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yikesagoo t1_j193coa wrote

I read this and it sounds like something I would have wrote. I live in a southern state and am sick of the extremist right wing politics that control so much down here. I’ve visited Vermont two times now in two years and adore it and think of it often. I would consider moving there, but I’m a caretaker for one of my parents and can’t move. I also know that winters would be a huge challenge for me having only lived where it never snows or gets icy. That, and housing is especially outrageous there (and I would feel bad adding to that problem with how much I love Vermonters). I am wishing you the best of luck but with a word of caution - there are extremist politics everywhere in this country (and more growing globally now too) and it’s impossible to escape now with all of us so connected to each other technologically. As you mention, you want more local investment in people and the best way to do that is to find community. Sometimes that’s within a like-minded political hub, but that could happen in a lot of places that’s not Vermont too.

Anyway, I truly wish you the best ahead and hope you find somewhere and some community that you love. This is definitely me projecting at least a little bit, because I know I have an romanticized version of Vermont that this sub has helped me balance into something more realistic. I’ll admit though, I am still totally smitten with the state.

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Away_Papaya_1875 OP t1_j1944t2 wrote

Thank you, I think sometimes all the red makes me see red. It’s been something I’ve thought about for a while, just feels like my state is a lost cause. I’m tired of fighting and feeling like things only get worse.

I’m for sure not looking for perfection or paradise. Just somewhere that at least tries to move in the right direction. Thank you for the reality check tho, no where is perfect. But I am looking for better!

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yikesagoo t1_j194tdu wrote

I totally understand. I have two friends looking to move out of my state from the same reason. The mourning for our country would still be there for me if I moved, but having a more reasonable governor in whatever state you live seriously makes difference too! The current Vermont governor is R, but he appears rather moderate (which is unheard of in the south right now). I recommend you look into past threads about local politics on this sub because I learned a lot!

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[deleted] t1_j1ef24i wrote

Yikes, what state do you live? I spent my first 30 years in Carolina. Glad I got out when I did around 1993.

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[deleted] t1_j1eei6v wrote

OP, I spent my first 30 years in Carolina before moving to the twin cities. I began to loath the red politics in Carolina. Jesse Helms, need I say more? I've been in the Minneapolis metro for almost another 3 decades. I visited VT a couple times while living in Carolina. I absolutely love the state. Vermont would be a better fit for me than Minneapolis. Minneapolis has so many angry people. I'm very liberal, but this city has a lot of loud-mouth kids pushing almost liberal fascism. Liberals in Vermont at least have some common sense. I stopped frequenting the Minneapolis sub of Reddit, because it's full of leftist carnival barkers that remind me almost of the QAnon crowd on the right. There is no wiggle-room with some people. I've even been banned from the sub twice in the past under different monikers for speaking out against the city. A lot of college kids, or young adults with little social capital trying to control the narrative. A lot of people in this city refuse to admit we have problems. Even one person typed nothing in downtown Minneapolis has changed, even though downtown is a shell of what it used to be.

I surf real estate a lot, and yes, housing is nuts in VT. There are some mobile home parks where a person can purchase a home at a good price, but even they are few and far between. It's not like in the south where mobile homes and doublewides are everywhere. Vermont and the twin cities metro of Minnesota are a slice of heaven. When you look at rents, most include heat, so they're not really that much more expensive than renting in the south. I once had over a $200 heating bill in December in North Carolina, because the apartment used an electric furnace. I near fell over. Here, no worries of paying heating bills. You may want to consider the burbs of Minneapolis depending on what you're looking for. The world is at your doorstep here. It's an amazing place. With that said, I still romanticize about Vermont. It's on my mind every day and night. I was stoked when I learned Bravo's Winter House is filmed in Stowe, VT. Stowe is one of my favorite places. I would love to return to VT for a very long visit, or to live.

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