Our Vermont Trip

According to Google Maps, we traveled 500 miles, and drove for 11 hours and 16 minutes during our week in Vermont.

Each state we visit, we will choose at least one point of interest from each of the following categories: Famous Person, Famous Food, Roadside Attraction, State Capitol & State Museum, National Park, Historic Location, Can't Miss Attraction, and Made in the USA Tour. Some of the categories may have more than one selection, and sometimes a category will be vacant due to the lack of a candidate. Please click on the links below for the corresponding blog related our experiences in Vermont over the past week.

Famous Person: Bill W.

Famous Food: Maple Syrup

Roadside Attraction: World’s Biggest Jack

State Capitol/Museum: Montpelier

National Park: Marsh, Billings, Rockefeller National Historic Park

Historic Location: Covered Bridged of Vermont

Can't miss attraction: Ben & Jerry’s

Made in the USA Tour: Vermont Teddy Bear Factory

Please view our previous blog posts for further explanations of our experiences in Vermont over the past week.

A breakdown of our expenses of the past week are as follows:

Gas $90.00

$ 2.83 gal. in Rutland, VT was the lowest price paid.

$ 2.89 gal. in Burlington , VT was highest price paid.

Comments:

We did great in this category!

Groceries: $238.00

Walmart $97.00

Costco $102.00

Price Chopper $ 39.00

Comments:

We bought a lot of food in Vermont!

Dining out $6.00

Costco $6.00 (3 slices of pizza on the go)

Comments:

We did great in this category!

Entertainment: $38.00

Redbox $6.00 (Movies 2x)

National Park $16.00 (Admission x2 mansion)

Ben & Jerrys $8.00 (Admission x2)

Teddy Bear Factory $8.00 (Admission x2)

Comments:

We did great in this category!

Lodging: $0.00

Walmart $0.00 (Slept in parking lot x 7 nights)

Comments:

We did great in this category

Miscellaneous: $0.00

Parking $0.00

Comments:

We did great in this category

Vermont Expenses Grand Total: $ 372.00

(Our expense list does not include re-occurring expenses such as insurance and cellphone etc.)

Is Vermont Our New Home State?

Here are the rules:

Below are the 5 categories that are important to us in choosing our new home state. Each category is rated from 1 to 10 based on our personal experience in no particular order. 1 is the lowest and 10 is the highest for each category. Each category will receive 2 scores; 1 from Lori and 1 from Nate. The average of these two scores will determine the final score for each category. To determine a state’s final score, we will average the total score of each category. If a state’s final score is less than 8, then that state is eliminated from consideration. At the end of our year long cross country trip, the states that scored 8 or higher will be subject to further consideration. In addition, Lori and I each have 1 wild card option, which allows a state that otherwise would have been eliminated, to be considered as our new home state.

Economy:

Nate: 9

“Vermont is the only state NOT required by law to have a balanced budget. However, the Green Mountain State has remained in the “green” since 1991! In addition, Vermont increased contribution to their rainy day fund in 2018! Fiscal responsibility is sexy in a potential new home state!”

Lori: 8

“Government, real estate, durable goods (marble), healthcare, retail, finance, tourism (skiing) and agriculture (maple syrup and daily farming) make up the basis of Vermont’s economy. With an average median household income of $57,513, the Green Mountain State ranks 21st in the nation, and the unemployment rate of 2.8% is 25% lower than the national average! Sounds good to me!”

Economy score: 8.5

Cost of Living:

Nate: 3

“With an income tax rate as high as 8.95%, a sales tax as high as 7% after local surcharges and the 8th highest property taxes in the country, Vermont is not a tax friendly state. It would be cheaper to move back to Connecticut!”

Lori: 3

“Compared to the national average, In Vermont: gas is 10% more, food is 12% more, and housing is on par. I am not overly impressed!”

Cost of living score: 3

Quality of life:

Nate: 5

“Vermont ranks as the 4th safest state in the US for natural disasters, and the act of God most likely to plague Vermonter’s are blizzards and flooding. Vermont has a “Mud Season” from late winter to early spring where the whole state is “you guessed it” MUDDY!!! The average annual temperature in Vermont is a chilly 43 degrees, and the state averages 75 inches of snow per year; 3 times the national average! BRRR!!! I better stock up on long johns and waterproof boots if Vermont ends up being my new home.”

Lori: 5

“Vermont’s violent crime rate of 1.58 is 67% lower than the national average making the Green Mountain State the 2nd safest in the country! I love a safe state! While Vermont appeared to be impeccably clean at first glance, phosphorous from fertilizer used in dairy farming and poor wastewater treatment has created a serious problem of polluted waterways. I guess the Green Mountain State is not that green after all! I am really happy I resisted the urge to go for a swim in Lake Champlain! Yuck!”

Quality of life score: 5

Culture:

Nate: 10

“Vermont ranks 2nd in the nation for energy generation from renewable sources, and had slashed their use of fossil fuels by 54%! Impressive! Since 2010, the Green Mountain State increased their solar production 10 fold and increased wind production 20 fold! Vermont leads the nation in clean energy jobs with more than 10,000 Vermonters working in renewable energy sector”

Lori: 10

“Brewing hard cider, swimming nude, political debates, frequenting fairs and festivals, hiking in mud, fishing, and almost any winter and water sport imaginable are just a few of the activities Vermonters enjoy! Buying local goods and services is a way of life in Vermont. From retirees, to hippies and everyone in between, the Green Mountain State has an eclectic mix of residents who are progressive and tolerant to alternative lifestyles. The state has 47 Vegan restaurants!!! I love, Love, LOVE the culture of Vermont!”

Culture Score: 10

Environment:

Nate: 10

“Vermont is the 2nd least populated state offering: easy commute, little

traffic and well maintained roadways. Kicking up dust driving down Vermont’s

meandering dirt back roads beneath the sugar maple canopy was one of my

fondest memories of my cross country trip. I love that Vermont has a statewide band

on billboards!”

Lori: 10

“Vermont strikes the perfect balance of untouched nature, and bustling cute

towns. Wherever in the state you go, you are never too far from goods and

services. The breathtakingly beautiful Green Mountains, 106 covered bridges and

oodles more are just waiting to be explored in Vermont. The Green Mountain State

features one national park, 52 state parks, 150 miles of the Appalachian

Trail, and the 273 Mile: Long Trail, which is the oldest hiking trail in America.”

Environment Score: 10

The verdict is in:

The final score for Vermont was 7.3 and it will NOT be our new home state. Nate already used his wild card, and Lori chose not to use her wild card on this state

Below are the current standings:

Colorado 9.2

Michigan 8.3

Delaware 8.3

Oregon 8.2

Tennessee 7.8

Ohio 7.6

Indiana 7.4

North Carolina 7.4

Texas 7.3 (NATE’S WILD CARD)

Vermont 7.3

South Dakota 7.1

North Dakota 6.9

Washington 6.9

Georgia 6.8

Virginia 6.6

Wyoming 6.5

Arizona 6.5

Pennsylvania 6.5

Maryland 6.4

Florida 6.2

Idaho 6.1

West Virginia 6.0

California 5.9

Alabama 5.9

Kansas 5.9

Nevada 5.8

Nebraska 5.7

South Carolina 5.4

New Jersey 5.4

Utah 5.0

Kentucky 4.9

Mississippi 4.7

Wisconsin 4.5

New Mexico 4.5

Louisiana 4.3

Minnesota 4.2

Montana 4.1

Missouri 3.5

Iowa 3.3

Oklahoma 3.3

Illinois 1.9