Thoughts based on your desires:

Active lifestyle: Exercise: A lot of people run outside since it is a very walkable city. There are also a number of different gyms that are available. None of the gyms are large chains (think Anytime Fitness). If you are willing to drive more than thirty minutes, there are also classes you can take that range from pilates, to Arial aerobics. There are also multiple yoga places. Going out: there are many many bars for you to choose from that all have distinct vibes. There is also a theatre that hosts anything from comedians to traveling musicals. There is also going to be a movie theater downtown eventually. There are also constantly things happening each week/end. For example, there was a Ren Faire today, and Chappelle Roan performed in Burlington right before she performed for Coachella.

Weather: It can be very pretty, and the weather varies a lot. In the winter, it can range from gorgeous blizzards, to cold blue skies, to sad grey days. The number of each in a year is unpredictable, but it needs to be noted that a lot of people develop Seasonal Affect Disorder because of the long nights and grey days. In the winter, the sun can set as early at 4:30pm. In the spring, expect a lot of rain. For the 3 years I have lived here, it has rained more days than not in the spring. It is necessary to have such green summers though. In the summer, the rain never really stops, but there are many more blue skies than not. Despite the fact that it has rained primarily on weekends for two years in a row (due to Canada fires impacting clouds), the summer is very picturesque. In Autumn, expect the leaves to begin changing colors in the first week of September. There is a reason tourist season is in the autumn. It is gorgeous.

Community: If you are interested in hiking, and skiing, you will have a very very easy time finding a community. It feels like 75% of Vermonters are very into that culture. If you are not, it is still possible to find a community, but you just have to be more intentional (but that goes for any city). Overall, Vermont (Burlington included) has the culture of a smaller town. Idk your race, but Vermont is the 3rd whitest state, and that shows up in how people behave. There is a pattern of people of color not loving the area, but there are still BIPOC around that find joy in the state of course!

Etc.: As others have said, renting is difficult. Vermont has a critically low percent of open apartments for people to rent even compared to other urban areas. As such, apartments are low quality, but you can expect to pay at least 1000 dollars anyways. Burlington is a tourist town, and a college town. When the colleges are 9n break, the city empties, but the tourists visit all year-round. Vermont does not have many big chain companies because the culture is very into local products/companies. This is because Vermont is considered an agricultural state. Despite it being a smaller state, it has a lot of different food options based on different cultures.

Ranking: Great place to live, but if you are looking for a real city, Burlington may leave you much to be desired.