherylcatmom

This is GREAT advice. Even someone who loves winter here had better be prepared for March-April-early May. I met a mom and son who were considering moving here. They visited in late March. They never came back.

I agree with you both.
I remember last Spring, I kept looking at the snow on the ground thinking "go away, go away!"

You get tired of seeing it.

But you never know, maybe we will continue in some wacky pattern where the northeast keeps getting hotter and winters more mild. (I can dream, right?).

I agree that 'cold' is still better than humidity...Those few weeks we had in the summer were a killer...

[looking4home]

I must disagree with the OP who said this forum is full of bashers and negative folks. I continue to frequent this forum because I found the opposite to be true - the conversation is always civil, which doesn't mean there can't be disagreement. Have you visited other forums at all? Some are truly ugly in regards to the vitriol spouted by those who hate their current location, or the one they just left.

Let's face it, when you have a state with extreme weather of any kind, there's going to be detractors. Prolonged cold and snow is not for everyone, and I really think that, all other things being equal, if Vermont had less severe winters, it would be a far more populous (and popular) state. Yes, even with the high taxes. Look at what we put up with here in California, and it's largely due to the great weather, IMO.

[tdna]

Originally Posted by looking4home

I must disagree with the OP who said this forum is full of bashers and negative folks. I continue to frequent this forum because I found the opposite to be true - the conversation is always civil, which doesn't mean there can't be disagreement. Have you visited other forums at all? Some are truly ugly in regards to the vitriol spouted by those who hate their current location, or the one they just left.

Let's face it, when you have a state with extreme weather of any kind, there's going to be detractors. Prolonged cold and snow is not for everyone, and I really think that, all other things being equal, if Vermont had less severe winters, it would be a far more populous (and popular) state. Yes, even with the high taxes. Look at what we put up with here in California, and it's largely due to the great weather, IMO.

Actually, she did not say that this forum is full of bashers and negative folks. She didn't even suggest that most of the people who post here are negative.