Justagirlfromvt t1_jcxum8x wrote on March 20, 2023 at 12:03 PM

Although I can agree that the COL is high in VT, I suspect most people who complain the loudest live in Chittenden County, which is far different from the rest of VT. The bottom line is that it costs more to live in more desirable places, period. I moved to the Lakes Region in NH and my rent/utilities/groceries are higher here than anywhere I lived in VT, including Burlington. But them's the breaks, these days. Everything is more expensive everywhere, and at least I live in a decent place. I may never retire, but I love what I do, so I'm okay with that, too. If you can't wait to retire because you don't enjoy working and want to pay less and live in a shit hole like FL, those are your priorities. Don't complain, just go away and leave us alone up here.

Edit: The same goes for access to healthcare, etc. It's not a metropolitan area; there aren't ANY amenities everywhere. We like it this way.

Necessary_Cat_4801 t1_jcy68vy wrote on March 20, 2023 at 1:45 PM

If it costs more to live in a place and wages don't reflect the higher cost, you end up with a gated community for rich people who either work from home or spend their parents money or both. That is what VT is turning into and it's gross.

Justagirlfromvt t1_jd059ye wrote on March 20, 2023 at 9:38 PM

I think that's true of many places. Everything is more expensive and wages are slow to catch up. We've been having this conversation for forty years (or more, I'm sure) in Vermont and not much has changed - for better OR for worse.

Necessary_Cat_4801 t1_jd3gpjr wrote on March 21, 2023 at 3:52 PM

That doesn't excuse it in VT. In Vermont now, wages and costs are so far apart that the only people who can afford to live here are either working from home or independently wealthy. VT is running a sociological experiment to see what happens if you completely eliminate the workforce/working class in a state.

Justagirlfromvt t1_jd5w075 wrote on March 22, 2023 at 1:25 AM

That may be true as of the last six years since I've lived there (in Chittenden County), but I've been able to live there when I was VERY poor because of "socialized" health care and food programs including but not limited to CSAs for lower income members and SNAP. My mother bought her first home after the divorce using the farmers home program (not sure if that's the actual name or if it still exists). Vermont is very expensive, but it also allows for programs and government that actually helps people succeed. Not everywhere is like that. It's a good place, and I disagree that the trend is toward a "gated community," although I understand the frustration. When I lived in Burlington (as a poor person with advantages), my struggle was to educate less advantaged folks about the things Vermont had to offer for them that still supported the local economy. It's just a different mindset. It's about priorities.

Justagirlfromvt t1_jcxvbq5 wrote on March 20, 2023 at 12:10 PM

Also, I run a nonprofit for seniors, so I'm not unsympathetic. It just takes a certain kind of person to live in this part of the country, in general. Ya gotta love it.