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I was born and raised in VT, lived in Maine for a few years, traveled the country for a year, and moved back to VT to get back to elderly family and start one of my own. The low population and relatively undeveloped landscape are big factors in why I came back, and the people of VT, on the whole, treat the landscape with a bit more respect than maybe the average American would. Don't expect many creature comforts; you won't find any huge shopping malls, department stores, or fast food places, and you need to be able to weather some very harsh climate (not just nasty cold in the winters, but flooding and/or humidity in summer as well). For these reasons, among others, Vermont has a vivid and colorful personality that you won't find in other states. Everywhere else I've been across the US feels more crowded, dirty, and "used". The wealth demographics are also pretty unique: a very large proportion of our citizens are upper-middle-class, which is why our state is usually known as "weirdly rich", which I would actually correct to "weirdly wealthy". There are very few rich people and there are a good number of low-income families as well. Unfortunately, since the pandemic, many people from urban areas have moved to VT or bought homes here and it is causing a huge slew of issues, primarily in the housing and real-estate markets, all while slowly degrading that "charm" we all love. I also believe development is not encouraged the same way you would see in our neighboring states, mostly to preserve the land and wildlife. New Hampshire and Maine to a pretty good job of this as well. We are a quirky little state for sure: there are some super progressive (bordering on communist) politics, but we also have a huge amount of freedom with our firearms and the Governor is Republican. You find a ton of hippies and you find a ton of rednecks. It is a great place to hide a doomsday shelter or an equally great place to start a homestead. I absolutely love it here! Advice for the city-slickers that move here or visit during the winter: snow tires are not a suggestion, they are a REQUIREMENT. Stop crashing into shit...
Also tell those flatlanders that drive up north to ski that having a big SUV doesn't mean you can drive 85mph in the snow, no matter what the TV commercials show.
Funny so say, "city slickers," People don't move to Vermont because it's so close to NY and Boston and their 100 miles suburb. You can just visit. Go back home. It works for Vermont and the major cities.
Great description but -- How to People Make the Morgage payments in Vt. ? -- You may need to own a Sucessful Business and have Cash reserves to move up there if you ever want to own a house. Dr. Nurse, Tradesmen , Store owner. Most resterants fail. I don't Know How Most people in Vermont are able to Afford to live there. So Few people is nice but that is also less business trafic. Skiers go to Ski Areas.
I am a Vermonter who lives in the Lebanon region as you called it. We call it the Upper Valley. You missed Act 250 as a major reason that Vermont is still not very populated. It is a state law passed in 1970 to preserve Vermont’s character and community by restricting development in the state. Permits can be denied for anything over 10 acres in a rural area and over 1 acre in a town that has no zoning rules.
@@SMGA14 Lebanon is in New Hampshire. You would be much better off to live in NH. Vermont is one of the most liberal states in the country with some of the highest taxes. That is why people stay away from VT.
As a Vermonter, I can tell you why so few people live in the state. The simple asnwer is that we maintain a healthy distance between people. It costs a little more, but it works. A lovely place, with 10,000 trees for each of us.
@@simplesimon8255 the internet is better at my Vermont home than it is in my Connecticut home. I live on a mountain in both places. Real problem is taxes… especially after Covid they tripled in cost.
You are missing 2 key parts of the story of the populating of VT, my home state. We were on par or more advanced then most in the early part of the industrial revolution but then in the 1830's came the "famine years" with killing frost and snow in every month of the year. An exodus began and many farmers and inventers, like john deere, moved to the midwest for dire need to survive. One generation later Vermont sent thousands of their best and brightest, never to return, to fight a war to end slavery that we here had abolished peacefully decades before. VT lost more soldiers per cappita then any other state involved in the conflict known as the civil war. Through these times and on through WW 1 we out produced all New england combined in copper used both for war and domestic efforts, and out produced in marble slate and granite, literaly the building blocks of our nations capitol and, perhaps in bitter irony,the headstones of Arlington cemetary were so many vermonters lay . The floods of 1927 and 1932, back to back "100 year" flood events left VT in a condition close to as desperate as the earliest settler days. A look at census data shows that the populations of most Vermont towns {90%} have been declining since the early 1800's. Only in the 21st century are the numbers starting to grow as we exist within an above average cost of living and a below average mean income. We enjoy, for now, significantly warmer winters that threaten our maple syrup and ski industries, and we tolerate more severe weather and flood events that threaten our agricultural and infrastuctural sustainability. Also at this time the uptick in certain population and average income is added by and large by people who exist independently from the VT economy and it is hard to say if this trend is really part of the next chapter of history or just a blip on the radar. Thanks for considering these facts as part of your understanding of our little state.
Fun fact: Vermont got its name from the green mountains that it has, and that name literally translates to "Green Mountain" in French (Vert = Green ; Mont = Mountain).
@@Explorerlloyd actually, worm is ver and green is vert… Subtleties of the French language 😂😂😂 BTW, I’m a French speaking Québécois. I live in Magog just a few miles north of Vermont.
@@FrigginCatsBruhthere’s a lot more traveling between states than tax money buddy lol Humans, disease, economic conditions, weather, proximity to important places, etc
The war thunder ad just about shook me off this educational piece. I am here to learn about Vermont. Please, Geoff...choose wisely & show integrity in all facets when administering your channel.
I grew up in Vermont in a town just north of Burlington. On the one hand, you grow up very much in tune with nature and the seasons and the entire state has a small town feel where people are friendly and are happy to visit, borrow, and barter with their neighbors. We made apple cider and maple syrup from our trees and traded for pork and beef from neighbors with hobby farms. On the other hand, it really can feel very remote to those who visit from the major population centers who expect the same creature comforts. Do NOT expect to find a Starbucks anywhere outside of Burlington. There is only ONE Target store in the whole state, which only opened about five years ago. Most fast food chains are not in Vermont. A lot of trends in culture and technology are slow to be adopted (good luck finding an Uber or Lyft anywhere outside of Burlington!). So for those who want a break from modern society, Vermont is a paradise!
Hi there! I’m from NH, I’ve been military for 8 years in AZ and MO and am moving to St Albans (working in South Burlington at the base) in June. Did you like the area north of Burlington? In very familiar with the small town life and am excited for that.
From the comments I totally see why Vermont is not highly populated and is backward. The people dont want everything "chain". They want down-home. They want tiny community, and mom 'n pop places. To be original, unique, small and not commercial, crowded, and criminalized. That's a breath of fresh air!
The comments give you no more real knowledge than a Republican or communist TV ad. I have been to Vermont about ten times, and I can tell you IT IS NOT BACKWARD!
Born in VT, lived here almost 67 years and love it here. Have worked both here in VT and nearby in MA for the past 50+ years, and if you have any abilities to do anything constructive, or are trained in almost any kind of trade, there's lots of work and business to be had. It's a great place to live, and not far (where we live) from some larger cities in NY and MA. I like it just the way it is.
Fun show, thanks! As a Vermonter myself, I completely agree with the comments of other Vermonters here. Something I would add regarding what makes the state unique is its lack of billboards. This is one of those things for which I'm forever grateful when travelling to other states. I've travelled the world and lived in quite a few countries, but Vermont is the only place I've ever lived where I feel I'm on perpetual holiday. And no matter where else I go now, I just can't wait to come back here. Also, longtime Vermonters are of a certain type: independent, hardy, resourceful, yet community-minded. Cheers!
I met a young woman in Los Angeles who was from Vermont. She told me that Vermont is a beautiful, wonderful place to grow up all the way to the end of college. But after that and you're now an adult responsible for yourself. It's time to leave Vermont for the big urban cities to find a job career which is very difficult to do in Vermont.
I'm from Vermont too, and can attest to this! Many people leave Vermont after college for jobs in Boston, NY, DC, etc. and then return once they're ready to start a family. So with few professional jobs available, recent college grads are competing for limited jobs with those in their early thirties who just spent eight years working in a big city. It's not uncommon to have waiters and waitresses with college degrees as that's one of the best options for many in their 20's who really want to stay in Vermont but cannot find another job.
@@clav93089 Isn't that really sad, to have to work as a waiter or waitress after college graduation? Have you ever considered that the Vermont politicians don't want economic growth. It would mean an influx of people into Vermont bringing higher rentals and real estate prices; more crime and pollution. No one wants the Californiazation of their state. Vermont politicians might be perfectly satisfied as things are right now, even if young Vermonters have to leave the state. Other states with small populations are quite happy that way as well even if it means poor economic and job prospects. No Californiazation here!
@@jeffyoung60 I grew up there and left in the late 70's, went back in the late 80's and watched the wealthy people come up from the large metro areas. They bought large parcels and forced the original dairy farmers out, not that giving that up to retire rich broke their hearts but it completely changed the politics. Now it's "forever green" and a bunch of rich NIMBY's.
What you didn’t mention was Vermont’s quarries, which provided the marble for many of Washington DC’s monuments. Skilled Italian craftsmen fashioned the stone, while the Irish built the railways to haul it to its destination. Consequently we have Celtic music and great Italian food.😉
A little bit misleading. If you included everything from the Adirondacks to the White Mountains, it's all pretty much empty. Vermont just happens to sit in the middle of that area. In fact Burlington is basically the metro center of that whole region.
Yeah, I was thinking this, too. The population for NY state includes NYC area and Long Island where most of the people actually live. The population for Massachusetts is mainly centered around Boston to the east.
@@marknc9616 massachusetts is relatively dense all around; the extremely thick forests tend to hide this but i do agree that it's unfair to use new york's high population here
"Metro Center" is a very generous way of describing Burlington. 😅 There's not much there other than the University of Vermont and they've dedicated a decent chunk of their property to a cow barn.....
I like Geoff but this whole video series is that type of misleading. It’s not that interesting why Wyoming is the least populated state, like it’s mostly desert and it’s really far west. I don’t think we need dozens of these lol
@mortensenvick5711 Remember NY is one of the most populated states right next to the least populated state. But it's not just that. The terrain is very mountainous. It is very green. There just aren't as many signs of human habitation. Less houses cut out of the greenery in those hills. Less roads, less towns, all of it. Also even the highways are different. If I remember they had less shoulder than NY. Remember if their population is so much smaller, then they have less tax base to pull from to pay for highways and such. If you are into more forest and less people then that is the place.
There are six (MCD’s) in the Burlington area and about nineteen total in the state, so would have to find that many ski areas (or resorts), can it include private ones that might be cross country only like the Hermitage, etc., probably, but still have to tally them up. Find ‘em and count ‘em. P.S. And I have just done it. It’s a tie, add in one or two private ones like the one mentioned above and the ski areas still lead. Ski.
I’m from Maine but I have family in Vermont. Once a year (with the obvious exception of the Covid years), we would visit that family. Vermont is a really nice state.
I've spent months of my time driving up from Maryland to Vermont to snowboard. I love it there. old school feel and quiet and peaceful. Every time I Pass the Bennington monument headed towards Dover up the mountain passes like Suddenly everyone is gone, and you feel a sense of emptiness as soon as you cross the border. Killington, Stowe, Sugarbush, and Jay Peak are my favs.
@@ingibingi2000 there was an older route back inthe 80s called the Montrealer, which began in Montreal. I actually took it from Essex Jct (Burlington) down to NY and then took one all the way to Newport News and then a bus around the harbor to the Naval Hospital for my first duty station post boot camp and Corps School.. JUly 1985 . Man almost 40 years ago o.0
@@ingibingi2000 Amtrak's Adirondack goes up the western shoreline of Lake Champlain in NYS to Montreal, although service seems to have stopped at Saratoga Springs recently due to issues regarding track maintenance. I have ridden that route when it was running all the way to Canada, and the scenic views are gorgeous. I hope they reinstate it soon.
I was just in Vermont. Went to pick up a small diesel engine and stop and see my nephew and his family. Two of my sisters lived in Vermont for more than 20 years. You have vastly underestimated the geography as it influences the state. First, you cain't get there from here. Literally. From Bennington to Brattleboro 30 something miles, minimum one hour,, on a good day. Some winter snowfall? Tomorrow or the next day. The state is actually 2 separate north/south mountain ridges. Connecticut River to the east,, the valley is only a mile or so wide, then it is vertical again. Route 100 up the center of the state. The only farmland is courtesy of beavers making flat land since the Ice Age,, a couple miles wide. To the west again,,, a couple miles wide,, or a bit more the Lake Champlain valley. To get from the engine to the nephews house,, straight line distance of 110 miles,, took 4 hours,, on the interstate.. Remember the "You cain't get there from here."? And as I said,, spice the trip with a bit of weather,, your entire ski weekend can be,, and sometimes is, just the drive to and from,, you never get to put on your skis. AND you skipped a season. Vermont has 5 seasons. Remember the shallow bit of topsoil, glacial till? In 'Spring' ? there is an extra season called Mud Season. Unpaved roads some years, become entirely unusable. Bulldozers sunk to their seat Milk trucks waiting sunk in the road until they can be dug out some days later. You wear rubber over boots to walk across the road for the morning milk and eggs chores. 647,000 residents is just a new high. Did not used to be even that many.
