Colchester brings together many of the best parts of life in Vermont. Located on Lake Champlain, one of the most pristine freshwater bodies in the whole of the United States, Colchester’s natural beauty combines the clean air and elevation of life in the mountains with the mariner’s dreams of life on the water. A tourist spot of unparalleled majesty, wherein boat enthusiasts and fishermen gather, Colchester also borders the city of Burlington to the south, and is located conveniently close to the Canadian border, as well as a reasonable drive from upstate New York or the rest of New England. Colchester is a beautiful place, ideal for commuters and the rustically-inclined. 

One local notes about Colchester/Vermont: *Vermont is traveling back in time, some towns feel like the fifties. It’s walking inside a Kinkade or Rockwell painting. No strip malls or billboards, but buttermilk red barns with horses and fat Holsteins dotting the landscape. The green during summer—the foliage, the mountains— is mixed with a rich blue hue: I call it “grue”. You have already heard about October and leaf season.* 

*Others have described the trees splattered with a mad artist’s brush—infinite shades of amber, puce, mandarin, vermilion—much better than I. We still drive around with mouths hanging open, inhaling the pumpkin and cinnamon air. I love hearing the clops of horse’s hooves as the Amish go by, heading for the next frolic, in their buggies outside my window.*

Lake Champlain

The Best Thing About Colchester?

Vermont as a whole has suffered from inflated housing prices in the past two decades, and Colchester is no exception. Its scenic locale and desirable location ratchet up prices even further, as does the local reluctance to build new housing for fear of spoiling the quaint small-town feel. It is generally recommended that you have housing secured before moving to Colchester for this exact reason, and to be aware of the high property taxes. 

In the words of one local: *I wanted to add something that no one has said - have you any idea what property taxes are like? Vermont is AFAIK the worst state in the union for property taxes. Just because you see a house for $200k that is $1300/mo, that doesn't mean you're going to pay $1300/mo.*


The Prices

The Worst Thing About Colchester?

As befits its geography, Colchester has amazing outdoor play year round. Niquette Bay State Park has amazing hiking and swimming in and around Lake Champlain. The Father’s Day Fishing Derby, founded in 1981, brings in thousands of competitors, it's a one-of-a-kind event. The Parks Department offers an Easter Egg Hunt, a Summer Concert Series, and a Winter Carnival. In addition, gun culture is alive and well, and enthusiasts will find no lack of camaraderie. Finally, Saint Michael’s Playhouse has theatrical experiences for the curious, and the abundance of microbreweries have plenty to explore for beer fanatics.

If you want to see what locals get up to for fun check out the Colchester calendar of events: https://www.colchestersun.com/things_to_do/calendar/

Lifestyle of Colchester

Tourism is one of the primary industries in Colchester. Lake Champlain brings in a high number of summer tourists, as does Leaf Peeping in the Fall and skiing and hiking in the winter. Working for the tourism industry or parks department are often considered viable careers in town, as is working at the local hospice and housing chapter. Meanwhile, Green Mountain Power provides a number of blue-collar jobs, and Saint Michael’s College offers employment opportunities in higher education. In many ways, Colchester is a service-oriented town: serving others, serving the community, serving visitors, or simply serving nature. If that appeals to you, you may find Colchester an excellent potential home. 


Worklife of Colchester

Colchester is unique because you can live deep in nature while still bordering Vermont’s largest city - best of both worlds. It's expensive, locals comment on how much they love their town, and the friendly local atmosphere is considered palpable. To many, moving to Colchester can feel like coming home, even if you've never been there before. 


Deep In Nature 

Why You Should Move Here Now

Colchester is a suburb of Burlington and as such caters almost entirely to families. If you're interested in living on the water then start your search in Bayside Park. It's located on the western shore of Malletts Bay, and is a a mix of single-family homes and apartments. It's close to the Colchester Causeway, a is a hotspot for walking, jogging, and cycling. If you want to raise the kiddos on the water this is your spot. 

