Unfortunately most of us on this subreddit are white so we aren’t the best people to gauge racism in Vermont. I’ve heard complaints from black and biracial friends who live here, mostly about bullying not being adequately addressed in schools and adults being treated as if they don’t belong. But areas like Burlington are very progressive with people who appreciate and encourage diversity.

Your biggest issue will be finding housing. If you’re buying I would start looking now. There’s a severe housing shortage statewide. Internet coverage can be spotty so I would ask a Realtor to guide you toward places with good coverage.

Lots of folks are overlooking geography. Killington is in Rutland County, and is also near Woodstock and the Upper Valley. Everyone giving you advice about Chittenden county is not especially helpful; it would be about a 2 hour commute for your husband if you lived there. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to do that. I can’t answer the question you’ve asked, but you may want to narrow your focus to areas where it makes sense for your family to live.

White half of an interracial couple in Chittenden County. Have had white dudes talk to me with slurs as if I'm one of the boys and when I call them out and mention my wife is a minority, I get, "Oh no, not her. She's one of the good ones." 🙄

Having grown up in both NYC and the south, it's much closer to NYC here as in I haven't had to beat any racists down with a bat yet.

I think you'll find the racism here in Vermont is a lot more...microaggression than overt bullying type things. We are a largely white area (esp in the wealthy white Killington area) but consider ourselves "better" than racism. Which, of course, we are not. So your child is less likely to have kids shouting at her with the hard r and more likely to have randos touching her hair or saying things like "You speak so well." as if it's a compliment.

I don't know a ton about the schools down there. I went to one not far from there but the high school has since closed. I think that area of the state has schools that are either not great (Rutland, very recently still fighting over racist mascot) or very wealthy and likely to be...difficult for a newcomer.

As others have mentioned the Burlington area is much more diverse but you're not gonna want to be commuting to Killington for work from here.

I've no first hand experience. I suggest taking a close look at Rutland. It is a reasonable commute to Killington even in the winter. It has internet. It has some Bipoc. It has some housing.

Due to extreme housing shortage in most of the state, your choices will be extremely limited.

WRT prejudice. It speaks well of the state that a lot of people here honestly admit that prejudice is real, that they hold some, that they make mistakes, and that they are trying to not be prejudiced. This is much better than people who insist that we live in a race and gender blind culture (we have people like that here too). One root of the problem in Vermont is that so many people have so very little interaction with BIPOC. Welcome! Your moving to Vermont may be part of what moves Vermont forward.

Unfortunately, racism is very much alive and well in VT. Parent of a bi-racial child who went through Burlington Public School system here, and it was not a pleasant experience. It was stunning how racist a few teachers were, as well as school administrators. It was endemic in the system. Microcosm of the macrocosm.

Interracial couple with black/biracial kids here - we’re newer and in Burlington but I have to say in our experience the schools have been way more on top of things than in the very diverse, liberal state we moved from. Obviously others have had different experiences, but it was something I worried a lot about before moving and have been very pleasantly surprised so far.

I am Black. Racism has been a serious problem in many areas of the state. Really a mess as to how students and sometimes adults have been treated. And what happened with Rep. Kiah Morris was unconscionable. Look, I love Vermont but I would be very concerned about my kids if I were you. Vermont Professionals of Color is a useful organization. Also feel free to PM me.

A lot of the racism in Vermont is of the “I didn’t mean to do it so it’s like I didn’t do it” variety.

Kids get taught to accept diverse cultures and backgrounds but they’re also very sheltered so they say dumb shit all the time.

This past weekend I rode up a chairlift with a little kid (at ski school’s request) and the kid, who was being nice and trying to ask about my life, asked me if I had to learn a language to move to the US. Kiddo, why would you think I moved here, I was born in New England. He also told me he has never left Vermont, so…yeah.

Thanks for all of the responses. Lots to think about. We are excited for the move and the opportunities is wonderful, but we also want to have a sense of community and belonging. I most of all don’t want my husband or children to experience danger to their lives. Thanks for all the input!

