Vermont is a wonderful treasure, full of natural beauty and warm and friendly people. We are fortunate to have such a beautiful place in which to live, work, and play. We have a great lake, green mountains, open fields, natural forests, parks, bike paths, small towns, and a great City in Burlington – a city that has received many accolades. It has been voted one of America’s most livable and safest cities, yet we have a small town feel with culture, art, academia, business, research, healthcare, history, entrepreneurship and heaps of vitality that is more similar to a large metropolis. Each season offers a range of recreational outdoor activities — running, biking, skiing, hiking, sailing, fishing, kayaking, and many more. For those searching for a more peaceful form of recreation, you will also find every type of yoga studio and meditation center available.
Politically we are a progressive and socially liberal state. Our community mental health and social service system is among the best in the country. We are fortunate to have a top innovative research and academic health center available in the partnership between Fletcher Allen Health Care and the University of Vermont. The University remains the only land-grant institution in the state and has a working dairy on Spear Street, a research forest in Jericho, and is caretaker of two of our most traveled mountain summits — Mount Mansfield and Camel’s Hump.
Our business climate is well rounded with large employers and smaller entrepreneurial businesses. The Creative Economy is alive and well in Burlington with a strong Business Association and a thriving and vibrant Marketplace on Church Street (similar to the marketplace in Boulder, Colorado). Act 250 has been influential in keeping our state green and clean. In our more rural areas, many of our large working dairy are no longer but we have small specialty farms and receive accolades for many of our products: maple syrup, cheese, yogurt, and the like.
In terms of transportation, you will find many people walking and biking on our bike paths or through our city and towns. Route 7 and I89 are main arteries into the area. Amtrak has several stations throughout Vermont with the closest in Essex, Waterbury, and St. Albans. For more distant travel visit our small and innovative airport, Burlington International Airport, currently run by my colleague Gene Richards (Director of Aviation) and his dynamic team.
And most importantly here in Vermont, we have a long history of taking care of one another. We have many local non-profit organizations working to make the lives of Vermonters better. If you are here even for a short time, we encourage you to get involved and help to make a difference by contributing in any way that you are able.
Other activities in Burlington and its surrounds: