[vter]

I wouldnt say that the "change" happened after 9/11 state wide....just in their particular town. Maybe things had been brewing before then, who knows.
Yes, a lot of wealthy out of staters have come to Burlington, but the dynamic is a bit different. The Burlington area is more urban/suburban rather than rural, so it has a totally different set of dynamics. I'm too tired to get into more detail

[wesvt]

Hey LIER...

I would agree that 9/11 sparked a huge influx of out-of-staters from NY, NJ, CN, etc. However I think the attitude of wealthy out-of-towners having an image of what VT is supposed to be like, and then taking things into their own hands (via local politics) has been going on for quite sometime. A prime example of this is the wind energy controversy that has been going on for years. Many locals would like to see windmills go on top of Mt Equinox in So. VT. The windmills were in place before, but had been shut down for a number of years. Many people wanted to get the windmills up and going again, but were faced with such opposition from wealthy transplants that the bill was not passed and the windmills never went up. The reason these homeowners did not want this to happen was because they all thought the windmills would obstruct their million dollar view of the Equinox ridgeline, therefore ruining their ideal picture of Vermont. These people also said that there would be a huge environmental impact from the process of rebuilding the windmills. These are the same people that pay thousands of dollars to heat their homes all winter, which they visit a couple times a year. The same people that are embracing this "green" fad that we're in the midst of would rather support a failing nuclear power plant then try to figure out ways to use alternative energy resources.
My mother is a teacher a Floodbrook Elementary in Londonderry, VT and every year when the school budget is trying to get passed the always run into problems. Many of these wealthy home-owners (who don't even have kids in the school!!) constantly try to shut down the budget requests for things like special needs students, or technology in the classroom because the higher the budget, the higher their taxes are. They join the school board just to be able to make sure they keep their taxes down. Truly disgraceful.
As much as the transplants have had a negative impact, they also have had a positive impact which cannot be overlooked. I grew up in Manchester (on the town-line of Dorset and Manchester) and as much as I hate the tourist season and the outlets and everything that comes with it, these businesses provide jobs for local people. A lot of my friends are painters, carpenters, or masons and they wouldn't have jobs if it wasn't for the people who have moved there. If everyone who has moved from out of state were to just up and leave the town would see a dramatic change.
Probably the worst part of the change in Manchester and it's surrounding towns, is that people from middle-class homes that I grew up with (including myself) currently find it almost impossible to buy real estate. My father built the house I grew up in, in 1978 for around $30000. Last year it was estimated to be worth $450,000. Everywhere you look homes are being built and the vast majority of them are vacation homes that see visitors maybe 3 or 4 times a year. I've always wanted to settle down there, but with the average cost of a home being around $400-$600k I don't see it happening anytime soon.
So I'm not sure what the answer is to any of this, or what the happy medium is but hopefully one day everyone can all get along!

[NYLIER]

It deeply upsets me to see new homes being built when there are so many homes on the market. It seems the problem isn't the wealth, but the fact that they are control freaks. They came to Vermont to make or not make changes to suit what they want.
Though I agree that changes need to be made as far as school budgets, I can see we have very different opinions on the subject so I best leave that for another thread. The school system is in dire need of an overhaul.
The people you speak of are like the Clintons and the McCains on a much smaller scale. Money isn't enough, they have to be in full control of everything. (I'm only using these two couples as an example.)
I guess I was taking it personally when other people would post putting the blame on flatlanders for everything. I think it is the wealthy "I know more and have more then a local" flatlander everyone is talking about. I'm a flat broke flatlander!!! (Just kidding around)

[tkln]

I'll chime in on the building aspect...we are looking to make a permanent move so we wouldn't be in the house only a few times a year but the real estate market in some areas is so high, and the houses are not worth the price (this can be said in a lot of areas in the country, of course). I would much prefer to buy an existing home, for many reasons, but if I spend $500K, I'd get a very old home that needs a lot of work and would not be energy efficient, etc, etc....for a little bit more money, I could build an extremely energy efficient home, and I wouldn't have to worry about the roof, or insulation, etc.

I check listings on a daily basis, hoping to find that one existing home that could work for us and would be worth the time and financial investment....it hasn't happened yet, though we aren't planning on moving til next year so we have time.

[millerscow]

Originally Posted by drtevans

what you are describing is more accurately called white trash in the white race and ******s in the black. No racial slur intended just accurate definitions. A redneck is not simply rough around the edges a redneck is usally lower middle class but does not fit in so the extreme country actions give these people a bond. the best way to describe a redneck is the opposite of A country gentleman. A country gentleman loves the rural life and the manners and hospitality that are associated with this class. they celebrate the best in the rural culture. rednecks celebrate the worst of this culture and use it as a ralling cry in an attempt to overcome poor family values and morals and bond with other similar types of people in which they can feel comfortable. please remember country is good redneck is bad.

I beg to differ. All the rednecks I know have not one ounce of prejudice in them and nor do they celebrate the worst of this culture. As I said the ones who call themselves rednecks down here are just good ole boys with good hearts. What you are talking about are people who are just plain full of hate and meaness and just plain lazy. Celebrated the worst my ass!!!

[pvjd]

I must say, I do agree that there is a marked difference between a country person and a redneck. I am from AL, and the people I have known who call themselves rednecks are not people that I hold in high regard. I love country people, though.

[DaveWroteThis]

We lived in a high-rent Dallas suburb (Southlake) for two years and saw more rednecks than a sandy beach without sunblock. I had never met my neighbor until the day before we moved. He saw the moving truck, came over to see what was up, and proceeded to tell me why he hated blacks, mexicans and asians. First time I met the guy. Yep, y'all. Texas is swell.

[NYLIER]

Unfortunately, when I think of Texas it reminds me of those three guys that dragged that poor black man to his death a few years ago. That had to be the most horrible case of racism I ever read about. I couldn't do that to a bumble bee, never mind a human.

[GypsySoul22]

Originally Posted by DaveWroteThis

We lived in a high-rent Dallas suburb (Southlake) for two years and saw more rednecks than a sandy beach without sunblock. I had never met my neighbor until the day before we moved. He saw the moving truck, came over to see what was up, and proceeded to tell me why he hated blacks, mexicans and asians. First time I met the guy. Yep, y'all. Texas is swell.

Same thing happened to us in Central PA. The neighbors across the road stared and stared. Only spoke to us to say, "Movin' out?"
Duh!!

Rednecks/ignorant people are everywhere...even right outside major cities...

[carolinajack]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

Nah carolinajack, some folks are just "over-the-top" with messing up the yard. I had a friend who bought a house and an acre of riverfront land in Vermont for $6,000 back in the 1970s. The first thing he had to do was get garbage bags and collect all the beer bottles the previous owner had tossed out of his kitchen window whenever he was drunk. My friend ended up with a truckload and a half of them, which made a tidy sum with Vermont's bottle deposit law.

The house that the previous owner had built, and my friend bought, had studs made of used telephone pole crossarms. I discovered that after my friend abandoned it and it had fallen down in a snowstorm.

To each his own, and I can understand someone not wanting to be around folks like that. There is a difference between being discriminating and discriminatory. Me, I just have too much fun with folks who are willing to explore life in odd ways rather than follow the "correct" path to the grave.
I realize that not everyone wants to "waste" their time on that.

Rednecks arent the only ones who do that. go to any major city and check out a ghetto or barrio or go to many hippie places and homes in VT and check out the yards and front stoops, etc. old abandoned cars, dogs chained up, drug needles, used condoms, trash toss all over the street, etc.