The best place in the country to live. There is a connectedness with other Vermonters, farmers, people in different walks of life. The arts are easily accessible. There are some very good social services. We can try things out on a small scale and be an example for the rest of the country. We have a great impact politically on the rest of the US. Outstanding care for children and elders.

Open fields and beautiful mountains. Freedom to chose how to live one's life. Accepting of other people who have different ideas, beliefs (generally speaking). Peace. Pride in our heritage, i.e. early ban on slavery. Education, health and healthcare.

To promote buying locally; educate people about the value of what we have and about our past; continue to promote small business, self-employment. Keep the rural aspect of most of VT. Encourage people to engage in local, place-based activities e.g. farmers' markets, Valley Quests, vacationing in VT, outdoor environmentally sound activities.

Include various viewpoints. Respect for one another. Keep communities informed of what's going on. Share responsibility for our food supply and other necessities. Protect natural environment. /Be sure everyone has access to healthcare and medications.

Get to know neighbors. Would like to see central neighborhood location for equipment sharing e.g., power tools, farm equip, mowers) instead of each household having their own. All community should support farmers - that's where our food comes from.

A dynamic place to live, raise a family and know many people.

We care about our families, the environmant, who and how we govern.

The lack of ubiquitous communication statewide IE. lack of consistant cell coverage and broadband access. Less federal assistance to support roads, special education, housing. Best opportunity - get rid of Bush and Douglas.

Consider county government. Four year terms for Governor, constitutional officers and Legislature. Stop giving away the bank (tax credits) and focus on companies that have already made the investment in Vermont. ALWAYS TAKE CARE OF YOUR NEIGHBOR!

Pretty consistant

Beautiful safe friendly well cared for

quality of life excellent education high quality accessible health care peacefulness safety

dealing with global warming=technology/jobs accessible health care IN VT-I go to NH (DHMC) Better schools/lower dropout rate=fewer jails High property taxes. at least we have access to legislators. failing infrastructure=jobs

energy schools health care infrastructure

not sure - I just moved here

Good question. I am not sure. I have lived here for nine years. I plan to stay

Good question. I am not sure. I am a flatlander living here for nine years. However, I do not share most of the demographics of my fellow flatlanders. I actually moved to Vermont without a trust fund or a pension. What was I thinking?

Planning for the closure of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. Local communities can explore ways to create electrical power locally utilizing a distributed grid system

Replacing the electrical power from Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant with a distributed grid system utilizing small local sources of electrical power and universal net metering.

The local community could make a serious effort to look for ways to provide electrical power locally beginning with town offices. This could include small-scale combined heat and power generation; solar applications; small-scale hydroelectric; grass or wood pellets.

small can be beautiful but challenges remain. skilled workforce lacking. rural portions of the state lacking liveable wage employment. fuel costs prohibitive even for middle class.

an idea of independence but no longer much clarity regarding what that means

energy costs, energy infrastructure needs investment. water and wind and transportation and affordable housing these are both challenges and opportunities. political will to invest in necessary change lacking at present

see above

we are beginning the conversation and research re energy and food sustainability

it means a safe place for my family

we are facing job crunch our children grow up here and move away because no work we need industries

keeping Vermont "Vermont" don't turn every town into a city where you can't breath the fresh air

well i think i was talking about my town with my answers i feel that we need to get the old Ethan Allen building up and running so we have local jobs i do not want to see big buildings being put in (no shopping malls) i'd like to keep it small and a safe place for my family and others

Rural, and 10 years behind the times in technology. Fishing great areas, nice Summers, horrible Winters. Low paying employment for the same skill set paying more elsewhere.

None. There can never be common values that everyone shares. There are needs and wants that many people would like, such as roads but there are others who would say the potholes on their dirt road keep the traffic down to a good speed. If anything, summarized elsewhere: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Zone better. Leave the rural and make the current cities workable and put in the stores people are driving miles and miles to go for. Establish green buffer zones outside various cities. Build up the roads to the cities.

