I Drove To The Worst Place In Vermont. This Is What I Saw.
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- Опубліковано 4 лип 2023
- Wow you might be shocked at what the worst place in Vermont looks like!
For all the grief I give the state of Vermont, it’s actually a really nice place to live. It’s full of charming small towns and pretty good schools. It’s really safe in most places, and it’s not crowded with traffic and homelessness and a holes you find in many pockets throughout this country.
Vermont has some pretty friendly people, although I can say I don’t agree with the know it all liberalism that permeates throughout the place. It’s rare to meet someone in Vermont who will ever admit they’re WRONG about their political viewpoints.
Despite the charm and the safety and the beauty, Vermont has problems just like anywhere else.
A spent a week in Vermont in early March of 2022. The goal was to explore all over, talk with some people and to show you guys some perspective on how Vermonters live.
Now, if you run data and talk to people in Vermont about where the worst places are to live here, a few cities and towns will come up. One is St. Albans. Another is Barre. Some say Rutland, and others say Brattleboro. I chose Brattleboro to make my point. They’re kinda all almost the same.
In this video, we’re going to drive through Brattleboro, a city of about 12,000 people. We’ll see what one of the worst places to live in Vermont looks like, and later, visit one of the best places in Vermont, too - the small town of Woodstock.
I think once you see what the worst places to live in Vermont look like you’re gonna be like - that would be a GOOD place in my state. And the point will be made, people.
Ahh the town of Brattleboro. This little place of 12,000 people is located way down near the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border in Windham County.
There’s enough to do for a family here, although it’s very much a small-town life. The type of place where you see people you know at the hardware or grocery store, or at church.
A home here is about $290,000 on average. That’s far below the US average of $350,000, but still higher than you might have expected.
It’s mostly clean and looks FAR better than other struggling places I’ve visited. I think you’d agree just by looking at the place. It’s a very white community - 92% of the population here is some shade of caucasian. But that’s how it is across ALL of Vermont.
So, what’s the problem? here Well, poverty and drugs mostly, although when you hear the numbers, you’ll get some perspectives. 11% of the population here lives in poverty, and the average income for a family is about $45,000.
There aren’t a lot of really good jobs here. But again, it’s like that in most of Vermont outside of the state capital of Burlington. The dairy and farming industries are in decline in this part of the state, so that doesn’t help.
Because of a lack of good paying careers, a lot of people either leave this state entirely, or they struggle. If you didn’t know, Vermont is one of ten states to see a population loss over the last decade.
Or, for those who stick it out, it’s hard to get ahead. Some work more than one job, others live in mobile home parks or rent. Brattleboro has the largest mobile home park in the state of Vermont.
Drugs are also a big problem in Vermont, as they are in many parts of the northeast.
I also spent time in many other parts of Vermont, and I wanted to show you what a NICE place in Vermont looks like. Not that Brattleboro is that terrible or anything. Just an hour north of Brattleboro is the community of Woodstock, which has just under 3,000 people.
While homes in Brattleboro are around $290,000, up here, it’s almost double that. Many of the homes close to downtown are far more than a million dollars each. You’d have to drive out into the rural edges of town to find something under a half million bucks.
Woodstock was called the Prettiest Small town in America by Ladies Home Journal Magazine - whatever that is. But I believe it.
By the end of my week in Vermont, I was sick of the cold. One day it was zero degrees.
Get this - they have Subaru specific parking spaces at some joints in town. That’s elitist and segregationist if you ask me.
I spent time in Killington and killed it on a powder day.
I walked a segment of the Appalachian Trail when I was there
#vermont #moving
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The best video on this topic!
The older I get, the more I like boring.
Me too I'm 33 I hate my city New York city the worst
You'll be at home in Vermont
Me to love it
100%
Simple life sounds perfect
VT is probably one of the last places in the USA where you actually feel like you're in a storybook. Its fabled scenic beauty is real.
And, at times, you can make time stand still.
Yeah and between Burlington and Rutland we’ve had over 30 shootings in the last year. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
@@doopstoop4656 compared to many, vermont is heavenly.
NH as well
It's true. I live in Connecticut and spend lots of time in Vermont. And, it's a beautiful state that I love deeply.
I strolled through the meanest, most crime-ridden neighborhood in Norway and didn't know it until locals informed me after the fact. Seemed like a pretty nice place.
What neighborhood was that?
One of only four states in the country to ban billboards
I’ve lived here for two years and never noticed until I read this. I love it here.
VT bans everything
Oh, those nasty Liberals!
Which is how you can tell that the opening driving shot isn't actually Vermont. 🙄
And Wal Marts lmao
The worst parts in states like Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Wyoming, or S Dakota are the equivalent to the worst parts of iceland, norway, danmark, or Czech republic (still being very safe in general).
Czech Republic has some pretty bad ghettos, however, you’re on par with every place else listed.
I wonder why that is 🤔
@@jeremiahallyn4603 Let's be real.. they're White as hell.
Not exactly true. Gun violence in those states is higher than those other counties you mention. Poverty is worse too in rural areas but it doesn’t get the same attention urban poverty does. Rapid City, SD actually has a higher crime rate than most people imagine. But yes NE and rural states by and large have less crime.
@sebgillen3188
I wanted to go with Switzerland rather than the Czech Republic, but people always love to mention Switzerland is rich or something? which is why it's so safe.
Poland is too controversial to mention, so I went with the Czech Republic.
Czech Republic ghettos aren't violent. they face poverty (minimal) but are still good since there are no shootouts, gangs, or violent physical assaults.
State capital is Montpelier, not Burlington
Yep. I've been to both places last October. Great fall foliage. Beautiful weather. Montpelier is such a tiny gorgeous little capital city. Sort of like something you'd build in SimCity.