This PBS doc called “I’m From Here” might offer some insight. VT is full of a lot of very welcoming people, but also a lot of folks a little further to the extreme right unfortunately. VT gets away with its reputation simply because of the severe lack of diversity in the state. Meaning, the racists don’t have a whole lot of folks to be racist to. Many don’t hide their ignorance, but they are certainly the minority. Just avoid the north east part of the state. Killington area is great, but there is one psycho along route 4 there with a confederate flag flying outside what was once upon a time a very beautiful home.

https://www.pbs.org/video/i-am-from-here-zfk9gb/

A lot of the upper valley had great fiber optic internet thru vtel thanks to its proximity to Dartmouth. It’s not too too far from killington

I think you will find that most Vermonters will bend themselves AND their neighbors over backwards to make you feel comfortable here. There are some areas of the state where folks have not had much experience around POC so the language will be full of the accidentally racist kind of things that brings, trying to correct them is a coin flip on how it will go.

I’m Hispanic and lived in Rutland and Castleton for 4 years. I live in Alaska now. I found it relatively peaceful and accepting in both areas. The NEK (Derby..etc) was extremely unwelcoming and hateful…and other parts (Hartland, Manchester, Killington, St Johnsbury, Woodstock, Pittsford, Wallingford, Middlebury) all gave off the vibe of “we don’t see much diversity here, but we are curious and ready to welcome it” (albeit with microaggressions and missteps along the way). Burlington just feels like a vagrant space. Beautiful, constantly shifting tides with college students and population turnover. Accepting, but less in a way that is easy to form community and more in a neoliberal way.

You’ll be safe there, just avoid the NEK. There’s good people everywhere though.

Hello and welcome. I’m quite white so it’s hard for me to say how the racism is around here but people mostly seem pretty accepting of others. Internet around killington is served pretty well by EC fiber which is great. Rutland will be your closest “city” which is where you’d likely go for groceries and other errands. You’re moving to a ski area so housing will be tough to find long term and be expensive. I mostly wanted to touch on working at killington. Make sure your husbands friend isn’t pulling his leg about work all year. It’s crazy busy now and restaurants need the help but it does slow down A LOT during the spring, summer and fall. Make sure you live close to killington because he will be expected to drive up to work in the worst of weather, it’s busiest when it snows and the tourists drive like animals.

As the mother of a biracial teenage daughter, I do not recommend South Burlington.

The north part of the state, essentially franklin county, is the worst in this regard. Things are much more diverse near/in burlington.

Depends on what class you and your child are surrounded by if I’m going to be honest. Poor white people are poor white people everywhere.

While it is a progressive state, it’s still the second whitest state in the US. Mostly it’ll be fine, but expect some microaggressions and kids being cruel.

Fellow ex-Michigander. Moved here two years ago. We settled on Essex Town because of the schools and proximity to everything. Vermont is very white, but not northern Michigan kind of white. Our little neighbor is a melting pot. I think it is because it is the "old IBM neighborhood ". Lots of biracial coupes, LGBT couples, and immigrants. I would check out the Essex area. I'm a white dude, so maybe I am missing something. Hope this helps!

Rutland is the biggest town near Killington. It has a rough reputation but honestly it's a great town with a lot to offer.

As others have said, Vermont is very white and sadly racism and classism is prevalent, but I know many Vermonters who are actively trying to fight that, so at least there's that...

I see a few people recommending the Upper Valley and I would like to jump on that band wagon. I do think you should know how school choice works in Vermont, especially the Upper Valley. If you live in a town that doesn’t have a designated public school you have school choice and your town of residence pays the tuition for the school you choose. Even independent schools like The Sharon Academy. Worth keeping in mind as you make your housing decision. Killington is a school choice town, as is Stockbridge and Rochester (for grades 7-12).

Edit: Killington no longer has choice. Their students attend Woodstock schools

If you have to live near Killington your living options are very limited. Rutland is the biggest community. There are lots of tiny towns that might feel very isolated. As for racism I'm not sure.

Depends on the day. Check channel 3 for daily forecasts

Vermont school sports is notorious for bringing out the worst racism in people (see any of the many incidents this year, in recent years).

