[movedtheredonethat]

HI I am new here, I was moved to register to post about some of the places I have lived, and Vermont is a place I have lived 3 times.

The saying is: the local vermonters can't afford to buy real vt syrup or ski in vt. It is for the wealthy tourists.
Vermont is so very beautiful and it sounds like a dream to have a vermont house in the country, but it is tough to do. Taxes are very high, jobs are scarce, jobs don't pay well, groceries are ridiculous money, heating costs are high, the roads are not well kept, traffic is a nightmare on one lane roads, you can't see the sexual offenders online due to "their rights of privacy" so for all you know your neighbor is a level 3 pervert, there is a very high poverty level and lots of drugs everywhere. Also there is a lot more crime than they report, not the fairy tale you would believe.

My husband has family in Vermont, the Rutland/Bomoseen area. That is a pretty place but there is not much to do. Manchester is nice for shopping but expensive to live. Rutland has a major drug problem especially in the schools. Jobs are tight and do not pay much. My husband is the GM in a car dealership, so whenever we move to an area he can see the credit scores of the locals and their income, and in Vermont, you either make lots of money or very little.

We lived in Burlington/Essex Junction area, where a split level rance with 1800 SF from the 1970's will cost you $300,000!!
We lived in Newport Vermont where you can find more house for your money but there is NOTHING to do, no mall, no shopping, drive a hour to NH for a walmart, drive 45 min in canada for a mall or 2 hours to burlington. No jobs, lots of domestic violence, drinking and drugs, uneducated and impovershed people or wealthy homeowners that are only around for a couple weeks a year.

And the vermonters do NOT like flatlanders or outsiders. If you do not have a parent that was born in vermont or you were not born there, you will NEVER be seen as a local vermonter. EVER. You could live there for 50 years and you are just an outsider. We had many local friends who would tell us this. We have been all over vermont and it doesn't change.
We love the IDEA of vermont but when we move back it doesn't feel as wonderful as it sounded. We still visit friends there and love it now as visitors. So unless you make loads of money or like living very basic for a lot of money, don't move there. And also, lock your doors and look out for yourselves, it is not the utopia people think it is, crime is alive and well there.
we tried to live the vermont life 3 times and struggled. My husband makes great money but so much went out in just life expenses, too much.

[KoZmiC NinJa]

It is ironic that an area depends on the money the people
they hate bring in. If you live here year 'round, there is a
good chance you can afford very little of the stuff Vermont
is marketed as. Oh well....at least we can look forward to
our taxes and heating costs going up !

[duff30329]

Do what friends of mine in Maine did. They found a stand of maple trees, made a deal with the property owner to tap the trees and split the syrup.
That is if you desire remaining in Vermont.
Vermont, unlike the olden days is full of liberals ( god help us all!)...this would account for the snobbery. Think John Kerry with his haughty nose held high in the air you you'll know what I mean.

[nhyrnut]

Ok this post is true. BUT Native vermonters are VERY nice people. VT is one of the only states I know of where a felon can own a firearm. Granted it is only a muzzle loader but still odd to me. If you can find work there than I hope you do well. VT is nice but as I said these posters didn't lie. Just remember there are great people that live there you just have to find them. Or if you break down they find you. You don't need cell phones there.(Good thing too, as there isn't good reception anywhere.) The locals will always be willing to help.

[harry chickpea]

"Just remember there are great people that live there you just have to find them. Or if you break down they find you. You don't need cell phones there.(Good thing too, as there isn't good reception anywhere.)"

I was one of the first cellphone users, back when they had to be connected to your car. Trust me, if you have a business, lack of cellphone connection can be a GOOD thing.

("Hi, this is Mortimer, can you tell me how to update my Windows time?")

CALL BILL GATES!!!!

[arel]

Very sobering thread. I have read on other threads, as well, about the low salaries, the high cost of living, the rejection of "flatlanders" by locals, the alcoholism, the domestic violence and the poverty.

How applicable are these concerns to all of Vermont? What about southern Vermont, especially southeastern Vermont, on the I-91 corridor? Almost everyone I have spoken to in Brattleboro speaks very positively about where they live, and I have been seriously thinking of moving up there. It is not as pretty as further north, but it has a diverse, cosmopolitan population, lots of stuff to do and proximity to the Pioneer Valley, Keene, NH and the beautiful Upper Valley. Work, of course, depends on your profession. I am a mental health professional and the Retreat is there. And from what has been posted, I would imagine that mental health work is plentiful. There are always jobs listed at local mental health agencies.

I know about the poor cell phone service. I once left a message to confirm that I would be at a particular restaurant, but my contact didn't get it in time and never showed up. I wonder if the cell phone service could be improved, or if that is impossible because of the terrain.

[Georgia]

Originally Posted by movedtheredonethat

HI I am new here, I was moved to register to post about some of the places I have lived, and Vermont is a place I have lived 3 times.