Schools and better libraries and infrastructure. Business development, especially technology. Our whole state is more like a big city when it comes to issues and future. Study a city like Philly with a higher population that the whole State of VT. They face the same issues.

The bottom line is our State is a whole entity with many resisting eventual change. The State itself must be zoned and then grown else little by little things will change with no plan and allot of fighting. (Windpower and boxstores for example) I also propose putting toll roads on all the bridges to NH so we can keep/get some of that money that is going over there every day by our citizens.

VERMONT LETS ME BE ME!

THE WEATHER- IT TAKES A CERTAIN MENTALITY TO PUT UP WITH IT. THE WEATHER WEEDS OUT THOSE WHO ARE WEAK MENTALLY-

My home, my children's home, a state with people - conservative, liberal, young, old, who care deeply, passionately, totally about this little patch of hard scrabble earth that is rich beyond words. where we have hope that our future will not be mainstream America's future,

A community poised on the cusp of possibilities, a citizen base that is building a 21st century culture that is rooted in Vermont values of "freedom and unity" self-sufficiency and can do and will do for ourselves first, tapping global resources when necessary, but caring for ourselves first, a model of a social/economic, environmental system that is fair, just, healthy for all.

Allowing mainstream corrupt Vermont - be energy self-sufficient - embrace and implement renewable energy, be food self-sufficent by making the main stay of our diets seasonally driven and agree that chocolate, spices and other ingredients are extras we are willing to swap for, and find, strengthen and keep the collective will to be different in the face of becoming faceless in a global society.

Create a decentralized and distributed energy system, move to a Vermont Food System that grows and produces the core of our diets - commit as Vermonters to buy Vermont First...and devote private, public and non-profit sector work to put the infrastructures in place to support these consumer desires. Continue to protect open lands, and continue to direct growth to our villages and town centers.

Friends and fellow citizens in Montpelier are actively protecting affordable housing, supporting a vibrant farmer's market, choosing the food coop over the larger commercial grocery stores, working on energy independence from many angles - local energy committee, high school students trying to get their building off the grid - all reinstating local, community first in our lives.

Natural beauty, remote, unique, either way ahead of its time or out of touch--not sure which. perhaps both.

practicality, thrift, independence, helpfulness, integrity

As an out of stater, it's difficult to make a living and afford to live here, even with some major lifestyle concessions. I think a lot of people would be willing to compromise some convenience for what it so special about Vermont--but you need access to jobs and affordable housing in order to do that.

Continuing to follow the sustainable and green impulses,while strengthening the economy in a sustainable way

The comments at your forum in connection with Arts Achievement Day seemed to have an unmentioned underlying reality – an important part of what makes VT special is the absence of hordes of people! Keeping it that way is vital. 250 characters guarantees nothing substantive.

green mountains, fresh air and lo stress lifestyle

hard to say, i dont agree with the "don't change anything mentallity"because i will see a lioght or windmill, but there still has to be growth or we all die, we cam't all be framers, enviormentalist or 100% green

SMART growth . . . but grow. the current population #'s cannot sustain the roads, birdges, schools etc. without going bust. we need to stop giving away everything to the "poor" and put them to work.

SMART Growth

again hard to say, but to just let the regulators run rough over the folks who do want the town to grow is not working

Returning here after living in Arizona for ten years gave me a sense of how valuable real Vermont honesty, trust, and freedom are. Vermont means community and life. It also means the health of nature, which needs to be respected.

As I've seen it, this really depends on the Vermonters. The most common values have been the need for freedom, sustainable/affordable living, and the availability of healthly choices.

The tax rate continues to rise, as do gas prices. Promotion of careful spending and alternative transportation. Ensuring the return of affordable living and better health choices. I'm very proud of Burlington for not having a McDonald's anymore.

As always, housing and gas prices, that continue to rise. Also, balancing Lake Champlain, and all water areas. We need these areas for the balance of nature and for recreational uses.

I'm graduating college soon and will be living in the general community again. I think the only way to make changes happen is to create that change. If people understand what needs to happen and why, I believe they can change.

