stjohn343 t1_j195ni3 wrote on December 22, 2022 at 4:17 PM

I moved from AL five years ago. Yes, VT has its own problems, but all in all, the atmosphere is a vast improvement over the south.

Housing will be a problem in the Burlington area, but things can be found. I live south of BTV in Addison County; lots of folks here commute up for work. A relative just found a good deal on a rental about 25 minutes from BTV on short notice- it helps to be in the area and able to look around.

Yes, there’s a wait for doctors, but I found the same problem in AL. Just like many portions of the country, labor markets are tight. Services take a while sometimes. Not to say you wouldn’t be able to get them in the event of an emergency.

Getting used to the expense of winter is something to consider. Food is about the same price up here (and unlike AL, they don’t take groceries). Gas is a good bit more expensive. But VT is a truly rural state at heart, so things are sometimes a little less convenient.

Overall, glad I made the move. I don’t miss the megachurch right wing politics, the rampant strip mall construction. Plenty of outdoor activity up here, good restaurants and arts scene. Lots of quirk you can’t find in the homogenized south.

Away_Papaya_1875 OP t1_j196c29 wrote on December 22, 2022 at 4:21 PM

There’s a wait here for PCP, but urgent scares are everywhere. Strip malls will be the death of me! Seems like a new one goes up every week and sits empty for years.

I do not mind a commute at all, as my commute rn is ~50min. I’ll have to look at Addison County because 25min sounds like a dream commute!

readyreadyvt t1_j1bxvj0 wrote on December 23, 2022 at 4:05 AM

For a 25-minute commute into Burlington, you’d have to be at the very northern edge of Addison County, which is possible, but it’s much less densely populated there. It’s perhaps more likely that you’d find something near Bristol or Vergennes, putting you more like 40-45 minutes out, or Middlebury, putting you more like 50-60. (Depending on time of day, weather, your willingness to do 60 vs 50 on Rt 7, and your luck with the dearth of passing lanes.)