[harry chickpea]

I guess you could choose places that were a worse fit, Like Providence RI or Fire Island, but seriously - you will either absolutely hate it, or get an education and start making some changes to your beliefs. My thought is that at 26, your values are probably already entrenched and you will have a rough time.

My brother is one who "wants his state back." Burlington, Stowe, Montpelier, and a few other places are totally different than the old state, which barely exists now.

Alabama is largely church and sports. Vermont has minimal evidence of both. I lived in rural Vermont growing up, Burlington for over ten years, Birmingham for about four, north Alabama coming up on four. I KNOW the differences.

[MassVt]

If you present yourself as a moderate Republican, you'll be OK, but extreme conservatism won't go over well, especially in Burlington. Vermont has had a recent tradition of having Repub governors and Democratic US Senators ( including a Socialist, Bernie Sanders, originally from Brooklyn)...

You;ll have other adjustments to make, especially when winter rolls around ( get used to very heavy snowfall, and night-time temps that will occasionally dip below zero), a higher cost of living ( Burlington can be quite expensive, more so than many midwestern/southern cities of much greater size), and a population ( in Burl) that emigrated from more urban parts of the northeast ( NY, NJ, MA, CT, RI, etc). If you keep these things in mind, you just might enjoy the experience.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by MassVt

If you present yourself as a moderate Republican, you'll be OK, but extreme conservatism won't go over well, especially in Burlington. Vermont has had a recent tradition of having Repub governors and Democratic US Senators ( including a Socialist, Bernie Sanders, originally from Brooklyn)...

You;ll have other adjustments to make, especially when winter rolls around ( get used to very heavy snowfall, and night-time temps that will occasionally dip below zero), a higher cost of living ( Burlington can be quite expensive, more so than many midwestern/southern cities of much greater size), and a population ( in Burl) that emigrated from more urban parts of the northeast ( NY, NJ, MA, CT, RI, etc). If you keep these things in mind, you just might enjoy the experience.

Sanders was a young man of 23 when he moved to VT before the hippies arrived and Viet Nam became a major divisive issue in the US. He didn't become involved in politics until 7 years after his arrival. Is it at all possible that the current events of the era did more to shape his political leanings than his birth in Brooklyn?

To the OP:
As a somewhat conservative NYer I am comfortable in VT. Perhaps because I do respect the opinions of others -- whether or not they align with my own. Joining a church, perhaps a fraternal organization, find a group to do some volunteer activities with and you'll find your niche.

With any big move comes a period of adjustment. Be true to yourself, respect those around you, keep an open mind and you'll be fine.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

I guess you could choose places that were a worse fit, Like Providence RI or Fire Island, but seriously - you will either absolutely hate it, or get an education and start making some changes to your beliefs. My thought is that at 26, your values are probably already entrenched and you will have a rough time.

My brother is one who "wants his state back." Burlington, Stowe, Montpelier, and a few other places are totally different than the old state, which barely exists now.

Alabama is largely church and sports. Vermont has minimal evidence of both. I lived in rural Vermont growing up, Burlington for over ten years, Birmingham for about four, north Alabama coming up on four. I KNOW the differences.

Providence & Fire Island -- is this 'code' for gay? Out of 17 communities, only 2 are gay. Chances are the OP could find a conservative community on FI into which he would fit quite well.

Not having been raised in the south, but in a conservative Catholic household in the north east, I have mixed with many people of varying races, religions and politics. I am the 'token' conservative in a community which is very liberal. We all get along well, sometimes break each other's chops but know enough where to draw the line. As previously written, it is a matter of respecting everyone.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

Sanders was a young man of 23 when he moved to VT before the hippies arrived and Viet Nam became a major divisive issue in the US. He didn't become involved in politics until 7 years after his arrival. Is it at all possible that the current events of the era did more to shape his political leanings than his birth in Brooklyn?

To the OP:
As a somewhat conservative NYer I am comfortable in VT. Perhaps because I do respect the opinions of others -- whether or not they align with my own. Joining a church, perhaps a fraternal organization, find a group to do some volunteer activities with and you'll find your niche.

With any big move comes a period of adjustment. Be true to yourself, respect those around you, keep an open mind and you'll be fine.