4 hours to any destination in VT? An hour from Bratt to Bennington? Are you crawling? Nobody spends all weekend on the roads here trying to get to their ski destination no matter how much snow we get. Your description of the State is incorrect. Yes, we have mud season, just like NH and ME. Entirely unusable? Maybe for your little vehicle, we are prepared. Bulldozer sunk to the seat? Yea, sure, when did you ever see that? We're much smarter than that. You sound like a typical flatlander.
@@NEKingdom241 Sorry Mister,, I have lots of time in Vermont. I will grant you most of my time was in the 1970s and 1980s. And yes, I have seen a bulldozer sunk to its seat, dirt road west of Bolton. I have seen a milk truck sunk to the top of its wheels, on Crossroad, Colbyville, spent an extra day,,a Saturday in Lebanon waiting for 89 to reopen. Driven Route 100 a hundred times, one sister Warren, Waitsfield, another Waterbury Center. Now has the weather gotten vastly easier in the 2000s,, probably. Better machines to maintain the roads, certainly. But you just tell me how long it takes you to go from Burlington to Utica,, granted into NY State, 135 miles as the crow flies. Everywhere else in the country that's 2 hours. If there is a little fog off the lake like there was a month ago,,, that 2 hours is 10 hours. And yeah,, you passed me between Bratt and Battle, Dodge pickup ?,, I was doing the speed limit. And the last time on that road was 40 years ago. It still is a twisty, turny, don't take your eyes off the road. And from door to door at the speed limit, from the farm in Putney to Nephew's in Colchester 120 miles as the crow flies, 4 solid hours, plus a little. Geography has everything to do with the development of Vermont. Danged little flat land, and roads that take twice and three times the distance traveled to get there. I love Vermont,, I may yet move back there someday.
@@Sailor376also Burlington to Utica? That trip is on NY, just hop the ferry across the lake, simple. Nobody, and I mean nobody does 65 on the interstate in VT, but even if you did, that trip to Colchester is only about 2 hours and 10 minutes, 144 miles. Champlain Valley never gets the frost the rest of the state does, especially the NEK where I live, so burying a dozer in the mud is simple operator error. The biggest issue for people from away is the lack of east/west main roads. The trip over the mountain from Bratt to Bennington is only 40 miles, but it does take about an hour due to low speed limits through towns. Same with Rte 4 from WRJ to Rutland, only about 45 miles and used to take about 45 minutes. Now with all the traffic and tourists it takes over an hour. Most Vermonter's really don't mind, we're in no hurry. Takes me 20 minute to get to the small local store.
@@NEKingdom241 I don't think we are so far apart. Keep in mind my frequent times in Vermont were 40 years ago. But that lack of east/west,, absolutely And my trip from Colchester to Utica just a few weeks ago,,, reminded me mightily of Vermont of 40 years ago, BTW, at night. Boy was that a mistake,, My bad., My point remains,, especially if you look 200 years in the past, when all of this was laid out. Relative its size, Vermont is hard to get around. And I AM spoiled. Michigan, Northwest homesteading laws roads are square and straight, with exceptions every mile. With boring 'creative' names like (14 mile Road,, 12 Mile road, ,,,,) Or Nebraska,, with one S bend in 500 miles of interstate at Lincoln. Vermont is beautiful. And lives up to its name of Green Mountain, Vert Mont
Boy, you are spot on about the mountain ranges…. Truly, you can’t get from here to there. I too, was surprised that the author hadn’t mentioned one of the most significant reasons for lower population and industry, the difficulty in going east/west. The damn mountains keep getting in the way! If you create products, you want to be able to sell them to a large market and getting your products to those markets is a considerable challenge, it doesn’t make a great dealer sense to locate manufacturing where your products are physically isolated from distribution networks. I live in southeastern Vermont and the difference in topography when looking across the Connecticut River is marked as the mountains drop off in New Hampshire and there is a lot more area conducive to farming.
I was born and raised in VT but moved out as quickly as I could. Good jobs are very hard to come by. The winters really wear you down. Alcoholism and drug use are a very common way of life. A lot of people I grew up with (myself included) struggled with depression quite badly in the winter months. I thought this was just a normal thing until I moved to NC and realized depression is not the norm. It’s a very tough place to live especially in the smaller towns.
When you highlighted the Winooski River, you actually highlighted the Lamoille River. The Winooski is further south and runs parallel to i89 for much of its length.
I’m 35, born and raised in north west VT. This state is beautiful, but the cost of living and taxes force many out. VT legislature is more concerned about collecting tax revenue than sustaining the population.
It's forcing more and more out! Our tax is as high as florida and California at 11% and we have nothing compared to those two states. There's nothing here to do unless you ski/snowboard and can afford the expensive equipment and the daily lift ticket. Over the last ten years the snow falls and melts the next day in most of the state. Our summer lasts 3 -4 months. Then it's cold and everything is brown and dead! If I ever have enough money to move, I'd be gone from here asap.
Read the Bio's of all of our elected officials and you'll find most didn't grow up here, they came from other places where they learned different values than we did growing up in VT. That's our biggest problem, out of state elected officials.
So love Vermont; I was born there and lived many years of my life there. Moved away from VT 15 years ago. Vermont is an expensive place to live. The real estate prices for land or houses, apartment and home rental prices, property taxes, school taxes, income taxes, and the tax on Social Security are so high. As for jobs, in the late 1980’s a change began to be seen with the manufacturing plants once located there. Decades ago, small towns used to have small manufacturing plants, such as Milton Bradley in Milton, Chemical Fabrics in North Bennington, etc. With the state’s increase of taxes on manufacturing plants and the cost of electricity, businesses could no longer afford to exist in Vermont. The majority of the manufacturing plants either closed, moved to southern states, or out of the country. Vermont still has the tourists, but it is not what it used to be. From the borders with MA and NY, up through to downtown Manchester, so many of the once busy tourist attractions and stores are now closed. There also used to be numerous small hydroelectric plants scattered all over Vermont. Am not sure that I know of any that still exist, which once was an inexpensive and renewable source for electricity. There was a partial change to a nuclear power plant decades ago, but I think that nuclear plant closed awhile ago. The cost of electricity for everyone in VT is so expensive. This tidbit may be decades old now, but the about 1/2 of the inhabitants of Vermont were not born in Vermont. Influx of people who could afford to live there. VT will always be in my heart, and remains a beautiful and lovely place to visit.
Because there’s little economic reason. Just like every other of these videos. It’s all economics. No major harbors, no navigable rivers, heavily mountainous terrain makes development difficult. It’s the West Virginia of New England. People only move there to retire or to get away from Boston or NY. It has a really high cost of living despite its population and most of its population lives on the border with NY, specifically along the lake.
Act 250 as well. This is more so the reason. Plenty of other mountainous areas including New Hampshire. In fact the whites are bigger than the greens. There is no reason Burlington couldn’t build up like Manchester other than the people prevent it. They don’t allow building. It is very difficult. And they wanna make it harder! Bc these extreme progressives have taken over. They want to get rid of roads and be bikes bikes bikes. They have prevented the building of the full spur route 189 for over 60 years. It’s a never ending battle up there. But under act. 250 1 person can derail an entire project. And it happens all the time. There is no progress in that state. Despite them claiming to be progressives.
@@NEKingdom241 yeah, but three quarters of NH is still rural and quaint. The states future is secured because of the large urban area full of industry in the southeast corner. Can Vermont say the same? Because the outlook from what I've read doesn't look so rosy. Also, Manchester really isn't as bad as people make it out to be. People from outside New England typically think it's a nice midsized city, it just has a lot of issues for our ridiculously high Northern New England standards lol. I also think Burlington could avoid most of those issues if they decide to allow expansion.
@@PenskePC17 The North Boston spread has now reached the Upper Valley. Lebanon is turning into what Manchester was 20 years ago. I'd say 1/2 of NH is rural and quaint now, and changing fast. Most of the issues in the Burlington area have come about in the past 30 years or so due to Liberal leadership. Actually, most of VT issues come from liberal leadership including the Democrat super majority that we just voted out.
@@NEKingdom241 Manchester was still 10x the size of Lebanon 20 years ago. The towns around are what have grown so significantly, like Bedford and Londonderry, but the city itself hasnt had a new high rise built since the mid 90s, and thats all that can really be done because theyre out of room. There's a massive gap in urban/suburban between the NH population center and the Lebanon area. There's like 75 miles of forest on I89 before you hit the upper valley. The sprawl ends 15 miles west of Manchester
Lot of reasons. First as they stated Vermont is pretty much New Hampshire with sky high taxes. The areas in the surrounding states in NY MA and NH are low population. The main border town is Lebanon, NH with Dartmouth College- across from White River Junction, VT with most of the people on the NH side. In New Hampshire the majority of the population is in the SE corner of the state (Nashua, Manchester, Portsmouth). The state has no coastline
My dad lived in Vermont for 20 years starting in the early 90s he lived in a town called Barton this particular town was about 15 miles from the Canadian border closest major town was a guess Newport I absolutely loved going up there to visit the state is so clean and beautiful with nice people
True. Driving across VT from Bennington to Brattleboro, requires you and your car to both be playing your "A game". Likewise for my trips to visit Middlebury when one of my kids went to school there. What's a "scenic road" in the summer, is a technical challenge for even a good driver in winter.
A friend of mine who has a place in Cavendish described the state as "one big, small town." He told me several towns do not have police departments, which draws those for whom gun rights rank superior to all others. If you need emergency medical services, e.g. a hospital-911, then you better hope you're on good terms with your "neighbors" and that they are home. Springfield, VT and Lebanon, NH are the only "close" regional hospitals. If someone breaks in, you place two calls: one to the police, the second to morgue. By the time the former arrives, they'll be bringing one of you out. The presenter also neglected to address Act 250. This legislation contributes in large part to the reason big box stores have no locations in Vermont and compounds the geographic and topographic reasons for a small population. Most Vermonters, from my limited experience, however, enjoy that. All the tough-guy Grizzly Adams' love the isolation until, for whatever reason, they truly need one or more of the above services. The irony is that in Vermont neighbors genuinely look out for one another, but there remain many desolate parts.
Because Vermont missed out on the Industrial Revolution and has rocky terrain not ideal for large-scale agriculture, the economy really had to focus on small-scale farming and manufacturing out of necessity. Several decades later, craft industries became the trendy alternative to large-scale industrial products that used too many chemicals, cut corners on quality, and took advantage of workers. So Vermont was primed for companies that focused on quality craft goods like Ben and Jerry's, Cabot Creamery, Darn Tough Socks, Green Mountain Coffee, Seventh Generation, etc. to take off and "Made in Vermont" became a tagline that symbolized socially responsible business and high-quality products.
Vermont's Conn.River Valley was an important part of the industrial revolution. Visit the Precision Machine Museum in Windsor. Water power was the primary driver for machines before the fossil fuel era.
Being a former New Englander, (Connecticut), I am very familiar with Vermont. I used to love going to Vermont for weekend camping trips. I always dreamed of living there. What kept me away was the employment situation. Not many good-paying jobs to go around. Now that I am retired and can afford to live in Vermont, the snow and ice and cold weather keep me from moving there. (I live in Florida now). So in a nutshell, poor salaries and cold weather keep people from living in a beautiful and picturesque place like Vermont.
Funny enough, I used to live in Vermont. It’s a lovely place, and it’s very rural. The big population center is Burlington, which isn’t a particularly big city, and most of the state lives in small towns and hamlets.
Thanks for the background....I often wondered why Vermont is so lightly populated. Let's keep it that way! Send everybody to the sunbelt! Love how beautiful Vermont is!!!
Taxation is terrible and the state tries to survive on services and not longer offers many export products. Born and raised there. Cant afford to retire there.
I spent this past winter season in Burlington, VT to try to see if I'd actually want to relocate there as a resident. It was a nice quirky little town and Vermont as a state is gorgeous no doubt. The reality of sparse housing with an expensive cost was settling in and its no joke. They've had a housing issue for some years now and especially in Burlington which is a college town mostly. Decided not to seek permanent residency there due to these reasons. It's nice to be so close to Montreal though as I went a few times. Definitely love the community and hippie vibe VT offers though.
Currently live in Burlington, I would recommend living in one of the surrounding towns and not the city itself. They're cheaper, and honestly Burlington has gone really downhill just the past few years.
Montrealer here. Love our neighbours in Vermont and upstate New York. Sometimes wish we could discuss trading southern Alberta and the city of Toronto to the US in exchange for Vermont and northern Washington state. Until then, love to visit.
Champlain Canal made the Queen City, Burlington, VT an industrial center. The video says that shipping was only north, this isn’t accurate when you factor the canal shipping in.
I was also waiting for a mention of the Champlain Canal in the video. It would have been interesting to include the development of that canal and what changes it led to. The Erie Canal is another interesting topic.
Act 250 is a law that keeps the state beautiful, but makes it very difficult to build anything. Any new commercial structure must go through extensive review and approval to ensure it does not interfere with the state's natural beauty. But it's part of why starting a business or building a residential development takes a long time, which stalls growth and inflates housing prices. The other reason is local opposition to new development. So many homes are old farm houses, and local residents make a big deal over any type of new construction, complaining that a four-story building will cast a shadow over their town or a row of townhomes will destroy the local character. So nothing gets built and homeowners must pay higher taxes per person to keep up with maintaining aging buildings and infrastructure.
It’s awful. I hate it. It needs to be repealed. My entire family hates it. Thankfully I no longer live there and you’ll never find such a law in ms. But it is absolutely killing that state. I crossed the mass state line for the first time in college and it was tbh s life changing moment. I had cell service. There was 3 lanes. There was actual buildings and signs. Vermont is so isolating. And you don’t realize what you are missing til you leave. I’ll never go back
That certainly doesn’t look to be the case in Chittenden county. Single family, duplexes, town houses and apartment buildings are going up at a rapid rate. There is more building going on than tradesmen and the utility company’s can keep up with.
Well your history of the state is a little baked. New Hampshire until only in the last 30 years had less than 800,000 people. It's the sprawl of the Boston suburbs and the Exodus from Massachusetts that has boosted the population of New Hampshire and the direct line of 93 to the Great lake. In the 19th century however There were railroads that connected Connecticut valley and the Hudson valley. The population of Vermont New Hampshire and Maine rurally shrunk considerably as the Northwest Territories and the far west in territories opened especially post civil war. There was a constant drain to the west or down valleys to City Life. Life on a New England farm is tough, Winter is cold the soil sucks and if you can make money in the city working a factory job it's a lot easier then and now.. as I said this is a story all across Northern New England not just Vermont. If you included the region of New Hampshire above Concord and Maine 20 miles inland from the coast you would find the same situation. For that matter New York state as well
Native Vermonter here. There's actually been quite of bit of ingenuity and innovation from VT. Too many to list here, but we have a sort of "make it happen" fortitude.
Moved there from the southwest US in the mid 2000s for a job and lived there for 10 years. Still live nearby in NH/MA. Love VT. People in VT were very friendly and welcoming of this flatlander. 😆
Green mountain/vermont = vert/green - mount/ mountain. as well, Pls note your depiction of where the appalachians are is incorrect in northern nys. They don't exist there. They are the adirondacks, a totally different, and much older mountain range. the catskills, greens, whites, berkshires are all part of the Appalachians,,,not the adirondacks
Fun fact: Not only are we the #1 producer of maple syrup in the country, we are #1 when it comes to taste and flavor. All other states and countries that produce maple syrup don't even come close to ours (sorry NH, NY, ME and Canada😢). Fun fact: In VT, maple syrup has its own food group😋😋 #ilovemaplesyrup
I grew up in New York and now live in Maine, yet I have never been to Vermont. It's not on the way to anything. I-95 misses it, and I-87 doesn't have a good way to get there without taking a ferry across Lake Champlain. You really have to want to go there.
@@John572d4 Yes, and we Southern Vermonters often go to Saratoga too. It's the nearest mall and has conveniences that VT doesn't have as far as shopping goes.
You should look into 2nd home ownership. Lived here my whole life. In my town alone, more than half the homes are considered 2nd homes and those folks aren't considered residents
Vermont in many many ways seems like a lost Canadian province akin to New Brunswick in both population and ethno-religious make up... Not to mention politically. Vermont seems like the only place really fully aligned with the Canadian vision of the world... I.e. progressive, high taxes on the wealthy, eco-conscious... But also the fact it's entirely dependent on Hydro-Quebec to keep the lights on once it switched off its own nuclear power plant, which even as a Canadian, seems nutty!
Calling a Vermonter Canadian is fighting words. Just kidding. I live 9 miles from the Canadian border in Enosburg Falls. It sure feels like America here to me, until you go over the border.
What a ridiculous question. I’ve skied in Vermont a few times. It is beautiful with a lot of natural resources , but just like Maine, New Hampshire, Minnesota, it is COLD. I met someone from Minnesota with a tee shirt saying Minnesota 40 below keeps the rift raft out.
It is very expensive to live in Vermont. And the answer to lowering the cost of living can NOT be higher tax rates on things already taxed (ex. Income, property, sales) and run by various government agencies. The above average per capita tax burden definitely contributes to the high cost of living in VT. The restrictions on building and commerce help to keep living costs high. Vermont is a great place to visit but affording to be able to live there is nearly impossible, imho.
Nice state, being from NYC area, very popular for sking and in the summer too. Being now in New Hampshire, double the VT population a lot due to the southern part of the state being near to the Boston area. 😊
The story of the merino sheep in Vermont is really interesting. People started raising sheep, so a lot of the small farms were consolidated into larger farms. When people out west (with a whole lot more land) were able to sell their wool at lower prices, the economy collapsed and a lot of people moved from Vermont to the midwest or into Boston to work in the factories.
well it didnt have a fur or gold rush either, and no huge military bases. YOu can see Quebec from your window, but not Russia :P Anchorage ended up becoming a major metro area, with Fairbanks a good chunk behind. Not such industrial boom , as the ripple effect of all the people left behind from teh Gold Rush, and then the various industires like OIL. Once the oil boom hit, THEN Anchorage exploded.
Really liked your treatment of VT history and culture. Two relatively minor observations though. When you mentioned that Winooski and Lake Champlain flowed north you notably ignored the CT river which flows south. Maybe the CT is too shallow to be of any value but it does flow south to MA. Also during WW2 the Precision valley in the Springfield VT area was so vital to the machine tool industry that it was under strict blackout and security controls due to the vital impact of machine tools on the WW2 industry in the US. Those industries were eventually replaced by competitors in other locations but for a season VT was the center of machine tool industry in the USA.
Also the big issue is Vermont hates business, like the government does. You have a base non-percentage tax for the vast majority of them called the minimum tax which businesses absolutely hate. Now days Vermont is trying to be more attractive toward tech companies in an attempt to be more of a tech hub, this is a very new development as of 2023 and with it's lack of taxation on system as a service and generally low taxes on hard-copy software, that might work. Another big reason people are leaving Vermont (the state is losing people) is because no one can afford housing here and the cost of living is absurd, so those two things need addressed before it could ever hope to gain new numbers.
Vermont is a highly taxed state. The budget of the state government is roughly the same as that of New Hampshire, but with half of the people, making the burden nearly twice as high as its neighbor.
The only reason that Vermont isn’t a national park is the Champlain Canal. It was finished in 1823, linking the lake with the Hudson River. With the ability to ship goods cheaply in and out of the Champlain Valley there was a population boom. By the 1870s Burlington was one of the biggest lumber ports in the world, transferring lumber that came down the Richelieu River from Canada. Still, anywhere farther than a days wagon ride from the lake was the backwoods. The population of Vermont was static in the mid 300,000 range from about 1850 to 1950. The mountains also inhibited the construction of railroads. There were lines up the Champlain Valley and the Connecticut River Valley, but nothing East/west south of the Winooski River. Access was as much a problem as land quality.
There was more rail travel than you mention. Even Island Pond had a rail station in 1853. And Newport in 1850 there was a rail station. Much of VT was a tourist destination even way back then.
Your historical explanation of the impact of geography on Vermont's early development is incomplete. You assert that trade was difficult to the south because the principal waterways flowed north toward Montreal rather than south to NYC. That is not correct because you ignore the impact of the very early canal development in the area and the fact that the Richelieu River was not navigable for agricultural cargo. Although the Richelieu River runs from Lake Champlain into the Saint Lawrence, it was not navigable by barges. Southward barge travel all the way from Burlington to NYC began when the Hudson/Champlain Canal linked lake Champlain's southern end to the navigable stretch of the Hudson River in 1823--about the same time as the Erie Canal opened access to the midwest. The Camby canal, which links the northern end of the lake to the Saint Lawrence (and bypasses the rapids on the Richelieu River) was not completed until 1843 -- twenty years later. Thus, as of the 1820s, Vermonters' access to markets in New York (at least those on the western side of the Green Mountains) was easier than anywhere else in the interior New England. The biggest impact on Vermont's economy and population growth in the first half of the 19th century was a byproduct of the Napoleonic wars which had an unexpected and long-lasting impact on Vermont's economy and population. You don't mention that anywhere and I wonder if you are aware of it.
You have great geography videos! I am a substitute teacher in Ridgewood, NJ. I have noticed keen interest in geography, especially among some of the Asian boys! During snack break, some of the boys assemble around the world globe and challenge each other about finding different countries. When I teach them geography, they are fascinated about Vermont but especially Maine! They are shocked that Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820, when it became a state. Even today, the residents of Maine in the south are so different than the Maine residents in the northern part of the state. Some of the Maine residents call people in southern Maine “Massholes”!
He left out the fact that the Connecticut River flows south all the way to Long Island Sound, and was a major highway for the development of inland Connecticut, central Massachusetts, and southern Vermont. It and the Hudson made it possible for the British to challenge the French. Remember, there were no roads then; the rivers were the highways. The first actual road in Vermont was built by the British military, connecting the Connecticut River to Lake Champlain.
yeah there are 3 moderate rivers that come down from Green Mountain ridge and feed into Lake Champlian, but the lake itself drains thru the larger RIchilieu river into the St. Lawrence, near Sorel, QC. FUN FACT: Lake Champlain is expressly included in the treaty ending the War of 1812, where UK and USA committed to never again building.manning warships the the Great Lakes or Lake Champlain. There was an actual Naval bombardment of Burlington back then.
I moved to VT a little over a year ago and the one thing that gets me every time I leave the house is how little trash there is on the sides of the roads. I’m from PA and I’m used to seeing trash being scattered everywhere along streets and highways. It might seem insignificant, but it’s a nice feature and does wonders for your mental health.
I wonder if the new Amtrak extension through Vermont will aid its development. it'd be even cooler if it extended to Montreal. We need to connect more with Quebec
Despite the relatively low population, housing, let alone affordable housing is hard to find. Part of that is geography, not much flatter land to build upon. The lower lying settled areas are experiencing more flooding these days. Act 250 land use law can make it challenging to build. Parts of Vermont have interstate connection, and other cities are disconnected from interstate or rail, just two-laners. Similar with Internet broadband and cell service; some parts of state are better than others. Vermont has 6 seasons. Stick season is November and early December. Mud season is late March and April. If you like skiing and hiking as I do, it's a great place to live. If you don't like winter, as I do, move to Florida instead. Vermont is more purple than you would think. VT has both a popular Republican Governor and Bernie Sanders. Burlington, Montpelier and Brattleboro are more progressive. Rest of state is more moderate or conservative. Given the small population where people know people you know, it's still relatively more civil than national politics.
As someone who grew up in Southern Alberta but now lives on the west coast, I get why not that many people want to deal with cold, snowy winters. If a state doesn’t have enough industry to justify a huge population draw, the population just never really develops. The only reason places like Edmonton in Canada can have over 1 million people is the oil money. I guess Vermont reminds me a bit of the more rural parts of Ontario and Quebec.