I’ve heard that Woodstock is a decent, accepting place, but can’t speak to it myself.

I can’t speak to the schools but I live in Proctor just outside Rutland and in the three years I’ve been here I’ve noticed a definite uptick in the number of POCs, particularly black folk. So I think it’s getting more diverse, but compared to Michigan, that’s not saying much.

I’m white, so I can’t speak to the experience of black folks here either but I can say that while I’ve run into a lot of unfamiliarity with people of color (and resulting ignorance) I haven’t heard much in the way of disrespect or contempt.

You will, however, see too many “Trump 2024” signs and a pretty hefty sprinkling of confederate flags. So it’s a pretty mixed bag.

Vermont’s reputation as a liberal haven is a facade. I say this as a mixed woman of color who grew up here. Someone in this thread mentioned Kiah Morris’s experience, which you should look into as an example of life here. Personally, after reading coverage of how VT schools and the principals’ association mishandled racism and homophobia and transphobia occurring in schools, I had a moment when I told myself I would think realllyyyy hard about raising children in Vermont. You will need to be prepared to fight hard for your kids and expect your adult peers in your community to be overtly racist and to use schools and curricula to showcase their bigotry. I will say that it was exhausting to be a “token student” and I went to BHS, where there were more students of color than in other schools in the state. It was exhausting to exist in a school culture that isn’t trauma informed and to fight to be recognized as human. I made it, but I also realized that I made myself smaller so I’d be more appealing.

There is not diversity in Vermont outside of Burlington, and it’s incredibly limited in Burlington. Anyone who claims there is diversity in VT likely has not lived out of the state. It is a bubble.

Rutland could be difficult socially. Lots of folks stuck in the 1950s there politically and socially. It’s very low cost though. One of the few (very, very small) cities in the northeast you can still purchase a home for under $200k.

If you want a magical place to raise kids kinda close to Killington, try Manchester. Lots of very wealthy people from larger cities are there, but you can still find a decent house for under 500k. It’s about an hour and ten away from the mountain.

I experienced plenty of racism here while in a biracial relationship. A lot of people here are pretty great though.

My family lives in Barnard. Good elementary school that moves into the Woodstock district for middle and high school, fast ec fiber internet, not terribly far from Killington or the Upper Valley. We have local family here that are black and biracial and in-laws/friends from Haiti that are here often. Demographics are heavily white in the area, and the whole state, but attitudes appear to be mostly welcoming. I suspect you'll experience less overt racism from actual bigots and more accidental stereotyping from people who are well intentioned but inexperienced with diversity. To my knowledge my black family members in town haven't had any bad experiences, and they aren't the only non-white people in town by any means.

I am biracial and was born and grew up in central Vermont (Strafford, VT) and just graduated college. I had fine experiences in all my schooling in Vermont. Certainly some micro aggressions and rude jokes and such but nothing extreme, the kind of things and are unfortunately unavoidable. I grew up in an extremely small town and went to elementary school with the same 15 kids for all 9 years, I felt like I was always treated for who I was and never stereotyped, because of the strong community and the fact that everyone had to know me very well. Vermont is certainly not diverse and I feel like I missed that at times, but it also felt very safe. My experience was always kind well meaning people who treated me well.

You might get more issues from people mad about remote workers moving here and Driving up costs than actual issues with overt racism. Vermont isn't cheap. Cost of living is on the higher side. It's more isolated than Michigan. It's Cold, but you're probably used to that. I think overall you'll be welcome in Vermont, but sometimes all it takes is a few people to make you want to leave. I'm sorry if I missed it, but what made you decide on Vermont? There are both positives and negatives. For most, being cold , sometimes for more than half the year, is enough to make people regret it. Vermont can be a little boring. But that's what I like about it. It's one of the safest states though and one of the better States to raise a family.

