I went there one time when me and my family went with relatives to dropping someone off to Middlebury College. We woke up at 4AM EST to drive from NYC to Middlebury VT and we arrived home at 11PM EST. Vermont felt so peaceful and that trip was an adventure.
It most defintely is! I was driving through Addison County yesterday and even in all of Vermont it's one of the most scenic Counties with flatter/rolling farm land but still great mountain views.
I moved to VT 30 years ago from the NYC area and bought the parsonage in Peacham my x has it now I am in st J and love it here no driveby shootings so far yes we have a few drug murders but it is completely safe and I love it /To bad all the businesses are shutting down but it will pick up again thanks for the VT videos keep up the good work! N Piliero
Ah, I can't give much advice there. Depends what you're looking for. It's a nice campus, definitely very liberal... pretty expensive I'd imagine... Rentals might be hard to find... it seems to be a pretty decent school overall though
Thanks for the video. I've liked the idea of moving to Middlebury ever since I saw your video saying it was one of Vermont's most liberal - if not THE most liberal - cities. It looks like a cool town and I especially like the idea of living in a town that features such a prestigious small college like Middlebury College. Like another commenter posted though, there seems to be a lack of homes for sale. I'd rather purchase an existing home that comes with some acreage (even 2 or 3 acres is enough for me because it would seem like a HUGE lot since I'm coming from California). I won't be moving to Vermont for another 6-7 years or so though... once I get closer to retirement.
You're welcome Rob, thanks for the comment! There is definitely a lack of homes all over the state right now, lots of out of state demand. Obviously that might be different in 6 or 7 years... Middlebury is a cool little town with quite a few little restaurants and shops. I think both the Burlington area and Middlebury sound like your type of towns/cities. Middlebury is more affordable though, the acreage would also be a little easier to find there.
@@LivinginVermont Yes! That's exactly what I'm thinking ... and I'm torn between Middlebury and Burlington. I've never really lived in a small town, so Middlebury could be a bit too quiet and possibly even boring to me. I've always lived in cities, including big ones like San Francisco. So Burlington could be better, but I want to check both out. I look forward to more of your videos... they're very informative for those of us outside the area who have a love for Vermont.
@@KarenAlexandrite-aka-PinkRoseI went to Middlebury and loved it; I still visit, but VT is too liberal for my taste. I’m allowed, so far, to say this, right?
Great tour. When I hit Middlebury it's usually because I'm on my way to Ripton and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, but my girlfriend and I always spend a few hours there and have brunch at Fire & Ice although it's been a while. I'm sure their hours have changed since pandemic hit.
Thank you! The Bread Loaf conference is something I should've mentioned since it's apparently the oldest writers conference in America... you'd know more about it than I would since I've never been. Fire & Ice is great, I believe they no longer have the salad bar since Covid but I'm not totally sure, that might've just been a phase.
@@LivinginVermont oh, Bread Loaf is a beautiful old facility with lovely architecture and a stunning barn used for visiting writers podium etc. You should have a visit. Going up 125 is sort of like driving into the past.Also there was a show in the '80s called Newhart and along the same road before leaving Middlebury is the house in the title sequence they used as the B&B the show is based around among other local sites in the title sequence.
I've driven past the Bread Loaf School of English on 125 a few times but I actually had no idea that's what it was until I just Google Mapped it a few minutes ago... I was always kind of curious about what kind of private school or something it was, I never see anyone there. Thanks for the education! 😄
Because of vovid they haven't had their normal student functions and it's close used during the winter. May through August is when it's busiest although not for the past 2 years.
Middlebury bagel? I love that place! Awesome donuts for a reasonable price... they did donuts at my wedding for less than half the price of some other donut places and everyone loved them! 😄
@@LivinginVermont I'm not sure of the name of the business. It was a small coffee shop. I thought they were quite pricey for what I got but overall it was a very nice town.
My dream summer location. My dad is from middlebury My mom from shoreham So every summer spent on lake dunmore. I keep tabs on middlebury & salsbury on Zillow !
I love lake Dunmore! I go there pretty much every summer for some swimming and boating. Camping too, especially up Silver Lake. My dad has a farm in Shoreham so I know all the areas you mentioned pretty well! If you'd like to automatically be emailed everything new that comes up in those 2 towns I'd be happy to set you up to save you some time. 😃
I see you commented or tried commenting twice but if you didn't delete the comments, UA-cam must've... edit: 3 times and I can see the beginning of each of your comments on UA-cam Studio but not here, and when I tap it says "no longer available" no idea why...