Yes everybody is moving to Montpelier now!
True
Maybe he meant heroin capital🤷♂️
Wrong, it’s Burlington.
I worked for FedEx for 6
months and drove throughout Windsor county, primarily in Ludlow.
And I must say that Vermonters are among the most down to earth, caring, helpful and kindest people I’ve ever came across in my life.
Over those 6 months, I was stuck in a ditch, struggling to carry some boxes, attacked by dogs and so much more. And each situation I was helped by Vermonters. They truly are one of a kind people in this country.
A message to the other 49 states (even those who share VT qualities): Visit the green mountain state to see what the people are like and take a page out of their book. Sound good?
This is true. A recent poll stated that the friendliest people in the country come from Vermont and Hawaii.
Yep, just spent 12 days in Ludlow hiking the Appalachian Trail, and people we meet were super nice and helpful. But we fouind the same to be true about Western Mass and Western Conn. I think once you are in more rural mountain areas people seem a whole lot nicer.
Drugs, property taxes, taxes on everything, cost of living, and lack of public transportation. Cell phone reception, mud season, that’s Vermont
Actually, the real reason there are trailer parks isn't the cost of buying or renting a place, but rather that most of the housing was built in the year 1900 and requires a lot of constant repairs, especially with the harsh winter. Trailers can still be expensive due to lot rent, but they're more practical, smaller, less fixes, as long as you clean off the roof they're actually great compared to the old houses when you have a bad winter.
Good point; we lived in an older house like that and yes, repairs, painting and the like were ongoing.
yea I lived in a trailer in IOWA for 3 years....and It SUCKS...I lived 5 years homeless in San Diego and would take Homeless in San Diego back then in 1992 but today....I would take the Trailer for California like everything run into the Ground by Democrat politicians is HELL 2 Pay just to Play/Survive!
That's right.
Maine also has a lot of ramshackled old houses.
@@jeffrussell777 Yep I was in a mobile home for 5 years, then lived in apartments since then, and the mobile home's HVAC was more functional, was extremely warm in harsh upstate NY winters and even cold in 80 to 90 degree summer days, I didn't see a single bug, but it was a 2010, the ones from the 1980s and before can be pretty awful in comparison with newer manufactured homes. Lived in apartments since then and have seen centipedes, roaches, had maintenance problem galore in comparison. The big problem with mobile homes are the hollow core doors, if you buy one it's worth the investment to put some nice solid core doors in. The walls inside are otherwise thinner than a house, so less sound proof. Also, if you gotta live in a park, in the USA so many people move into as cheap a place as possible to do drugs, so if you want cheap living unfortunately in this country you'll be surrounded by people looking to cook meth.
Vermont is SAFE, even the worst place is fine.
Demographics...
Pretty much
@notbobtekk for now, isn't Michigan full of them or does MI not get the same weather lol
@@notbobtekk based
Always wanted to see Brattleboro. I hear there is a great music scene.
I was recently in Brattleboro visiting friends and thought what a beautiful town!
They had a vibrant downtown and beautifully maintained historic homes.
I really didn’t see anything I would refer to as a slum.
That's the point
We hide it well. Beautification is big in Vermont. Don't fix the problems, paint it up and make it look good so people don't notice how bad it is.
Hang out for a few. See what catches your eye.
@@poopsitoutgaming7575 brilliant statement. The rest of the people on the comment thread could stand to listen to you. I know from experience.
Guess you skipped the co-op where the overdosing, passing out panhandlers huddled.
Alec is so articulate and personable - a fine person to give an overview/his perspective regarding the particular difficulties associated with living here/similar.
I grew up in Rutland: grew up on welfare, shot in the back with a 9mm (wrong time, wrong place), constant domestic violence and surrounded by the drug game - it was a nightmare. Poverty in Vermont is super deep, drugs and alcohol abuse run deep. College / tourism areas are anomalies.
Very sad. 😢😢😢 sad you had all negative experiences.
@@user-ml8ud6qd2u Meh i am lucky enough to be on one end of the bell curve and have a fondness for conflict and violence. Meaning decades later i live in a very affluent suburbs, 3 graduate degrees, career in banking, and a former army officer (3 tours served, background in intel and logistics). But then again I dont know anyone I group up with, most were lost to the ether before they even graduated high school.
my husband Henry grew up right up the street from you, he knew Mark and jim Derry and your Grandpa with the motorcycle shop
@@sharonmanney8363 wrong one - i had no father let alone grandfather with a motorcycle shop.
I would say that is an accurate take on Rutland and that general area. The rest of Vermont is really rich people cosplaying as country folk and regular monitors trying to get by. There's plenty of tourism in between. Even in the Northeast kingdom there's no shortage of tourist traps.... Relative to the population density of course, haha
With small towns, it's easy to misinterpret statistics- a 400% rise in car break-ins could mean there were 5 and the year before there was one. Even today, many years later, every time I hear the word "Vermont" I will always think of the scene in Ferris Bueller where his mom says to his sister "And you made me lose the deal with the Vermont people!"
What was she referring to?
I don't want to watch the movie to find out.
@@Johnnycdrums It was just a joke. They were in Chicago and the mother was complaining that they lost an important deal with "the Vermont people"- the movie never goes on the mention anything else about them.
kinda valid, 1 bad egg moving in could commit dozens of crimes over a year increasing stats until they are inevitably caught. That said the victims don't really care it it was 1 person or 100.
@@Battleneter Yes but all the potential victims do care..
