[WinterWhisp]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

The little postcard icon on the toolbar allows you to upload an image. Full details are in the admin/faq forum.

The light difference is due to higher latitudes and the type of air (humidity/pollens/dirt) Vermont has a longer "golden hour" for photography.

Not a bad little summary of differences you wrote there.

Ok, let me give this a shot... if it works, it's not the best photo because I just snapped it quickly with my phone, this was taken in my backyard and those are the ACTUAL colors. It was a particularly stunning evening, in September last year (we were out throwing the football with my son). It covered the entire sky, all around. You just never get anything even a fraction like this in NC. Does this happen every night? No, but a lot of sunsets and sunrises are spectacular.

[JD_MD]

Beautiful photo, thanks for posting. VT does have amazing sunsets that seem to stretch out forever.

[NomadicN8]

Originally Posted by WinterWhisp

Hi there! Warning, I'm a bit long winded, but happy to answer your questions!

Thanks so much for the long and detailed reply! It has helped a lot and has great info!

Originally Posted by WinterWhisp

My first question is where were you from before?

I guess you could say I'm from a lot of places but before moving to NC the largest parts of my life were in MI, RI, and the Washington DC area(most recent and I never liked it). I used to live in real cold and grey winters which I didn't think much of at the time, but when I go back to visit family in MI after a decade of not living up there it sure feels grey. I truly miss winter activities though. I actually like shoveling snow. Here in NC winter is basically fall and summer is like living on the surface of the sun. I'd rather be out in the cold.


My goal for years was to get to a less densely populated area where my money would go further. That was a big reason for the NC move and it is nice down here, but also feels super artificial. The biggest thing about NC that has been disturbing me and also what makes VT so appealing is the pollution problems here. When you start doing research you find out pretty much every populated area here is heavily polluted by industry. Toxic dumping in water supplies, tons of toxic air pollution, nuclear power plants, coal power plants, and all in a 30 mile radius encompassing the densely populated Raleigh-Durham area. VT promotional messages seem to promote active environmentally friendly initiatives and that is very appealing to me. I want to live in a place that is actually healthy(both physically and mentally) to live in, not just profitable.

Originally Posted by WinterWhisp

VT Healthcare: Here, you have a primary care physician.

As far as I know you can do this anywhere but that being said in all my life I don't think I have ever had a primary care doctor. It sounds like the biggest VT healthcare benefit is the smaller amount of people which allows doctors, and maybe people in general to have an actual relationship with you vs just being another number as you put it.

Originally Posted by WinterWhisp

Ok, let me give this a shot... if it works, it's not the best photo because I just snapped it quickly with my phone, this was taken in my backyard and those are the ACTUAL colors.

Wow that is beautiful! I mean, wow! Living around DC you don't really see much of anything so coming to NC and seeing stars, and puffy clouds in the sky was pretty great for me.

It sure doesn't have those colors though. The second pic was of the coolest sky I had ever seen. It was a mutlicolor thunderstorm at sunset. That's why I was surprise to here you comment about the sunsets because I thought it was so cool here, but I was comparing it to dc.




Thanks again for all your info! Super helpful! I think we might end up stretching our rental time out here longer and take trips to VT throughout the year to see what we think. If we fall in love with VT then it will be easy to make that move.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Originally Posted by WinterWhisp

Ok, let me give this a shot... if it works, it's not the best photo because I just snapped it quickly with my phone, this was taken in my backyard and those are the ACTUAL colors. It was a particularly stunning evening, in September last year (we were out throwing the football with my son). It covered the entire sky, all around. You just never get anything even a fraction like this in NC. Does this happen every night? No, but a lot of sunsets and sunrises are spectacular.

Coming from New Mexico which has endless huge skies and wide open landscapes and vistas, this land is prime for epic sunsets, as are most of the western states. I've found that Vermont is the one state back east that I can actually pause and appreciate the sunsets there the most. Between Lake Champlain and the pastoral landscapes amongst the mountains, the sky and sunsets really are remarkable there. Even nearby New Hampshire has too much tree cover and not enough sky, hindering good sunsets. I would also agree the thick forests down south in states like NC do make me feel claustrophobic. Vermont is exceptional in this regard.

