Burlington becoming Portland East? (Ira: crime, camps, taxes)

[SteelCityRising]

It's disappointing to read that Burlington has been enveloped by the consequences of the anti-police movement, as we were hoping to honeymoon there in April. If I want to be surrounded by people experiencing homelessness; addicts; people urinating in the streets; people flipping off police officers; etc. then we may as well just stay in Pittsburgh where this is all commonplace.

[timberline742]

I'm in Burlington now (heading to Foam soon), its perfectly nice. Some people want to be shielded from some reality. The waterfront is AMAZING compared to when I lived here, but Church St has declined. It's a trade off. Heading to Newport tomorrow.

[Riley.]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

It's disappointing to read that Burlington has been enveloped by the consequences of the anti-police movement, as we were hoping to honeymoon there in April. If I want to be surrounded by people experiencing homelessness; addicts; people urinating in the streets; people flipping off police officers; etc. then we may as well just stay in Pittsburgh where this is all commonplace.

I'd go to Stowe (if you can afford it) and maybe make a day trip to Burlington if you must.
I was down there today. Nothing out of the ordinary (for the last couple years). Lots of graffiti around, trash around the college apartments in and around Church St, but I didn't see any trouble or drug dealing as I have in the recent past.
There were some campaign signs asking that the city council stop experimenting with public safety. Not sure what the latest is, but they (the council) seem hell-bent on controlling the PD - as if they have law enforcement expertise.
If you are out and about during daytime hours, you should be fine.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Yes, Burlington has had an uptick in crime, but if we're being real it's nothing hardcore and certainly not Portland level. The downtown still feels touristy and the views across Lake Champlain are still beautiful. It seems like the atmosphere has calmed down a bit following the drama over the last few years. Yes the city council is still stacked with space cadets, but tourists likely wouldn't notice that. I'd second the recommendation for visiting Stowe and Montpelier is also a cute town worth exploring.

The only hesitation I would have is that April is not really a great time to be here in Vermont. The trees will be bare, ski season is over, it's the thick of mud season, and maple tapping is just starting to wrap up. Weather can be very hit or miss.

[timberline742]

Maple sugaring may wrap up earlier than that this year. Already sugaring in Winchendon, near the VT border. Been doing so a couple of weeks.

[Riley.]

Originally Posted by Champ le monstre du lac

Yes, Burlington has had an uptick in crime, but if we're being real it's nothing hardcore and certainly not Portland level. The downtown still feels touristy and the views across Lake Champlain are still beautiful. It seems like the atmosphere has calmed down a bit following the drama over the last few years. Yes the city council is still stacked with space cadets, but tourists likely wouldn't notice that. I'd second the recommendation for visiting Stowe and Montpelier is also a cute town worth exploring.

The only hesitation I would have is that April is not really a great time to be here in Vermont. The trees will be bare, ski season is over, it's the thick of mud season, and maple tapping is just starting to wrap up. Weather can be very hit or miss.

Yes, the view of the lake coming west down main street was stellar yesterday!!
Agree that April is not the best time, but we have had such weird winter weather this season, who knows? Maybe it will be full on spring by then! Hope springs eternal.
Based on yesterdays observations (I drove around a bit), it did seem calm. No hobos on the sidewalk, but then, it was cold, too. Agree tourists might not notice 'city council' shenanigans, other than lack of a police presence IF there is any trouble. fingers crossed.

[NYLIER]

I'm surprised to read such approval for Bernie Sanders. What happened to him since he moved up to Senator?

I'm glad I read this before my daughter and her hubby came to visit. She texted me how nice the bike path looked and was coming up to ride there. I'm going to have to tell her to find another path. So sad to see a once beautiful city turn to trash. People should put a lot of thought and research into who they vote for.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Originally Posted by NYLIER

I'm surprised to read such approval for Bernie Sanders. What happened to him since he moved up to Senator?

I'm glad I read this before my daughter and her hubby came to visit. She texted me how nice the bike path looked and was coming up to ride there. I'm going to have to tell her to find another path. So sad to see a once beautiful city turn to trash. People should put a lot of thought and research into who they vote for.

Bernie hasn't been mayor of Burlington since the 80's and is now in the US senate which has little impact on local policy in the city so I'm not sure how your post is relevant here. Unless you just felt like casually dropping by with some propaganda. Burlington is doing okay and is not completely trashed as you say. It's still a remarkably beautiful city and that hasn't changed.

It could be doing better and the city council leans a bit too far left, but all things considered in 2023 America it's not anywhere near FOX news paranoia levels. It's not as dirty or saturated with homeless as cities on the west coast. A typical tourist without a political chip on their shoulder and no agenda wouldn't notice much of any trouble happening in downtown. Does it have problems? Yes. Was 2022 a bad year for the city? Yes. Is it a typical touristy college town with small city issues? Yeah, pretty much.

Vermont does have a mental health and drug problem with a spike in fentanyl use, you know like the rest of the 49 states are dealing with that neither the right nor left is capable of fixing. Just look to Tulsa, OK which has a republican mayor in one of the reddest states in the country; yet it has violent and property crime rates at more than twice the national average. If you're only seeing this from the lens of red or blue, left or right, then you are part of the problem.

Fears of the city being trashed and no longer beautiful is simply nothing more than hyperbole. I enjoyed the city's beautiful parks on Lake Champlain yesterday on a beautiful 80 degree day and it was awesome.

[ShouldIMoveOrStayPut...?]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Maple sugaring may wrap up earlier than that this year. Already sugaring in Winchendon, near the VT border. Been doing so a couple of weeks.

My guess is Burlington was a nice town until all the saps came out of the woodworks...

[NYLIER]

Originally Posted by Champ le monstre du lac

Bernie hasn't been mayor of Burlington since the 80's and is now in the US senate which has little impact on local policy in the city so I'm not sure how your post is relevant here. Unless you just felt like casually dropping by with some propaganda. Burlington is doing okay and is not completely trashed as you say. It's still a remarkably beautiful city and that hasn't changed.

It could be doing better and the city council leans a bit too far left, but all things considered in 2023 America it's not anywhere near FOX news paranoia levels. It's not as dirty or saturated with homeless as cities on the west coast. A typical tourist without a political chip on their shoulder and no agenda wouldn't notice much of any trouble happening in downtown. Does it have problems? Yes. Was 2022 a bad year for the city? Yes. Is it a typical touristy college town with small city issues? Yeah, pretty much.

Vermont does have a mental health and drug problem with a spike in fentanyl use, you know like the rest of the 49 states are dealing with that neither the right nor left is capable of fixing. Just look to Tulsa, OK which has a republican mayor in one of the reddest states in the country; yet it has violent and property crime rates at more than twice the national average. If you're only seeing this from the lens of red or blue, left or right, then you are part of the problem.

Fears of the city being trashed and no longer beautiful is simply nothing more than hyperbole. I enjoyed the city's beautiful parks on Lake Champlain yesterday on a beautiful 80 degree day and it was awesome.

I guess you feel only you are entitled to an opinion. So you state out of one side of your mouth that Burlington is doing "okay", but then the rest of your post you list all the problems, which are quite a few.

As far as FOX news, maybe you should watch it more often because you are the one with the political chip on your shoulders. It is quite obvious that Bernie has a huge influence on our state or it wouldn't be controlled in the socialist way it is. But people like yourself will continue to keep their head in the sand and allow all the negatives you mentioned only get worse.

Please don't criticize people for giving their honest opinions. It isn't very nice.