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From where does this reputation come? We just moved to Colchester from the West and have met the MOST welcoming, friendly and approachable folks. By far the friendliest place we've lived, and we've lived in a few... Including the, eh hem, "friendly" south.
Intelligent, thoughtful, self-aware, warm, welcoming... That's how we'd sum up Vermonters!
Even our cable guy commented, "ya know how you can tell I'm not originally from Vermont? I'm talking to you!"
Our experience has been the complete opposite. Moving to Vermont is the best decision we've ever made.
Haha. I grew up with the mentality that other's coming in from out of state were foreigners or 'flatlanders'. And since I left Vermont when my family moved in the mid 80s....and am moving back to the NE Kingdom - I have encountered a bit of 'unwelcoming' attitudes if you will - and I am under definition a true Vermonter, born and raised. But, I was not raised in the NE Kingdom but rather in Essex Center which is not the Essex Center that exists today. But, that general area is definitely more of a melting pot. What I am seeing is that the older Vermonters, if you will are very accepting - as well as the younger ones.....it's the middle aged ones that we seem to have trouble with. At least, that's what we are seeing in our area.
Allow me to pile-on to my own sappy blathering. Today was our kid's first day of school, and again we were met by super people who introduced themselves to us, welcomed us, etc. I'm so impressed. Especially after reading from various sources about New Englanders...
Haha - that can be true, you get what you give... I think though - that these are isolated incidences. I wouldn't classify ALL of Vermont, or Vermonters like that. I do know how I was raised though. I think also, the more rural that you get, the more probable that it might happen. Now, if you come to the Northern Virginia area it's the area that keeps on giving whether you like it or not!
Many of the folks I encountered here in the NEK consider Chitty County and Essex, Jerico etc. about the same as Boston, Long Island and NJ......."Oh Burlington is nice, the lake is beautiful...when you're done, you come back to Vermont".........
I find it ironic that people give us more respect working in MA and coming to the NEK on weekends and vacation to build our home ourselves and enbracing the NEK way of life than some folks that call Chitty County their home.........
It is what it is.....people are people, some are great and some are bitter in general......depends on who you encounter
Logs and Dogs - I had to school my husband not to say that I was originally from Burlington (which is not quite true though I was born there) and to not even say that I grew up in Essex Center but rather around the Essex Junction area. Back in the 70s it was a bit different than now....but yes, you are right - you say Burlington or Essex (or Chittenden County of course) and you're back on the outs. Essex Junction I find - gets me a little further than Essex Center. Who would have 'thunk' it? I was born and raised in Vermont....and get the cold shoulder because I lived in Chittenden County in the 70s and 80s. Oh well.....
I think one of the main reasons people are more welcoming has to do with the native population of the state, not just Chittenden County. Statewide, 57 percent of Vermont residents were natives as of 1990, down from 62 percent in 1980 and 72 percent in 1960. I don't have the recent numbers, but I believe around 2000 the native population in the state was just below 50% and I'm sure more so a decade later. I live in the Malletts Bay section of Colchester and on our block we have just one family that were born and rasied here.
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it's the area that keeps on giving whether you like it or not!