The saying is: the local vermonters can't afford to buy real vt syrup or ski in vt. It is for the wealthy tourists.
Vermont is so very beautiful and it sounds like a dream to have a vermont house in the country, but it is tough to do. Taxes are very high, jobs are scarce, jobs don't pay well, groceries are ridiculous money, heating costs are high, the roads are not well kept, traffic is a nightmare on one lane roads, you can't see the sexual offenders online due to "their rights of privacy" so for all you know your neighbor is a level 3 pervert, there is a very high poverty level and lots of drugs everywhere. Also there is a lot more crime than they report, not the fairy tale you would believe.

My husband has family in Vermont, the Rutland/Bomoseen area. That is a pretty place but there is not much to do. Manchester is nice for shopping but expensive to live. Rutland has a major drug problem especially in the schools. Jobs are tight and do not pay much. My husband is the GM in a car dealership, so whenever we move to an area he can see the credit scores of the locals and their income, and in Vermont, you either make lots of money or very little.

We lived in Burlington/Essex Junction area, where a split level rance with 1800 SF from the 1970's will cost you $300,000!!
We lived in Newport Vermont where you can find more house for your money but there is NOTHING to do, no mall, no shopping, drive a hour to NH for a walmart, drive 45 min in canada for a mall or 2 hours to burlington. No jobs, lots of domestic violence, drinking and drugs, uneducated and impovershed people or wealthy homeowners that are only around for a couple weeks a year.

And the vermonters do NOT like flatlanders or outsiders. If you do not have a parent that was born in vermont or you were not born there, you will NEVER be seen as a local vermonter. EVER. You could live there for 50 years and you are just an outsider. We had many local friends who would tell us this. We have been all over vermont and it doesn't change.
We love the IDEA of vermont but when we move back it doesn't feel as wonderful as it sounded. We still visit friends there and love it now as visitors. So unless you make loads of money or like living very basic for a lot of money, don't move there. And also, lock your doors and look out for yourselves, it is not the utopia people think it is, crime is alive and well there.
we tried to live the vermont life 3 times and struggled. My husband makes great money but so much went out in just life expenses, too much.

A few items on this.
I have never been treated badly by Vermonter's. Then again, being from West Virginia hardly qualifies you as a "Flatlander" Heck I'm so used to hills that one leg has become shorter than the other

The comment on credit scores can be found around the nation, not just Vermont. Heck, I have been in Commercial finance for 20+ years. I had very little past due issues in the state of Vermont. Come to Georgia if you want the highest foreclosure and repossession rates in the nation.

Rich vs. Poor. Unfortunately, that has much to do with Government. Now this is opinion. If you always want to have "Big Government" politicians running the state, then your state will always have rich or poor with not much in the middle. Of course today, our Federal Government is making sure this happens nationwide and not just in Vermont.

Lastly - "Vermonters can't afford to ski or buy maple syrup!"
Well, I don't ski so I cannot comment. But as far as maple syrup? Heck, you can't afford Maple Syrup no matter where you live.
You know what Vermont maple syrup costs in Georgia? Try $15.00 + per little bottle that could not even cover one slap jack. Instead it's Ms Butterworth's fake sugar water. Mmmmm. Try some of that. Yummy. Rot your teeth and walk around with a sugar high for 2 hours after breakfast

[vter]

We can definately afford maple syrup. Most of us Vermonters know someone who produces it, so we get it at an affordable price. The tourists don't know better, so they'll pay more. I pay $15 to $25 a gallon depending on who I get it from.
Born and raised in Vermont and I grew up skiing and I wouldnt call us rich. At Burke & Lyndon OUting Club. There are still places in Vermont that are affordable for most Vermont families - Cochrans, Hard 'Ack (FREE!), Northeast Slopes, etc. Gear can be picked up at swaps at a very discounted price. It can be done!!
But yes, the overall theme of this thread is low wages & high cost of living. Salaries have not kept up. There are good jobs out there though (in Burlington anyway) if you are qualified (GE/IDX, GEneral Dynamics, IBM, law firms, financial firms etc). It's the manufacturing sector thats hurt the most.The Tourism industry is our #1 industry and the service jobs associated with it don't pay much.
OH, and I like most flatlanders. The ones I don't like are the ones that come up here and complain about how backwards everything is and try to "fix" it here so it's just like back home.

[arel]

Vter, thanks for the encouraging post. At least I found it encuraging, as I am not in manufacturing or in tourism. (I am a mental health professional.) There is so much bitterness on these threads about the low salaries and high cost of living, that it would seem you need to be independently wealthy to survive in Vermont.

[nhyrnut]

Originally Posted by Georgia

Lastly - "Vermonters can't afford to ski or buy maple syrup!"
Well, I don't ski so I cannot comment. But as far as maple syrup? Heck, you can't afford Maple Syrup no matter where you live.
You know what Vermont maple syrup costs in Georgia? Try $15.00 + per little bottle that could not even cover one slap jack. Instead it's Ms Butterworth's fake sugar water. Mmmmm. Try some of that. Yummy. Rot your teeth and walk around with a sugar high for 2 hours after breakfast

LOL I by it by the gallon It is only $35 for Medium Amber. If you want PM me I will Give you the # to the Sugar house up the street. LOL