Studying and Living in Vermont
Come for the mountains. Stay for the people. Find your own way of doing things.
What’s it like to study and live in Vermont? Well, Vermont rocks!
Vermont is small enough that you can find your people—and big enough to keep surprising you.
It’s a place where independent bookstores, working farms, galleries, music venues, makerspaces, and community organizations are part of everyday life. Where people care about where their food comes from, what happens to their neighbors, and how they can leave a place better than they found it.
For students who want more than a college experience—for people who want to make things, ask questions, get involved, and find a community that cares—Vermont offers them a home.
A place to make a difference.
Vermont has a strong sense of community—and a culture of showing up for one another. Neighbors help neighbors. People pitch in when something needs doing: they support local organizations and look for ways to make their communities stronger. If you want to get involved, there are plenty of opportunities to lend a hand, start something new, or simply show up for the people around you.
- This is an easy place to embrace your independent spirit and be yourself. People respect and celebrate each other’s differences. They welcome refugees and elect members of the LGBTQ community to lead in government.
- If you want to make a difference, good news. Personal connections yield great opportunities for you to lend a hand at a local organization or gather support for your own initiative.
- Vermont is widely recognized as the safest state in the United States and in the top five healthiest. Low crime rates, safe roadways, and strong economies support health and resilience.
- Democracy in Vermont happens in person. Town Meeting Day is held on the first Tuesday in March. Led by a town moderator, citizens gather to discuss what’s on the ballot. We may have differences of opinion, but we can debate civilly and make decisions together.
Health, Culture, and Deliciousness.
- In Vermont, buying and eating local is a way of life. Farms, bakeries, restaurants, farmers' markets, cheesemakers, and coffee shops are woven into the fabric of Vermont’s communities, so eating fresh, locally grown food is never far away.
- Vibrant intellectual communities. In addition to having more colleges per capita than any other state, citizens are intellectually curious, creative, and civically engaged.
- Culture galore. Live music, quality theater, museums, and festivals are around every corner. Vermont has around 70 prominent cultural and history museums. Boston, Montreal, and New York City are all within a few hours' drive.
- Vermont-founded companies—Ben & Jerry’s, Burton Snowboards, Cabot Creamery, Darn Tough Socks, King Arthur Baking Company, Seventh Generation, and Vermont Teddy Bear Company—are recognized for quality, social justice, and innovation.
- Great access to nature. You’ll get plenty of room to spread out, beautiful mountain scenery, and four seasons (five if you count stick season!), each one with its own perks. Healthy outdoor activities—like hiking, biking, kayaking, and downhill and Nordic skiing—make Vermont a fun and invigorating place to live.
Explore Outdoor Activities near Bennington, VT
Hiking
- The Blue Trail
- Mile-Around Woods
- Robert Frost Trail (tick heavy)
- Dorset Bat Caves, old quarry (lake/pond in the winter)
- Mt. Equinox (Manchester BBA)
- Glastenbury Mountain
- Bennington Triangle - Fire Tower hike (old Glastenbury town ruins, nearby Abenaki place of worship (stone piles)
- Stratton Pond
- Grout Pond
- Haystack Mountain (Wilmington)
- Merck Forest (Rupert)
- Bald Mountain (Woodford)
- White Rocks (Bennington)
Rock Climbing and Bouldering
- Rooftopia
- Future Cave
- Second Base
- Central Rock Gym (Troy, NY)
Waterfalls to Visit
- Lye Brooke Falls (Manchester)
Skiing and Snowboarding/Snowshoeing
- Prospect Mountain Ski Area (Woodford, VT)
- Bromley (Manchester)
- Mount Snow (Dover) - can snowshoe
- Stratton Ski Area
Fishing
- Walloomsac River (Trout fishing)
- Lake Paran
Mountain Biking / Cycling
Mountain Biking
- Bennington Area Trail System (BATS)
- Southern Vermont Medical Center Hospital Trails
Road Biking
- Bennington Battle Monument Loop
- River Road / Johnson Hill Loop
- Searsburg / North Adams Loop
Bird Watching
- Bald Mountain
- Harmon Hill via Long Trail (Appalachian Trail)
Swimming
- Lake Paran
- Woodford State Park
- Lake Shaftsbury State Park
- Emerald Lake State Park
- Grout Pond
- Battenkill River
- Swimming holes all over the place (but you gotta find them)
Kayaking
- Woodford State Park
- Lake Shaftsbury State Park
- Emerald Lake State Park
- Grout Pond (need to bring your own kayaks)
Study & Stay Incentives
The Green Mountain Job and Retention Program awards recent graduates from Vermont colleges and universities $5,000 (Two installments of $2,500) if they live in the state and work for a Vermont-based employer for 2 years after graduation.
Vermont students who aim to work in high-need careers, including teaching and mental health care, are eligible for a forgivable loan. Students receive an interest-free loan to cover the cost of their education. Once the student graduates and the work commitment has been met, the loan is forgiven.
Vermont Quotes
“If the spirit of liberty should vanish in other parts of the union and support of our institutions should languish, it could all be replenished from the generous store held by the people of this brave little state of Vermont.”
— Calvin Coolidge (30th U.S. President)
View more Quotes
"Vermont is a small state which makes an enormous difference."
— Fred Rogers
"Vermont is a country unto itself."
— Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck
“I’m from Vermont, where to be stylish and cool is to have a dirty pair of hiking boots and know how to change a tire, hang drywall, and bale hay.”
— Grace Potter (singer-songwriter)
Vermont Facts
- Vermont was the first American state to abolish slavery in its constitution.
- Vermont declared war on Nazi Germany before America officially did.
- Vermont became the first U.S. state to create civil unions, which gave same-sex couples state-level legal rights similar to marriage. In 2009, Vermont was the first state to legalize gay marriage through a legislative vote.
- Vermont’s state capital, Montpelier, is the only capital in the country that doesn’t have a McDonald’s.
- Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is the longest-serving independent in the history of the United States Congress.
- Vermont was an independent country (the Vermont Republic) from 1777-1791. It was the 14th state.
- State delicacy: A maple creemee.
- Vermont has a surprisingly presidential history: it’s one of the Top 5 states by the number of U.S. presidents it has produced.
- Billboards were banned in Vermont in 1968 because they spoil the landscape.
- The Long Trail is a 272-mile hiking path that runs the entire length of Vermont, from the Massachusetts border to Canada. Built between 1910 and 1930 by the Green Mountain Club, it is the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the United States.
- Vermont is home to musicians Noah Kahan, Grace Potter, and the band Phish. The state is host to multiple annual jazz and folk festivals.
- Approximately 78% of Vermont is forested, covering about 4.5 million acres of land.
- In 1970, Vermonters came together for the first Green Up Day, a statewide effort to clean up roadsides and public spaces. More than 50 years later, thousands of people still spend a day each spring picking up trash with their friends and families.
- Vermont is the home of Bread and Puppet Theater, a renowned museum and performance space for social and climate justice.
...we can't help it; we burn very brightly. ”
Peter Dinklage, '91