[moshywilly]

I am from New Jersey and my family and I took a vacation to Vermont this Labor Day weekend. The weather is absolutely beautiful in the summer. I never visited here in the winter, but I heard it's brutal here in the winter. In the summer, I never felt that Vermont gets muggy like the rest of the East even if we are not traveling on mountain areas. I felt the same when I visited the Toronto area a few summers ago.


I loved Vermont, but I would never live here due to the heavy snow and the harsh winters (although snow offers many outdoor activities). I really do not plan on ever living in the East again, but this is my favorite state in the East. Vermont has so many outdoor activities, beautiful scenery (still not as gorgeous as the West), quaint cities, a sparse enough population.


Vermont has better hiking than what we get in NJ. NJ has nature, but our dense population makes our state lack nature and most of NJ's hiking areas aren't that pretty. I still NJ is more scenic than Upstate NY. The scenery in Vermont was gorgeous that my parents compared Vermont's scenery to Montana's scenery, since Montana has a reputation of gorgeous scenery.


Vermont doesn't have any big cities. Any place in Vermont that is considered a "city" is really like a walkable suburb. That being said, their cities are not ghetto at all!


Population is sparse, but it can be a bit too sparse at times in terms of having friends and not being lonely. My dad said the sparseness of the population seems similar to the country of Norway. Sparse population is a good price to pay if you want beautiful scenery.


Out of any place I visited in my life, the good thing about Vermont is that the state seems very localized. When you go to some places, people advertise things too much, which creates tourist traps. Tourist traps are annoying when people crowd around areas to take millions of pictures. Ughh. Vermont felt very home-y and most places do not seem very touristy.



Besides the snow in Vermont, one thing I would worry about is being accepted as a non-white person. I am Indian and I felt that Vermont did have some diversity, but not the kind you get in other states like the Mid-Atlantic states and the South. I do know that Vermont is a very liberal state though. In fact, I've seen LGBT people in Vermont who look like they are a bit open.

[cgregor]

I was in the Peace Corps and cannot stand being a tourist. I know that what I experience is far from the day-to-day life that the "natives" experience.

You have some very nice comments about the state! They make me glad to be able to live here. If you ever get over your South Asian heritage, you will probably fall in love with Vermont winter activities-- 18 calories per minute snowshoeing, and you don't have to drive any distance to do it-- plus, super cheap compared to the slopes. Just sayin'....

For a more intimate Vermont vacation, visit with the intention to find the location of as many local swimming holes as possible. The tourists never ask about them, but the locals always take their visitors. Not only will you find great spots, you'll also see the natural side of Vermonters.

I'd start by asking a convenience store clerk, "Who do you know who could tell me about the local swimming holes?"

[Riley.]

Originally Posted by potanta

I am from New Jersey and my family and I took a vacation to Vermont this Labor Day weekend. The weather is absolutely beautiful in the summer. I never visited here in the winter, but I heard it's brutal here in the winter. In the summer, I never felt that Vermont gets muggy like the rest of the East even if we are not traveling on mountain areas. I felt the same when I visited the Toronto area a few summers ago.


I loved Vermont, but I would never live here due to the heavy snow and the harsh winters (although snow offers many outdoor activities). I really do not plan on ever living in the East again, but this is my favorite state in the East. Vermont has so many outdoor activities, beautiful scenery (still not as gorgeous as the West), quaint cities, a sparse enough population.


Vermont has better hiking than what we get in NJ. NJ has nature, but our dense population makes our state lack nature and most of NJ's hiking areas aren't that pretty. I still NJ is more scenic than Upstate NY. The scenery in Vermont was gorgeous that my parents compared Vermont's scenery to Montana's scenery, since Montana has a reputation of gorgeous scenery.


Vermont doesn't have any big cities. Any place in Vermont that is considered a "city" is really like a walkable suburb. That being said, their cities are not ghetto at all!


Population is sparse, but it can be a bit too sparse at times in terms of having friends and not being lonely. My dad said the sparseness of the population seems similar to the country of Norway. Sparse population is a good price to pay if you want beautiful scenery.


Out of any place I visited in my life, the good thing about Vermont is that the state seems very localized. When you go to some places, people advertise things too much, which creates tourist traps. Tourist traps are annoying when people crowd around areas to take millions of pictures. Ughh. Vermont felt very home-y and most places do not seem very touristy.



Besides the snow in Vermont, one thing I would worry about is being accepted as a non-white person. I am Indian and I felt that Vermont did have some diversity, but not the kind you get in other states like the Mid-Atlantic states and the South. I do know that Vermont is a very liberal state though. In fact, I've seen LGBT people in Vermont who look like they are a bit open.

So, you are glad you visited but you wouldn't live here. Thanks for coming!

[VTsnowbird]

I think you could fit right in, in the Upper Valley (Dartmouth college area).
I don't mind the snow, I do a little shoveling and go from my heated house to a heated car. No big deal.

[moshywilly]

Originally Posted by cgregor

I was in the Peace Corps and cannot stand being a tourist. I know that what I experience is far from the day-to-day life that the "natives" experience.

You have some very nice comments about the state! They make me glad to be able to live here. If you ever get over your South Asian heritage, you will probably fall in love with Vermont winter activities-- 18 calories per minute snowshoeing, and you don't have to drive any distance to do it-- plus, super cheap compared to the slopes. Just sayin'....

For a more intimate Vermont vacation, visit with the intention to find the location of as many local swimming holes as possible. The tourists never ask about them, but the locals always take their visitors. Not only will you find great spots, you'll also see the natural side of Vermonters.

I'd start by asking a convenience store clerk, "Who do you know who could tell me about the local swimming holes?"

I'd still prefer the West over any good place in the East. The scenery of the West is so much more beautiful, lot less snow do to aridity, the West is guaranteed to have less humidity than anywhere in the East. Nothing beats the West. Sorry .

I wouldn't mind shoveling 2 inches of snow, but any height of snow that requires a snowblower is a no-no for me. Too much snow impacts quality of life although it offers great outdoor activities. You can still get snow activities in the West due to the amount of high mountains there.

I loved how Vermont is localized and you would barely ever see annoying tourists taking tons of pictures, asking for directions, etc.

[moshywilly]

Originally Posted by VTsnowbird

I think you could fit right in, in the Upper Valley (Dartmouth college area).
I don't mind the snow, I do a little shoveling and go from my heated house to a heated car. No big deal.

I wouldn't mind shoveling 2 inches of snow, but any height of snow that requires a snowblower is a no-no for me. Too much snow impacts quality of life although it offers great outdoor activities. Even if you shovel snow out of your driveway, you still have to worry about road condition s-h-i-t. I had enough of that in my life living in NJ. I'd still prefer the West over anywhere in the East. Nothing beats the climate and scenery of the West.