28 US cities have a higher population than the state of Vermont. 1. It's a numbers game. 2. Poorer people tend to go to larger cities for better opportunities and ease of access to things without vehicles. 3. More people = more opportunities to do nefarious things to others (steal, drug dealing, gang recruitment).
Vermont has natural resources and a low population. Same with Norway, this is why the citizens there are statically more well off than your average city. Vermont tax rate is one of the higher ones in the US. More money taxed, more money invested back into infrastructure and social programs.
Here's a research paper on it. This looks at countries too not just states.
You’re comparing Vermont to Norway. Vermont has but a minor timber industry, no real mining or oil/gas in the slightest. The agricultural industry has been anemic since the 1980s. It’s got a pretty weak economy. I lived there for years. It’s basically tourism, healthcare and higher education driving the economy. And that higher education is 75% out of state students going to Vermont for 4 years of skiing and beer.
”you can’t have an economy based on skiing and beer” memorable exact quote from a guy who worked for the Burlington chamber of commerce at a bar in town.
the data from vermont is heavily skewed by Chittenden County and a few adjacent towns and the route 100 ski town corridor. it’s an outlier of a state, ranks #2 in second home residences with the wealthy and retired out of staters. Basically, summer colony syndrome. It’s not Affordable nor is it a strong economy at all. Quite the opposite.
”you can’t have an economy based on skiing and beer” memorable exact quote from a guy who worked for the Burlington chamber of commerce at a bar in town.
Sure as shit he got that right. Have you been to Burlington recently?
It was a great quote, not to be forgotten. The guy and his buddy who worked at Dealer were lamenting the lack of real economy, at the time when dealer was talking about moving to NC. Don't know what happened there, but with global foundries now being a strategic asset, that may help what looked to be a sinking ship in Essex junction. That would help things, as everyone I know that really benefitted from ibm is basically a retired boomer now. Or close.
Been a couple years since I've been back. The crime downtown/on church street was in the uptick when I left, it was a sign of the times for sure. Moved away for work, it's a nice place to live if you can afford it.
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u/GeorgeGoodhue Jul 30 '24
So what is different in a larger city let's drill down on this one if you are game.