13. Vermont
Ah, Vermont. The hippie liberal paradise we all know and love!
Vermont is such an interesting state to me because it almost feels like it shouldn’t be a state at all. It’s the second smallest state in population and sixth smallest in area. The largest city, Burlington, only has 40,000 people and the second largest is only 20,000. And that’s a suburb of Burlington! I’m not even sure if it would exist on its own if it weren’t that every other state around it was one of the original 13 colonies. And it goes against every other state, where most people assume the more rural you go, the more right wing you go. That could not be further from the case for Vermont.
Londonderry, VT
And while this could very much turn a lot of people off, the progressive nature of the state makes everything feel so free. Everyone’s cool with everyone, be whoever you want to be. I think that might just be the main appeal from Vermont that sets it apart from so much of the country.
And there wouldn’t be many better places to do it either. Vermont is beautiful. Vermont is clean. The whole cleanliness aspect, I am realizing over time writing these daily blog posts, goes so far in what makes a place so special. When a state goes out of its way to protect its land from pollution, that is what makes a spot so appealing. Sorry to go all woke on everybody! But I think there is not much more important that a state government can do than protect its land so that everyone else has the freedom to enjoy it. And in a state like Vermont that is exactly what you want the government doing first and foremost, and they actually do!
When Bernie Sanders had a bird land on his podium at a rally
I guess this is my day to get all political! Maybe it’s the fact I finally made it to the land of Bernie Sanders that I must do my due diligence to advocate for a better world for everyone. While Bernie isn’t originally from Vermont, there can’t be anyone in my mind who can better represent the state. Vermont is such a small quiet state that it needs someone loud actually speaking to the truths of not just what his state needs, but also what is important for all of the country. Maybe that is what would make people not like the state, but it makes me happy there’s a land in this country that allows someone like that to exist!
Vermont is truly special. When I was there it was so cool realizing that everywhere I went just felt safe, clean, green, and pretty. It might be one of the only states in the country I would feel confident saying that about anywhere in the state. I know I’ll be back someday to live out my hippie dreams!