@@floretionguru2977 lock dem animals and teens up
The guy you chose to interview isn't a native Vermonter. Why? Couldn't you find a native Vermonter in Brattleboro Vermont? You are right about the scourge of drug abuse and the disparity between income and rent/home ownership. P.S. Most of the native Vermonters I know are comfortably adapted to winter conditions. It is not a source of depression for them. It is a stimulant.
Milton is the armpit of Vermont
I turned 20 this year and I realised that the older I get the more I like calm boring cities, lowkey countryside. I grew up in two big cities one of them Paris. Im seriously done with the noise and traffic. I feel like an old soul saying that 😅.
You must have a lot of money to begin with. No one wants the city, genius, we work there to have a better life.
“I’m 20, I grew up in Paris, and I like Vermont better.”
WOW are you doing everyone a big favor! With any luck, the people of Paris will inhabit small town Vermont and make a whole new civilization of people from Paris that are just as happy there as you are with your 2 years legal experience, n to mention ZERO years able to drink a beer!
The older you get….HA HA
@@jaketwomey7924 i'm not rich, we're just comfortable. I really do prefer small towns or the countryside over big metropolitan cities.
@@jaketwomey7924No one wants the city? No one? Well I can tell you you’re dead wrong genius because many people do want the city in fact most city of them all NYC where all walks of life from small town USA move because they hate their boring insignificant lives in the middle of nowhere! Nobody leaving Paris for Vermont calm down little pilgrim
I have a 19 r old granddaughter I'd love to meet you!lol
Here's my Unboxing Vermont video: ua-cam.com/video/haw_QSNzsSI/v-deo.html
And if you need help finding a place to move, I do consulting. I can help you pick where to move and get you a real estate agent, too. Email me! NickJohnsonNC18@gmail.com
Nick I have a legit question ❓, are those large numerous houses single dwelling units or are the subdivided in multiple units, around here it's usually that way, the ones that are single dwelling are usually quite expensive and more for status simble
If you seriously can find property for people. I own my house and want to sell it & find a place in Tennessee with wood's and house
It is an honor to get a pin from the great Nick Johnson himself. I have traveled vicariously all over the USA through watching his informative (and hilarious) travelogues.
I have a question. If you own a mobile home yet rent the property it’s on, do you still have to pay property tax?
Vermont is very rigid and won't allow new businesses to move in. That's why the lack of jobs. The number one occupation there is making home handicrafts.
Vermont's biggest problem is non-Vermonters moving in that don't love Vermont for what it is, but see all the things wrong with it and try to change it to what they think it should be. Much of Vermont is turning into Fairfield County, CT. It makes me sick.
Yeah but even Connecticut doesn't steal your kids as much as Vermont does
Bullshit. I moved here because I loved Vermont. The people trying to change it are the young people who grew up IN VERMONT with modern neo-liberal ideas and politics. They can't understand why they are 25-30 years old, and they are not making a software engineer salary checking people out at the grocery store. Hence they want the state to build a bunch of 'affordable housing'. Despite Vermont being constitutional carry for the longest time, they need gun control to stop the gun crime...that just dose not happen in Vermont... It's all programed people repeating talking points without understanding anything they are saying.
I'm old enough to remember when Vermont was rock-ribbed Republican and the purest form of old yankee common sense people living close to the land.
Everyone living in a state with the people fleeing the blue cities into their state could say exactly the same thing.
Would be nice if family homes were built like these everywhere.
After moving to Vermont in 2004 it took me 17 years to buy a home. Now I live on 14 acres in the countryside. If you don’t like the outdoors it’s probably really boring here. I live about 45 minutes south of the capital and have lived in or visited many of the towns mentioned here. Roll up your windows and lock your doors when driving through Barre city (partially joking). I find each area to be different politically. Montpelier and Burlington are very liberal/Marxist/socialist. Pockets of Barre and suburban Burlington are more moderate to conservative. I find native Vermonters to be libertarian, in my opinion. The best way to describe the economics is that Vermont is like a Disney World for the wealthy while native vermonters, the poor, and middle class are the non player background characters.
"Vermont is like a Disney World for the wealthy while native vermonters, the poor, and middle class are the non player background characters." Not by accident, and begins in the late 19th century in reaction to declining hill towns and loss of population....VT tourism marketed to NY, CT, MA begins in the late 19th c with goals of getting summer visitors to buy homes here, stay, have kids, improve the gene pool and the economy.
yeh dont buy near a river
been distracted for a couple weeks and missed your channel. Upon coming back, I can see why--it's fabulous
My uncle lives in Vermont. His backyard is the Canadian border
I don’t believe you.
I have taken Route 89 through Vermont and into Canada. It's only about 1 hour from the border to Montreal. But, beware of border agents. They are less friendly than 10 years ago, and I think they want a passport these days (a driver's license used to work). The man interviewed was right about Montreal. It's about 2 hours from Burlington, Vt. to Montreal. Just make sure you gas it up before crossing the border b/c gas in Canada is a lot more expensive. Also, it's a good idea to go in the summer rather than winter. It's bone-chilling cold up in northern Vermont and it gets a ton of snow. Summers are beautiful.
@@stephendacey8761 EVERYTHING in Canada is expensive! Gas jumped 90 cents per gallon (.20 cents per liter)
Pics or you’re lying
@@nedcramdon1306carbon tax
Great vid, VT holds a special place in my heart. Lived in Burlington in mid 2010s, worked at Stowe as a ski instructor, I made absolute bank and paid under $500/mo for a massive apartment with clear views of Lake Champlain! One of my favorite memories.
you left that???
Very expensive to rent in VT now. Housing shortage.
