Vermont is definitely high up on the list, despite that moron shooting those poor Palestinian gentlemen recently. I have family up there and I know for a fact Burlington really pulled together for that family in the wake of the shooting.
No outdoor advertisements/billboards, very few national chains, very protective of local business, everyone is very connected with the land and their community. Vermont is awsome.
I also really liked Vermont while I lived there, and everything that you mentioned are great features. That said, the state (and much of New England) is overwhelmingly white. I am white-passing, but my spouse is not, and they felt consistently othered while we lived there. Not in an aggressive or hateful way, but in a “strangers see me as a novelty” way that you tend to get in homogenous communities. Burlington is probably a bit more diverse than the relative middle of nowhere where we lived, so your mileage may vary.
Vermont is definitely high up on the list, despite that moron shooting those poor Palestinian gentlemen recently. I have family up there and I know for a fact Burlington really pulled together for that family in the wake of the shooting.
No outdoor advertisements/billboards, very few national chains, very protective of local business, everyone is very connected with the land and their community. Vermont is awsome.
I also really liked Vermont while I lived there, and everything that you mentioned are great features. That said, the state (and much of New England) is overwhelmingly white. I am white-passing, but my spouse is not, and they felt consistently othered while we lived there. Not in an aggressive or hateful way, but in a “strangers see me as a novelty” way that you tend to get in homogenous communities. Burlington is probably a bit more diverse than the relative middle of nowhere where we lived, so your mileage may vary.
I can 100% see that in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Super white washed and no industry to bring in fresh faces, just generational residency.