A place where my parents brought me to escape New York City. Its a place I call home and will call home for the rest of my life.

Independence. Vermonters think of themselves as independent and this is reflected in our politics. We elect not by party but by person. This is especially true with the election of Bernie Sanders and the changing of parties by Jim Jeffords.

Here in the Northeast Kingdom alcohol and drug addiction are rampant. A state liquor inspector once told me that the NEK consumes almost as much alcohol as the entire rest of the state. This is very concerning. Also the lack of jobs and depressed wages and benefits.

Jobs and education should be priority one and not just any kind of job. Jobs that pay decent wages and benefits something I have not had since I moved to the NEK in 1998.

I am totally out of touch with our community since my community seems to think that it can keep electing the same tired politicians and that things will actually change. People dont vote and dont want to be involved. This needs to change.

They love and care about their community.

The chalenge that Vermonters face is low-income housing.

We have many homeless families who need low-income housing.

Vermont is a place I call home, it is a peaceful, green, and non-industrial state.

Their love of nature. Most Vermonters cannot stand large cities and love living almost in the wilderness.

Our cities are starting to get larger and look like what citizens from other states would call 'real' cities. Citizens from other states are starting to buy land and build houses in Vermont because it seems untouched by urban life. The more 'outsiders' that come to Vermont, the more urban Vermont becomes.

Preserving the vast wildlife of Vermont. There may not be as wide a variety of species as in some areas, but we have a larger population:land ratio than most states for many of the animals that life in Vermont.

Vermont is a beautiful, accepting and safe place to be who I really am. It is a place to connect with other people who are caring of the environment, community and family, people who share my concerns and values. Vermont is my home.

Vermonters share a sense of place and love of this land. A desire to maintain close ties with family, and a willingness to accept newcomers who respect the traditions and ways of this place. A strong work ethic, honesty and integrity. We mean what we say and we stand by our word.

Challenges:Being able to offer a future to our young people here in Vermont without giving our state over to the growth and sprawl. Opportunities: being an environmental leader once again in developing alternative energy, growing more of our own great local food, being a beacon to the country as a way of life that is not about having more things, but about sharing what we have.

Be inclusive of all groups. Make sure everyone has a voice, especially those who have been here for generations, but include newcomers,too. Use this as an opportunity to educate each other and to learn from each other and to work together to meet common goals.

Food, shelter,energy, healthcare. All very basic needs. How can we ensure that all of these needs are met at the local community level. My community is a place where people live, but don't work. There are few jobs here. With networked telecommunications, more people could live here and work from home.

high taxes, to many entitlements, can't afford to stay here

none

who they are going to fleece next once all the natives are priced out

less taxes, less government, fewer entitlements, no gay marriages

People are leaving to expensive and liberal

The variety of town/city/rural sizes are definitely attractive to me as well as the differences in altitude and proximity to Canada.

I think Vermonters love the different venues in entertainment, education, and health care. However, the employment sector sucks.

We have a definite opportunity to remain a very progressive stte in many ways, including but not limited to wind and solar energy. Idisagree with developers who insist that wind turbine towers need to be 400 feet high. There is a tower on the Danville School property that is definitely NOT 400 feet high. I have also seen a portable tower on a sailboat. Needless to say it was NOT 400 feet high.

We need to work together including with government to attract business as well as network with existing employers on the broadcasting of jobs as they come available. One other thing - whenever a business developer promises jobs, we need to know that they will be hiring Vermonters and not importing employees from other areas.

Danville is a good place to raise children and those of us who are young at heart. Our existing challenges of not enough jobs, high petroleum and food costs as well as high housing costs will remain the same in the future. I have heard thta in 10 years only the very wealthy and the very poor will be able to afford Vermont.

Vermont means a place where good citizenship, common sense, hard work, neighborliness, individualism and a free-spirit are common values; where voicing your choice may make a difference. It's a beautiful landscape of woods, fields, mountains, hollows, where resilient, resourceful people are figuring out mundane or creative ways to make a living.

