Thinking About Moving to Vermont?

Vermont is known for a lot of things. Maple syrup. Mountains. Fall foliage. Covered bridges. Mud season. Independent-minded people. Small towns. Old churches with white steeples that look like they were placed there by a postcard committee. But here is something newcomers should know: Vermont is not a very religious state — at least not in the traditional church-attendance sense.

Vermont has a political reputation. To many people outside the state, Vermont is known as progressive, environmentally minded, independent, community-focused, and politically blue. And that reputation is partly true. Vermont has sent Bernie Sanders to Washington for decades. It often votes Democratic in presidential elections. It has a strong environmental identity. It has a visible progressive political culture, especially in places like Burlington, Brattleboro, Montpelier,

Vermont’s education system is facing serious questions about funding, property taxes, declining enrollment, small schools, local control, school consolidation, staffing, childcare, and how to provide quality education across a small, rural state.