A great alternative is Colchester Heights. It's on a hill overlooking Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains and has the best views in the area of some of the most beautiful scenery in Vermont.

All neighborhoods in the city are served by excellent public schools so you get a combo of a great outdoor lifestyle and a great education. 
- Bayside Park
- Colchester Heights
- Colchester Village
- Airport Park 


Families

Bayside Park

Colchester

**Moving to Burlington! Where are good places to live, and what are the best cell phone companies there? Yay VT!**

A couple things if you're planning on moving up here, especially if you're coming from an urban environment or have never lived in the country:

• If you plan on living in the country be prepared to live on a dirt road. Nothing to be concerned with but they can get a tad hairy during "Mud Season" when they melt. You want to focus your attention on Chittenden County, that's where Burlington is and also there's Essex, Williston and Colchester. These are pretty good sized small towns that have decent Internet service and good neighborhoods and form a sort of suburban ring around Burlington.

• Richmond, Hinesburg, Huntington, Underhill, are all smallish country towns that are growing and have their share of scenic places to live. Beware the natives, though. Leave whatever pre-conceived notions you have about rural folk at the door and you should be fine. Generally it takes around five-ten years of living in one of these towns before you truly are accepted. Don't force it, be cool and don't judge. If you are a family the quickest way "in" is through the school and its associated kids sports. I live in Westford, great small town, good people and far enough from town to be affordable.

• The old saying "You can't get there from here" applies. Don't be fooled. Once you get out of town it is a loooooong drive to get anywhere. Lonely roads, no "straight shot" into town. Beware the danger of moving so far out that getting into town is a pain, during the winter this can lead to some serious isolation.

I work for a real estate magazine up here. I know plenty of realtors and could give you a name or two of some realtors.

Oh, one last thing: If you're young live in Burlington (within walking distance to downtown). If you're older and have a family, live in one of the outlying communities like Westford or Richmond. The schools are better. Burlington schools can be rough.

**Moving to Burlington! Where are good places to live. **

I wanted to add something that no one has said - have you any idea what property taxes are like?

Vermont is AFAIK the worst state in the union for property taxes. Just because you see a house for $200k that is $1300/mo, that doesn't mean you're going to pay $1300/mo.

http://www.vermontinvestments.com/vt-property-taxes.php

You could be paying $300, $400, even $500 more a month in taxes on top of your mortgage. Make sure you budget that in there.

Also, I can't speak to all of the areas of the islands, but many people we know (including our neighbour) don't have internet access available to them. Isle la Motte and Hero can be awesome places and Isle la Motte just lowered their property taxes a bit, but if there's no internet you are screwed. The islands are awesome. There's some sketchy people here and there, but for the most part they are very private and you have the run of the place.

**My girlfriend is considering continuing her education at UVM as a psych grad student. If she goes that route, we'll obviously need to live somewhere near-ish the UVM campus, but aren't opposed to a bit of a commute if living in a surrounding area can save us some money on housing.

While buying is an option, I feel like we would be more in the market for a renting, specifically a house as I'm tired of having people live literally on top of me. That brings me to a few questions I have about starting to look for a place out that way:

What are some "suburbs" in the Burlington area that I might want to start looking at with rental homes in mind?

Even though I think we'd prefer a house, apartments aren't out of the question, so what are some good apartment complexes in those "suburbs"?

What are some good rental home resources for the area? VT's Craigslist is a little lackluster, lol.

Due to the nature of being a student in today's world, a good high speed internet connection is a must, and I've read that in VT the internet can be hit-or-miss - are there any locales in that general area that are better or worse in that regard?

Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any help!**


I would maybe check out Williston, Colchester, or South Burlington for housing. There isn’t a typical “suburban” area (or at least what I imagine suburbia is) around here. Williston might have high taxes, but it’s had a lot of development of apartments in the past years. South Burlington would be the town to check out for rental housing I think, based on what some of my friends have said in the past. Williston rental homes are slim pickings. Good luck and safe travels!

Colchester, Vermont

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