Well let's be realistic though.

If Vermont was not a tourist destination, what industry would its economy be built on?

Seems pretty much every town and legislative body bends over backwards to court the tourist dollar, but continuously fails to invest that money into building any sort of sustainable and well paying industries for locals to work for.

Even then, it fails to protect what little bit of cottage industries are available - like Bed & Breakfasts - by failing to place restrictions on short term rentals because it would cause lashback from the secondary home owners making a quick buck.

And don't even get me started on how poorly local businesses are run. Number of business owners who simply don't answer the phone is ridiculous. It's like they purposely make it difficult for you to give them money, just so they can bitch about not making enough to stay in business.

Oh you're an out of stater?

Your money is welcome in this conversation, not your opinion.

/s but yeah. I've never loved and hated living somewhere so much.

Overall I like living in VT, but it's not just "anti-nuclear". Vermonters will cut off their nose to spite their face for anything that isn't asthetic.

That mindset has a place - billboards are gawdy and trashy - but it's expanded to a bunch of green energy initiatives. Just look at the windmill project that was denied in Windham/Grafton a few years ago - it would have been a huge benefit to the local communities but voters decided ruining their view wasn't worth it.