[sugarmaple]

You are right, so many NE Towns are named after English towns and cities; like Bolton, Bradford, Norwich, Ludlow to name a few.... and some are named after "noble families:, Cavendish, I believe is one.

[SoonToBeGone1]

For those in this posting that believe the "naysayers" of Springfield, VT are only those who already chose to move. This is not true. Many of us posting are still here in Springfield, VT fighting the good fight... But will choose to leave later for the reasons those who left are speaking the truth about. Decisions made in Springfield, VT are made by a handful of people and it is done in their homes by the fire, not at any town forums. Those who believe differently are probably invited to the "by the fire - discussions" and therefore feel involved in the process of letting this small circle of individuals do what they think is best for the town. Truth is, they are NOT doing a good job at it and many citizens of Springfield feel this way and have spoken up. Tearing down a couple of buildings that are clearly registered on the "National Historic List" does not give me hope for anything and I am sad this small circle of people chose to spend any amount of grant money given to them in this way. What a waste.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by SoonToBeGone1

For those in this posting that believe the "naysayers" of Springfield, VT are only those who already chose to move. This is not true. Many of us posting are still here in Springfield, VT fighting the good fight... But will choose to leave later for the reasons those who left are speaking the truth about. Decisions made in Springfield, VT are made by a handful of people and it is done in their homes by the fire, not at any town forums. Those who believe differently are probably invited to the "by the fire - discussions" and therefore feel involved in the process of letting this small circle of individuals do what they think is best for the town. Truth is, they are NOT doing a good job at it and many citizens of Springfield feel this way and have spoken up. Tearing down a couple of buildings that are clearly registered on the "National Historic List" does not give me hope for anything and I am sad this small circle of people chose to spend any amount of grant money given to them in this way. What a waste.

Exactly which buildings/location/street were torn down?

[ex-springfielder]

There are people in dying towns all over the US trying to fight the good fight. Towns like Springfield which were once centers of manufacturing originally established because either where natural resources or power was available. In New England it was the power the rivers provided and which made New England an industrial powerhouse attracting immigrants from all over the world.

Manufacturing in the US can no longer compete in a global environment where countries like China and Indonesia not only have the advantage of drastically cheaper wages their industries are also unburdened by environmental and safety regulations industry in the US has to pay for. I'm not advocating getting rid of these regulations but until our government changes it's policies from giving away our industry and puts tarrifs in place to level the playing fields towns like Springfield will continue to die. Springfield also has the disadvatage of being on the border with NH which has no sales tax so all the retail business is on the NH side of the river. The deck is stacked against Springfield, state and local taxes go up every year, property values go down, Springfield has been talking about attracting new business for thirty years with little success. I spent years working for the machine shops in town and know what the town was like then and what it's like now. It's like a hive of bees where all the workers have one purpose in life and that's to support the queen, in this case the queen is the government.

[mustmove]

Be honest Springfield is not a dangerous city by most measures. Nor is Springfield a place to move to for any reason. I'm in Springfield on occasion and it just is an old mill town with nothing going for it. Will it prosper-nope. Can folks get by- sure some can. No reason to move there and VT has been promising itself that prosperity is right around the corner for decades now.

[123.DieselBenz]

I was born in Springfield Hospital in 1966 . . . my Mom was a nurse there . . . My Dad was a Tailor in town for 40 years . . . My wife & I owned a home there, we sold out and moved to Sunny & Warm AZ the Day after Thanksgiving 07! My Father Sold his home last year, and moved to Chester, near my Brother, other Brother lives over in Claremont, NH.

I got tired of the COLD, and enjoy the bright sunny days more than the overcast ones!

I also don't miss those taxes! Ours out here are 1/3 of what they were in VT! Also the last "Town Report" we got, I recall the high school stating that only 20% of the graduation class could read above the 10th grade level! And it was costing over $12K per year per student for that?

I pay $30 per month to keep my home at 70 all winter! $5-$10 a month for AC in summer!

I was back for a short visit mid Jan 09 (During the cold snap -20!) Didn't miss it a bit, there are better places to live! We lived just above the fire station, (Wilmuth Dr) and we would hear the sirens whenever they ran them, but it was NOT all the time! Once or twice a day . . .

[123.DieselBenz]

Originally Posted by zippperhead

Did you know Harry Lasell?

Met him once . . . he had a home up on Craig Hill . . . off of WCFR drive . . . His sister Rosemary worked with my Father at Furmans! Grandma Rosemary (as we called her) had a Grandson that lived a few house next door to us, and is (or was in 07) the manager of Shaws in Springfield . . .

[RJARRRPCGP]

Originally Posted by ex-springfielder

I looked all around New England and even Florida but I ended up in Maine, 30 minutes west of Portland and I like this area a lot.

If I move to Maine, I'm more likely to pick Bar Harbor.
Because Portland has a tendency to have more gloomy weather.

[looking4home]

DieselBenz, that can't be true that energy costs are that low in AZ!! What about air conditioning, which uses a lot of electricity? Do you have a subsidized rate or something?

[123.DieselBenz]

Originally Posted by looking4home

DieselBenz, that can't be true that energy costs are that low in AZ!! What about air conditioning, which uses a lot of electricity? Do you have a subsidized rate or something?

It is TRUE! No subsidizing . . .

Being frugal . . . buying the right home . . . all adds up . . . We have a two year old 13 seer heat pump on the roof . . .we don't have a dryer . . . we hang up and air dry in our arid environment!

We live in Sunsites, AZ 85625 about 4300' elevation, so our summers are rarely over 100 . . . I moved here to be warm . . . so I like our home 80+, (but being frugal I only keep our home at 70 in the winter) if in the summer we get up to 85 in the house I turn the A/C on and cool to 82, then as the sun sets, I turn it off, and open the windows, most nights are in the low to mid 70's . . . in the morning we close the windows and drapes . . . we have ceiling fans, and just a gentel breeze from them and the "dry heat" works great for my wife!

We bought a 1200 sq ft town house so we have neighbors on each side . . . our home is built out of "slump blocks" which are basically "fancy cement blocks"! We then have 1.5" foam insulation in the walls, and 10" fiberglass in the ceiling . . . our neighbors like to be cooler and warmer than us, so we have two walls that we are not fighting against.

My last bill was the highest we have ever had, living out here for two years . . . which I got after I made that other post . . . have a look:


My one neighbor just told me this week that he keeps his home at 80 in the winter, and 78 in the summer, his last bill was $155, summer is ussually $80-$85 . . . he lives by himself . . .