[arel]

Since so many people love Vermont, and so many want to move to Vermont, why is the population so small? I'm not saying that's a bad thing, since I dislike congestion. But if a place is congested it is because people want to be there.

From what I have read and heard, I would think the major reasons for Vermont's small population are the land-use policies and the unfriendliness to big business. That creates a lack of good-paying jobs. It is the lack of economic opportunity, I would think, which causes people to stay away, or to move away.

Also, I would think the rough winters are also an issue.

Does the small population have anything to do with the very hilly terrain?

What about other states with small populations? Are the same issues at work? What about Wyoming, which I think has even fewer people than Vermont?

I've read posts that blame a lot of economic problems on the small population. If this is the case, why doesn't the state do something to attract people?

Could it be that Vermont wants to preserve its uniqueness, its "brand", and settles for a small population as the price to pay? Or could it be that Vermont wants to have a small population in order to preserve its uniqueness and "brand"?

[skytrekker]

Vermont's population is growing-albeit slowly- which is not a bad thing.
Slow growth is managed easier- fast growth creates endless strip malls, big box stores, cookie cutter subdivisions and a bland characterless environment.

Generally all the New England states exhibit slow population growth, with New Hampshire having the most 'rapid'.

[68vette]

The state of Vermont has been trying to address this problem. The big ones that seems to always come up is that there aren't enough big companies wanting to set up shop in Vermont and the lack of good paying jobs. The majority of young people that go to collage or technical schools end up leaving the state when they graduate. The people that the state is trying to target are the kids that live and grow up in Vermont. They want to try and keep the bright minds of the future here.

There is some unfriendliness toward big business in the state. I think most of this actually is a dislike by residents of the state. I'll give an example. IBM in Essex has frequently threatened to pull out of the state and they cut jobs. The state doesn't want to loose a company like IBM so they give them incentives like lower taxes. This in turn upsets the residents because they have to pick up the bill.

I don't think climate or terrain have anything to do with companies coming here, but it can be an issue for people relocating. At the hospital in Burlington we have an issue with job retention and in many cases it's because of how cold it gets and how long winter lasts. Many of the skilled people we need come from the south and Midwest and they don't like winter.
It's not just a state issue. Another example is at FAHC in Burlington we hire nurses, techs, ect after they graduate from school. They work at the hospital for 6 months to a year to get some experience and then leave the state for a higher paying job.

It is a tough situation the state is dealing with. It's hard to attract well paying jobs or companies to relocate to northern new england. The trend has been for companies to move to the south where it's cheaper to operate or even out of the country.

[MRVphotog]

Originally Posted by arel

Since so many people love Vermont, and so many want to move to Vermont, why is the population so small?

I think the real answer is that the above is easy to say but not so easy to do. Most are willing to accept traffic congestion, high crime, long commutes and all the other unpleasantries associated with urban/surburban living for the reward of better pay. Personally I am glad most have made this choice.

To live in any rural setting it takes a certain amount of sacrifice, sacrifices most are not willing to make but seem to dream about.

Secondly I think it goes back to what you grew up with and are comfortable with. I grew up in a very small town in a very rural setting and never liked cities. Heck, the public school I attended still has K-12 in one building.

Even when I have to go to Burlington and deal with all the traffic I can't wait to get my errands done and get back home to my little place on a quiet dirt road.

[arel]

So I guess the answers are what I thought: low pay and rough winters.

I guess that if I can get past these two things, plus my resistance to leaving NYC and home, I'm good to go.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by MRVphotog

I think the real answer is that the above is easy to say but not so easy to do. Most are willing to accept traffic congestion, high crime, long commutes and all the other unpleasantries associated with urban/surburban living for the reward of better pay. Personally I am glad most have made this choice.

To live in any rural setting it takes a certain amount of sacrifice, sacrifices most are not willing to make but seem to dream about.

Secondly I think it goes back to what you grew up with and are comfortable with. I grew up in a very small town in a very rural setting and never liked cities. Heck, the public school I attended still has K-12 in one building.

Even when I have to go to Burlington and deal with all the traffic I can't wait to get my errands done and get back home to my little place on a quiet dirt road.

AMEN.
May I add, thank God there are only 600,000 +/- souls in Vermont. That's enough.

[DanBev]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

Vermont's population is growing-albeit slowly- which is not a bad thing.
Slow growth is managed easier- fast growth creates endless strip malls, big box stores, cookie cutter subdivisions and a bland characterless environment.

Generally all the New England states exhibit slow population growth, with New Hampshire having the most 'rapid'.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT LAKE CITY FLORIDA IS EXEPERIENCING NOW NOT NICE

[goatwoodward]

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

AMEN.
May I add, thank God there are only 600,000 +/- souls in Vermont. That's enough.

Plus all the tourists, which are a mixed blessing/curse. They bring their money, but also their traffic congestion.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by goatwoodward

Plus all the tourists, which are a mixed blessing/curse. They bring their money, but also their traffic congestion.

But they go home.

Unlike the Masswholes who stay in NH and bring with them the plague they voted in and continue to love, meanwhile thinking they are escaping it. How odd.

[arel]

Brooklyn has, I believe, about 2.5 million people. Maybe more. I think more people live in southern Brooklyn than in all of Vermont.

One reason I want to move is to escape the congestion. Even by itself, the congestion has the potential to turn New York into a death trap if there is a disaster.

It would probably be easier to evacuate from Brattleboro if there were a disaster at Vermont Yankee. But I think an evacuation would cause a lot of congestion because the roads are not designed to contain that many people at once. I have read of "evacuation in place".