Montpelier

Schools in Montpelier

Montpelier has its own school system. Kids start at Union Elementary, then move on to Main Street Middle School. Then students finish up at Montpelier High School. Additionally, the town of Roxbury is part of the Montpelier school system. Roxbury itself has an elementary school, and then those students go to Montpelier for middle school and high school. The full name of the district is the Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools (MRPS).

Jobs in Montpelier

According to the 2020 census, the population of Montpelier is right around 8000. During the day, the population is much larger, as people come from all around to work in town. Some of Montpelier’s biggest employers are:

• The State of Vermont
• Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools
• National Life
• Union Mutual
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield (technically Berlin, but it’s really close!)
• Central Vermont Medical Center (again, technically Berlin, but it’s really close to Montpelier)

Things To Do and See in Montpelier

There’s a lot to do and see all year round in Montpelier. The best resource for activities (concerts, festivals, downtown events, etc.) is Montpelier Alive. Here are some of the most popular events:

• Corporate Cup (May)
• Capital City Farmers Market (May-Oct outdoors. Nov-Apr indoors)
• Taste of Montpelier (September)
• 3rd of July (ummm…July)
• Midnight Madness (October)
• Flannel Friday (November)
• Brown Bag Concert Series (summer)
• Downtown and neighborhood Trick or Treating (ummm…October)
• Onion River Sports Bike Swap (May)
• Ski and Snowboard Swap

Looking for everyday fun things to do in Montpelier?

• Take a hike or just chill at Hubbard Park
• Get a creemee at Morse Farm
• Enjoy the bike path that runs along the Winooski River, through the entire town
• Watch a Vermont Mountaineers baseball game
• Cross country skiing at North Branch Nature Center (there’s actually LOTS to do and see at NBNC!) 
• T.W. Wood Gallery on Barre Street Hunger Mountain Co Op, it wouldn’t be Montpelier without the Co Op! Downtown shopping!
• There’s a wonderful mix of stores and restaurants right downtown!
• Picnic or play on the Statehouse lawn 
• Vermont History Museum
• Take a tour of the Vermont State House

Restaurants

For a small town, Montpelier has lots of great places to grab breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

• J Morgan’s

• Sarducci’s

• Langdon Street Tavern

• Positive Pie

• Enna

• Yellow Mustard

• Buddy’s Famous

• Pho Capital 

• Pho Express

• China Star

• Skinny Pancake

• Hippie Chickpea

• Royal Thai Orchid

• Willawan’s

• Alla Vita

• Capital Grounds

• Bohemian Bakery

• Namaste Indian Nepali Kitchen

• Ksherpa Dinner House

• Mad Taco

• Three Penny Taproom

• Hugo’s Chill

• Julio’s Cantina

• North Branch Cafe

Cocktails / Beer / Wine

When you’re looking for a delicious cocktail, or world class beer, here are some good places to check out:

• Barr Hill / Caledonia Spirits

• Three Penny Taproom

• Langdon Street Tavern

• J. Morgan’s
• Hugo’s
• Positive Pie
• Julio’s Cantina
• Charlie-O’s

How far is Montpelier from…

Interstate 89 runs near Montpelier, making it convenient to get to a lot of places in the Northeast and within the state of Vermont.

Burlington International Airport–It’s only 45 minutes to Burlington, Vermont’s Queen City. Home to University of Vermont, great shopping, restaurants, a very popular pedestrian mall on Church Street, the Flynn Theater, Lake Champlain Waterfront, and of course, the Burlington International Airport. Once at the airport, parking is manageable, traffic is manageable, and, honestly, the airport itself does a good job moving people through to the gates. BTV offers direct flights to many airports, and, of course, you can change flights to get anywhere in the world. When we talk with people about buying real estate in Montpelier, especially if they’re out of state buyers, this proximity to the airport, and the ease of getting there are huge benefits.

Boston–Get comfy for three hours to get from Montpelier to Boston by car. Once you get to Boston, traffic can be an adventure. But there’s not much you can do about that. Plan on three hours. Which means that you’re only three hours from Logan International Airport, with direct flights all over the place.

Montreal–2.5 hours usually does the trick. There’s a wild card with the border crossing into Canada, and Montreal’s traffic can be a bear at times. 

NYC–The internet says it’ll take five hours to drive to New York City. Most people around here plan on it taking six. Do your own cost/benefit analysis about flying or driving.

Barre–This one’s easy. 15 minutes. And it’s always 15 minutes, unless you hit a little construction on Route 302 (The aptly named Barre Montpelier Road)

Northfield (and Norwich University)--Again easy. 15 minutes, whether you take Route 12 and wind through the valley, or you take I89 and get mountain views.