Right before Burly went downhill
My parents live in New Hampshire on the Vermont border. Property tax is really high, $6000 for a $200,000 home. No jobs except tourism. You're either rich retired New Yorkers or poor locals. It's really Appalachia North. Beautiful area but you can't live off scenery
That`s right- you either have a $100/hour job, or a $8/hour job. No more middle class.
I lived in Brattleboro from February 2022- February 2023 and you are spot on about everything for the area. My family would come to visit me and they didn’t like the areas at all. Sometimes in downtown Brattleboro I would get approached by the drug addicted locals asking for money. There would be “dealings” outside my apartment complex. Vermont has difficultly with finding “housing” for someone to rent. It took me almost 4 months to find the apartment complex I stayed in.
Love your videos Nick!! Born and grew up in Bennington in Southern Vermont....Live in SoCal now. Had to move because of my specialized work. Wouldn't have traded the childhood my parents afforded me in Vermont for any amount of money. Best place in the world to grow up in the world. Sledding hill next-door...Had 3 ski mountains half an our away.....a river across the street to explore ...countless swimming areas... along with endless acres of woods/outdoors. All while the History of the area was preserved and visible....Extremely safe place to live. Vermont is what you make it!!.....If you're active (especially in winter)...and engaged..You'll love it!! Boston and NYC both 3 hours away. Miss the sweet state of Vermont for sure!! Great place!!
😊Finally! Someone who knows...
Good ole Kelly stand area!!
Horrible stuff going on in Vermont's slums.......people turning tricks for maple syrup and ski sweaters with Nordic motifs......horrible to see....God help them. Help them soon.
Shits real in them streets 😂
Christmas carrols could play over this video and it'd fit
😂😂😂
All those jaywalking your Whitx homeboys that do in ghetto Vermont (or northeast ghettos), I'll tell you. So horrible! Let's not forget all the driveby snowball throwing... those poor children will get a cold. All those shopping cart not being put back in their cart holders, how cruel. Such vicious and aggressive thugs they have over there...
@@AngelloDelNorte😂
😂
I talked to a native Vermonter awhile ago and he said New Yorkers and Bostonians have changed the once great state in too many negative ways. Seems like your trip validated his point. Keep up the good work.
I've heard that when I lived in VT 30 years ago.
Years ago, New Jersey.had that reputation.
Yes there is that element. I moved here in 2004 and things are different. In 2004 I saw the anti flat lander bumper stickers and signs on houses. The out of staters try to change all the traditions such as target shooting in your backyard and hunting rules.
It’s not our fault Vermont is pretty much upstate for us
Going to VT in the winter Is truly taking one for the team, Nick! Thank you. I don’t know a thing about VT. Interesting to watch your video.
Fun fact- Vermont has no roadside billboards.
I lived there, it barely has roads.
I heard about this. Very interesting. Its good for the state, doesnt spoil the natural beauty while driving
Correct. One of two states to ban them. Alaska is the other.
reminds me of the saying, California removes hills to see billboards, Vermont removes billboards to see hills.
@@jonathanp1884 True enough. Vermont also removes businesses, jobs, and housing.
Looks nice. But also depressing. The cold mixed with nothing to do can be a brutal combination. I learned that living outside a small town in the forests of Northern Arizona. I started losing it after a few years, one day I just hopped in my car with some clothes and drove away.
I had to leave too like nothing ever changes and is very frustrating especially in the progressive city like Burlington still nothing changed
Hence why so many young people leave. The states with the highest median age are: Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
@@sitdowndogbreathYou can always head to Montreal if you want nightlife.
Yesss! Depressing
@@stephendacey8761 Yeah but they don't like us over there we don't speak the proper French
Excellent video. My wife and I are native New Englander,s and after living in TN. for 20 years and retiring, decided to move to Vermont. At 75, our only regret is that we didn't move here sooner, although we are living off our retirement saving, planed, because it is a very expensive place to live. Comparing the two states, TN. is as cheap as VT. is expensive. Property taxes for a house we moved into from what we left, are more than quadruple, with education being the main driver. Overall, we pay 3x as much for the education tax here, as we did total taxes there. Despite the winters, VT. more than makes up for it with its beauty, charm, virtually no traffic, except during foliage, and friendly people. I agree with your guest 100%, and most of the comments. Vermont is not for everyone, but neither is Florida nor California. For those who enjoy the outdoors, peace and tranquility, and a laid back life style, it is perfect.
Love your channel and quirky dry humor dude! Lots of love from Melbourne, Australia!
❤️ 🇦🇺
Just because a place looks nice doesn't mean it is a nice place to live. Thank you for sharing this. God Bless You & stay safe.
Thanks Nick for doing what you do. I enjoy your side kicks and the interviews.
Great video!
As a New York City person living in Wilmington (Southern Vermont) off and on for 10 years everything seems to be in slow motion in Vermont.
I often suspect that we're on very different ends of the political spectrum but your videos are consistently interesting.
Keep up the good work pal!
From beautiful Wales
Nick- small correction- Montpelier is the capitol of Vermont, not Burlington. Burlington is the largest city.
Came here to say this!!
@@TheAwetist802 Me too!
That's a pretty big correction actually. Lol
capital*
speaking of small corrections
My family is from Vermont. Groton Vermont to be exact. Poverty is insane. My grandparents bought their house in 1945, and passed away in it for 2013. Some of my best memories are summers in Vermont.
@@SSNESSthat's a fact you mind as well include Pennsylvania while you at it.
