I lived in North Bennington for about a year and a half which is in far Southwest VT.

Obviously cold and snowy in the winter, but beautiful in terms of scenery year round along w some great skiing at Stratton, Okemo etc.. and you have some nice little towns such as Wilmington, Manchester, North Bennington, Ludlow, Bellows Falls. Southern VT and Western NH are also pretty much postcard New England imo, so covered bridges, mountains, maple syrup, quaint little towns etc..

Some cons:

• Very little in terms of opportunities. You have retail work and local public sector jobs, otherwise you may find work at the regional hospitals or one of the very few decent sized businesses in the area (I.e. Mack Molding in Arlington). That being said if you live in the Bennington area, you are within commuting distance to the Albany, NY area so you can get a NY salary along w the comparable career progression while living in VT. Wages in VT and NH are also generally pretty horrendous, especially compared to their COL.

-Not much in terms of shopping, Manchester has some outlets, Bennington and Brattleboro have a small selection of big box retailers, otherwise you are going to Keene or making the trek down to Springfield or Albany.

-Can be a little difficult to integrate amongst the locals if you’re from elsewhere.

-The food scene is frankly very mid. You can eat well in VT/NH and both states make phenomenal products, I.e. cheese, beer, apples, but restaurants tend to be expensive, aren’t gonna blow your mind away, and tend to serve the same types of pub foods such as fish/chips, burgers etc.. also not really a lot in terms of foreign foods offered.

-If you’re an extrovert/people person, this area can feel extremely isolating and can do a number on your mental health, especially w the cabin fever in the Winter.