[dba07]

Originally Posted by Biker53

Isabella, I would say that folks in Vermont are generally pretty laid back.

My son-in-law in NC still talks about a visit here a few years back. He stopped at a little country store and when he went to buy something with a credit card he found out they didn't take credit cards. When he said he'd be back later with cash, the store owner said just take the item now and pay me later. My SIL is originally from the Boston suburbs and now lives in suburban NC and it floored him that they'd trust a perfect stranger from out of state that they had never met.

My SIL also has commented many times on just how nice people are up here compared to where he is from and where he lives now.

I completely disagree. I've lived here a few months and the people in Vermont are actually quite uptight. Don't believe the hype.

You might get stories like above from time to time, but as a whole they are NOT laid back here.

[Biker53]

Originally Posted by dba07

I completely disagree. I've lived here a few months and the people in Vermont are actually quite uptight. Don't believe the hype.

You might get stories like above from time to time, but as a whole they are NOT laid back here.

I don't know where you live or perhaps more importantly, how you have approached your new community, but my experience has been folks in VT are very accepting and tolerant and that they do extend a welcome to newcomers. Whether the newcomer accepts that welcome or puts effort into becoming one of them is another story.

When we first arrived here from MA people regularly stopped by to introduce themselves and welcome us to the community. We received invites to parties and cookouts. People reached out to us and we in turn accepted their friendly overtures. We showed an interest in them and in learning the local culture, and most importantly we did not judge anyone or anything because we knew as newcomers it wasn't our place to do so. The community had functioned just fine for a couple hundred years before we arrived. The onus was on us to accept the community as it is.

Nobody ever asked what I did for a living or what religion we might be or what our politics were. All they cared about was whether we were good people, neighbors, and community members.

[M3 Mitch]

Originally Posted by Biker53

The biggest difference is governmental if you ask me. NY State is a massive bureaucracy that micromanages every aspect of life relative to Vermont's comparatively small govt. presence. For example, my next door neighbors are looking to build a house near (not on) Lake George a hour from here, and the permitting process is taking about a year and $20,000. My son is building a house here and all he needed to do was submit the septic plan to the State and get a building permit from the town. No delays, no hassles, and little expense.

Another big difference is NY is anti-gun whereas VT is gun friendly.

Beat me to it, VT gun laws are among the best, NY among the worst. To me, the most stark difference.

[M3 Mitch]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

I don't know if NY is necessarily anti gun, but given the dynamics of the state and its large population, I think it is just more strict about its gun laws/process. There are people that hunt in many parts of NY. So, it may be a matter of different things at play.

Also, Upstate NY is still pretty down to earth and is different in terms of attitude, generally speaking, in comparison to the NYC portion of the state.

Another thing is that the hoops you may have to jump through may depend on where in Upstate NY. I say that because some counties like Essex and Lewis, have lower average property tax rates due to the more rural/small town nature of those counties. Saratoga County on the other hand has been 1 or 2 in the state in terms of population growth since 2000. So, that may have played a part in terms of stipulations, etc.

I think another difference in that Upstate NY is more urban in comparison and is more diverse culturally. So, those 2 things may be notable differences.

Cost of living may actually be lower in overall terms in Upstate NY, but this likely depends on which areas within both states/regions you are comparing.

This is like saying: "I don't know if the Pope is Catholic"! NY is anti gun, they certainly meet my practical definition of the term!

[Matt Marcinkiewicz]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

This is like saying: "I don't know if the Pope is Catholic"! NY is anti gun, they certainly meet my practical definition of the term!

Well, actually, given that the current pope (Francis) has been accused on more than one occasion of being a closet atheist (fine with atheist me if it's true!), that might be a better analogy than you realize...NY is not anti-gun in an absolute sense. Relative to the rest of the world, NY is the furthest thing from anti-gun--it is pro-gun, in fact. Relative to most other states in this gun-crazed country, NY is, well, certainly anti-unrestricted, anti-unregulated gun ownership.

[Biker53]

Originally Posted by Matt Marcinkiewicz

Well, actually, given that the current pope (Francis) has been accused on more than one occasion of being a closet atheist (fine with atheist me if it's true!), that might be a better analogy than you realize...NY is not anti-gun in an absolute sense. Relative to the rest of the world, NY is the furthest thing from anti-gun--it is pro-gun, in fact. Relative to most other states in this gun-crazed country, NY is, well, certainly anti-unrestricted, anti-unregulated gun ownership.

Most of us don’t care what the rest of the world does. NY is in the top tier of what is considered anti-gun by US standards. VT is in the top tier of what is considered gun-friendly States. No licensing whatsoever, no registration, no magazine restrictions. The right to self protection is embedded in our Constitution. And we have the lowest violent crime rate in the nation year after year.

Gun law differences is one of the big differences between NY and VT. The much lower violent crime rate is another.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

This is like saying: "I don't know if the Pope is Catholic"! NY is anti gun, they certainly meet my practical definition of the term!

No it isn't. There are still plenty of hunters and people with gun permits in Upstate NY.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by Matt Marcinkiewicz

Well, actually, given that the current pope (Francis) has been accused on more than one occasion of being a closet atheist (fine with atheist me if it's true!), that might be a better analogy than you realize...NY is not anti-gun in an absolute sense. Relative to the rest of the world, NY is the furthest thing from anti-gun--it is pro-gun, in fact. Relative to most other states in this gun-crazed country, NY is, well, certainly anti-unrestricted, anti-unregulated gun ownership.

Basically this...

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by Biker53

Most of us don’t care what the rest of the world does. NY is in the top tier of what is considered anti-gun by US standards. VT is in the top tier of what is considered gun-friendly States. No licensing whatsoever, no registration, no magazine restrictions. The right to self protection is embedded in our Constitution. And we have the lowest violent crime rate in the nation year after year.

Gun law differences is one of the big differences between NY and VT. The much lower violent crime rate is another.

Again, to compare VT to NY is apples to oranges. This goes back to the different demographics and experiences/realities, socially and culturally in comparison.


Ironically, when comparing metro areas, NY State has some of the safest metros in the country and some of the places with the most relaxed gun laws can have high violent crime rates. So, to use gun laws to compare violent crime rates isn't cut and dry. There are other factors that have to be considered as well.

[LINative]

Originally Posted by Biker53

The biggest difference is governmental if you ask me. NY State is a massive bureaucracy that micromanages every aspect of life relative to Vermont's comparatively small govt. presence. For example, my next door neighbors are looking to build a house near (not on) Lake George a hour from here, and the permitting process is taking about a year and $20,000. My son is building a house here and all he needed to do was submit the septic plan to the State and get a building permit from the town. No delays, no hassles, and little expense.

Another big difference is NY is anti-gun whereas VT is gun friendly.

That sounds like the property maybe in the blue line of the Adirondacks so that the Adirondack Park Agency has to approve any developments in addition to any town zoning.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adirondack_Park_Agency

In New York, like most Northeastern states, zoning is usually done by town and cities. But sometimes New York also overrules in its local governments zoning with additional restrictions in places like the Adirondacks and parts of the Catskills, Long Island and I believe in the Hudson Valley. And it allows its counties like Suffolk and Orange to buy up development rights to farmland.