@@draines9237lol.... I'm from PA.... Haha
@@cmdaniels1986 I'm not lying am I lol
@@draines9237 funny, I. Moved here from middle of nowhere Appalachia so my city of 15000 feels massive
My family is from Groton too. My Dad used to call it rotten Groton the windy city. When I was a kid he'd tell me not to say that near my older relatives they wouldn't like it lol
Great different perspectives....Thanks Mappi
Grew up in Vermont. One of the kids I knew in high school went to jail for killing a homeless man who peed on his tent, a bunch of other kids are now small town farmers hooked on drugs. People do drugs in Vermont because there is NOTHING TO DO other than hike and there is no way to climb the working ladder. Hence why I left.
Rutland is the worst, locals call it "Rutvegas". My mother works for a mental health organization in Rutland... and man, the stuff she's seen. A lot of problems stay hidden since Vermont is so rural and people generally keep to themselves.
Locals know each other!
I live here and I fucking hate this shit hole farm state. All you can do is smoke weed, go outside and eventually become an alcoholic.
The streets run brown with the blood of Maples...
With drugs comes theft and crime
Love your videos 📹 you do a great job narrating!!
Thanks for the video. I studied English as a second language in Wallinford, close to Rutland and I think it was a wonderful time. But this was long time ago.
Love Wallingford!
Vermont residents with college degrees having primary and secondary jobs at the same time means that college degree is near worthless. This is true for all other states too. Read “The College Scam” book by Charlie Kirk. Colleges and universities are supposed to let people earn their way to reliable middle class or above, but this is shamefully not real life at all…..
Degrees aren't useful if you live in a place with a very narrow range of industries to work in. Vermont just doesn't have much in the way of opportunities, which is why most of the young people leave and why it has the third highest median age of all the states.
I always laugh when I hear, there is nothing for young people to do, like they can't entertain themselves. Generations before them did not need "something to do , there was plenty of chores to keep them busy and they also had creativity and Imagination during free time, something young people today lack!
Seriously, I'm glad it makes you laugh. It annoys me to the point of vomiting! Entitled, unimaginative, weak, sheople who should just head off to the arm pit of America, which is California, and stay there; there's something "to do" on every block, downtown. For work, they could always shovel the human feces from people's driveways. I hear there's a growing problem with that.
Dang right
Or there's a lack of third places and it makes life lack community
Those darn kids these days...
Such a cliched boomer comment that I’m actually unsure if you’re joking or not
I really enjoyed this and agreed with your thoughts and comments. Just subscribed 👍
Thank you for all the hard work and expense to get these videos to us.
Ok Brian
Love listening to you, Nick! Keep doing your thing 💗 Damn big houses they have in Brattleboro, it must be expensive to warm up in the winter.
Many have been turned into apartments. Very few that you saw in the video are still truly single family homes.
The ones in Manchester are.
I did home health nursing in all of these towns.
The houses are great old houses that have been turned into pretty cool apartments, usually at least 2 or 3 families live in them.
@@CherylRuzzo Ooh good to know 👍
Hi Nick, I grew up in Dover NH and the town was 300 years old in the 1970s. It had 2 stoplights back then. Now it is an artsy fantasy Microbrewery town with pay to park anywhere you might want to park. We had a mountain home in Gilford NH and ski area was 2.5 miles away! What a place to call home before moving to DC suburbs.
Been to Hampton Beach many times. It's so different than the beaches out west.
Loved the mini tour of Vermont ❤
Thank you Nick. I've been watching for vids for a few years now but under incognito ID. I've liked and subbed.
Why are you hiding?
Need a Rhode Island or Maine video from you soon! Vermont is one of my favorite places, but it definitely has its flaws. Great video as always, Nick!
Although I lean way more conservative in my perspectives, I still find Vermont lovely. The quaintness, the small-town feel, the mom-and-pop establishments all capture an ideal feeling that I personally love.
I'm the same way. As a conservative I was more and more out of place there, but I loved the ambience. You may not know, but Vermont was once a Republican stronghold. Then all the flatlanders moved in from places south and the politics changed.
I agree
There are PLENTY of conservatives minds in Vermont. I spent five years there and I am in NO WAY a lefty. The guy interviewed is a teacher; what does that tell you? It's all in who you choose to associate with. Vermont is actually quite purple in many ways.
I feel exactly the same. I think it boils down to the mostly rural, small town way of living. People are decent and it feels incredibly safe even though anyone can carry a gun. I’ve travelled around the state a few times from Australia and absolutely love it, but Mansfield for me wins most beautiful town hands down! Stratton and Killington too great fun.
@@gingerk784 Here's an anecdote: I had to take my kitty to get fixed by a woman vet who lived way out in the country. She told me: "you can pick him up at five. I'll leave him in a crate on the porch. I won't be here, so just leave the check under the door mat". That's Vermont for you.
Thank you for the video of Vermont. I saw some of the most beautiful homes.
remember going to Vermont in 1968 to 70 to christian camp Vermont was so beautiful remember driving thro these small towns and was always in awe
Very interesting Nick! Thank you! I’ve always been curious about what Vermont was like. I’d heard that Vermont, and Oregon were similar. This answered many questions for me! I sure appreciate what you do!
VT and OR are similar, in one way, they're both north of the equator. A main difference I've noticed is there have been quite a few less big-time serial killers in VT; heck, in the northeast in general. Just sayin'
@@johnafagerquist8235 Lol 😂 That IS true! Oregon is the land of serial killers!
Vermont and Oregon are similar in that both states are pretty friendly and liberal on controversial issues. Cost of living may be a little bit higher in Oregon than VT. There are more job opportunities in major Oregon cities than cities in VT.
@@genew5758 Thank you! I wondered which had more job availability. I have a friend who was thinking of moving from Oregon to Vermont.