Seeing Brattleboro (with NH's Mt. Wantastiquet in background) at the 8:45 mark I was like "hey, that's my downtown-cool !". Born & raised in Maine, when I was a teen my family moved to NY state, then as an adult I chose to move to VT & have never regretted it...have lived here longer than anyplace else (nearly 29 yrs). There are aspects I like & that I dislike, but overall am quite content to be right where I am :)
I grew up on the Vermont side of the Connecticut River Valley just south of Lebanon, NH. Another reason Vermont struggles to grow it's population is a lack of jobs. My highschool class had less than 50 people in it and almost all of us, myself included, left the State after graduating. A good portion of my class moved to New Hampshire where there is NO INCOME TAX or sales tax, compared to Vermont with a high income tax and 6% sales tax. And even if you work in New Hampshire but live in Vermont, Vermont will still collect income tax off your New Hampshire income. New Hampshire by the way has a lower minimum wage than Vermont. It just makes more economic sense to live on the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River than the Vermont side.
Well that is a good sifter. Those who value having high quality roads, schools, libraries and other tax-funded services choose VT. You can see the difference the moment you cross into New Hampshire. The place has been clear-cut, strip-mined and literally rubbished. Roads are shite, and many things taken for granted as public services in other states are only available by paying for them individually in NH.
As a Vermonter, I think I speak for most when I say we prefer our state unpopulated. We want to wave to our neighbors from across the field, not hear how their day went as they speak softly to their housemates next door.
Manchester, Nashua (and Lowell, MA) were KEY manufacturing areas back then: By 1912, the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company in Manchester, New Hampshire was the largest textile manufacturing company in the ENTIRE world. It had 15,000 employees and 40 mills. It produced almost 500 miles of cloth per day.
I spent many summers attending and later working for a camp in Vermont. The terrain doesn't really lend itself to large cities, and frankly I'm just as happy they haven't tried to shoehorn anything in there. Also notable is that Vermont heavily limits commercial signs, often opposes big box stores with zoning rules, and generally zealously guards its rural and "quaint" character. Something worth mentioning in Vermont's more modern history is the "back to the land" movement of the 1970's, which led to a large influx of city-born hippies, and some conflicts between them and the "real Vermonters" from previous generations of mostly farming families. Some things to come out of that are Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and the prominent senator Bernie Sanders.
@@davidbach7003 I don't know whether they were the last state to get a Walmart, but looking through Walmart's store directory they have only 6, making them the least Walmart-ed state in the entire country (D.C. has 3, but they aren't a state) by that simple measure.
Yes, because people who own Vermont and send their children expensive summer camps rather like their quaint. The people who live and work there are to be quaint for the people who visit. Thus, if they have to drive hours to pick up Chinese made goods to live, so be it. Vermont truly is just a giant summer camp/retirement home for NYC/Boston area.
I'm from New Brunswick Canada, and Vermont has a lot in common with my home Province, maple syrup, logging, just two major rivers, the Mirmachi and the St. John River, lots of forested mountains and rough terrain, similar native tribes, no huge population metropolis', the soil is good for Potatoes though, we make A Lot of potatoes.
My wife and I have visited Burlington several times. We love the people and the whole vibe. The violent crime and murder rates are quite low, and the people are well educated.
violent crimes rates have drastically gone up.Lived here all my life.not sure what news you watch.I wouldnt go out at night in burlington without being armed.
I wouldn't say that. For it being a rural state it's still a pretty expensive state with high taxes and not that much economic opportunity but it's cool to visit during the fall
Great video, however there are several other reasons people don't live here. Mainly because the citizens of Vermont have been fending off the rich fleeing like rats from the cities ever since COVID. This isn't a very public thing, but many people in my area are refusing to split up their land for development and there's a good chance they wouldn't even sell to anyone who doesn't already live here. It's nothing personal but Vermont citizens do not want more people moving here, the gentrification is something that is very much hated on. There are some more populated areas like burlington, and while those areas may have different intentions, the citizens are growing more upset because of those areas and population increases. There's a reason why Vermont is beautiful and that's because of its lack of people. We didn't mow down our trees to put in billboards, we didn't drain our lakes and swamps for farmland, and a large percentage of us do not want that to change. If you wanna know what it's like to live a quaint life in Vermont, surrounded by the sounds and beauty of nature, get an axe and a shovel and work in the cold until your hands bleed. This is what the tourists and the rich don't see. Good people working their fingers to the bone trying to create/pay for the interests of the ones who come here for only a few months. Come and visit, enjoy the sights, go on a hike and have some maple syrup or whatever quaint crap people think Vermont is about, but please go back to the flatlands when the leaves turn.
That Thumbnail indicated that Vermont has the same population size close to Wyoming. Also the crazy part is that the entire populations of both Vermont and Wyoming can fit inside San Jose, California.
That's a trip when you think about it. According to Google, Vermont's population is 647,064 and Wyoming's population is 581,381 while San Jose's population is 971,233 (although it used to be over 1 million but has lost population since then). There have been population losses in several of the biggest cities in California like Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Oakland, etc. However, according to some sources, the trend of population loss might be slowing down and/or reversing. The population numbers are as of 2022 so it has presumably changed since then. The trends of loss are based on comparisons between 2020 and 2024 which will undoubtedly also change. The entire San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland Consolidated Statistical Area (which includes the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties plus five more counties bordering the San Francisco Bay Area counties), there are almost 10 million people. This would make the San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland Consolidated Statistical Area larger in population than forty of the fifty states in the United States of America. Crazy shit.
@@milansikela8383 True but then again I looked at Santa Clara County current population figures and its in that range. Also a better argument than the one I gave. The entire populations of Vermont and Wyoming will fit inside Manhattan or the Bronx given that its in that range of 1 to 1.6 million people.
Indeed, that's crazy. Crazy as that is, think about this - Alaska is the largest U.S. state by area. It has more total area than the next three largest states - Texas, California and Montana - combined. Alaska lies in the same north latitudes of the world as Scandanavia (part of Europe). Alaska is larger than both the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Sweden. In fact it's about 4/5 the size of both those country's total land area combined. They have populations of roughly 5.5 million and 10.5 million people, respectively. And Alaska has a population of just about 733,400. Not even a million. It's the 3rd least populated state. So all the people of the USA's largest state, by far, _could also fit inside San Jose CA._
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Non merde.
Gross shill.
You lost me at war...goodbye
VT since🎉🎉 ❤1777 cool 😎🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉
@@GeographyByGeoff vt tax is garbage
For me, the relatively low population density is a major attraction, and not a negative.
As long as you are not anywhere near a city.
It's my favourite state for that reason. All the small town charm but still being progressive. Also it's close to where I live in Montréal.
I was thinking the same! 😂
@@danielcorrigan8805is it a friendly state toward ethnic groups
It's not for normal human life in the 21st c. 😐
I was born and raised in VT, lived in Maine for a few years, traveled the country for a year, and moved back to VT to get back to elderly family and start one of my own. The low population and relatively undeveloped landscape are big factors in why I came back, and the people of VT, on the whole, treat the landscape with a bit more respect than maybe the average American would. Don't expect many creature comforts; you won't find any huge shopping malls, department stores, or fast food places, and you need to be able to weather some very harsh climate (not just nasty cold in the winters, but flooding and/or humidity in summer as well). For these reasons, among others, Vermont has a vivid and colorful personality that you won't find in other states. Everywhere else I've been across the US feels more crowded, dirty, and "used". The wealth demographics are also pretty unique: a very large proportion of our citizens are upper-middle-class, which is why our state is usually known as "weirdly rich", which I would actually correct to "weirdly wealthy". There are very few rich people and there are a good number of low-income families as well. Unfortunately, since the pandemic, many people from urban areas have moved to VT or bought homes here and it is causing a huge slew of issues, primarily in the housing and real-estate markets, all while slowly degrading that "charm" we all love. I also believe development is not encouraged the same way you would see in our neighboring states, mostly to preserve the land and wildlife. New Hampshire and Maine to a pretty good job of this as well.
We are a quirky little state for sure: there are some super progressive (bordering on communist) politics, but we also have a huge amount of freedom with our firearms and the Governor is Republican. You find a ton of hippies and you find a ton of rednecks. It is a great place to hide a doomsday shelter or an equally great place to start a homestead. I absolutely love it here!
Advice for the city-slickers that move here or visit during the winter: snow tires are not a suggestion, they are a REQUIREMENT. Stop crashing into shit...
Also tell those flatlanders that drive up north to ski that having a big SUV doesn't mean you can drive 85mph in the snow, no matter what the TV commercials show.
Funny so say, "city slickers," People don't move to Vermont because it's so close to NY and Boston and their 100 miles suburb. You can just visit. Go back home. It works for Vermont and the major cities.
@@joecalcagni9615 awesome description. Thanks
@joecalcagni9615….what a great, accurate & descriptive comment 👏👏👏 👌
Great description but -- How to People Make the Morgage payments in Vt. ? -- You may need to own a Sucessful Business and have Cash reserves to move up there if you ever want to own a house. Dr. Nurse, Tradesmen , Store owner. Most resterants fail. I don't Know How Most people in Vermont are able to Afford to live there. So Few people is nice but that is also less business trafic. Skiers go to Ski Areas.
I am a Vermonter who lives in the Lebanon region as you called it. We call it the Upper Valley. You missed Act 250 as a major reason that Vermont is still not very populated. It is a state law passed in 1970 to preserve Vermont’s character and community by restricting development in the state. Permits can be denied for anything over 10 acres in a rural area and over 1 acre in a town that has no zoning rules.
@@SarahProbst-o4h how do u feel about the recent repeal that legislation overrode?
@@meteormelee it is necessary if we are going to address the statewide housing shortage.
@user-wr2sz1kj1r as a Lebanese I think I'll be coming to the Lebanon region
It seems ski areas are exempt, they pretty much do what they want. Act 250 hurts the little guy more than anyone else.
@@SMGA14 Lebanon is in New Hampshire. You would be much better off to live in NH. Vermont is one of the most liberal states in the country with some of the highest taxes. That is why people stay away from VT.
As a Vermonter, I can tell you why so few people live in the state. The simple asnwer is that we maintain a healthy distance between people. It costs a little more, but it works. A lovely place, with 10,000 trees for each of us.
It’s the civil war
Vermont residents don't want tourists, they don't want anyone in their town .... understand that?
Hm... It might be more than 10,000 per person TBH.
Whoa a real Vermonter?! I didn’t know you guys had internet up there!
@@simplesimon8255 the internet is better at my Vermont home than it is in my Connecticut home. I live on a mountain in both places. Real problem is taxes… especially after Covid they tripled in cost.
You are missing 2 key parts of the story of the populating of VT, my home state. We were on par or more advanced then most in the early part of the industrial revolution but then in the 1830's came the "famine years" with killing frost and snow in every month of the year. An exodus began and many farmers and inventers, like john deere, moved to the midwest for dire need to survive. One generation later Vermont sent thousands of their best and brightest, never to return, to fight a war to end slavery that we here had abolished peacefully decades before. VT lost more soldiers per cappita then any other state involved in the conflict known as the civil war. Through these times and on through WW 1 we out produced all New england combined in copper used both for war and domestic efforts, and out produced in marble slate and granite, literaly the building blocks of our nations capitol and, perhaps in bitter irony,the headstones of Arlington cemetary were so many vermonters lay . The floods of 1927 and 1932, back to back "100 year" flood events left VT in a condition close to as desperate as the earliest settler days. A look at census data shows that the populations of most Vermont towns {90%} have been declining since the early 1800's. Only in the 21st century are the numbers starting to grow as we exist within an above average cost of living and a below average mean income. We enjoy, for now, significantly warmer winters that threaten our maple syrup and ski industries, and we tolerate more severe weather and flood events that threaten our agricultural and infrastuctural sustainability. Also at this time the uptick in certain population and average income is added by and large by people who exist independently from the VT economy and it is hard to say if this trend is really part of the next chapter of history or just a blip on the radar. Thanks for considering these facts as part of your understanding of our little state.
Great addition! Thanks for sharing
@@richardgaiotti1582accurate and very nicely stated, fellow Vermonter
Your state is a communist hell hole.
No wonder population is declining, liberalism is harmful to human civilization.
@@richardgaiotti1582 , what percentage of your population was and is African American?
Fun fact: Vermont got its name from the green mountains that it has, and that name literally translates to "Green Mountain" in French (Vert = Green ; Mont = Mountain).
It's psuedo-French-ish. green mountain = montagne Verte
@@AndyDustmanInteresting, it's French vocabulary with English adjective structure haha. I never thought about that before.