Well, I got enough work covering my own state! 😅 but I believe there already is one on living in Maine? Eventually if I build a team across the Northeast I might do that but that's several years out. I can certainly refer you to reputable agents in my brokerage up there if you need though!
@@LivinginVermont I'm wondering about the south and central coast of Maine, in comparison with Vermont, especially politically, culturally, educationally, etc.
You didn’t mention the churches. I haven’t attended all of them, but those that I did go to were welcoming and active in community life. And, at a time when attendance is down in many churches across the country, the services here are well populated and uplifting. And members can join activities such as a Green Team, dealing with the environment. So check out the one that fits your own beliefs.
Vermont is the least churched state in the nation unfortunately so its not really a moving incentive of any of the state... there are definitely some great churches though!
You’re right about Vermont in general, but Catholics are quite pleased with St. Mary’s church and I have found the Congregational Church to be one of the best, anywhere, with a sign out front saying “Black Lives Matter.” There are also Episcopal, Methodist, and Baptist Churches, as well as the the Havurah Synagogue, all downtown. The college has a strong religion department, and currently a Hebrew scholar as President, so you may find close links to the faculty there, whether as leaders of Bible Study sessions or members of the choir. Sorry to go on for so long, but one of the key decisions on moving into a town is knowing that you will be among people who share your faith.
Didn’t I hear you say in a different video that Middlebury might be the most liberal town in Vermont? If so, can you please name a handful of other very liberal towns throughout Vermont? Thanks!
I, too, am contemplating a move to Middlebury from South Carolina. However, I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to winter cold. This video didn't discuss the climate. Would be curious to hear about how people manage to survive the cold Vermont winters. How do people do it?! Will I be spending every day chopping wood and using a wood stove all winter long? Thanks for the informative video.
Well, my next video I started writing up today is actually going to be about preparing for winter... but here's a good article on Middlebury's annual temperatures, apparently it's a few degrees warmer than VT's average winter temperature and less snowfall. weatherspark.com/y/24991/Average-Weather-in-Middlebury-(village)-Vermont-United-States-Year-Round Typically people chop or buy wood before winter hits if they have a woodstove. I've grown up with a woodstove splitting wood and filling our woodshed each year, but we have radiant heating in our 2 bathrooms. I'd recommend more than just a woodstove, which most people do. Furnaces and Boilers are more common than just a fireplace. Heat pumps are also starting to become more popular as they are very efficient, they just aren't as effective below a certain temperature I believe. With a woodstove upstairs rooms got minimal heat so we just had lots of blankets and hung out downstairs mostly lol. You'll want a good efficient heating system and of course warm clothes for when you do leave your home. Although nowadays anything can be delivered so you don't even have to leave if you can work from home... You'll have to supplement Vitamin D as the sun doesn't give enough during the winter, you'll also get pretty white from being away from strong UV rays and more susceptible to melanoma in the spring and summer if you don't ease your way into the sun. Winter isn't terrible if you have a more modernized heating system than a woodstove, some people prefer that though. Good winter tires go a long way as well. That's the majority of my advice. You'll also need to figure out if you'll be shoveling or plowing snow from your driveway yourself or if you'll hire someone.
While the winter is cold, the summers are well worth it if you get outside every day. I lived in the South for 4 years and the difference is that the south feels.....'tan'...? Kind of, when it hot? It's almost as if everything is misty and 'tan'-feeling, but the summers of New England you get cool air and it feels very ...'emerald green' and very beautiful and comfortable....Might be a strange way of wording it, but that's what it felt like. The winters in the north are also more beautiful than the winters in the south, as you don't get snow you get what I'd call 'stick season', that is trees without leaves and no snow, so landscapes of brown mountains. The colors in South Carolina's mountains near Greenville though are unbelievably beautiful, it's just that you can't really enjoy it fully when the weather is 100 degrees with 110% humidity half the time, unless of course you're an avid swimmer.
I am seriously considering a move to Vermont (from SC) and, after researching different towns and watching all of your videos, I pretty much settled on Middlebury as my goal. My concern is how few homes are on the market. I haven't found much information about what it would take to buy land and build a home on it. Are there many residential builders there? Is that a complicated process?
It's definitely a more complicated process than just buying a home, but the biggest problem would be getting a builder to build the home within a certain amount of time. Homes obviously take several months to build, and that's after waiting several months or so for a builder to get to your home. There isn't a good construction company in all of Vermont who isn't loaded with work for at least a couple months. If you don't mind waiting a while it would be an option. After a quick look there are currently 5 pieces of land listed for sale in Middlebury, I could email them to you to view if you'd like. There are also only 7 listings currently for sale, one being a condo so if you don't like anything you see and want a new construction house I'd recommend planning far in advance.