I'm quite aware of the Bernie Sanders story; thanks for the input

[kev26]

Thanks everyone for all the great replies! They actually made me feel a lot better about the potential move to Vermont for work. I don't think it will be as bad as it initially seemed in my head in terms of "fitting in" - especially since I tend to get very active in the community and love meeting new people (which is good advice I guess for anyone moving anywhere new).

Now my bigger concern is probably cost of living. I've been looking at the numbers (things like rents, home prices, taxes, etc.) in Chittenden and Addison plus reading the countless threads on this topic here. The higher cost of living will definitely be an adjustment and is becoming a pretty big concern to me. As other people have asked, I wonder how so many people are able to afford the high rents and home prices/property taxes in Northeast Vermont - esp. given that there are not tons of "white collar" type jobs in these areas (at least that is what it seems like). I'll be renting an apt. for the first few years and am just working the numbers right now to see if I can live comfortably...

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

The problem is a few cities control the state politically and are responsible for the insanity in the state and what people elsewhere think of the state.

Don't people vote? Not cities.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by MassVt

I'm quite aware of the Bernie Sanders story; thanks for the input

Might I ask -- if you are aware of it and know he came to the state as a young man who was not into politics -- why label him from Brooklyn as though the borough is the reason for his political leaning? Why not say the kibbutz he lived on? How do we know it wasn't the granola munching, free loving hippies in VT who shaped him politically?

[harry chickpea]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

Might I ask -- if you are aware of it and know he came to the state as a young man who was not into politics -- why label him from Brooklyn as though the borough is the reason for his political leaning? Why not say the kibbutz he lived on? How do we know it wasn't the granola munching, free loving hippies in VT who shaped him politically?

LOL! It wasn't the Vt. hippies that initially shaped his views. They weren't in Burlington as much as further east. And cummon, we didn't label him as being from Brooklyn, his accent did. Bernie was a character from the day he set foot in the state (and most likely before). He stood out. At the time, his then extreme left views were a wonderful counterpoint to the staid right-wing politics as expressed by the Burlington Free Press and their favorites. I used to get a few good laughs from some of his more outrageous "lead with your chin" speeches, and I suspect a number of others did as well.

During that same general period, Leahy was a go-getter district attorney. Jim Jeffords had run an unsuccessful campaign. Bernie becoming mayor in Burlington was not a big shock except to the country club set. There were already grumblings among the proles at the way things had been run for years. His continued rise after that was a bit of a surprise, especially from a state that had loved Aiken for his quintessential Vermonter attitudes. It is a testament that he did a decent job as mayor. Vermonters like success. After all, many in Vermont embraced Ben & Jerry, even though they made their so called "ice cream" with gums from a cooking school recipe and sold it out of an Amoco station.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

LOL! It wasn't the Vt. hippies that initially shaped his views. They weren't in Burlington as much as further east. And cummon, we didn't label him as being from Brooklyn, his accent did. Bernie was a character from the day he set foot in the state (and most likely before). He stood out. At the time, his then extreme left views were a wonderful counterpoint to the staid right-wing politics as expressed by the Burlington Free Press and their favorites. I used to get a few good laughs from some of his more outrageous "lead with your chin" speeches, and I suspect a number of others did as well.

During that same general period, Leahy was a go-getter district attorney. Jim Jeffords had run an unsuccessful campaign. Bernie becoming mayor in Burlington was not a big shock except to the country club set. There were already grumblings among the proles at the way things had been run for years. His continued rise after that was a bit of a surprise, especially from a state that had loved Aiken for his quintessential Vermonter attitudes. It is a testament that he did a decent job as mayor. Vermonters like success. After all, many in Vermont embraced Ben & Jerry, even though they made their so called "ice cream" with gums from a cooking school recipe and sold it out of an Amoco station.

Thank you for taking the time to provide that insight. I wasn't clear initially as to why I went on the offensive, so I apologize.

As one of the NYers floating around in here, I guess I am sensitive to the notion that by virtue of state of birth, Sanders political leanings could be construed as being anything like mine or countless other NYers. If anything, I am closer to conservative with a few libertarian leanings.