It is also translatable as spanish. Verde montana.
It literally translates to "worm mount"😂
@@Explorerlloyd actually, worm is ver and green is vert… Subtleties of the French language 😂😂😂 BTW, I’m a French speaking Québécois. I live in Magog just a few miles north of Vermont.
You should do a video on why Vermont is so rich but yet West Virginia is so poor when both have the same mountainous terrain and geographic challenges
Answer: Inbreeding.
Reason: next to 3 of the richest states in the country
@@mitchellcoonahan5798 and how does that help us in VT? 😅 We don't share tax money, do you know how anything works?
@@mitchellcoonahan5798 WV has virginia and PA, two pretty wealthy states. Plus kentucky is relatively well off too, they don't lack rich neighbors
@@FrigginCatsBruhthere’s a lot more traveling between states than tax money buddy lol
Humans, disease, economic conditions, weather, proximity to important places, etc
I am more than happy to keep the state small. part of its beauty
The war thunder ad just about shook me off this educational piece. I am here to learn about Vermont. Please, Geoff...choose wisely & show integrity in all facets when administering your channel.
I grew up in Vermont in a town just north of Burlington. On the one hand, you grow up very much in tune with nature and the seasons and the entire state has a small town feel where people are friendly and are happy to visit, borrow, and barter with their neighbors. We made apple cider and maple syrup from our trees and traded for pork and beef from neighbors with hobby farms. On the other hand, it really can feel very remote to those who visit from the major population centers who expect the same creature comforts. Do NOT expect to find a Starbucks anywhere outside of Burlington. There is only ONE Target store in the whole state, which only opened about five years ago. Most fast food chains are not in Vermont. A lot of trends in culture and technology are slow to be adopted (good luck finding an Uber or Lyft anywhere outside of Burlington!). So for those who want a break from modern society, Vermont is a paradise!
Hi there! I’m from NH, I’ve been military for 8 years in AZ and MO and am moving to St Albans (working in South Burlington at the base) in June. Did you like the area north of Burlington? In very familiar with the small town life and am excited for that.
And it’s a 98% predominantly white state ❤❤❤❤❤!
Well,it sounds like a backward countryside which is inhabited by hillbillies and hicks… But it ain’t true fortunately. It’s rather WV.
@@MalikWashington-o6y
With that attitude, don't come here.
@@MalikWashington-o6ycan be. Especially Franklin county which is where I’m from
From the comments I totally see why Vermont is not highly populated and is backward. The people dont want everything "chain". They want down-home. They want tiny community, and mom 'n pop places. To be original, unique, small and not commercial, crowded, and criminalized. That's a breath of fresh air!
@elizabethjohnson475 I wouldn't call them "backward".
Tried living there. Left after six months. Too expensive and high taxes, especially income taxes
The comments give you no more real knowledge than a Republican or communist TV ad. I have been to Vermont about ten times, and I can tell you IT IS NOT BACKWARD!
Vermont is not backwards..
@@verapower808 how about old-fashioned? In their belief system? To prize people more than money, status, big gov, etc?
Born in VT, lived here almost 67 years and love it here. Have worked both here in VT and nearby in MA for the past 50+ years, and if you have any abilities to do anything constructive, or are trained in almost any kind of trade, there's lots of work and business to be had. It's a great place to live, and not far (where we live) from some larger cities in NY and MA. I like it just the way it is.
Lies. There are very few jobs in VT, cost of living is super high, taxes high. It's a state for retirees who have a bit of money.
Fun show, thanks! As a Vermonter myself, I completely agree with the comments of other Vermonters here. Something I would add regarding what makes the state unique is its lack of billboards. This is one of those things for which I'm forever grateful when travelling to other states. I've travelled the world and lived in quite a few countries, but Vermont is the only place I've ever lived where I feel I'm on perpetual holiday. And no matter where else I go now, I just can't wait to come back here. Also, longtime Vermonters are of a certain type: independent, hardy, resourceful, yet community-minded. Cheers!
I met a young woman in Los Angeles who was from Vermont. She told me that Vermont is a beautiful, wonderful place to grow up all the way to the end of college. But after that and you're now an adult responsible for yourself. It's time to leave Vermont for the big urban cities to find a job career which is very difficult to do in Vermont.
I'm from Vermont too, and can attest to this! Many people leave Vermont after college for jobs in Boston, NY, DC, etc. and then return once they're ready to start a family. So with few professional jobs available, recent college grads are competing for limited jobs with those in their early thirties who just spent eight years working in a big city. It's not uncommon to have waiters and waitresses with college degrees as that's one of the best options for many in their 20's who really want to stay in Vermont but cannot find another job.
Yeah, I wonder why there's no jobs. Real vermonters stay and create something or get addicted to drugs 😅
@@clav93089 Isn't that really sad, to have to work as a waiter or waitress after college graduation? Have you ever considered that the Vermont politicians don't want economic growth. It would mean an influx of people into Vermont bringing higher rentals and real estate prices; more crime and pollution. No one wants the Californiazation of their state. Vermont politicians might be perfectly satisfied as things are right now, even if young Vermonters have to leave the state. Other states with small populations are quite happy that way as well even if it means poor economic and job prospects. No Californiazation here!
@@jeffyoung60 I grew up there and left in the late 70's, went back in the late 80's and watched the wealthy people come up from the large metro areas. They bought large parcels and forced the original dairy farmers out, not that giving that up to retire rich broke their hearts but it completely changed the politics. Now it's "forever green" and a bunch of rich NIMBY's.
I’m also from Vermont and i feel the same. Once you cross the mass state line you won’t wanna go back. And the snow. Lord the snow…..
What you didn’t mention was Vermont’s quarries, which provided the marble for many of Washington DC’s monuments. Skilled Italian craftsmen fashioned the stone, while the Irish built the railways to haul it to its destination. Consequently we have Celtic music and great Italian food.😉
A little bit misleading. If you included everything from the Adirondacks to the White Mountains, it's all pretty much empty. Vermont just happens to sit in the middle of that area. In fact Burlington is basically the metro center of that whole region.
Yeah, I was thinking this, too. The population for NY state includes NYC area and Long Island where most of the people actually live. The population for Massachusetts is mainly centered around Boston to the east.
@@marknc9616 massachusetts is relatively dense all around; the extremely thick forests tend to hide this but i do agree that it's unfair to use new york's high population here
"Metro Center" is a very generous way of describing Burlington. 😅 There's not much there other than the University of Vermont and they've dedicated a decent chunk of their property to a cow barn.....
@@tehGazzy I think he meant "open air homeless shelter."
I like Geoff but this whole video series is that type of misleading. It’s not that interesting why Wyoming is the least populated state, like it’s mostly desert and it’s really far west. I don’t think we need dozens of these lol
I live in NY, about 35 minutes from the VT border. I can tell you that it is a different place the moment you cross that border.
Could you be more specific? I'd like to know more. Thanks
@mortensenvick5711 Remember NY is one of the most populated states right next to the least populated state. But it's not just that. The terrain is very mountainous. It is very green. There just aren't as many signs of human habitation. Less houses cut out of the greenery in those hills. Less roads, less towns, all of it. Also even the highways are different. If I remember they had less shoulder than NY. Remember if their population is so much smaller, then they have less tax base to pull from to pay for highways and such. If you are into more forest and less people then that is the place.
@@arieljones4595 Interesting thanks
It sure is. It got even more pronounced during covid.
I went to school in Vermont and spent a few summers there. Winters are brutal but the summers are amazing!
Winters are not so bad anymore 😢
Fun fact: There are more ski resorts than McDonald’s locations in Vermont!
No, there are not. Their used to be, but not no.
@@atrifle8364well, it has the only state capitol that does not have one.
@@Masons4Libertya McDonalds?
Nope. I've lived in VT my whole life.
There are six (MCD’s) in the Burlington area and about nineteen total in the state, so would have to find that many ski areas (or resorts), can it include private ones that might be cross country only like the Hermitage, etc., probably, but still have to tally them up. Find ‘em and count ‘em.
P.S. And I have just done it. It’s a tie, add in one or two private ones like the one mentioned above and the ski areas still lead. Ski.
I’m from Maine but I have family in Vermont. Once a year (with the obvious exception of the Covid years), we would visit that family. Vermont is a really nice state.
And so is Maine!
I've spent months of my time driving up from Maryland to Vermont to snowboard. I love it there. old school feel and quiet and peaceful. Every time I Pass the Bennington monument headed towards Dover up the mountain passes like Suddenly everyone is gone, and you feel a sense of emptiness as soon as you cross the border. Killington, Stowe, Sugarbush, and Jay Peak are my favs.
I love having dinner in front of the fireplace at the Stowe Away Inn. It's fun to throw another log on the fire and the ambiance is great.
@@Kathleen67. I stayed at the Gray Ghost inn one time it had a couple nice fireplaces inside that remids me of.
It is spelled "border"
@@slickwoodworker3023 Thank you
no Mad RIve Glen, the one place that has intentionally tried to keep the older spirit of non giant corporate resorts?
Fun Fact: The Ethan Allen "Express": is an Amtrak line that goes from NYC, now to Burlington, VT.
If they can get that line to Montreal then we got something
I don't believe it runs more than once a day. And you will learn some odd stuff happens after Springfield MA going north (slow going).
@@ingibingi2000 there was an older route back inthe 80s called the Montrealer, which began in Montreal. I actually took it from Essex Jct (Burlington) down to NY and then took one all the way to Newport News and then a bus around the harbor to the Naval Hospital for my first duty station post boot camp and Corps School.. JUly 1985 . Man almost 40 years ago o.0
@@ingibingi2000 Amtrak's Adirondack goes up the western shoreline of Lake Champlain in NYS to Montreal, although service seems to have stopped at Saratoga Springs recently due to issues regarding track maintenance. I have ridden that route when it was running all the way to Canada, and the scenic views are gorgeous. I hope they reinstate it soon.
that amtrak line passes my job at 10am everyday i always go “there goes the amtrak” before turning around to see it
I thought Vermont was a figment of Bob's imagination. Dick Louden, the Stratford Inn, and Vermont are all just part of a dream.
Hi! My name is George Utley. Got anything you want fixed … poorly?
This video is also part of the dream.
Very real, I love Vermont.
You should wear more sweaters 😂
George Utley I have some work for you but I can’t reach you because you still 14:09 don’t have a f**kin’ phone (land line or other wise) !!!!😂
I was just in Vermont. Went to pick up a small diesel engine and stop and see my nephew and his family. Two of my sisters lived in Vermont for more than 20 years. You have vastly underestimated the geography as it influences the state. First, you cain't get there from here. Literally. From Bennington to Brattleboro 30 something miles, minimum one hour,, on a good day. Some winter snowfall? Tomorrow or the next day. The state is actually 2 separate north/south mountain ridges. Connecticut River to the east,, the valley is only a mile or so wide, then it is vertical again. Route 100 up the center of the state. The only farmland is courtesy of beavers making flat land since the Ice Age,, a couple miles wide. To the west again,,, a couple miles wide,, or a bit more the Lake Champlain valley. To get from the engine to the nephews house,, straight line distance of 110 miles,, took 4 hours,, on the interstate.. Remember the "You cain't get there from here."? And as I said,, spice the trip with a bit of weather,, your entire ski weekend can be,, and sometimes is, just the drive to and from,, you never get to put on your skis. AND you skipped a season. Vermont has 5 seasons. Remember the shallow bit of topsoil, glacial till? In 'Spring' ? there is an extra season called Mud Season. Unpaved roads some years, become entirely unusable. Bulldozers sunk to their seat Milk trucks waiting sunk in the road until they can be dug out some days later. You wear rubber over boots to walk across the road for the morning milk and eggs chores.
647,000 residents is just a new high. Did not used to be even that many.
4 hours to any destination in VT? An hour from Bratt to Bennington? Are you crawling? Nobody spends all weekend on the roads here trying to get to their ski destination no matter how much snow we get. Your description of the State is incorrect. Yes, we have mud season, just like NH and ME. Entirely unusable? Maybe for your little vehicle, we are prepared. Bulldozer sunk to the seat? Yea, sure, when did you ever see that? We're much smarter than that. You sound like a typical flatlander.