Was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. Absolutely beautiful rivers, mountains and massive greenspaces and parks, however it’s gone to 💩. Homelessness is so rampant I cannot even explain. So left liberal it’s off the cliff. Don’t bother with a license plate, the police don’t take the time to stop you. Theft, crime, murder, blah, blah, blah is fearful. The weather is not bad like Vermont at all though; 40 inches average rainfall in PDX. It used to be a hidden gem here. Visit first before you decide my best advice. I’m too poor to move. The Oregon coast is superb. No jobs there though.
I love Vermont! I visited Woodstock when I was there a few years ago. It’s so beautiful!
A lot of wealthy NYers have bought 2nd homes in Vermont, or retired there. So they have an income stream.
Your guest was very articulate and informative.
I really enjoyed watching this and it brought back memories that I will never forget about living in Barre for some time in 1990’s when my family, and my grandfathers last big job before he passed, was building the first garage and shopping mall center. We ate at Beans and Greens where a stack of pancakes was huge!!! So I would just get a pancake. No one knew how to make a frappe, so I literally had to tell the local ice cream shoppe how to make which soon caught on and became the best seller that summer. There was only a small VHS rental place with no newer movies, and shopping at Harry’s was like the Bloomingdales of the area, but to me it was a fancier overpriced Kmart but it was still nice. The only thing I couldn’t stand was literally everything had closed down by 6pm, except for bars but I wasn’t of age yet, and nothing was open on Sundays. I did enjoy visiting old family in Stowe for Sunday dinner. Times have definitely changed since then, times when you’d get the pledge of allegiance, etc...at midnight tv sign off before the high tones with the colored vertical lines before white static appearing until the morning. The only thing I still have from living there was old phone book from that year tucked away just for memories of a by-gone era. 👍💞
At a party: "Here, try some heroin." OK!
That's my kind of party.
no one can heat those big old houses. remember birth control was not invented until the sixties. they build four and five bedroom homes. in the thirties.
All they build now is 4-6 bedroom houses 😂
House sizes on average have gotten much bigger since the advent of the bill.
I would guess that there was a time that the wealthiest people in town lived on the main roads.
The pill wasn't but there was latex for the men before that.
Nice video Nick! As a Vermonter I'd like to add my two cents:
Jobs: Contractors, electricians, plumbers cabinet makers, roofers, painters are all in high demand . They are schedualing into next year. Great money too.
Broadband: The state is hiring and training broadband techs from every nook and cranny in Vermont. Paid training and you don't have to move. You build out and service your own area.
Work from home is now universal. Most town, commitee and state commitee meetings are done in Zoom calls. About a third of people I know do a combo. At the office once a week maybe.
Housing: Is very tough. If you didn't buy before the pandemic, you are really in a spot. Still, prices vary from region to region. Burlington is Boston expensive. The North East Kingdom is very affordable and beautiful.The biggest problem is low housing stock. If you can work remote or in a building trade, you can live anywhere affordably.
Nothing to do: What????
People don't go outside as much anymore. That's kinda what I meant.
I was born and grew up in Vermont. The last time I was there I was left questioning thier "environmental strategies " the Lowell Mountains, which were a favorite deer and turkey hunting spot for me and many of my friends have had their tops clear cut,and they erected windmills. Just who's environment are they concerned about? The number of eagles, hawks, falcons and other migratory birds killed each year up there is criminal.
Just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. Not to mention all of the other animals that were displaced .
The guy in the interview sounds like he just needs to start applying for other jobs out of state. It always baffles me when people stay in a state that they can't afford to live in while having a bachelor's degree or master's degree...
If your BA degree is in Interpretive Dance or Gender Studies, you've pigeonholed yourself.
@@mattp4079 Lot's of Bachelor of Arts in "Medieval Basket Weaving" out there too!
@@mattp4079 Or biotech, you are stuck where the hubs are.
It happens sometimes and more when is a related job with a lot of applicants interested in it. Apologize for the english a little rusty hehe.
Exactly! If I had a BA you would not find me delivering food or working at the local gas station just to make ends meet. He needs to move he doesn't realize that he is being used, by the liberal system that he so dearly praises.
Nice video, Nick. Thanks. I have honestly been to every state in the USA my parents took me on many vacations here and my aunt took me abroad to many countries quite interesting.
Fall foliage is what comes into my mind spontaneously. But ME, VT, NH winters are cold and long and you need a very well maintained (preferably damped) house and plenty of combustile material to cozily get through winter season. Driving distances are long and without a car you're like nothing. These are all recurring heavily cost driving factors.
In August 2013, my daughter & her husband & my 2 grandsons relocated to Brattleboro for my son-in-law's promotion for his job to rebuild the I91 span over the West River. It was the first time in my daughter's life that we lived in 2 different states. The separation was tough on us both however I was fortunate to be able to visit them for their 1st Thanksgiving there & then again in May 2015, a few months after my youngest grandson was born. I fell in love with the old town charm of Brattleboro! I also got to meet each of the neighbors on either side of their nostalgic Victorian rental home. The project was finished in 2017 & they were all back in Tampa Bay by July of that year. I'm glad they're back, but I sure do miss Brattleboro!
Vermont is beautiful. I drive up frequently from RI. Woodstockers are extremely friendly and a few home and farm owners have welcomed me into their homes when they saw me taking photographs in the fall. Northern part of the state values privacy a bit more. Stowe is a great ski area with tons to do in winter and fall for families. Central and Northern Vermont have some of the prettiest foliage and small towns in New England. Many many covered bridges too.
Alec seems like a really kind, bright Vermonter. Really cool guy, enjoyed the interview.
I stayed in Brattleboro while I did a 13 week travel nurse job in Keene NH. I loved it. I would have never thought it was remotely bad. I live in East Tennessee so it was a nice change for me.
