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Blue state, cold, expensive, laid back, rural, outdoor recreation, beautiful scenery, and not enough housing. Also not a lot of work opportunities but that has changed a bit with working from home.

More green, more cold, happy cows

In seriousness though, how does it compare in what sense? What specifically? Schooling? Job market? Cost of living? Political leanings? Climate and culture? You’re just gonna get a bunch of wise-ass answers like mine if you ask such vague questions here. Vermonters love to be wise-asses

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As others will soon point out Vermont is in the middle of an intense housing and affordability crisis, with the cost of living vastly outpacing local wages, so it’s gonna be much more expensive than MO. Our vacancy rating is one of if not the lowest in the country. Some low income housing and subsidies are available mostly to those living on the edge of homelessness but in some cases middle income buyers can access grants/preferential financing.

I don’t know what you two do for a living but unless it’s an in demand field (teacher, nurse, builder, etc) you won’t get a warm welcome from folks on this subreddit and rightfully so as we’re having a hard time taking care of the people already living/working here. If you’re on the affluent side then that applies doubly as the influx of wealthy remote workers and second homeowners is exacerbating everything.

In short, it’s a beautiful place to live with good values, abundant outdoor rec opportunities, and nice people for the most part but extremely difficult to make a living and build a life. If you’re looking to be part of and contribute to the community in a positive way (beyond just buying things) and you’re not some other yuppie looking to play homesteader then give it a go but just make sure you go in with eyes wide open. As a flatlander myself I feel really lucky to be here but it hasn’t been easy. Started off working with local nonprofits but had to shift to remote work so I could stay and have any hope of one day buying a house/having a family. My fiancé is on her way to becoming a doctor so I’m confident we’ll be able to make it work, but again it’s not for everyone.

weather is crazy here. summers are hot and humid but beautiful. Fall and spring are nice. Winters can be brutal (saw -50 this year at my house).

You can live in the middle of the woods or in a more "urban" area (our biggest city is 50k people). If you want to live in the middle of the woods, you need to prepare for no power in the middle of the winter for several days aka have a plan.

cost of living is decent, i dont know what you need but you can find housing online and see how it goes to your budget.

work i think is tough around here unless you have an in-demand job.

love the culture lots of skiing fishing hunting hiking camping and live music. Pretty good local food and bars.

amazing fishing. i fly fish

very labral gun laws (can conceal carry without a permit) and its easy to get a hunting license. Not too many deer but u can get one. lots of small game. Short season.

Compared to MO, MUCH colder, even in summer, much more ice & snow, & generally more expensive

Thanks for the honesty. We are already rural here in MO. He is military/policing and I just work at a nature reserve so it’ll be weird finding similar work for me.

As someone that moved from western Tennessee to Vermont I can tell you that you have more opportunities in Missouri than in Vermont, land is way more expensive than anything in Missouri by a mile. Winter is 6-9 months depending on the year. Anything else you want to know just ask.

General said it well. If you can deal with a winter like, well, not MO, and you’re into community for the long haul, great. We really don’t need more second-homers.

Have to disagree on the summers. Having lived in the Deep South for a bit, the summers here are mild and dry. After months of 104F and 100% humidity VT is wonderful.

i mean thats fair sometimes we see those temps and we do get alot of constant humidity but i truly haven't been to the south to experience that.

i spent alot of my summer in cold clean river water so its nice

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No worries! Sorry to be so negative. Honestly if you can carve out a life here it’s totally worth it, but it takes persistence.

I work in conservation myself so you’re in good company. There are plenty of police officer/game warden jobs open across the state and lots of nature reserves as well! Check the local land trusts for listings and the state job lists as well. State gigs don’t pay well but the benefits are solid.

Like others have said here the state has a strong sense of community, decent schools, delicious local food and beer, and largely progressive values but also a solid hunting and fishing culture as well. Not sure what you fish for out in MO but some good spots for pike, large/small mouth bass, trout (mostly stocked) and more. You can hunt turkey, deer, duck, etc but there’s some controversy around trapping right now. Interestingly if you don’t post signs on your land then others can hunt on it as well.

The winters are long but if you bundle up and find some hobbies to occupy your time they’re not so bad. Summers are mild ish and just plain beautiful. Fall will blow your mind when the trees change color. Spring is a giant muddy mess but a lot of us are riding that post-winter high anyway.

AGood luck!