@@NEKingdom241 Sorry Mister,, I have lots of time in Vermont. I will grant you most of my time was in the 1970s and 1980s. And yes, I have seen a bulldozer sunk to its seat, dirt road west of Bolton. I have seen a milk truck sunk to the top of its wheels, on Crossroad, Colbyville, spent an extra day,,a Saturday in Lebanon waiting for 89 to reopen. Driven Route 100 a hundred times, one sister Warren, Waitsfield, another Waterbury Center. Now has the weather gotten vastly easier in the 2000s,, probably. Better machines to maintain the roads, certainly. But you just tell me how long it takes you to go from Burlington to Utica,, granted into NY State, 135 miles as the crow flies. Everywhere else in the country that's 2 hours. If there is a little fog off the lake like there was a month ago,,, that 2 hours is 10 hours. And yeah,, you passed me between Bratt and Battle, Dodge pickup ?,, I was doing the speed limit. And the last time on that road was 40 years ago. It still is a twisty, turny, don't take your eyes off the road. And from door to door at the speed limit, from the farm in Putney to Nephew's in Colchester 120 miles as the crow flies, 4 solid hours, plus a little. Geography has everything to do with the development of Vermont. Danged little flat land, and roads that take twice and three times the distance traveled to get there. I love Vermont,, I may yet move back there someday.
@@Sailor376also Burlington to Utica? That trip is on NY, just hop the ferry across the lake, simple. Nobody, and I mean nobody does 65 on the interstate in VT, but even if you did, that trip to Colchester is only about 2 hours and 10 minutes, 144 miles. Champlain Valley never gets the frost the rest of the state does, especially the NEK where I live, so burying a dozer in the mud is simple operator error. The biggest issue for people from away is the lack of east/west main roads. The trip over the mountain from Bratt to Bennington is only 40 miles, but it does take about an hour due to low speed limits through towns. Same with Rte 4 from WRJ to Rutland, only about 45 miles and used to take about 45 minutes. Now with all the traffic and tourists it takes over an hour. Most Vermonter's really don't mind, we're in no hurry. Takes me 20 minute to get to the small local store.
@@NEKingdom241 I don't think we are so far apart. Keep in mind my frequent times in Vermont were 40 years ago. But that lack of east/west,, absolutely And my trip from Colchester to Utica just a few weeks ago,,, reminded me mightily of Vermont of 40 years ago, BTW, at night. Boy was that a mistake,, My bad., My point remains,, especially if you look 200 years in the past, when all of this was laid out. Relative its size, Vermont is hard to get around. And I AM spoiled. Michigan, Northwest homesteading laws roads are square and straight, with exceptions every mile. With boring 'creative' names like (14 mile Road,, 12 Mile road, ,,,,) Or Nebraska,, with one S bend in 500 miles of interstate at Lincoln. Vermont is beautiful. And lives up to its name of Green Mountain, Vert Mont
Boy, you are spot on about the mountain ranges…. Truly, you can’t get from here to there. I too, was surprised that the author hadn’t mentioned one of the most significant reasons for lower population and industry, the difficulty in going east/west. The damn mountains keep getting in the way!
If you create products, you want to be able to sell them to a large market and getting your products to those markets is a considerable challenge, it doesn’t make a great dealer sense to locate manufacturing where your products are physically isolated from distribution networks.
I live in southeastern Vermont and the difference in topography when looking across the Connecticut River is marked as the mountains drop off in New Hampshire and there is a lot more area conducive to farming.
I was born and raised in VT but moved out as quickly as I could. Good jobs are very hard to come by. The winters really wear you down. Alcoholism and drug use are a very common way of life. A lot of people I grew up with (myself included) struggled with depression quite badly in the winter months. I thought this was just a normal thing until I moved to NC and realized depression is not the norm. It’s a very tough place to live especially in the smaller towns.
I just visited Vermont for the first time last week. Truly beautiful. Came back with maple syrup and cheese ;-)
Woodstock or Stowe?
My friend lives there, he sent me a huge tub of it for Christmas a coue years ago.
@@southport5232
lol! Neither is recognized by native Vermonters😂
@@thegreeninvasion5511 never fails…
@@thegreeninvasion5511 😂😂 very accurate
When you highlighted the Winooski River, you actually highlighted the Lamoille River. The Winooski is further south and runs parallel to i89 for much of its length.
the Winooski river was the one place of even minor industrialization, with al the mills on the river near Burlington. See Lawrence, Mass.
I’m 35, born and raised in north west VT. This state is beautiful, but the cost of living and taxes force many out. VT legislature is more concerned about collecting tax revenue than sustaining the population.
Just came through your old neighborhood two months ago, crossing the US 2 bridge at Alburgh. What an incredibly beautiful place!
Yep. The government is completely indifferent to the flight of young VTers. Kids are just school bills. It's a retirement community now.
@@atrifle8364 Perhaps that's why I (a Boomer) found it so beautiful.
It's forcing more and more out! Our tax is as high as florida and California at 11% and we have nothing compared to those two states. There's nothing here to do unless you ski/snowboard and can afford the expensive equipment and the daily lift ticket. Over the last ten years the snow falls and melts the next day in most of the state. Our summer lasts 3 -4 months. Then it's cold and everything is brown and dead! If I ever have enough money to move, I'd be gone from here asap.
Read the Bio's of all of our elected officials and you'll find most didn't grow up here, they came from other places where they learned different values than we did growing up in VT. That's our biggest problem, out of state elected officials.
The images of Vermont in most Americans' minds is that of autumn and early winter picturesque scenery found on calendars.
And they are true pictures and that is what Vermont is like.
@@lindakingsley-gx2td yasss
Too bad they don't show mud season.
Vermont in autumn gotta be one of the most beautiful things to see in the country.
@@YouCanCallMeReTro Totally agree. I miss Autumn in the north east so much. It is and was my favorite time of year.
11:21 fun fact: locals call it “Leb-a-nin” unlike the country, Lebanon
Actually, locals just call it "Leb" 🤷♂
Yep. I made a post about Leba-nin here too!
@@TristanCunningham55 you can tell who is local and who is not by the way they pronounce cities like Lebanon, Charlotte and Barre, name a few
I grew up in Lebanin ;-) Never called it Leb. Another fun fact from other comments: calling someone a flatlander is a pretty big insult.
From NH, can concur
So love Vermont; I was born there and lived many years of my life there. Moved away from VT 15 years ago.
Vermont is an expensive place to live. The real estate prices for land or houses, apartment and home rental prices, property taxes, school taxes, income taxes, and the tax on Social Security are so high.
As for jobs, in the late 1980’s a change began to be seen with the manufacturing plants once located there. Decades ago, small towns used to have small manufacturing plants, such as Milton Bradley in Milton, Chemical Fabrics in North Bennington, etc. With the state’s increase of taxes on manufacturing plants and the cost of electricity, businesses could no longer afford to exist in Vermont. The majority of the manufacturing plants either closed, moved to southern states, or out of the country.
Vermont still has the tourists, but it is not what it used to be. From the borders with MA and NY, up through to downtown Manchester, so many of the once busy tourist attractions and stores are now closed.
There also used to be numerous small hydroelectric plants scattered all over Vermont. Am not sure that I know of any that still exist, which once was an inexpensive and renewable source for electricity. There was a partial change to a nuclear power plant decades ago, but I think that nuclear plant closed awhile ago.
The cost of electricity for everyone in VT is so expensive.
This tidbit may be decades old now, but the about 1/2 of the inhabitants of Vermont were not born in Vermont. Influx of people who could afford to live there.
VT will always be in my heart, and remains a beautiful and lovely place to visit.
Because there’s little economic reason. Just like every other of these videos. It’s all economics. No major harbors, no navigable rivers, heavily mountainous terrain makes development difficult. It’s the West Virginia of New England. People only move there to retire or to get away from Boston or NY. It has a really high cost of living despite its population and most of its population lives on the border with NY, specifically along the lake.
Act 250 as well. This is more so the reason. Plenty of other mountainous areas including New Hampshire. In fact the whites are bigger than the greens. There is no reason Burlington couldn’t build up like Manchester other than the people prevent it. They don’t allow building. It is very difficult. And they wanna make it harder! Bc these extreme progressives have taken over. They want to get rid of roads and be bikes bikes bikes. They have prevented the building of the full spur route 189 for over 60 years. It’s a never ending battle up there. But under act. 250 1 person can derail an entire project. And it happens all the time. There is no progress in that state. Despite them claiming to be progressives.
@@hiphoppeep We don't want to be like Manchester, NH., which turned into N. Boston about 20 years ago.
@@NEKingdom241 yeah, but three quarters of NH is still rural and quaint. The states future is secured because of the large urban area full of industry in the southeast corner. Can Vermont say the same? Because the outlook from what I've read doesn't look so rosy.
Also, Manchester really isn't as bad as people make it out to be. People from outside New England typically think it's a nice midsized city, it just has a lot of issues for our ridiculously high Northern New England standards lol. I also think Burlington could avoid most of those issues if they decide to allow expansion.
@@PenskePC17 The North Boston spread has now reached the Upper Valley. Lebanon is turning into what Manchester was 20 years ago. I'd say 1/2 of NH is rural and quaint now, and changing fast. Most of the issues in the Burlington area have come about in the past 30 years or so due to Liberal leadership. Actually, most of VT issues come from liberal leadership including the Democrat super majority that we just voted out.
@@NEKingdom241 Manchester was still 10x the size of Lebanon 20 years ago. The towns around are what have grown so significantly, like Bedford and Londonderry, but the city itself hasnt had a new high rise built since the mid 90s, and thats all that can really be done because theyre out of room. There's a massive gap in urban/suburban between the NH population center and the Lebanon area. There's like 75 miles of forest on I89 before you hit the upper valley. The sprawl ends 15 miles west of Manchester
Lot of reasons. First as they stated Vermont is pretty much New Hampshire with sky high taxes. The areas in the surrounding states in NY MA and NH are low population. The main border town is Lebanon, NH with Dartmouth College- across from White River Junction, VT with most of the people on the NH side. In New Hampshire the majority of the population is in the SE corner of the state (Nashua, Manchester, Portsmouth). The state has no coastline
My dad lived in Vermont for 20 years starting in the early 90s he lived in a town called Barton this particular town was about 15 miles from the Canadian border closest major town was a guess Newport I absolutely loved going up there to visit the state is so clean and beautiful with nice people
Vermont is New Hampshire without adequate roads. That is the only difference and when it gets FRIGID, you might prefer a straighter, wider road.
True. Driving across VT from Bennington to Brattleboro, requires you and your car to both be playing your "A game". Likewise for my trips to visit Middlebury when one of my kids went to school there. What's a "scenic road" in the summer, is a technical challenge for even a good driver in winter.
Empty is good. Who needs a big population?!
A friend of mine who has a place in Cavendish described the state as "one big, small town." He told me several towns do not have police departments, which draws those for whom gun rights rank superior to all others. If you need emergency medical services, e.g. a hospital-911, then you better hope you're on good terms with your "neighbors" and that they are home. Springfield, VT and Lebanon, NH are the only "close" regional hospitals. If someone breaks in, you place two calls: one to the police, the second to morgue. By the time the former arrives, they'll be bringing one of you out.
The presenter also neglected to address Act 250. This legislation contributes in large part to the reason big box stores have no locations in Vermont and compounds the geographic and topographic reasons for a small population. Most Vermonters, from my limited experience, however, enjoy that.
All the tough-guy Grizzly Adams' love the isolation until, for whatever reason, they truly need one or more of the above services. The irony is that in Vermont neighbors genuinely look out for one another, but there remain many desolate parts.
@@michaellavin6417 I wouldn't be too worried. It's not northern Alaska.
Facts.
Because Vermont missed out on the Industrial Revolution and has rocky terrain not ideal for large-scale agriculture, the economy really had to focus on small-scale farming and manufacturing out of necessity. Several decades later, craft industries became the trendy alternative to large-scale industrial products that used too many chemicals, cut corners on quality, and took advantage of workers. So Vermont was primed for companies that focused on quality craft goods like Ben and Jerry's, Cabot Creamery, Darn Tough Socks, Green Mountain Coffee, Seventh Generation, etc. to take off and "Made in Vermont" became a tagline that symbolized socially responsible business and high-quality products.
Ben and Jerry is super expensive
@@paxundpeace9970 Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream is wholly owned by Royal Ahold Corporation of the Netherlands.
Explains why there are no whole foods there lmao
Vermont's Conn.River Valley was an important part of the industrial revolution. Visit the Precision Machine Museum in Windsor. Water power was the primary driver for machines before the fossil fuel era.
