[brattpowered]

Originally Posted by arel

Finally, does cosmopolitan coincide with liberal and provincial coincide with conservative? Or are the two axes independent of each other?

From Wikipedia: "Cosmopolitan, meaning citizen of the world, refers to a taste or consideration for cultures besides one's own culture of origin, as with a traveler or globally conscious person. The term derives from Greek κόσμος (cosmos) meaning world + πολις (polis) meaning city, people, citizenry, and was widely used by ancient philosophers, such as the Stoics and Cynics, to describe a universal love of humankind as a whole, regardless of nation. The term may also be used as a synonym for 'worldly' or 'sophisticated'."

I think the answer is quite obvious, Arel.

[Mustard]

Originally Posted by arel

By "provincial", I meant the opposite of cosmopolitan. I was not referring to charm. I was referring to backwardness, a lack of culture and an uneducated population. I actually meant it in a negative sense.

LOL. You found Hanover, NH to be uneducated and lack culture? Does . . . not . . . compute.

[arel]

No, that's not what I said. Someone else said WRJ was provincial. I just related my experience there. With respect to Hanover, I said I enjoyed visiting, but that I found many of the people there cold and unfriendly. I said I was not thinking in terms of provinciality, but that I was not comfortable. Neither I nor anyone else said Hanover lacked culture or education.

[Jason_Els]

Wow. Have any of you ever actually been in the Kingdom? There are parts where the people are so rural they're pretty much out of touch with the rest of the state, not to mention the country. St. Albans east is really interesting and not for happy reasons. Appalachia has nothing on this part of Vermont.

[kyle19125]

I find it interesting that Montpelier was omitted from responses. I find the town to be cosmopolitan in flavor, as much as any town of 7000 or so can be. It's the state capitol, has a highly educated population and services to match....

[Lilybeans]

I don't get it. The reason you like Vermont is that it is NOT New York.

It seems to me that the fastest way to upset the locals and NOT to be accepted is to try to turn Vermont into the place you came from.

[flu189]

Originally Posted by Lilybeans

I don't get it. The reason you like Vermont is that it is NOT New York.

It seems to me that the fastest way to upset the locals and NOT to be accepted is to try to turn Vermont into the place you came from.

Bingo! Brief, clear, and succinct! Thank you! My folks moved to southern NH thiry-one years ago from NYC for the country atmosphere, yet still have the option to commute to Boston until they were ready to retire in a few years. By the early 80's the trend was obvious, outsiders moving in for the country charm and the then small town genuine atmosphere followed by tweaking this, adding "just a little" here and there, etc. Well, within a decade the charm was gone and many of the towns were a rubber stamp of suburbia that the well intentioned transiets were fleeing from in the first place. I agree change is sometimes necessary and actually healthy, but if you want city life and services than for god sake move to a city.

[MRVphotog]

Vermont works very hard to keep it's ruralness and for good reason. The tourist business is now equal or maybe greater than agriculture as % of Vermont GNP so without the farms, covered bridges the charming villages with the church steeples so goes the Vermont economy. Being rural is the product that brings the tourists here.

Personally, like alot of Vermonters, I are happy to trade high pay for the quality of life living in a rural state. Never wanted a 9-5, 2 weeks of vacation a year, working in some cube, type of job. I can survive just fine without having a place and being able to afford a half skim, low foam, light dusting of Madegasgar cinnamon, half decaf Sumatra latte That's what Burlington is for.

[TheHarvester]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I find it interesting that Montpelier was omitted from responses. I find the town to be cosmopolitan in flavor, as much as any town of 7000 or so can be. It's the state capitol, has a highly educated population and services to match....

Ditto. Montpelier is the most cosmopolitan on a per capita basis. Burlington probably tops it simply by virtue of its population being larger and having UV there. Plus, it's only a half hour to the Canadian border. But Montpelier is definitely sophisticated for a town so small. I actually find it stiflingly hip, a bit too uber-groovy, a place where everyone would probably know who you are 1 month after you move there. But we're talking about Vermont, not New York.