Btw I stayed in the Black Bear Lodge and I paid 485 a week for 1 room but I had 2 dogs and it's was a nice clean safe place
Hey! Come do an assignment in Burlington VT at the UVM Medical Center! Level 1 trauma center with great patient ratios. Housing is very difficult to find (I’m assuming similar to what you found in southern VT/NH) but it’s possible. A lot of our travelers have extended because they’ve enjoyed it so much.
@shellyseats5630 Tennessee is much nicer than Vermont trust me
if u like backwards bigoted biblethumpers who love whiskey & guns & dont know the difference between good weed & delta8crap. lower taxes in tenn though for sure @@teejmart1159
Not sure if Alec mentioned it but Global Foundries has a micro chip plant just outside of Burlington in Essex junction. They are hiring and pay well from what I gather. All in all not a bad place to bring up a family if you enjoy the outdoors and can handle 6 months of winter.
Going out on a limb... You filmed those snowmobilers getting gas at the Bridgewater corner store, at the junction of rt's 4 and 100a. Super place! It's been there my whole life. Did I mention I love Vermont?
There's no way in hell the low-income person on social security could possibly survive there.
Getting to where a low-income person on social security can't afford to live anywhere in the US.
It happens a lot. Some of my grandparents and many of my relatives live this way. They all own their homes and drive old cars, but they get by, just barely.
No one is supposed to live on social security. It’s a supplement to your pension and savings. People had 50 years to prepare for retirement, so don’t tax mine.
@@megarth1 I agree, but trying to remove the life support of older people who didn't save for their retirement is political suicide. That's why it doesn't happen. Anyone who tries is crushed. It shouldn't exist at all. It was a scam from the start to have millions of people reliant on the government to live. When you rely on them, they control you.
So no jobs and poverty yet high housing costs in the same town???
Without diminishing the problems, I have to say that everything looks amazing. Even the very worst parts of the State look so good that most Canadians I know would love to live in neighborhoods that look like that.
Thank you for telling the truth about my home state!
Brattelboro also gets a bad rep because the state's only in-patient psych hospital is located there. There's some spill over into the town itself.
Thanks for coming to Vermont! I love your narrations on your videos!🎉❤😊
Nice video. I grew up next door in New Hampshire. By the time I was 26, I had to move, the Winters had taken their toll on me.
Good to hear about Vermont, and its issues, everywhere our Western world is cracking seems like... Thanks Nick!
I am relocating for work and fly 2-3 a month. Not sure VT is an option right now but looks great. Albany/ Upstate NY is my current focus based on airport and area / entertainment from Baltimore
VT has the highest level of cloud cover of any state, and it's northern latitude means the number of hours of sunlight each day is far less than a southern state gets. Add these 2 things together & you begin to see why the suicide rate in VT is extremely high - it's incredibly depressing to go months & only see the sun once or twice.
Interesting fact on the cloud cover. It’s funny I moved from this area to AZ which I have to assume is the furthest on the opposite end of the spectrum
@@celticsfaninthedesert4778yeah, some of you have also moved to Texas
@@Tikitackfouls are you one of those little 🐱’s that cries anytime someone from out of state moves to your neighborhood?
@@TikitackfoulsI could say the same for all the TX people moving to CO. People move, man. There's nothing you can do to stop it. Let it go.
I live in Alaska, you want to talk about cloud cover.
Vermont, I'm in the north east and cloudy with some snow.
Alaska, hold my beer 😂
The only people who consider Brattleboro to be in Vermont are the people in Brattleboro. The further north you live in Vermont, the further north the Massachusetts border is. From my perspective, Rt. 2 is the Mass border.
I love your description of Vermont and her people. Spot On!! If you need help researching the Kingdom for a client, let me know. Purchasing a house in Vermont is very tricky. Every square mile is unique both socially and meteorologically. For example, I live in a snowbelt. It will literally snow from a clear blue sky at my house.
Another example, the stretch of Rt 2 between Cabot and Marshfield creates its own weather. A very harsh valley to live in.
Another example: Stannard Mtn Rd from Greensboro Bend to Lyndonville is called the Heroin Highway by the locals.
I could go on and on. ❤
Nick never fails to disappoint! 👏 ❤
I was thinking of relocating to Vermont. I’m a single mom of two daughters and I’m a middle school math teacher. Plus, I already own a Subaru!! 😂
As a transplant, I welcome you. another Subaru owner.
I drive a Toyota but I think you and your daughters would have a very happy life here in VT.
You would have no problem finding work almost anywhere in the state, but salaries vary WIDELY.
Lifelong Vermonter here and I have to agree about St.albans!I’ve lived here for 5 years and it’s a great town. I think the only thing it needs is some sort of indoor play place for kids, the nearest one is a 30 minute drive.
So there is snow covered ground at this time if the year or is this video dont before and uploaded
Battleboro seems almost Canadian in the winter, but "granola" in the summer when I drove through. It had a liberal energy there, but not in the way the coasts do. It reminds me of the liberal parts of the city I grew up in.
My father was born in Derby Vermont in 1916 and grandmother in 1891 in Derby also 😊
Having spent the last 20 years in Portland OR and Vegas, after moving to VT I can't help but roll my eyes at what people here call a bad drug problem.
Former Connecticut resident. I used to spend a lot of time in Vermont appreciating its unique beauty. Been to all of the towns you mentioned. Saw them blow glass in Woodstock and that was really cool. I 💜 New England.
I grew up in a very small town in the Champlain islands. Vermont is a special state where the politics don’t match the setting, but it works out in a beautiful way.
I remember one time they shut down the whole county because somebody robbed a house.