If you think VT has rocky terrain, look across the river in the Granite State. Totally different including the trees as soon as you cross the river.
Being a former New Englander, (Connecticut), I am very familiar
with Vermont. I used to love going to Vermont for weekend
camping trips. I always dreamed of living there. What kept me
away was the employment situation. Not many good-paying
jobs to go around. Now that I am retired and can afford to
live in Vermont, the snow and ice and cold weather keep me
from moving there. (I live in Florida now). So in a nutshell,
poor salaries and cold weather keep people from living
in a beautiful and picturesque place like Vermont.
Funny enough, I used to live in Vermont. It’s a lovely place, and it’s very rural. The big population center is Burlington, which isn’t a particularly big city, and most of the state lives in small towns and hamlets.
Thanks for the background....I often wondered why Vermont is so lightly populated. Let's keep it that way! Send everybody to the sunbelt! Love how beautiful Vermont is!!!
Green mountain state isnt just a nickname, its litteraly its name, vert meant green and mont means mountain in french
"ver" in French is worm, "mont" is mont, so Vermont means "worm mont." "Vert" is French for green, but the state's name is not Vertmont.
Taxation is terrible and the state tries to survive on services and not longer offers many export products.
Born and raised there. Cant afford to retire there.
I spent this past winter season in Burlington, VT to try to see if I'd actually want to relocate there as a resident. It was a nice quirky little town and Vermont as a state is gorgeous no doubt. The reality of sparse housing with an expensive cost was settling in and its no joke. They've had a housing issue for some years now and especially in Burlington which is a college town mostly. Decided not to seek permanent residency there due to these reasons. It's nice to be so close to Montreal though as I went a few times. Definitely love the community and hippie vibe VT offers though.
Currently live in Burlington, I would recommend living in one of the surrounding towns and not the city itself. They're cheaper, and honestly Burlington has gone really downhill just the past few years.
Burlington may as well be a separate state! The majority of its population are college students from out of state or their wealthy parents!
Johnboy, A man has no business...
Montrealer here. Love our neighbours in Vermont and upstate New York. Sometimes wish we could discuss trading southern Alberta and the city of Toronto to the US in exchange for Vermont and northern Washington state. Until then, love to visit.
Champlain Canal made the Queen City, Burlington, VT an industrial center. The video says that shipping was only north, this isn’t accurate when you factor the canal shipping in.
I was also waiting for a mention of the Champlain Canal in the video. It would have been interesting to include the development of that canal and what changes it led to.
The Erie Canal is another interesting topic.
Never been to Vermont but it seems like a beautiful quaint little corner of America to visit.
I have it’s such an amazing state and there are alot of Mountains. The scenery is amazing
You pretty much summed Vermont. Quaint and natural but don't expect anything else.
Act 250 is a law that keeps the state beautiful, but makes it very difficult to build anything. Any new commercial structure must go through extensive review and approval to ensure it does not interfere with the state's natural beauty. But it's part of why starting a business or building a residential development takes a long time, which stalls growth and inflates housing prices. The other reason is local opposition to new development. So many homes are old farm houses, and local residents make a big deal over any type of new construction, complaining that a four-story building will cast a shadow over their town or a row of townhomes will destroy the local character. So nothing gets built and homeowners must pay higher taxes per person to keep up with maintaining aging buildings and infrastructure.
It’s awful. I hate it. It needs to be repealed. My entire family hates it. Thankfully I no longer live there and you’ll never find such a law in ms. But it is absolutely killing that state. I crossed the mass state line for the first time in college and it was tbh s life changing moment. I had cell service. There was 3 lanes. There was actual buildings and signs. Vermont is so isolating. And you don’t realize what you are missing til you leave. I’ll never go back
That certainly doesn’t look to be the case in Chittenden county. Single family, duplexes, town houses and apartment buildings are going up at a rapid rate. There is more building going on than tradesmen and the utility company’s can keep up with.
Well your history of the state is a little baked. New Hampshire until only in the last 30 years had less than 800,000 people. It's the sprawl of the Boston suburbs and the Exodus from Massachusetts that has boosted the population of New Hampshire and the direct line of 93 to the Great lake. In the 19th century however There were railroads that connected Connecticut valley and the Hudson valley. The population of Vermont New Hampshire and Maine rurally shrunk considerably as the Northwest Territories and the far west in territories opened especially post civil war. There was a constant drain to the west or down valleys to City Life. Life on a New England farm is tough, Winter is cold the soil sucks and if you can make money in the city working a factory job it's a lot easier then and now.. as I said this is a story all across Northern New England not just Vermont. If you included the region of New Hampshire above Concord and Maine 20 miles inland from the coast you would find the same situation. For that matter New York state as well
I love the fact that billboards are not allowed on Vermont’s roads
Native Vermonter here. There's actually been quite of bit of ingenuity and innovation from VT. Too many to list here, but we have a sort of "make it happen" fortitude.
The name Vermont is a combination of two French words vert and mont meaning green mountain.
Moved there from the southwest US in the mid 2000s for a job and lived there for 10 years. Still live nearby in NH/MA. Love VT. People in VT were very friendly and welcoming of this flatlander. 😆
Green mountain/vermont = vert/green - mount/ mountain. as well, Pls note your depiction of where the appalachians are is incorrect in northern nys. They don't exist there. They are the adirondacks, a totally different, and much older mountain range. the catskills, greens, whites, berkshires are all part of the Appalachians,,,not the adirondacks
Fun fact: Not only are we the #1 producer of maple syrup in the country, we are #1 when it comes to taste and flavor. All other states and countries that produce maple syrup don't even come close to ours (sorry NH, NY, ME and Canada😢).
Fun fact: In VT, maple syrup has its own food group😋😋
#ilovemaplesyrup
I grew up in New York and now live in Maine, yet I have never been to Vermont. It's not on the way to anything. I-95 misses it, and I-87 doesn't have a good way to get there without taking a ferry across Lake Champlain. You really have to want to go there.
You can exit I-87 at Exit 20 (Lake George) and be at the Vermont border in 35 minutes, no ferry involved.
From Boston, it’s a Route 2 drive which is okay, but even that becomes just a two lane road in central Mass, generally then it’s up 91.
And we like it like that😂
@@BarryWilkinson Do Saratoga people go there
@@John572d4 Yes, and we Southern Vermonters often go to Saratoga too. It's the nearest mall and has conveniences that VT doesn't have as far as shopping goes.
Why So Few Americans Live In Vermont. It's getting too expensive to live here. And we're being taxed to death!!
Exactly!
That is the only reason I no longer live there.
Same reason much of Canada is empty. You have to provide everything you need yourself, when far from a town or city.
Absolutely true. I can't afford to retire here and will be gone in a few years.
Watch put states like Florida are getting really expensive. @@JonHosford
You should look into 2nd home ownership. Lived here my whole life. In my town alone, more than half the homes are considered 2nd homes and those folks aren't considered residents
The legislature here, ever eager to steal more money from people, tacked on an additional 3.4 pct tax on the purchase and sale of a second home.
I’ve noticed that nobody can make a video about the New England region without using the word “nestled.”
Vermont in many many ways seems like a lost Canadian province akin to New Brunswick in both population and ethno-religious make up... Not to mention politically. Vermont seems like the only place really fully aligned with the Canadian vision of the world... I.e. progressive, high taxes on the wealthy, eco-conscious... But also the fact it's entirely dependent on Hydro-Quebec to keep the lights on once it switched off its own nuclear power plant, which even as a Canadian, seems nutty!
It's true that Northern VT feels more like Canada than the US.
and Burlington got rid of pits polluting coal(?) plant along the waterfront.
Denuclearization was a catastrophe, and that will become even more clear as we switch to unreliable renewables.
Calling a Vermonter Canadian is fighting words. Just kidding. I live 9 miles from the Canadian border in Enosburg Falls. It sure feels like America here to me, until you go over the border.
We never had a nuclear plant. That was NH
What a ridiculous question. I’ve skied in Vermont a few times. It is beautiful with a lot of natural resources , but just like Maine, New Hampshire, Minnesota, it is COLD. I met someone from Minnesota with a tee shirt saying Minnesota 40 below keeps the rift raft out.
It is very expensive to live in Vermont. And the answer to lowering the cost of living can NOT be higher tax rates on things already taxed (ex. Income, property, sales) and run by various government agencies. The above average per capita tax burden definitely contributes to the high cost of living in VT. The restrictions on building and commerce help to keep living costs high.
Vermont is a great place to visit but affording to be able to live there is nearly impossible, imho.
Nice state, being from NYC area, very
popular for sking and in the summer
too. Being now in New Hampshire,
double the VT population a lot due
to the southern part of the state being
near to the Boston area. 😊
Lots of people living in southern NH work in MA
The story of the merino sheep in Vermont is really interesting. People started raising sheep, so a lot of the small farms were consolidated into larger farms. When people out west (with a whole lot more land) were able to sell their wool at lower prices, the economy collapsed and a lot of people moved from Vermont to the midwest or into Boston to work in the factories.
Vermont has fewer people than Alaska
Well it's way too mountainous and the police are gestapo
Alaska is a few times larger and as soon as your neighboor things you have slept with his wife you better have to leave the state.
well it didnt have a fur or gold rush either, and no huge military bases. YOu can see Quebec from your window, but not Russia :P
Anchorage ended up becoming a major metro area, with Fairbanks a good chunk behind. Not such industrial boom , as the ripple effect of all the people left behind from teh Gold Rush, and then the various industires like OIL. Once the oil boom hit, THEN Anchorage exploded.
@@williamberry8895 don't be a pos and break the law. Commonsense.
Do you realize how large Alaska is compared to Vermont?
Native Mainer here. Love the 802. The Northeast Kingdom is so beautiful.
And I’m a Vermonter who also loves Maine! 🤩
It’s butt-cold up there, for what, 7 months of the year? Lots of folks want to live in a warmer climate.
Then stay where you are.
Really liked your treatment of VT history and culture. Two relatively minor observations though. When you mentioned that Winooski and Lake Champlain flowed north you notably ignored the CT river which flows south. Maybe the CT is too shallow to be of any value but it does flow south to MA. Also during WW2 the Precision valley in the Springfield VT area was so vital to the machine tool industry that it was under strict blackout and security controls due to the vital impact of machine tools on the WW2 industry in the US. Those industries were eventually replaced by competitors in other locations but for a season VT was the center of machine tool industry in the USA.
Vermont is an underrated state. I visited Stowe a while back and it was a cool place
Also the big issue is Vermont hates business, like the government does. You have a base non-percentage tax for the vast majority of them called the minimum tax which businesses absolutely hate. Now days Vermont is trying to be more attractive toward tech companies in an attempt to be more of a tech hub, this is a very new development as of 2023 and with it's lack of taxation on system as a service and generally low taxes on hard-copy software, that might work. Another big reason people are leaving Vermont (the state is losing people) is because no one can afford housing here and the cost of living is absurd, so those two things need addressed before it could ever hope to gain new numbers.
Vermont is a highly taxed state. The budget of the state government is roughly the same as that of New Hampshire, but with half of the people, making the burden nearly twice as high as its neighbor.
The only reason that Vermont isn’t a national park is the Champlain Canal. It was finished in 1823, linking the lake with the Hudson River. With the ability to ship goods cheaply in and out of the Champlain Valley there was a population boom. By the 1870s Burlington was one of the biggest lumber ports in the world, transferring lumber that came down the Richelieu River from Canada.
Still, anywhere farther than a days wagon ride from the lake was the backwoods.
The population of Vermont was static in the mid 300,000 range from about 1850 to 1950.
The mountains also inhibited the construction of railroads. There were lines up the Champlain Valley and the Connecticut River Valley, but nothing East/west south of the Winooski River.
Access was as much a problem as land quality.
There was more rail travel than you mention. Even Island Pond had a rail station in 1853. And Newport in 1850 there was a rail station. Much of VT was a tourist destination even way back then.