Also, if you do move here, try not to attempt to change it. People hate that. People move here and think they know better . Vermont is unique and most want it to stay that way. I agree with that. Otherwise, why move here? I think you'll do well and be welcomed. I'd recommend learning about Vermont's uniqueness and trying to adapt to it. It's a beautiful state. If you do come across racism, try not to let it get to you. It's not representative of Vermont. It exists everywhere, from every culture. I've lived all over and seen it in every form. Even in Michigan. I'm living near Rutland now. It has a reputation, but compared to other places, it's nothing. Killington is Nice. A bit overpriced. Rutland would probably be your best option. It's close to Killington and has amenities. There are other small towns around it. You could look out at Castleton too. I can't accurately comment on the schools. But as far as I know, they're not terrible.

Hey OP!! I posted a similar Q in the burlington page. We will be in Vermont by this summer and also have 4 kids. I am bi racial and my husband is black. Can’t help as far as experiences living there, but on my visits to see if Vt was a good fit I have nothing bad to say whatsoever! I feel like everyone is very friendly, accepting, and welcoming! If your fam ever wants to get together once we are all settled just let me know! I know it’s nice to see other POC’s 🤍

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1.5% of Vermont is black. Extrapolate from there

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I'm not BIPOC, so I can't speak to it on a personal level, but as someone who works in a school, the schools here do tend to care about racial equity and anti-racism: my district has been doing anti-racism trainings and has an anti-racism task force. The Burlington/Winooski area is by far the most racially diverse part of the state. Chances are if you stick to the more progressive areas, most people will be decent. If you go more rural/northern, racism might increase (I've heard not-so-great things about Enosburg). It's tough because the state is just so white that not a lot of people here have many interactions with the BIPOC population, so it's easier to Other them. I remember in high school being really intrigued by minority populations and really excited to see so many of them when I moved out of state for college. I very much grew up in a little Vermont bubble, and I'm certainly not alone.

My wife is Asian and we've had extremely few issues. I can't speak for the handful of black folks who live in our little town in the central part of the state, and I don't happen to know them well other than to wave at the ones who are our neighbors down the street, but they seem to be loved and respected by many locals as far as I can tell.

Stay out of Rutland and the northeast part of the state.

Can’t really narrow it down for you because good schools are Everywhere.

Internet: varies, even within each town there are places with and places without. Chose a house/rental accordingly.

More racially friendly? The whole Killington area. See the blue counties on any 2020 voting map.

Map: https://www.politico.com/2020-election/results/vermont/

My husband and I are an inter-racial couple. I am Asian. We are in southern Vermont. We’ve been here a little over a year and moved from the South. I feel that racism is more in your face in the South where here you have to peel away layers before you see it. I agree with all of those about micro aggressions. My daughter looks more like me and has experienced a few things in school but nothing violent. I am experiencing more ignorance and micro aggression in the parent community of the school. I still don’t regret moving. Plenty of people who aren’t like what I mentioned. I wish you all the best!

I would be more worried about the anti Michigan crowd. They meet every wednesday on the town green

I'm also new to Vermont and white so I don't know how much insight I have for you. Re: internet, there's always satellite, but take care because somehow I moved into one of the areas where only a couple companies service. It's worth plugging addresses into providers' websites and using the state internet maps as you look for somewhere to live. Congratulations on your next adventure!

If you end up near Rutland and ever feel like you need a friendly ear or a cup of sugar, let me know. I was born in Ohio but have no beef with Michiganders!

Lifelong Vermonter who working for the airline industry has been all over the world, there are racist/ignorant people everywhere but in Vermont I find people excepting people's individuality in race, sex and creed. We welcome everyone including you and your husband.

I'm not entirely sure if this is helpful but here in Saint Albans, atleast in my sons class, theres no issues I've ever seen or heard of. Granted my sons only in 3rd grade. But his school did a big rally last year about treating everyone the same and we're all the same no matter skin color with the BLM flag. Many schools are doing the same.

BUT there was a story on the news the other day where there were racist insults used at a game, Milton vs Fairfax. It was a "fan" who did it but considering its Milton I'm not surprised. Most of the towns with racism aren't popular destinations, and from the last 15 or so years it's been weeded out for the majority, so I'd think Killington would be a great area to bring your family!

