It’s not every day that you see a fully naked girl and one covered in a hijab in public at the same time. Nonetheless, this was what I saw on a walk around my neighborhood in Burlington, Vermont on my first day here. What a welcome, right? Upon further research, I learned that public nudity has been decriminalized in Vermont for many decades. Not only that, but there is an annual Naked Bike Ride organized by the University of Vermont (UVM) students and supported by the administration. Absolutely ridiculous in the best possible way. To be clear, seeing a naked person on the street in Burlington was a one-time thing.
Now that I have been here for four months, here are 5 facts and opinions on Burlington, Vermont: my home for the next few years.
Fact #1: Burlington is the first city in America to run entirely on renewable energy.
Opinion: Sustainability is at the core of this city and definitely sprouts up in conversation or otherwise on a daily basis. Composting is mandatory, there is an abundance of Teslas and bicycles on the road, UVM is conducting a ton of scientific research in sustainability (including my lab), and overall I can see a deep sense of respect for nature in Burlington residents. After moving to a new city, it’s always nice to discover that a large subset of the general population in your city shares the same values as you. It’s also very easy to find locally sourced fruits and vegetables as the city is practically surrounded by food and dairy farms. I can see why Burlington’s farmer’s market is always super crowded.
Fact #2: In addition to the regular bike lanes along the side of the road, there are 8 miles of dedicated bike lanes in Burlington, a city with an area of only 16 square miles.
Opinion: It took me less than three weeks to buy my first bike in Burlington from Craiglist. People are obsessed with bicycles over here and I think so far this has been one of my favorite things about the city. I mean firstly, the city is small enough that you can go almost anywhere on a bike. And secondly, car drivers are extremely careful and respectful of bikers on the road which makes it a very stress-free experience. I genuinely don’t see myself buying a car any time soon but instead am looking forward to upgrading my bike next spring. I am so glad I’ve re-discovered the joy that riding a bike is. Now, I get to experience that joy every single day as I come home flying down the hill from UVM.
Fact #3: Burlington is very expensive.
Opinion: There’s not much to say about this one other than that it’s a real pain to deal with especially when you’re living on a graduate student stipend. Is Burlington more expensive than other big cities like Boston and New York? Most probably not. But, it’s hella expensive for a city with less than 50,000 people. The real estate market over here is absolutely atrocious and finding a place to rent at a reasonable rate is exhausting. Anecdotally speaking, I was able to save a lot more in Minnesota, where I lived on a similar student stipend. I mean just look at how much Vermonters spent on groceries in 2018, according to a study by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. A whopping $4700 per capita in one year!
Fact #4: Vermont is the least religious state in America where only 22% of residents consider religion as an important part of their daily life.
Opinion: Depending on who you ask, this can be a huge positive or a huge negative. All that I would say is that there is a stark contrast with how much the topic of religion (Abrahamic or otherwise) came up on a weekly basis in Minnesota and how over here it almost never comes up. That’s not to say that Burlington doesn’t provide a support structure for communities to practice their religion. Check out this article for more information, titled “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Vermont: Finding Religion in the Most Godless State”.
Fact #5: Racially, 85.7% of the residents in Burlington identify as White.
Opinion: This extreme lack of diversity doesn’t really bother me maybe because I haven’t been here long enough to encounter serious racial bias. My experiences so far have also been generally positive, though I have heard other international students and non-White friends tell stories about the racial bias they experienced. I was pleasantly surprised to find out the large amount of ethnic restaurants in Burlington. In addition to the usual Indian and Chinese restaurants, there are Thai, Morrocan, Vietnamese, Japanese, Nepali, and Turkish food outlets.
Bonus Fact: Vermont is the healthiest state in America, according to a 2019 study by the United Health Foundation.
Opinion: I mean, can you really blame Vermonters for always wanting to be outdoors? Burlington and its surrounding areas are breathtaking! Biking, running, kayaking, hiking, and swimming in Lake Champlain were some of my favorite activities to do this fall. I also dabbled with some intramural soccer and kickball at UVM, the competitive nature of which made it even more fun to stay outdoors.
It’s true that I am still in the honeymoon phase of my move and I do have the tendency to be overly optimistic about new places. Maybe it’s worth re-visiting this blog in a few years and seeing if these opinions hold any truth? So far, so good.