@@LivinginVermont I'm working on getting my house in SC ready to sell this winter in hopes that I can sell it in the spring and begin my search then. I'd love to move to Vermont tomorrow but buying and selling is such a drawn-out process.
@@wendydaugherty6798 It definitely is a drawn out process unfortunately. If you don't know any realtors in your area I could easily find you a reputable one though to help list your home in the spring. If you buy in the spring you won't have time for a new construction home to be built unless it's already in the process, but in the spring usually the most homes come on the market while in the winter the least amount of homes do as people don't like to move to or from VT in the middle of winter so much.
@@LivinginVermont I have a real estate agent here but I'm definitely going to need someone there. I'll send you my contact info and what I'm looking for as soon as I'm ready to start looking!
I'm glad you do! I'll be making more videos than I did last year, but it's hard to remake all my videos as they take a lot of time to make. If you want more specific information when you do decide to move then I'm happy to tell you everything I know about different areas!
You missed the fact that Middlebury was the home of John Deere and he worked in a blacksmith shop in Frog Hollow. There is a sign in the Cannon Park with this information
Well thanks, now I'm aware! I know Snowflake Bentley used to live in Middlebury and Ripton, there's a trail there... usually I only go to Cannon Park to get cheap hot chocolate in the winter haha.
I went there one time when me and my family went with relatives to dropping someone off to Middlebury College. We woke up at 4AM EST to drive from NYC to Middlebury VT and we arrived home at 11PM EST. Vermont felt so peaceful and that trip was an adventure.
It's one of the most beautiful places on earth, I grew up in the mountains of New England and there's just something about it.
It most defintely is! I was driving through Addison County yesterday and even in all of Vermont it's one of the most scenic Counties with flatter/rolling farm land but still great mountain views.
Amazingly gorgeous hair!
Thank you! 😁
I moved to VT 30 years ago from the NYC area and bought the parsonage in Peacham my x has it now I am in st J and love it here no driveby shootings so far yes we have a few drug murders but it is completely safe and I love it /To bad all the businesses are shutting down but it will pick up again thanks for the VT videos keep up the good work! N Piliero
You're welcome Nick, thanks for the comments!
I got into Middlebury College and Im deciding now :)
Congrats, and deciding what now?
@@LivinginVermont whether or not I should go 😭 it’s such a hard decision
Ah, I can't give much advice there. Depends what you're looking for. It's a nice campus, definitely very liberal... pretty expensive I'd imagine... Rentals might be hard to find... it seems to be a pretty decent school overall though
Me too!!
Thanks for the video. I've liked the idea of moving to Middlebury ever since I saw your video saying it was one of Vermont's most liberal - if not THE most liberal - cities. It looks like a cool town and I especially like the idea of living in a town that features such a prestigious small college like Middlebury College. Like another commenter posted though, there seems to be a lack of homes for sale. I'd rather purchase an existing home that comes with some acreage (even 2 or 3 acres is enough for me because it would seem like a HUGE lot since I'm coming from California). I won't be moving to Vermont for another 6-7 years or so though... once I get closer to retirement.
You're welcome Rob, thanks for the comment! There is definitely a lack of homes all over the state right now, lots of out of state demand. Obviously that might be different in 6 or 7 years... Middlebury is a cool little town with quite a few little restaurants and shops. I think both the Burlington area and Middlebury sound like your type of towns/cities. Middlebury is more affordable though, the acreage would also be a little easier to find there.
@@LivinginVermont Yes! That's exactly what I'm thinking ... and I'm torn between Middlebury and Burlington. I've never really lived in a small town, so Middlebury could be a bit too quiet and possibly even boring to me. I've always lived in cities, including big ones like San Francisco. So Burlington could be better, but I want to check both out. I look forward to more of your videos... they're very informative for those of us outside the area who have a love for Vermont.
Liberal is the bad part. Go to Burlington I beg you
@@paulchoiniere7322 How is liberal the bad part?
@@KarenAlexandrite-aka-PinkRoseI went to Middlebury and loved it; I still visit, but VT is too liberal for my taste. I’m allowed, so far, to say this, right?
Great tour. When I hit Middlebury it's usually because I'm on my way to Ripton and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, but my girlfriend and I always spend a few hours there and have brunch at Fire & Ice although it's been a while. I'm sure their hours have changed since pandemic hit.
Thank you! The Bread Loaf conference is something I should've mentioned since it's apparently the oldest writers conference in America... you'd know more about it than I would since I've never been. Fire & Ice is great, I believe they no longer have the salad bar since Covid but I'm not totally sure, that might've just been a phase.
