[nhyrnut]

OK this is for People to tell why they think VT is the place to live. For we all Know how liberal it is. But what makes it so wonderful. Those of us that have lived there , know it has it's good things as well as bad. But let's look at the good. Let's show people why People choose to live here and raise a family here. We all know the vast majority of the people here are Great. but tell us how great it is to live here.

[harry chickpea]

<cough> It has real rocks and mountains, unlike Florida? The hills are alive with the sound of music?

One thing that it took me many many years to understand is that impressions of a place exist not only in latitude, longitude, and elevation, but in time. I have viewmaster 3D views of Vermont that are much closer to the Vermont that I knew growing up than the state that is there today. For that matter, I have stereoviews from over 100 years ago that are closer to what I remember than a drive through Williston.

My family lived in Vermont for at least seven generations. The family farm is still owned and run by my cousin, but he has a lifestyle that is all but gone and no longer as lucrative as in days gone by. I honor the old Vermont. I respect it for the total integrity it had.

I respect the people who continue on, but I also realize that the shangri-la of many people's dreams is now mostly extant only in memories.

So, what would be good reasons to live in Vermont now? The Shelburne Museum, canoeing, cool clean air on most days of the year, mosquitoes <no, scratch that...> the smell of timothy and red clover, apple crisp from fresh apples, the first greens of spring, fiddleheads, back roads in the fall, the rare country cree-mee stand, Camel's Hump. Now there is a mountain that is iconic. From almost any vantage point, Camel's Hump looks like Camel's Hump. It is almost as if it turns to present it's best side to the photographer.

To understand what is good about Vermont, you have to dig and uncover the real people who live(d) in the state. They have their idiosyncracies, their quirks, their problems, but by gahd they are real people living real lives, lives that are totally unknown to folks caught up in the corporate world or the PC world, or the softball mamma world. These are exceptional people.
Try this one on for size as an example:

http://www.homestead.com/peaceandcar...exSiteMap.html

You'll need at least a few hours to begin to digest what is presented on the site. A sample:

"We live in an underground house back in the woods of Vermont. Here in Vermont, winter is a major part of our lives, so keeping warm is a biggy. An undergound house cuts air infiltration from wind as most of the home is under the earth, out of wind's way. Our house started out 14x28ft., completely underground, except for some windows peeking out where earth was terraced away from the house. Next, we added "

[carolinajack]

the Green Mountains are whats great about VT, N'est pa

the trails, mountain lakes and streams for trout, killington, maple syrup, Putney Diner, Jamaica Coffehouse!!!!

[vter]

The strong sense of community, the REAL Vermonters (like Harry touched upon), our quirky history, our slow pace of life, our scenery, the abundance of outdoor activities. The area I grew up in, the Northeast Kingdom - the only real Vermont left. Church suppers, concerts on the green, no traffic jams (don't tell me there is traffic in Burlington- try driving in Boston LOL!). The sky on a clear night. Neighbors who care. I could go on and on.

[Mustard]

This "REAL Vermonter" thing gets old pretty quickly. If to be a REAL Vermonter you have to be xenophobic, then it'll be a good day when the last REAL Vermonter is gone.

If the REAL Vermonters woke up they would realize that to love living at a slower pace, love nature, and love having a small-town community are not values unique to REAL Vermonters. These values exist in all 50 states, most of which have areas bigger than all of Vermont that support this way of life.

The only thing unique about Vermont is its terrain, something REAL Vermonters tried to destroy by deforesting it. As REAL Vermonters left because they had destroyed the land and soil the NEW Vermont we now know now arose from the ashes. The irony is that the remaining REAL Vermonters enjoy a landscape and lifestyle made possible only by most of their kind leaving the state for other places.

[vter]

Originally Posted by Mustard

If the REAL Vermonters woke up they would realize that to love living at a slower pace, love nature, and love having a small-town community are not values unique to REAL Vermonters. These values exist in all 50 states, most of which have areas bigger than all of Vermont that support this way of life.

You touch upon a couple good points, especially the one above. I'm a native Vermonter and can trace our family back generations here. I also have travelled all over our great country and our neighbor to the north and have seen and experienced other rural areas. I actually prefer to travel to areas like this when I travel.

I think a lot of the "animosity" if thats the right word of folks who live here is that a lot of folks "from away" come here and can't/do not adapt to our slow pace of life. It can be hard for someone from a city to move to a rural area, whether it be Vermont or Kansas. I did the exact opposite. I left VT for a big city and had a hard time adapting.

Regarding clear-cutting back in the 20s...those were our farmers. If it were not for those farmers, we wouldnt have our agrarian landscape and history. Then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

By real Vermonters, I mean those Vermonters who not necesarrily are born here, but those who love this state deeply - it's history, it's people, etc - not those who think of Vermont only as their playground. I am generalizing, I know. AND, you gotta love the native Vermont farmer's accent. Ya caant get theah from heah.

[pucabear]

Let me think...something good about Vermont. It is beautiful in the summer and you can't find grass any greener. But it doesn't last long. And remember, you can always jump right on one of those scenic routes and head out!

[harry chickpea]

Clear cutting was even pre-1920s. The mid-to-later 1800s were common times for the practice, which, BTW, was also driven by the railroads needing ties and being able to transport lumber to the big cities. Blame farmers if you want, but you can also blame a lot of other folks. Bill Gove, a retired forester, has some great books about logging in Vermont and New Hampshire.

The last major cutting was during the depression, for basins for flood control dams, and the original ski trails on Mt. Mansfield.

Sadly, the lack of constant tending of fields has caused many areas to revert to brush, and destroyed many views and songbird habitats. Last time I camped in Little River State Park, the silence of the forest was eerie, unlike what it was when I was growing up in the area.

[chaz longue]

Burlington seems to have won another award...This article appeared in the Burlington Free Press today

Burlington is nation's most eco-friendly city, magazine says

Published: Thursday, March 8, 2007
By John Curran

The city that has been named among the nation's safest, fittest and most livable has a new claim to fame -- America's most eco-friendly place.
Moderator cut: Provide a link instead of copying everything here, please

[Georgia]

Ok, I have never lived in Vermont. Well, if you count about 500 nights at the Hampton a resident
I have lived in many many places, I have traveled the globe, I was stationed in Alaska once.
Vermont in my opinion is down right beautiful. I have NEVER been treated with anything but 100% hospitality no matter what part of the state I was in.

Yes, Vermont is Liberal, however, I consider it more of a Progressive state.
Many Vermonters I spoke to were more of what I call "Old American" liberal in regard to helping others and treating folks with respect, but still hold true to values of hard work and family. Yeah, they have Howard Dean and Bernie but you cannot judge a whole state by a few politicians.

Heck, you can come down to the "conservative" "Bible Belt" South and see leftist politicians in power. Look at Georgia with Shirley Franklin the Mayor of Atlanta, we also have Lewis and the nutso former Congress goof McKinney.
In short, you can't judge a whole state by a few.

Personally, I would love to retire to Vermont but my wife does not like the cold. I am now trying to convince her on a 6/6 split. Summer Vt and winter in GA. Keeping my fingers crossed. I still have 7 more years to work on it.