I wouldn’t move back to my home state but that doesn’t mean it’s not one of the best places in the country. The people there are some of the best you’ll ever meet. It still has its old New England charm to it that many other states surrounding it are starting to lose.
My family has been in Vermont before America was a country. Back when it was a frontier land.
North Hero? Why are you opposed to living in Vermont again? I'm curious because I'm interested in moving to the state.
@@ainslie187 South Hero actually. I don't have family there anymore and there's not a lot going on economically. It's not totally out of the realm of possibility though.
Vermont is one of my favorite areas in the United States! In an earlier epoch, we would travel up there from southern Connecticut, and marvel how everything was different, but in a positive way! There was no trash on the ground or on the sides of streets. Very few police were present, presumably because of the very low crime rate. And it seemed everything was relatively unguarded. We would pull into hardware store lots, during very early a.m. hours, on the way to our fishing spot, and everything seemed to be unlocked. Burlington was a lot less developed back then too. Back in the day, Vermont folk would say how they would leave their houses unlocked, which is something we would not even try in southern New England.
Now, I have heard that many wealthy are buying into Vermont (for second or third homes), and essentially pricing out the locals, who are less well off in general. This seems to have occurred in the last 10 or 15 years. Also, circa about ten years ago, I remember hearing a public radio broadcast that the entire state was vulnerable regarding historic preservation. Overdevelopment in the more fashionable areas of the state is having an impact, and not always for the good. More and more, over the years, I saw 'private property' signs appear, as the new comers became more exclusionary. I wonder what the housing prices were before the 'wealth invasion'. I bet they reflected the general economy, and were much lower.
Brattleboro is one of my semi-regular destinations for a day trip. Enough diversity of food, and there are art galleries in town, and easy parking. Sams, an outdoor shop, is wonderful, carrying everything for the nature enthusiast. The housing there can be a little old and need of update, but there is an authenticity and charm to it also. Years ago, Brattleboro had a youth center, to provide the young a safe place to hang out. 'Everyone's Books' is a charming independent bookstore in town. Over ten years ago, I went snow camping with the Green Mountain Club. Always bring your own stove if you want your hot cocoa sooner than later!
As your interview alluded to, the main problem in the entire state (except perhaps Montpelier and Burlington) is employment. Years ago, I heard anyone residing there probably needs multiple part-time jobs to get by, and some of them are tourist.
Historically, and into the present, do not underestimate that little state. I think prior to incorporation into the Union, they were their own republic. The state produced the Green Mountain Boys - per their name - don't mess with them! They helped capture Fort Ticonderoga from the British. The state also produced Joseph Smith, who started the Mormon religion.
To conclude, the place has its own path, which is really cool! As you head north, you will see the signs become bilingual, in English and French, being so near the Quebec border. You know you are in a juxtaposition of many different worlds when you see that, which I find entirely fascinating. I just hope all the money coming in doesn't ruin the place. If it does, northern Maine anyone???
Your exactly right. E.g. A Cambell Soup heiress buys a huge town property remodels etc and now all the mom and pops who lived there all there life must move . The fact that it was unspoiled packed in the wealthy people and now native generational Vermonters have to give up their property due to taxes…. Dont get me started onn NYers who want to wreck it with condos
If you have trade skills - carpentry, plumbing, electrical, HVAC - you can find work in Vermont. As the guest said, the problem is finding a place to rent.
I was born in St Albans. I'm a native and lived there for almost 60 years. I lived in Rutland for 30 years. Drugs, thievery, even murder the last few years. Very liberal politics. Much different from when I was young. It was time to go. I sold business and real estate and have never looked back. Much happier living in SE Alabama.
The cold though- endless cold weather
Most ghetto folks hate and despise and cannot tolerate cold, freezing weather. That's the main reason that Vermont does not have any ghettos. That kind of people just do not have any desire to live there.
it is awesome. sunny winter days beat sunny summer days ! only 6 months of fall/winter. you do know winter weather clothing exists lol?
Vermonts' most well known living figure outside of Bernie Sanders here:
Good video. But there are a couple points I'd make:
Our state capitol is Montpelier, not Burlington.
Also, Barre is arguably worse than Brattleboro.
Trailer park at 1:03 is that just outside Woodstock? hahahahahaha, seen it a thousand times. Grew up in Woodstock. Overrated, but definitely scenic.
Surprised to see you HERE Styx! I may be the only viewer who is familiar with your ch lol
Make that two.
Styx!!! I just posted a comment about you. I was greatly disappointed to see that you weren't the guest. Hahaha
Vermont is the Heroin Capital of the U.S. In part because there are major interstates on the westside, eastside and southside of the state. These highways present easy access for dealers and buyers to major cities like Boston, MA., New York City and Albany thru Buffalo, NY.
We’ve always enjoyed stopping in Brattleboro on our way to or from our house in Vermont. We like visiting the outlet mall, which has been renovated recently and looks much nicer. There are also many cute restaurants. I had no idea about the trailer park. The high crime is a real surprise to me. Drugs are a big issue in many parts of the state, and yes, Rutland is infamous for it. But I would argue that the most ubiquitous issue is alcoholism. The booze is EVERYWHERE. My mom was horrified as she walked down all of the liquor aisles in a local supermarket. To be fair, New Hampshire has lots of booze, too. I guess it’s one way to keep warm during the brutally cold winters.
I saw your videos on the poorest community in West Virginia which I believe was the poorest community of the United States and it looked almost Third World compared to much of the country and the poorest community in Vermont still looks better than some of the poorest communities near me here in metro Atlanta, Georgia. Not that problems don't exist in Vermont, but it is hard to "believe" just by looking at it. I think Vermont is just too "expensive" for most ordinary people.