School Me: Bennington, VT

**krp8128** · 08-19-2013, 04:01 PM

I'm considering a move from the CNY area (where I have been pretty much since 2005) to Bennington, VT.

Good place? Hellish nightmare?

I'm 27, would be single if I move out there. Need a place to live, stuff to do, things to look out for etc.

**icelanticskier** · 08-19-2013, 04:16 PM

I think I remember driving through there a time or two. seemed like a nice enough place. close to some skiing. maybe winter storm track will benefit southern northern new England this season. I can't remember being 27 so can't help ya there

rog

**Benny Profane** · 08-19-2013, 05:14 PM

Why are you moving there? School?

Nice town, not rich, some poverty, but, hey, it's Vermont. A bit dull, nothing really going on, but cheap cost of living. If you are a road biker, it's an excellent place to live in Southern Vermont for that. Direct access west to Washington county, NY, and hundreds of miles of roads in there stretching to the Hudson river. Good road rides just south of the border in Mass.. Lot's of culture down in Massachusets, not far away, with Williamstown and North Adams, the latter hosting MassMoca, a pretty cool contemporary art museum. The whole western Mass area is pretty cool, especially in summer.
Good skiing is about an hour. Magic is the best within an hour. Killington is an hour and a half, but, it's a fairly easy drive on 7 and 4. There's some small ski areas south in Mass. that might be fun to try if you have the time - I see them when I drive 7 south, but, never stopped.
When you have to fly, Albany airport is close, and Southwest flies out of it. Nice airport. Uncrowded.

**wooley12** · 08-19-2013, 05:16 PM

Unless your into Frisbee golf and Bocci, it's gotta be a better place for outdoor sports than Rochacha.

**Chugach001** · 08-19-2013, 08:37 PM

Big upgrade in outdoor fun category. Mtb trails at Jimminy, good skiing for northeast, some climbing if you look for it, plenty of hiking and great road riding as Benny said. It's a boring little town but no worse than Marcellus and no more run down. If you like fat pink stoner girls it's top rated. Some culture, Berkshires have more. College girls around there and Williamstown.

**Timberridge** · 08-19-2013, 08:40 PM

Not knowing what you're leaving and expecting, but Bennington is just one step up from Rutland in terms of the number of people on public assistance. They've attempted to refresh the downtown and it can be quaint in parts, but step a block or two in the wrong direction...

It's primarily a passing through town. You won't mistake it for downtown Burlington.

The Walloomsac Inn would be fun to stay at around Halloween time. I'm pretty sure you could major in Frisbee golf at Bennington College.

**east or bust** · 08-19-2013, 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by Timberridge

Not knowing what you're leaving and expecting, but Bennington is just one step up from Rutland in terms of the number of people on public assistance. They've attempted to refresh the downtown and it can be quaint in parts, but step a block or two in the wrong direction...

It's primarily a passing through town. You won't mistake it for downtown Burlington.

The Walloomsac Inn would be fun to stay at around Halloween time. I'm pretty sure you could major in Frisbee golf at Bennington College.

I love Burlington, but there is no denying it's got some sketchy places as well.

**Danno** · 08-19-2013, 09:49 PM

Originally Posted by Timberridge

The Walloomsac Inn would be fun to stay at around Halloween time.

How is that place still standing?

**krp8128** · 08-20-2013, 10:52 AM

Would be relocating for an engineering position with a manufacturer in Bennington.

This is a solid offer with great benefits, obviously closer to outdoor recreation then Syracuse.

**Chugach001** · 08-20-2013, 11:07 AM

Take the job.

**philth** · 08-20-2013, 11:31 AM

Do it. Benny summed it up nicely. Lots of nice places to live around Benn other than section 8 housing.

**Benny Profane** · 08-20-2013, 11:37 AM

Yeah. If you can make decent money there, it's a no brainer. Cost of living is low, outdoors much better.

**krp8128** · 08-20-2013, 12:04 PM

Kept trying to quote and give replies, TGR freezes in advanced edit mode....

Yeah, leaning towards taking it. In kind of a weird situation here right now and need to find something or its unemployment next month. Taking this position would mean uninterrupted paychecks.

I'll be making more then I am making now, and right now I make "decent" money. 401K matching is the best I have seen (100% match up to 6%, fully vested), 3 weeks vacation right off the bat etc.

I grew up in a much smaller town in Maine, but i have lived in the CNY area since 2005 or so and gotten used to the convenience of everything being 15 minutes away. I think I can get used to the small town vibe again, especially given that I can be outdoors. 2 weeks ago I drove from Cuse to Keene for the night via Bennington, then spent night #2 at Woodford State park and hiked Haystack/Snow, spending night #3 at Molly Stark. I ran to Maine for a funeral, then back to Bennington for the interview last week.

Downtown was kinda nice, good brewpub. Grocery store seemed decent, Walmart and Home depot are right there too. I guess being 27 and soon to be single my big worry is isolation and limited talent pool for the dating scene, as i am not into chubby stoner girls.

Definitely went through some lower income areas, but every town/city has its shithole areas. Hell, last fall i drive by an in process armed robbery in Syracuse and heard about it the next day on the news.

What are the nice places to live? I'm not opposed to a 20-30 minute drive to work on Shields Drive.

**Benny Profane** · 08-20-2013, 12:21 PM

Well, 20-30 minutes gets you all the way up to Manchester and south to Williamstown. Lot of choice there. Bennington is the cheapest, I'm guessing. Women? Pheww.....I don't know. I like them pink and stoned and a little chubby, too.

Btw, 100% matching to 6% is awesome and rare.

**Danno** · 08-20-2013, 02:55 PM

Yeah, if you're willing to commute a half hour, tons of options. As for the chicks, well, it's Vermont so they may be stoner girls, and because there's no one population center, you may have to go looking, but they are there.

**krp8128** · 08-20-2013, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by Danno

As for the chicks, well, it's Vermont so they may be stoner girls, and because there's no one population center, you may have to go looking, but they are there.

Well maybe the stoner chick thing ant so bad, based on the earlier descriptions I was picturing meth addicts...

**ex-powderbroker** · 08-20-2013, 03:40 PM

Look at the bush / Mrg pass if you don't mind driving just a bit to ski.

**Danno** · 08-20-2013, 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by ml242

Look at the bush / Mrg pass if you don't mind driving just a bit to ski.

that's nuts. Why drive 2 1/2 hours when Magic is 45 minutes and Killington is 1 1/2 hours?

**Danno** · 08-20-2013, 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by krp8128

Well maybe the stoner chick thing ant so bad, based on the earlier descriptions I was picturing meth addicts...

well, most of my Vermont memories are 15 years old, they may be meth addicts now.

**Benny Profane** · 08-20-2013, 06:15 PM

Heroin's back. Seriously. Cheaper and better than crank and easier to get than oxy. It's out in small towns.

**Chugach001** · 08-20-2013, 09:06 PM

Benntucky has heroin. But I hear it's everywhere these days.

**krp8128** · 08-21-2013, 05:04 AM

Originally Posted by Benny Profane

Heroin's back. Seriously. Cheaper and better than crank and easier to get than oxy. It's out in small towns.

Damn, my plans for a side business have been crushed.

**Timberridge** · 08-21-2013, 06:53 AM

Re: living in MA. I can't comment on the Williams vs. Bennington poontang situation, and VT's not WY but Taxachussetts has some of the highest PIT rates in the nation.