- Mandi Bateman

The Burlington, VT, real-estate market has seen some remarkable appreciation in the last decade, and Chittenden County is a wonderful place to raise children. The local schools are some of the best in the nation. Living in close proximity to the New York metropolitan area, Montreal, Quebec, Boston, and other major East Coast hubs, many families find that Burlington, VT, is the perfect distance from these larger cities.

You really can do almost anything here, and people are beginning to discover that buying Burlington, VT, real estate is a smart investment. In Burlington, VT, you can further your education at one of the many local colleges, buy a snowboard from Burton, or just enjoy a peaceful walk along the Burlington Bike Path and admire Lake Champlain. There is a quality of life here in Burlington, VT, and the surrounding area that just cant be outdone by other cities.

In neighboring Shelburne, VT, real estate is also booming. This quintessential Vermont town is only about twenty minutes away from downtown Burlington. Shelburne, VT, is the home of the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory; charter fishing services in Lake Champlain; Shelburne Farm, host of the Mozart Festival every summer; and the American Morgan Horse Association.

Just to the north of Burlington, VT, youll find the town of Colchester, VT. Colchesters real estate boasts some of the most fantastic views in the entire world. You might think this is an exaggeration, but one Burlington, VT, real-estate developer says that after all his years of traveling the world, he still believes that the view over Lake Champlain to the Adirondacks is one of the best hes ever seen. Mallets Bay in Colchester borders several miles of lakefront property and makes Colchester, VT, a great lakeshore bedroom real-estate market for the Burlington area.

Yes, Vermont is cold . . . which serves as a kind of population control, but once you leave for vacation to a warm, sunny place, you always are glad to come home to Vermonts little cities that could . . . win you over!!

Some national publications have said that the Burlington, Vermont, area is:

• "One of Four Outstanding Get-Away Locations in the Northeast" (USA Weekday Magazine, May 1997)
• "Number One Place for Families that Love Outdoor Sports" (Outdoor Explorer Magazine, June 1999)
• "Sixth Best Family Friendly Place in the Nation" (Reader's Digest, April 1997)
• "One of Ten College Towns Worth a Visit" (Princeton Review, 1999)
• "Number One Child Friendly City in America" (Zero Population Growth, 2001)
• "One of 'Our Top 10 Cottage Communities" (Cottageliving, 2006)