I would agree with the fact that if you move there you will NEVER be a Vermonter in the eyes of your native neighbors. I was joking with a justice of the peace up there--when he told me that his family went back to the 1850s, I said, "So, you're ALMOST a Vermonter!" He laughed--he knew what I was saying. I think the people who have the most respect up there are descendants of the Green Mountain Boys.

And New Englanders are reserved. One of the reasons the Nearings left Vermont (besides the fact that the ski industry was going to encroach on their territory) was because there was no desire on the part of their neighbors to manifest community in any way. The Nearings, having socialist ideals, felt that they could initiate all kinds of cooperative ventures in the area--but no one bit.

However, there are a lot of transplants in Burlington which I think mitigates any potential feeling of being an outsider.

At the same time, there is a shocking lack of diversity. My other son (who now lives in VT, but moved up from NYC) was stared at by people in the downtown area because instead of wearing L.L. Bean-like flannels and jeans, he was wearing his "hip" NYC outfit, which was by NO means outlandish. It was just simply... different from L.L. Bean.

Personally, I found everyone very friendly. But I was raised in as a New Englander in Connecticut so I guess "friendly" is a relative term.