Sugarbush Resort–40 minutes and you’re at world class skiing in the gorgeous Mad River Valley.

Stowe Mountain Resort–Same. 40 minutes. If you’re one of those people who remembers driving all day to get to good skiing, well, your problems are solved!

Getting Around in Montpelier and Central Vermont

Once you’re in Montpelier, getting around is pretty easy. We know that people like to grumble about how towns plow the roads. But honestly, Montpelier Public Works does a good job handling snow removal and street repairs. Parking downtown can sometimes be an adventure. You’ll always be able to find a spot, but sometimes you have to look a bit. The downtown area has meters that accept coins or the Park Mobile app, and have a two hour limit. Street parking is also available in the neighborhoods around downtown, just pay attention to the signs for winter parking rules. As far as traffic, well there really isn’t much. Main Street and State Street clog a tiny bit during the afternoon rush hour, but that means that you might have to sit through a light. If you’re looking for traffic, things slow down a touch around the middle school and the elementary school at drop off and pick up. But come on now, who looks for traffic?

Housing Stock

It’s good for anyone who’s thinking about buying and selling real estate in Montpelier to have solid knowledge of the housing stock and the different neighborhoods within Montpelier. Montpelier’s housing stock is similar to many New England towns. Around the downtown, there are older, typically larger houses. Some of these date back to the early 1800s. These older houses are still here because they were built well, maintained carefully, and updated over the years. As you move outside the downtown neighborhoods, the housing stock changes a bit. Here you’ll find houses built in the 1950s-1960s generally. Ranch style and split level ranches are common in some of those neighborhoods. Move a little further still, and you’ll see more houses built in the 1980s-present day. You’ll still find some of the older housing stock in all parts of the town. Montpelier’s over 200 years old, and some of that past is still very much the present! Green Light Real Estate researches and publishes sales data for the Montpelier real estate market regularly. Here’s a link to the latest report, that includes information on sale prices, days on market, and more in Montpelier and in other nearby towns. There are a number of condominium associations in Montpelier. Some are large by Montpelier standards, and others consist of a single building that was separated into individual condominiums. Some of the larger (larger by Montpelier condo standards)  associations are:

Murray Hill / Cityside

Freedom Drive / Independence Green

Mechanic Street / Franklin Street

Barre Street Condominiums

Sherwood Forest

There are also many apartments in Montpelier. Most of the apartments are houses that were either built originally to be multifamily, or they have been converted over the years. Rents range widely depending on size, location, and condition of the apartment, as well as what utilities are included. Vacancy rates for Montpelier apartments tend to be very low. 

Every year, Green Light Real Estate does a rental survey. Here’s a link to the latest information on rents in Montpelier.

Buying and Selling Montpelier Real Estate

People buying and selling Montpelier real estate are likely to pay slightly higher prices than in Barre and Northfield, and slightly lower prices than in Waterbury. 

The vast majority of people buying and selling Montpelier real estate use Realtors. Some transactions do go “for sale by owner”, but that’s really a small percentage of the total purchases and sales. At Green Light Real Estate, we offer comprehensive seller services including personalized valuations, custom pre-listing strategies, and sound, savvy, and intelligent negotiation advice to help people sell real estate in Montpelier.

At Green Light Real Estate, we have a thorough and updated list of professionals who can help with all aspects of buying and selling real estate in Montpelier. That list includes attorneys, lenders, painters, inspectors, movers, electricians, lawn care people, and more. Wherever you are in your process, even if you have no intention of ever selling your home in Montpelier, you can take advantage of that list. Also, let us know how the secret to eternal life is treating you.

If there’s a mortgage involved, expect it to take six to eight weeks to buy and sell real estate in Montpelier. A lot of that time is the lender and the appraiser getting the money lined up, which makes sense. When we talk with people who have bought and sold out of state, they’re sometimes surprised at that time frame. 

Depending on the market cycle, houses can sell above or below asking price, and offers may or may not include other contingencies, such as inspection contingencies. Again, that depends on the market cycle as well as the individual property. No two transactions are identical, when buying or selling real estate in Montpelier!

Most buyers are represented by a buyer agent. At Green Light Real Estate, we offer a full suite of buyer services to help first time buyers as well as experienced purchasers buy real estate in Vermont.

Every transaction and every situation is different. Whenever you have ANY questions or want more information about buying and selling real estate in Montpelier, just call or email, and we’ll be happy to help!

View Montpelier Homes For Sale Here