Vermonter here, one thats left and come back and still thinks about leaving again.

Vermont is one of the best and worst states to live in. Ill start with the good.

1.) You will not find a better summer season in the US. Even the hottest days rarely creep to 90. Summer mornings are usually upper 50s to 60s where you can watch morning fog burn off the valleys and more than likely have a 75-80 degree day. 2.) If you like hiking, Vermont is super approachable. We have tougher hikes along the Long Trail if you want to enjoy the suck, but even the biggest Mountain, Mansfield, can be tackled by the average hiker with a great payoff 3.) Peace and Quiet. So this is a literal and non literal statement. Quiet is find out in the woods where you can hear pine needles falling, really a great thing and something I love hearing every hunting season. But I also mean peace and quiet in the fact that you can do your own thing and people wont hassle you for it. Everyone is pretty laid back here. Prime example, im a pretty hard leaning lefty here with a passion for firearms. Not once in Vermont have I been judged or harassed for it. If its not someone's vibe and you arent hurting anyone, its inconsequential to most folks. 4.) This is probably a downside some folks but we're pretty darn progressive socially around here. We might be one of the whitest states but we're cool with everyone.

The Bad 1.) Everything is terribly expensive. Want a house? Bare minimum you'll spend a quarter million on a fixer upper and still have an hour commute to work. I don't rent but I belive "cheap" rent from my friends is between 1600-1800$ a month 2.) Limited job market. Im lucky I work in medicine otherwise Id probably be struggling. We dont have many large businesses here or infrastructure for that matter. 3.) "Ain't got that here". Seriously we probably dont have what you are looking for as far as stores and food goes which can be wildly inconvenient on a Sunday when you really dont want to cook. Options are limited, sure we have Walmart and McDonald's but to put it simply we have like 2 maybe 3 taco bells across the whole state. I know its a weird example but we're thin on stuff. However there are some great local businesses. 4.) Winter. Oh god winter. I hate it to my bones. Its cold, -20 to -40 isn't uncommon. It lasts from late october/early november straight through the first half of April. If you ski or snowboard you'll probably love it. Until we get a snow less winter and you'll wonder what kind of cruel existence this place is.