Interested in moving to Vermont, may I have a moment of your time?
Hello, r/Vermont!
I am a 30 year old who grew up in the country (Indiana), but moved to the city (Cincinnati, OH) and swore she would never want to be a country girl again. Sidewalks! City Sewer! Starbucks! I ended up in Louisville, KY, a block from hip restaurants and boutiques.
And oh, the burnout. Long story short, I moved to the ‘burbs, and have gotten a taste of the life I swore I hated in my teens-20’s. Suddenly, I realize that deep down, I need to work hard at something tangible, want space and a little solitude, and enjoy the country. Finally, I have begun my search for a place to lay roots.
I want to leave my home Tri-State for a simple reason: I have asthma. Louisville is situated right on the Ohio River (Cincinnati is elevated atop the Ohio Valley Basin). My asthma is barely manageable in Louisville: bluegrass meets humidity and the Ohio River carries DuPont junk, some of which evaporates into the air. I’ve never seen so many rescue inhalers in a city (but I’ve never lived in LA, so). If my lungs don’t want to be here, neither do I. So the search has begun. I’m looking at a few states, but I love Vermont for a few reasons:
1. The houses. There are so many unique and well-planned homes in the state within our price point, many with a reasonable plot of land on which to permaculture other even homestead.
2. The geography. Cincinnati has hills and beautiful drops; Louisville is flatter than a pancake and lacks visual interest. Vermont has more hills/valleys/peaks. It’s small, but it’s a perk that navigable Idaho/Wyoming/Kansas lack.
3. The cold. I had always despised the cold, but as I have gotten older, I’ve realized that cold necessitates preparation and with the right home/car/outerwear preparation, braving the cold is invigorating and a matter of mind over matter. This is gonna sound dark, but my favorite part of Covid has been preparing to bunker in for 4-8weeks at a time. I love the idea of calculating against cold temperatures.
4. Climate Change. The Ohio Valley weather patterns have changed drastically since 2013. They will continue to do so. Humidity will increase, storms will increase, and summer temps will increase. Vermont looks like it will be a safer choice in the coming decades.
Here are some concerns I may have:
1. Diversity. I am a biracial (white/black) woman. I currently live in a very white neighborhood, so I don’t feel uncomfortable in very homogeneous areas, but I do want to make acquaintances and be friendly with neighbors. I wear my hair natural. I currently live in a neighborhood full of Good Ol Boys who are very neighborly to me, so I’m hoping this is an unfounded concern.
2. COL. My winter utilities are currently $250/month; I’m estimating another $100-150 in Vermont. I have seen a ton of oil heat, but with wood stoves and I have no problem chopping wood (my grandpa was wood-only). Just wondering what kind of heater to look for, what cost to expect. I know groceries are steep but I already pay next to nothing (about $55/week for two people), so I can live frugally and still stay under budget.
3. Gun Laws. I am spoiled in Kentucky; it took about 45 minutes to go from never owning a gun to walking out with an AR. We don’t have conceal carry laws at all. We don’t need separate licenses or permits. Just want to make sure that gun seizure isn’t a common think in VT; neither of us have a record, but especially with the fauna and living out a ways from police, we’d want to keep and increase our weaponry.
If anyone can give advice or feedback on this or anything else, I’d greatly appreciate it! We just want a bit of earth on which to raise some chickens and goats, maybe adopt a few children and fill them and every square inch we encounter with love. Thanks!