Your historical explanation of the impact of geography on Vermont's early development is incomplete. You assert that trade was difficult to the south because the principal waterways flowed north toward Montreal rather than south to NYC. That is not correct because you ignore the impact of the very early canal development in the area and the fact that the Richelieu River was not navigable for agricultural cargo. Although the Richelieu River runs from Lake Champlain into the Saint Lawrence, it was not navigable by barges. Southward barge travel all the way from Burlington to NYC began when the Hudson/Champlain Canal linked lake Champlain's southern end to the navigable stretch of the Hudson River in 1823--about the same time as the Erie Canal opened access to the midwest. The Camby canal, which links the northern end of the lake to the Saint Lawrence (and bypasses the rapids on the Richelieu River) was not completed until 1843 -- twenty years later. Thus, as of the 1820s, Vermonters' access to markets in New York (at least those on the western side of the Green Mountains) was easier than anywhere else in the interior New England. The biggest impact on Vermont's economy and population growth in the first half of the 19th century was a byproduct of the Napoleonic wars which had an unexpected and long-lasting impact on Vermont's economy and population. You don't mention that anywhere and I wonder if you are aware of it.
You have great geography videos! I am a substitute teacher in Ridgewood, NJ. I have noticed keen interest in geography, especially among some of the Asian boys! During snack break, some of the boys assemble around the world globe and challenge each other about finding different countries. When I teach them geography, they are fascinated about Vermont but especially Maine! They are shocked that Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820, when it became a state. Even today, the residents of Maine in the south are so different than the Maine residents in the northern part of the state. Some of the Maine residents call people in southern Maine “Massholes”!
Really interesting. I didn't anticipate the direction of the rivers as one of the factors.
He left out the fact that the Connecticut River flows south all the way to Long Island Sound, and was a major highway for the development of inland Connecticut, central Massachusetts, and southern Vermont. It and the Hudson made it possible for the British to challenge the French.
Remember, there were no roads then; the rivers were the highways. The first actual road in Vermont was built by the British military, connecting the Connecticut River to Lake Champlain.
yeah there are 3 moderate rivers that come down from Green Mountain ridge and feed into Lake Champlian, but the lake itself drains thru the larger RIchilieu river into the St. Lawrence, near Sorel, QC.
FUN FACT: Lake Champlain is expressly included in the treaty ending the War of 1812, where UK and USA committed to never again building.manning warships the the Great Lakes or Lake Champlain. There was an actual Naval bombardment of Burlington back then.
@@ZakhadWOW I read about sunken or scuttled American warships from the Revolution found between Valcour Island and the New York shore.
@@ZakhadWOW The Champlain Canal was built from 1817-1823 connecting the southern end of Champlain to the Hudson River in NY
I moved to VT a little over a year ago and the one thing that gets me every time I leave the house is how little trash there is on the sides of the roads. I’m from PA and I’m used to seeing trash being scattered everywhere along streets and highways. It might seem insignificant, but it’s a nice feature and does wonders for your mental health.
I wonder if the new Amtrak extension through Vermont will aid its development. it'd be even cooler if it extended to Montreal. We need to connect more with Quebec
id like to see a direct line to boston as well from Burlington to Rutland then across to Ludlow and Brattleboro and down.
Despite the relatively low population, housing, let alone affordable housing is hard to find. Part of that is geography, not much flatter land to build upon. The lower lying settled areas are experiencing more flooding these days. Act 250 land use law can make it challenging to build. Parts of Vermont have interstate connection, and other cities are disconnected from interstate or rail, just two-laners. Similar with Internet broadband and cell service; some parts of state are better than others. Vermont has 6 seasons. Stick season is November and early December. Mud season is late March and April. If you like skiing and hiking as I do, it's a great place to live. If you don't like winter, as I do, move to Florida instead. Vermont is more purple than you would think. VT has both a popular Republican Governor and Bernie Sanders. Burlington, Montpelier and Brattleboro are more progressive. Rest of state is more moderate or conservative. Given the small population where people know people you know, it's still relatively more civil than national politics.
As someone who grew up in Southern Alberta but now lives on the west coast, I get why not that many people want to deal with cold, snowy winters.
If a state doesn’t have enough industry to justify a huge population draw, the population just never really develops. The only reason places like Edmonton in Canada can have over 1 million people is the oil money.
I guess Vermont reminds me a bit of the more rural parts of Ontario and Quebec.
Yes , you are right. People from Montpelier Vt love to visit Canada being so close . Lovely part of our country.
Seeing Brattleboro (with NH's Mt. Wantastiquet in background) at the 8:45 mark I was like "hey, that's my downtown-cool !". Born & raised in Maine, when I was a teen my family moved to NY state, then as an adult I chose to move to VT & have never regretted it...have lived here longer than anyplace else (nearly 29 yrs). There are aspects I like & that I dislike, but overall am quite content to be right where I am :)
Agreed. Vermont has a lack of adults 22-40. Most adults are older and established, have enough money to move north or have a second home.
Vermont is so close to Boston and NYC. You don't have to live in Vermont. You can visit. People go all the time.
I grew up on the Vermont side of the Connecticut River Valley just south of Lebanon, NH. Another reason Vermont struggles to grow it's population is a lack of jobs. My highschool class had less than 50 people in it and almost all of us, myself included, left the State after graduating. A good portion of my class moved to New Hampshire where there is NO INCOME TAX or sales tax, compared to Vermont with a high income tax and 6% sales tax. And even if you work in New Hampshire but live in Vermont, Vermont will still collect income tax off your New Hampshire income. New Hampshire by the way has a lower minimum wage than Vermont. It just makes more economic sense to live on the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River than the Vermont side.
All true, but Vermont is far more charming.
Well that is a good sifter. Those who value having high quality roads, schools, libraries and other tax-funded services choose VT. You can see the difference the moment you cross into New Hampshire. The place has been clear-cut, strip-mined and literally rubbished. Roads are shite, and many things taken for granted as public services in other states are only available by paying for them individually in NH.
@@SuperVlerik Exactly right, thank you.
Respect to Vermont for keeping it scenic and not letting people muck it up.
Shhhh..... Don't tell everyone. I'm planning on moving up there soon
Hopefully you can afford the rent. It's not cheap.
Average for 1 bedroom is $1000 a month. If you're lucky
@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812 Laughs in California prices
I am next month, got a double wide north of Burlington for 330K 😅
@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812 coming from Seattle, that's a steal
Come down to Ct. and see what $1,000 gets you. 😂
As a Vermonter, I think I speak for most when I say we prefer our state unpopulated. We want to wave to our neighbors from across the field, not hear how their day went as they speak softly to their housemates next door.
Maine is an even bigger anomaly. The size of the rest of New England together and a very expansive coastline versus Vermont's landlocked hills.
Small great state with intelligent people.I love Vermont, i live in NYS
Its name basically means Green Mountain, Ver is short for verde which means green and mont which is a variation of mount which is short for mountain.
Hi from Burlington Vermont!!!
Burlington Vermont is basically the Snortland Whoregon of the New England region
Hello from Rutland Vermont!
Hello from Essex/Colchester
Wrj here 😂
Hi from the Fingerlakes region! Give a "Good Morning" to Sen. Sanders for me!
Manchester, Nashua (and Lowell, MA) were KEY manufacturing areas back then: By 1912, the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company in Manchester, New Hampshire was the largest textile manufacturing company in the ENTIRE world. It had 15,000 employees and 40 mills. It produced almost 500 miles of cloth per day.
I spent many summers attending and later working for a camp in Vermont. The terrain doesn't really lend itself to large cities, and frankly I'm just as happy they haven't tried to shoehorn anything in there. Also notable is that Vermont heavily limits commercial signs, often opposes big box stores with zoning rules, and generally zealously guards its rural and "quaint" character.
Something worth mentioning in Vermont's more modern history is the "back to the land" movement of the 1970's, which led to a large influx of city-born hippies, and some conflicts between them and the "real Vermonters" from previous generations of mostly farming families. Some things to come out of that are Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and the prominent senator Bernie Sanders.
I think Vermont was the last state to have a WalMart.
@@davidbach7003 I don't know whether they were the last state to get a Walmart, but looking through Walmart's store directory they have only 6, making them the least Walmart-ed state in the entire country (D.C. has 3, but they aren't a state) by that simple measure.
Yes, because people who own Vermont and send their children expensive summer camps rather like their quaint. The people who live and work there are to be quaint for the people who visit. Thus, if they have to drive hours to pick up Chinese made goods to live, so be it. Vermont truly is just a giant summer camp/retirement home for NYC/Boston area.
@@atrifle8364 And a lot of us VT'ers make and have made a good living working on and maintaining their 2nd/3rd homes.
I'm from New Brunswick Canada, and Vermont has a lot in common with my home Province, maple syrup, logging, just two major rivers, the Mirmachi and the St. John River, lots of forested mountains and rough terrain, similar native tribes, no huge population metropolis', the soil is good for Potatoes though, we make A Lot of potatoes.
My wife and I have visited Burlington several times. We love the people and the whole vibe. The violent crime and murder rates are quite low, and the people are well educated.
violent crimes rates have drastically gone up.Lived here all my life.not sure what news you watch.I wouldnt go out at night in burlington without being armed.
The area of the green mountain range that you highlighted below the state line in Massachusetts is known locally as the Berkshire Mountains.
Vermont sounds like heaven.
2 who?
@@UHaulShorts smart people. Rural life, beautiful scenery, devoid of many people.
@@ghost21501
Smart how, votang 4 a *socialist?*
I wouldn't say that. For it being a rural state it's still a pretty expensive state with high taxes and not that much economic opportunity but it's cool to visit during the fall
@@UHaulShorts I don't like that part, but if you can afford to live there, it seems like a fantastic state among the northeast states.
I had the pleasure of living in Vermont for years. No other state has called me back quite like this one. I’ll visit again.
Great video, however there are several other reasons people don't live here. Mainly because the citizens of Vermont have been fending off the rich fleeing like rats from the cities ever since COVID. This isn't a very public thing, but many people in my area are refusing to split up their land for development and there's a good chance they wouldn't even sell to anyone who doesn't already live here. It's nothing personal but Vermont citizens do not want more people moving here, the gentrification is something that is very much hated on. There are some more populated areas like burlington, and while those areas may have different intentions, the citizens are growing more upset because of those areas and population increases. There's a reason why Vermont is beautiful and that's because of its lack of people. We didn't mow down our trees to put in billboards, we didn't drain our lakes and swamps for farmland, and a large percentage of us do not want that to change.
If you wanna know what it's like to live a quaint life in Vermont, surrounded by the sounds and beauty of nature, get an axe and a shovel and work in the cold until your hands bleed. This is what the tourists and the rich don't see. Good people working their fingers to the bone trying to create/pay for the interests of the ones who come here for only a few months.
Come and visit, enjoy the sights, go on a hike and have some maple syrup or whatever quaint crap people think Vermont is about, but please go back to the flatlands when the leaves turn.
As a Boston native i usually spent more time up in NH, but recently started exploring VT more. Love it out here, bueatiful
That Thumbnail indicated that Vermont has the same population size close to Wyoming. Also the crazy part is that the entire populations of both Vermont and Wyoming can fit inside San Jose, California.
That's a trip when you think about it. According to Google, Vermont's population is 647,064 and Wyoming's population is 581,381 while San Jose's population is 971,233 (although it used to be over 1 million but has lost population since then).
There have been population losses in several of the biggest cities in California like Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Oakland, etc. However, according to some sources, the trend of population loss might be slowing down and/or reversing. The population numbers are as of 2022 so it has presumably changed since then. The trends of loss are based on comparisons between 2020 and 2024 which will undoubtedly also change.
The entire San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland Consolidated Statistical Area (which includes the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties plus five more counties bordering the San Francisco Bay Area counties), there are almost 10 million people. This would make the San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland Consolidated Statistical Area larger in population than forty of the fifty states in the United States of America. Crazy shit.
@@milansikela8383 all those cities will bounce back from their covid losses so its best to just use the 2020 population
@@milansikela8383 True but then again I looked at Santa Clara County current population figures and its in that range. Also a better argument than the one I gave. The entire populations of Vermont and Wyoming will fit inside Manhattan or the Bronx given that its in that range of 1 to 1.6 million people.
Indeed, that's crazy. Crazy as that is, think about this -
Alaska is the largest U.S. state by area. It has more total area than the next three largest states - Texas, California and Montana - combined.
Alaska lies in the same north latitudes of the world as Scandanavia (part of Europe). Alaska is larger than both the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Sweden. In fact it's about 4/5 the size of both those country's total land area combined. They have populations of roughly 5.5 million and 10.5 million people, respectively.
And Alaska has a population of just about 733,400. Not even a million. It's the 3rd least populated state.
So all the people of the USA's largest state, by far, _could also fit inside San Jose CA._