@@LivinginVermont oh, Bread Loaf is a beautiful old facility with lovely architecture and a stunning barn used for visiting writers podium etc. You should have a visit. Going up 125 is sort of like driving into the past.Also there was a show in the '80s called Newhart and along the same road before leaving Middlebury is the house in the title sequence they used as the B&B the show is based around among other local sites in the title sequence.
I've driven past the Bread Loaf School of English on 125 a few times but I actually had no idea that's what it was until I just Google Mapped it a few minutes ago... I was always kind of curious about what kind of private school or something it was, I never see anyone there. Thanks for the education! 😄
Because of vovid they haven't had their normal student functions and it's close used during the winter. May through August is when it's busiest although not for the past 2 years.
You shared a lot of helpful details in this video. Did you cover Essex Junction?
I haven't covered it yet, except for in my best places to live video where it ranks pretty high
Thank you!
You're very welcome Tatiana!
I stopped there on a motorcycle trip once. A coffee and a stale snack was about 8 dollars. I couldn't believe it.
Middlebury bagel? I love that place!
Awesome donuts for a reasonable price... they did donuts at my wedding for less than half the price of some other donut places and everyone loved them! 😄
@@LivinginVermont I'm not sure of the name of the business. It was a small coffee shop. I thought they were quite pricey for what I got but overall it was a very nice town.
Could've been another place. My favorites in Middlebury are Middlebury bagel and Otter East Bakery & Deli
My dream summer location.
My dad is from middlebury
My mom from shoreham
So every summer spent on lake dunmore.
I keep tabs on middlebury & salsbury on Zillow !
I love lake Dunmore! I go there pretty much every summer for some swimming and boating. Camping too, especially up Silver Lake. My dad has a farm in Shoreham so I know all the areas you mentioned pretty well! If you'd like to automatically be emailed everything new that comes up in those 2 towns I'd be happy to set you up to save you some time. 😃
I see you commented or tried commenting twice but if you didn't delete the comments, UA-cam must've...
edit: 3 times and I can see the beginning of each of your comments on UA-cam Studio but not here, and when I tap it says "no longer available" no idea why...
I know you work in Vermont, but could you possibly start doing some videos about Maine as well, especially the Southern and mid-coastal areas? Thanks!
Well, I got enough work covering my own state! 😅 but I believe there already is one on living in Maine? Eventually if I build a team across the Northeast I might do that but that's several years out. I can certainly refer you to reputable agents in my brokerage up there if you need though!
@@LivinginVermont I'm wondering about the south and central coast of Maine, in comparison with Vermont, especially politically, culturally, educationally, etc.
Monument Farms' chocolate milk is probably the thing I miss most about Vermont.
Once you have it there's no going back, other brands just simply aren't as good. 😊
You didn’t mention the churches. I haven’t attended all of them, but those that I did go to were welcoming and active in community life. And, at a time when attendance is down in many churches across the country, the services here are well populated and uplifting. And members can join activities such as a Green Team, dealing with the environment. So check out the one that fits your own beliefs.
Vermont is the least churched state in the nation unfortunately so its not really a moving incentive of any of the state... there are definitely some great churches though!
You’re right about Vermont in general, but Catholics are quite pleased with St. Mary’s church and I have found the Congregational Church to be one of the best, anywhere, with a sign out front saying “Black Lives Matter.” There are also Episcopal, Methodist, and Baptist Churches, as well as the the Havurah Synagogue, all downtown. The college has a strong religion department, and currently a Hebrew scholar as President, so you may find close links to the faculty there, whether as leaders of Bible Study sessions or members of the choir. Sorry to go on for so long, but one of the key decisions on moving into a town is knowing that you will be among people who share your faith.
Didn’t I hear you say in a different video that Middlebury might be the most liberal town in Vermont? If so, can you please name a handful of other very liberal towns throughout Vermont? Thanks!
Great video! Where is a good place to watch D1 Hockey?
Thank you! UVM's hockey team in Burlington is D1. I'm not sure what Middlebury is ranked.
@@LivinginVermontThroughout my college life, I never missed a hockey game, with the exception of my Junior year, when I was abroad.
I, too, am contemplating a move to Middlebury from South Carolina. However, I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to winter cold. This video didn't discuss the climate. Would be curious to hear about how people manage to survive the cold Vermont winters. How do people do it?! Will I be spending every day chopping wood and using a wood stove all winter long?
Thanks for the informative video.
