Full_Whereas_2694 t1_j80qwo1 wrote
Well I grew up in Newport (near Eden) and Lived in Groton (Near Newbury). Newbury area is nice, you'll probably end up in Woodsville NH for your groceries and hardware store runs but Montpelier is a reasonable drive for food/time out. Groton State forest is right around the corner and the Whites are really close for hiking/camping. You're close to 91 so a lot of the Upper Valley is accessible that way. The major downside is a lot of towns right around it are pretty dismal (Washington, Corinth, Wells River, Topsham), but the area is beautiful-not sure about the schools.
Eden seems more central but i think you'll end up driving further to get your groceries and other essentials- Johnson has a good grocery store now which is nice and you've got the college/Studio Center scene there. Similar to Newbury the towns nearby (Lowell, Belvedere, Irasburg) are pretty sad and Again guessing the schools are rough. Definitely an easier commute to Stowe though.
peachboot828 OP t1_j814qor wrote
Super helpful perspective, thank you! Re: schools, we were so jazzed before we moved here to hear about Vermont’s amazing public schools…but now we find ourselves paying 2x more property taxes than ever before and suffering schools that are dramatically more dismal than anything we encountered in the South…which is REALLY surprising. It seems like the applause about great public schools comes from a handful of exceptional places in the greater Stowe, Burlington, and Woodstock areas, and most everything else is average at best and failing at worst. So…we don’t have high hopes for good schools in any area we can reasonably afford. :/
Full_Whereas_2694 t1_j817f64 wrote
Oh just saw you're interested in Local food. If you're in Newbury probably Hunger Mountain in Montpelier is your best bet. There are some good farm stands around but they are pretty seasonal. There's been an on again off again coop in St Johnsbury which right now seems off again. If you're in Eden, Morrisville Coop is your best bet, which is only a few years old but looks really nice (I stop there on my way up to my folks place in the NEK). The school situation is tough, in theory we have equalized funding from the state, but you still have to attract good teachers and the physical infrastructure is still dependent on local bonds a lot of the time. We have an amazing local school in Lincoln where I live but we've had to fight tooth and nail to keep it open.
peachboot828 OP t1_j854ktr wrote
Ahhh, that makes a lot of sense re: the schools. Equalized funding doesn’t necessarily attract and retain equalized talent if a school is in a place that’s seen as “less desirable” to live in for whatever reason. Such a shame. :/
Thanks so much for all of the info!
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