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Everything about five sisters has a clever, homemade quality—including the name. Six years ago, local resident Michael Wood-Lewis coined it after research showed that the 300-home neighborhood was developed by a man who allegedly named the five principal streets—Catherine, Caroline, Margaret, Charlotte, and Marian—for his daughters. Today, the area has a reputation for small, attractive homes and let’s-get-involved owners.
In Burlington’s South End, Five Sisters is a veritable laboratory of community ideas. Parents take turns walking children to school, a system they call the walking school bus. A band of local kids plays music for family dances and street parties. Residents stay in touch through the neighborhood bulletin board, an e-mail forum. Says Michael's wife, Valerie, "You might ask, 'Did anyone hear that noise last night? What was it?'"
Community Profile Location: half mile south
of downtown Burlington
Map it: Burlington Number of homes: 300
What $300,000 will buy you: an updated 2,000-square-foot home with a small yard. Lately, prices have topped out near $400K.
Closest latte: Speeder & Earl’s Coffee Shop, at the neighborhood’s edge
For more info: vermont.org/relocation The Way They Live
photography: Buff Strickland
Sidewalks and front porches encourage neighborly chats between the residents of the Five Sisters community in Burlington, Vermont. |
Homes: Five Sisters features a hodge-podge of architectural styles—Cape Cods, foursquares, stone
bungalows—held together by a
consistency of scale and design elements. Front porches abound, and it’s rare to find a house larger than 2,500 square feet. Funky touches—a bright yellow door on a blue Craftsman home and lots of hanging plants and wildflower gardens—portray a relaxed, natural Vermont aesthetic.
People: The biggest selling point of Five Sisters is its sense of community. Residents have adopted the communal aspects of co-housing, without giving up their private homes and lives. Folks meet and greet on the streets and stoops. Early risers (or working stiffs) gather at 5 a.m. for a morning walk. After block-wide yard sales, they drag grills and sprinklers into the street and have a party.
Shops and Hangouts: Five Sisters is a half mile from Burlington’s thriving downtown. Closer to home is
a small collection of shops, including a bakery, fresh market, coffee shop, and place for haircuts. You can buy a futon as well as pick up sweet scents at Lunaroma, an aromatherapy shop.
Greenspace: Though the
official name is Calahan Park, locals call the nearby collection of ball fields and footpaths South Park. In summer,
ultimate Frisbee teams compete; in winter, there’s ice skating.
Cottage Twist: Running out of storage space? Tired of spending money on stuff you only occasionally use? So were the residents of Five Sisters, who started an equipment sharing
program. They circulate a list of things people are willing to lend. What started with a small group of trusted neighbors has grown into a popular program. The list includes pasta and ice-cream makers, a fence hole digger, quilting supplies, extra bikes (for when friends visit),
and a canoe.
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