I hope Vermonters share the common values of simplicity, self-reliance, responsibility, healthy families, and love of land and nature.

Challenges: The decline, or too high a price, of fossil fuels Alternative transportation Caring for an aging population Enough meaningful work for everyone An ever more diverse population Opportunities: All of the above! Plus, new state leadership with vision!

Renewable fuel sources. Transitional Towns (UK as guideline). Responsible growth and development. Utilizing VT resources (and values) in addressing issues. Greening houses, both existing and new. Educating for, and supporting, responsible farming practices. Creating and supporting local businesses/economies.

I am moving from Middlebury to N. Ferrisburgh in a month, and I don't know yet about the isses facing my new town. But I do know it is a fine agricultural resource, and I expect it is facing (as most VT towns are) the pressures of sprawl. I look forward to learning more.

One issue that I feel needs to be addressed is the lack of tourism and funding that Vermont historic sites reciev. there are around 13 state historic sites and many more parks. these sites need to be preserved for future generations. Veromont has many amazing historic sites they just need our help.

Vermonters need to realize how important there history is and that it is worth saveing. Many differnt historic sites around the state of Vermont need help financialy. These sites are either lacking funding or no one knows about them. We need to act now to preserve these sites for future generations.

open land, clean air and water and traditional values

care for one another; a sense of community; sensitivity for the environment

affordable housing; an educated workforce; jobs that will attract an educated workforce; affordable and universal healthcare; an opportunity to turn our values and appreciation of the our landscape into a sustainable place that fosters a creative economy

education, education, education...nothing else will be possible if our young do not possess the skills required of the 21st century. Without the skills we will not have the opportunities for young people and we will become a land for the old and the poor.

The thoughts shared above reflect the challenges and hopes that we have in Pittsford. I do not think Pittsford is unique in any way.

Best place in the world to live, freedom and community, clean, beautiful, organic

Common sense, value of work and health, citizen power vs. corporate power

We can lead towards real solutions to global warming--decentralized energy, local agriculture, communities having control over their own resources. Challenges are from increasingly globalized corporate and financial system, excessive federal power verging on fascist control (see Naomi Wolf, The End of America).

Maintaining as much local control as possible. Incentives for small, decentralized energy and food production.

My thoughts reflect the way I've lived my life here for the past 30+ years, and are shared by many in my community--one reason it's the best place in the world to live.

I just attended the annual meeting of the Preservation Trust of Vermont held in Brandon. The auditorium was filled with positive exciting people from all walks of life. They have preserved and renewed towns all over Vermont, with both wisdom and a sense of humor. Thanks go to all who are in love with this State and doing something about it. Norma Wales

Vermont's physical nature is one of it's greatest assets.Balanced political nature.Low population rate and it's small communities are wonderful.Healthy climate appeals to me.Low pollution rates .Our acces to our federal, state and local representatives is a real asset as you get to feel you are involved.

A general appreciation of the physical landscape and the enjoyment of same seems to be universal.Some have a sense that our federal government is out of control, unresponsive to us and does not refelct the values that we would like the USA to refelct.

Meeting costs.Maintaining and improving environmental controls.Housing needs and the costs thereof, especially for seniors and the disabled.Making medical services available to all.Attracting tourists.We have agreat opportunity to be an even greater bastion for small businesses.

Dealing with the aforementioned.

Downtown business space is overpriced for startup businesses.The city should be tapping the rivers to create energy.Housing is very limited and getting out of reach in price.

Vermont is my little life boat in a sea of national insanity.

Independence, Intelligence, Skepticism, Generosity, Stubborness, Honesty

In-State-based energy independence. Mass transportation (people and goods). The drug trade and the jail-them-all industrial complex. Affordable education for the masses. Reasonable, single payer based health care (Read: Get us out of this for-profit insurance racket).

Increase public mass transit with an emphasis on smaller vehicles fueled by locally produced bio-fuels. Re-vitalize (yes...Subsidize) our rail system. Re-emphasize the blue collar and technical trades at our highschool and adult education levels. Throw our support behind locally produced, organic farming.

