Living in Vergennes (Burlington, Middlebury, Addison: salon, lease, crime)

artistatheart · 05-30-2008, 06:30 PM

My husband is considering accepting a position in Vergennes, but we know virtually nothing about the town (except what we've been able to find on the web). We would really like some insider's views on what life is like in the town. We have young children and would really like to be able to walk around town (to parks, shops, etc.). Is this possible in Vergennes? Is there a community feeling, community events, etc? We would be willing to look into other nearby towns, but are really hoping that my husband will be able to live in close proximity to his job (he'd love to be able to come home for lunch). We would also love some sort of cultural offerings in the town we live in, but would be willing to sacrifice that for friendly people, a clean, safe environment, and a fairly decent cost of living. Does this sound like Vergennes?

Any insights would be very much appreciated. Thanks for your help!

vter · 05-31-2008, 08:30 AM

Vergennes is a great small community. It used to be really down in the dumps back in the 80s - early 90s, but has made an incredible turnaround. If you live right in town it is entirely possible to walk to restaurants, shops, etc. Vergennes has some really good restaurants - my favorite is Black Sheep Bistro. There are not too many shops, butthe ones there are nice. There is a florist, shoe store, pharmacy, a couple clothing shops and a couple banks. The Vergennes Opera House has many concerts, movies etc. Vergennes Day is a nice event and the town also has the largest Memorial Day Parade in the state.
You may also want to consider Middlebury, which is about 15 minutes south. A larger community with the college, Midd has a little more going on.
The local newspaper is the Addison INdependent - it should give you a good idea as to what is going on around the area.
Addison County Independent | Covering the 23 towns of Addison County, Vermont

MRVphotog · 05-31-2008, 05:21 PM

I haven't spent alot of time in Vergennes but I have always thought it would be a nice town to live in. I remember a small food co-op downtown and it's on the lake. A short drive up Rt 7 you can have a fun day on the lake at Kingsland State Park.

gykihrt · 05-31-2008, 07:12 PM

Your in luck I grew up in Vergennes!

Vergennes really has that small town feel to it. Going to High School there had the side affect of walking down Main St and honsetly seeing roughly 10 people you know who'll wave. There are many restaurants in town and an affordabel barber who'll charge you $10-$11 for a haricut. Theres alot of school events that go on and the crime level is almost null. So if you have kids it a wonderful place to grow up in. Would you husband be working at Nathanials? or Goodrich? If so you should know that both of which have seen some rough times in the last 3 years or so. Rent is managable, there are some steals to be had last I knew just out side of the city.

The whole town is roughly 1 mile squared, and is surrounded by farms, forest, rivers, and smaller mountains....very rural. Being from Vergennes I say its a great place to live!

artistatheart · 06-02-2008, 05:48 PM

Wow! My computer was out for a few days--what a nice surprise when I got back on line and saw all your replies! Vergennes sounds even better than I'd hoped and really just what we're looking for. We're scheduled to come out to visit in a few weeks to see things for ourselves--I was kind of nervous before, but now I'm really excited. We've been looking for a small town with a nice community feel (and the fact that it's located so close to Burlington is also a plus).

Okay, now I'm ready for it--anybody want to tell me about any downsides there might be to the town?

Thank you all so much!

vter · 06-02-2008, 06:08 PM

Negatives....well its small. If you're not used to a small town it may be hard to get used to.
The grocery store (Shaws) in town is small and does not have a good selection, and is expensive. Most folks drive to Ticonderoga, Middlebury, or greater Burlington to do their grocery shopping.
There is a Job Corps school in town. I don't find it a negative, though some might.
Theere is a LOT of truck traffic on Route 22A which is the major road through town. If you live off 22A the noise most likely won't bother you. I lived on 22A (Main St) for a year and there was lots of truck noise at all hours. I got used to it though.
No movie theater...you'll have to go to Middlebury or up to Burlington for that.
The sidewalks literally roll up by 8pm. If you're used to "night life", you'll face some culture shock!
When you come to visit and find that Vergennes is too small for you, go check out Middlebury.

quickdraw · 06-03-2008, 05:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vter

Negatives....well its small. If you're not used to a small town it may be hard to get used to.
The grocery store (Shaws) in town is small and does not have a good selection, and is expensive. Most folks drive to Ticonderoga, Middlebury, or greater Burlington to do their grocery shopping.
There is a Job Corps school in town. I don't find it a negative, though some might.
Theere is a LOT of truck traffic on Route 22A which is the major road through town. If you live off 22A the noise most likely won't bother you. I lived on 22A (Main St) for a year and there was lots of truck noise at all hours. I got used to it though.
No movie theater...you'll have to go to Middlebury or up to Burlington for that.
The sidewalks literally roll up by 8pm. If you're used to "night life", you'll face some culture shock!
When you come to visit and find that Vergennes is too small for you, go check out Middlebury.

Doesn't the job corps school draw youths that have had run-ins with the law?

I've seen some seedy looking kids walking around, but not as many as I did a few years ago.

vter · 06-03-2008, 07:32 AM

Yes, re: Job Corps. I was never bothered by them. They're troubled kids, not mass murderers or anything. It was not even much of a factor (for me) when I decided to live there.

Targo · 06-04-2008, 09:28 AM

Nice place but taking a hit with the poor economy.

The Commodore never rebuilt after the fire.

Christophe's closed.

Tucker Motors at the gas station closed/moved up the road but the station is still for lease..

The little deli across from the pharmacy closed after taking the space from the florist that closed.

Laundry closed.

Ferrisburg Road House [diner] a mile up the road never re-built after the fire

The salon on main closed but is now the new location of another one in town that move making that space vacant.

Rumor is the shoe store is clinging by it's fingernails as is another clothing store.

That's a lot of places in a tiny town like Vergennes.

artistatheart · 06-04-2008, 01:18 PM

We're living in a pretty small town in CA right now (about 3,200 people), so we've gotten pretty used to small town living and really like it. To escape the traffic and horrible (I really never would have believed it unless I had seen it for myself) smog of San Bernardino County, we're living in a really remote mountain town. We have a small grocery store and a few shops, but that's about it. The nearest movie theater is about 45 minutes away down an 8 lane (4 on each side) freeway, so a 15 minute drive to Middlebury would actually be a treat!

The only thing that worries me about small town life is the health care situation. With young children I'm always nervous about living so far from a hospital or clinic. Here, you have to call for a helicopter to air lift you to the nearest hospital in a real emergency--but, like I said, we're really far away from...everything! What's the situation like in Vergennes?