Well, my next video I started writing up today is actually going to be about preparing for winter... but here's a good article on Middlebury's annual temperatures, apparently it's a few degrees warmer than VT's average winter temperature and less snowfall.
weatherspark.com/y/24991/Average-Weather-in-Middlebury-(village)-Vermont-United-States-Year-Round
Typically people chop or buy wood before winter hits if they have a woodstove. I've grown up with a woodstove splitting wood and filling our woodshed each year, but we have radiant heating in our 2 bathrooms. I'd recommend more than just a woodstove, which most people do. Furnaces and Boilers are more common than just a fireplace. Heat pumps are also starting to become more popular as they are very efficient, they just aren't as effective below a certain temperature I believe. With a woodstove upstairs rooms got minimal heat so we just had lots of blankets and hung out downstairs mostly lol. You'll want a good efficient heating system and of course warm clothes for when you do leave your home. Although nowadays anything can be delivered so you don't even have to leave if you can work from home... You'll have to supplement Vitamin D as the sun doesn't give enough during the winter, you'll also get pretty white from being away from strong UV rays and more susceptible to melanoma in the spring and summer if you don't ease your way into the sun.
Winter isn't terrible if you have a more modernized heating system than a woodstove, some people prefer that though. Good winter tires go a long way as well. That's the majority of my advice. You'll also need to figure out if you'll be shoveling or plowing snow from your driveway yourself or if you'll hire someone.
@@LivinginVermont Thanks for your thoughtful reply and I look forward to future videos
While the winter is cold, the summers are well worth it if you get outside every day. I lived in the South for 4 years and the difference is that the south feels.....'tan'...? Kind of, when it hot? It's almost as if everything is misty and 'tan'-feeling, but the summers of New England you get cool air and it feels very ...'emerald green' and very beautiful and comfortable....Might be a strange way of wording it, but that's what it felt like.
The winters in the north are also more beautiful than the winters in the south, as you don't get snow you get what I'd call 'stick season', that is trees without leaves and no snow, so landscapes of brown mountains.
The colors in South Carolina's mountains near Greenville though are unbelievably beautiful, it's just that you can't really enjoy it fully when the weather is 100 degrees with 110% humidity half the time, unless of course you're an avid swimmer.
I am seriously considering a move to Vermont (from SC) and, after researching different towns and watching all of your videos, I pretty much settled on Middlebury as my goal. My concern is how few homes are on the market. I haven't found much information about what it would take to buy land and build a home on it. Are there many residential builders there? Is that a complicated process?
It's definitely a more complicated process than just buying a home, but the biggest problem would be getting a builder to build the home within a certain amount of time. Homes obviously take several months to build, and that's after waiting several months or so for a builder to get to your home. There isn't a good construction company in all of Vermont who isn't loaded with work for at least a couple months. If you don't mind waiting a while it would be an option. After a quick look there are currently 5 pieces of land listed for sale in Middlebury, I could email them to you to view if you'd like. There are also only 7 listings currently for sale, one being a condo so if you don't like anything you see and want a new construction house I'd recommend planning far in advance.
@@LivinginVermont I'm working on getting my house in SC ready to sell this winter in hopes that I can sell it in the spring and begin my search then. I'd love to move to Vermont tomorrow but buying and selling is such a drawn-out process.
@@wendydaugherty6798 It definitely is a drawn out process unfortunately. If you don't know any realtors in your area I could easily find you a reputable one though to help list your home in the spring. If you buy in the spring you won't have time for a new construction home to be built unless it's already in the process, but in the spring usually the most homes come on the market while in the winter the least amount of homes do as people don't like to move to or from VT in the middle of winter so much.
@@LivinginVermont I have a real estate agent here but I'm definitely going to need someone there. I'll send you my contact info and what I'm looking for as soon as I'm ready to start looking!
@@wendydaugherty6798 Sounds great Wendy, I look forward to hearing from you!
Can we get an update on all the towns?
Hey, what do you mean by that?
@@LivinginVermont any changes for 2024 as a family we are considering moving to Vermont in a few years I do enjoy your videos thank you 😊
I'm glad you do! I'll be making more videos than I did last year, but it's hard to remake all my videos as they take a lot of time to make. If you want more specific information when you do decide to move then I'm happy to tell you everything I know about different areas!
Is the median home price still $300k?
The median home price of homes sold in Middlebury the past 12 months from today is actually $395,000. It's only gone up...
You missed the fact that Middlebury was the home of John Deere and he worked in a blacksmith shop in Frog Hollow. There is a sign in the Cannon Park with this information
Well thanks, now I'm aware! I know Snowflake Bentley used to live in Middlebury and Ripton, there's a trail there... usually I only go to Cannon Park to get cheap hot chocolate in the winter haha.
He is born in Rutland