Vermont is home as I grew up here. It means less government intervention, conservative principles, communities, common sense solutions, freedom. That is not what it has become and I am very distressed about the shift to liberal, government controlled ideals.

Independance, religious freedom, Town Meeting, frugality, strong communities, less government intervention, pride.

Returning to the strog values that Vermonters have always stood for. We need to stand up and say wnat is important rather than let liberal newcomers speak for us. Long time Vermonters are reticent to speak out about issues. This needs to change.

By reducing the negative impact of over regulations, high taxes, the NIMBY principle and allowing Vermonters be who they are we can improve the economy. Instead of looking a new ways to pay for a very expensive education we should be looking at ways to reduce the costs. The NEA has us in a stangle hold and we need to reduce that control.

I have seen many changes, many for the worse. Vermont means a safe place where teachers, parents and public officials are respected - not anymore. Where the rural nature of VT is not snuffed out by development and "tourist attractions." Where legislators know that doing the right thing is more important than re-election.

As a Vermonter I value supporting a healthy, moral and safe lifestyle. I support a constitutional amendment to maintain marriage as a union between one man and one woman. I support laws that ban late term abortions. I support a ban on marijuana and other regulated drugs (except for prescriptions). I support an individual's right to pray when and where he/she wishes to - but not required prayer.

a challenge giving our kids a proper education. Not just financially, but rounding their education to include all facets of learning and moral behavior. I see a need for schools to have stronger codes of dress and behavior among their students; to foster more respect for themselves, their peers & authority; and to teach about living responsibly: saving, working, etc.

work with other states and federal gov'ts to get a handle on our fuel supplies and costs. Get a handle on health care issues. Creatively encourage saving for homes, cars, etc., and encourage more responsible spending in gov't, eliminating a lot of the waste.

I see all of my thoughts above relevant to the State, Williamstown, and the Country as a whole. We have allowed a very liberal press, legislature and government in general to undermine the moral fabric of our country. All our towns suffer from this. Our challenge is to work on restoring trust, honesty and respect.

A beautiful state to raise our family. A place where the average person's voice still counts.

I fear that we are becoming more and more divided, but I believe that we do still share a basic love for the land and people. While some are fighting to save babies by ending abortion, others are working hard to end domestic violence. All these people oppose violence & cherish life, but they too often see themselves as enemies of each other.

Sadly, the issue of gay marriage has the potential to divide us further, and education funding has never been solved to most people's satisfaction. We would have more opportunities if we became more business friendly, but because of our size we do have opportunities not available to people in large cities such as contact with our representatives.

We need to be more open to business!!! We need to cut back on our government programs. We also need to get tougher on crime. Right now, Vermont is a great place to be a child molester.

Our local school does not run background checks on volunteers and sex offenders have ended up in the classroom. Also, Randolph just had another employer (Clear Source) close its doors.

A place where most of the people know no bounds for what's an appropriate place for their politics - please, keep you lefty politics out of the classroom. A place that is on the fast road to financial disaster. A place where the best and brightest leave and the stoned under achievers flock.

A long long time ago Vermonter's used to have a mind your business and I'll mind mine attitude. They didn't much care what other people did so long as others minded their own as well. Today, this whole place has gotten preachy. Not everybody is gay, or an environmentalist, or a Marxist so please, try not to indoctrinate in law your individual secular humanist beliefs.

Collapsing economy, ballooning taxes, fleeing young people, and a government that is hell bent on making sure nobody does anything to stop it.

Work together? Does you butcher cut your bacon because he's altruistic? Or, does he do it because it serves his needs? We don't need some centrally manage plan on how all of us can cooperate. The markets works just fine doing that. The state needs to simply stop meddling in something it can't understand and that can't be managed.

Half the houses owned by vacationers and the other half are owned by ex-vacationers - its not much of a community. Nice views and lots of trees but the community left a long time ago. Today, we have a pristine cartoon version of a community absent any deep personal connections replaced by lots of unfriendly nosy neighbors. Its just like living in a city but without the conveniences.