For what it's worth, and for informational purposes, you might look into the Strafford area. They still have their own Elementary School, it's close to Dartmouth (offering a variety of cultural advantages), and you have school choice. You could send your kids to Thetford Academy, The Sharon Academy or the Hanover High School (for High School). Our own kids chose to go to TSA. I haven't read through all the comments, but Strafford is an hour's drive from Killington (on a good day with the wind at your back).

wow VT is gonna get crowded soon.

yep i voted this down, because you should research places before taking a job there, and that you make moving to another state an issue of race. it's obnoxious and wreaks of troll behavior. congrats to your husband btw! is all of VT racist? I never laughed so hard ever in my life!

Castleton might be a good fit. It's a college town and has more diversity than some of the other areas. It's right off of 4, a pretty direct route to Killington and about 15 minutes from Rutland so you still get that small VT village feel but you're still close to a "bigger" city

Moved here from Southeastern Michigan in Aug 2020, and I would move back in a heartbeat. VT is for people who enjoy making 12 bucks an hour and being poor, or it is full of rich fucks from NY,NJ. It's a struggle to afford living here, and best of luck finding somewhere to live near Killington, the hotels are homeless shelters because of the lack of VT housing.

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I hope they are paying him a lot because the cost of living here is rather high and often times people who move for work get caught off guard. Also your biggest struggle may be actually finding somewhere acceptable to live. I've seen many people accept job offers only to search for housing for months only to have to sacrifice the offer and not move. Also the Rutland area is going to be way not as fun to live in compared to the Chittenden area so there's that too

You might consider Randolph (exit 4 off the 89) which is in the center of the state. The HS isn't great, but the elementary school is pretty fantastic. It would be about a 45 minute commute to Killington. I do hope you make the move - Vermont will welcome you.

Just want to flag that Rutland High School may not be a good fit. If you search, they've been embroiled in a years-long fight over a racist, confederate mascot that has only recently changed because the State Legislature passed a law banning racist mascots. A search of the local news should turn it up! Vt Digger probably covered it if the Rutland paper is behind a paywall.

If you see racism at every step of your existence, chances are you’ll find it in VT, NY, CA or Angola.

I think it’s kinda tricky around here. I’m white so take all of this with a grain of salt. Everyone in my circles would love to see this state become more racially diverse but it’s hard for a couple reasons: Firstly we’re basically tied with Maine for being the whitest state in the country. And while many people are well meaning/liberal they tend to be in cities and more egalitarian in theory than practice (mostly because they have so few interactions with people of color, and especially black people). Also this just means that finding any non-white community may be quite difficult. Secondly, outside of towns it can get pretty bad pretty quickly. A lot of maga, blue stripe flags, but also things like a school board preventing the students from being able to hang a blm flag or a pride flag officially. There is an ongoing aclu lawsuit against a school district for racial harassment (from memory there were students seig heil-img, and using racial epithets) My part of the state is also adjacent to NH which I think is decidedly worse in most of these respects. But our school district is notably more diverse and welcoming.

Also I’d be wary about Killington. May be able to make good money but, it’ll be pretty short term (ski season goes through may maybe?) I don’t know what summers look like there but I’d recommend finding out before it comes up. A lot of our support programs are fairly good, but it’s not the best place to find a job, especially not one with a good enough pay to afford to find housing around here. It’s a bad situation. In my town there’s like 1-2 rentals listed per month, because the majority of spots become short term rentals or are just overwhelmed by demand. If you’re trying to buy a property you’re competing with New Yorkers and Connecticuters who just have much more money than can be competed with mostly.

There’s a reason why this state is one of the least diverse states in the country.

As a POC, I feel like you would be dumb and doing your kids a disservice to raise them in Vermont.

You'll be fine if you go to socialist areas like Burlington. Just kidding but honestly Vermont doesn't seem too bad in terms of racism. But again 90% of the state is white so I'm not sure. NH has it a lot worse tho

This is the most fucked up ‘Yes or no, have you stopped beating your wife?’ question ever.