Vermont is a very eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary life snuggled into the crooks and crannies of the Green Mountains and along the shore of Lake Champlain. About 60 % of our roads are not paved, and at the end of winter or during thaw cycles your vehicle can literally get stuck for days. Vermonters are good neighbors, but like their privacy. Vermont has a lot of land based economies, agriculture, outdoor recreation, and in the Northeast Kingdom timber management. So many of us work the land or work with people who work the land. We are more impressed with your 15 year old flannel shirt than your new Gucci handbag. (And yes, a woman in flannel, Carhartts and muck boots is a damn attractive sight!) Vermont has a strong conservation ethic, and most people support sustainable land use practices. We are inundated with tourists and that’s understandable, but we also have all the problems the rest of the country has. But, the people here are the best asset in the state. There is a very strong sense of community. Every year we have Town Meeting Day, where the 80 year old dairy farmer sits down next to the young GLBTQ orange haired tattooed Co-op employee and determine how much money the town is going to spend on road grading this year. It’s a pretty special place.