[WinterWhisp]

Originally Posted by Desert_SW_77

Coming from New Mexico which has endless huge skies and wide open landscapes and vistas, this land is prime for epic sunsets, as are most of the western states. I've found that Vermont is the one state back east that I can actually pause and appreciate the sunsets there the most. Between Lake Champlain and the pastoral landscapes amongst the mountains, the sky and sunsets really are remarkable there. Even nearby New Hampshire has too much tree cover and not enough sky, hindering good sunsets. I would also agree the thick forests down south in states like NC do make me feel claustrophobic. Vermont is exceptional in this regard.

I'm originally from Colorado, and the rockies made for good sunsets too - but they seem to be even more over the top in Vermont. I have noticed the moment you cross into NH, you KNOW it. It just doesn't have the same terrain, and isn't as pretty. You'd think it would be, it's just right next door, but I agree I think it's because it flattens out. The other side of Lake Champlain isn't as nice either (we lived in Port Henry for a spell back in 1999) and I'm not entirely sure why that is - it's still nicer than NH, though.

[CatwomanofV]

Originally Posted by WinterWhisp

I'm originally from Colorado, and the rockies made for good sunsets too - but they seem to be even more over the top in Vermont. I have noticed the moment you cross into NH, you KNOW it. It just doesn't have the same terrain, and isn't as pretty. You'd think it would be, it's just right next door, but I agree I think it's because it flattens out. The other side of Lake Champlain isn't as nice either (we lived in Port Henry for a spell back in 1999) and I'm not entirely sure why that is - it's still nicer than NH, though.

We go over the border into New York via Route 4 a lot. As soon as you cross the border, you notice the difference. I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but there is a difference.


Cat

[Champ le monstre du lac]

It's true. Coming up I-89 form NH, when I cross into Vermont, I can feel my whole demeanor change. Just a nice calm and content feeling. Even crossing into Quebec the scenery changes immediately and quite a bit, it's tad nicer on the Vermont side. Just an interesting coincidence of boundaries where Vermont remains consistently scenic throughout the state in just about every corner of it. Hard to put into words, buy like Winter Whisp said, when crossing state lines, you KNOW it.

[SmallTownJerseyBoy]

I moved from New Jersey to Lake Bomoseen. I had been coming up to Vermont and Rutland County since I was a little kid, so I was familiar with the area, and knew my neighbors. I never felt like an outsider. (Despite being a Flatlander). The people were always so nice and helpful, my mechanic was great, plumber too. no less than 10 cars stopped the couple times I was in a ditch in the snow to see if I needed help. The police were great. Vermont is one big small town, and I loved it. I just couldn't deal with the endless winters anymore, so I moved. But it was a great place to live for the 11 years I was there.

[Biker53]

Originally Posted by CatwomanofV

We go over the border into New York via Route 4 a lot. As soon as you cross the border, you notice the difference. I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but there is a difference.


Cat

Yes. As soon as you cross over into NY on Route 4 you can feel the difference. I feel it every time. The same goes down south when you cross into NY on Rt 279 from Bennington. It is different and not in a good way. Coming back from NY either towards Bennington from Rt 7 in NY or into Vt from RT 4 in NY it is just as noticeable.

[ansible90]

That bit about sunsets just depends on where (locally speaking) you are. I spent most of my adult life in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC. I never really noticed sunsets until I began working on the 4th floor of a building facing west. Every evening the show was spectacular. Here in VT, I am high enough up that I can see over the trees. I have seen some spectacular ones here too. The other thing I have seen both in MD and VT is beautiful rainbows.

As far as being able to afford living in VT, if you are coming from somewhere else, it depends on what kind of job you can find. Wherever you move to, you need to find the job first; then move.