Despite our environmentalist tendencies, Vermonters drive more than
residents of any other state.
In the course of my day, I rub shoulders
with many people who live in rural places, down dirt roads, on five-,
ten- or twenty-acre lots.
But my Vermont is focused on Vermont’s
vibrant downtowns. I live in Montpelier on less than an eighth of an
acre, in a citified neighborhood with sidewalks. I don’t drive my car
for days or weeks at a time. I walk the ten minutes into town in the
winter, or ride my 45-year-old bicycle in the summer.
People say I’m
lucky I don’t need to drive, but it wasn’t luck. It was choice. Two
years ago, when I bought my house at the very peak of the market, the
ability to walk and bike was my top priority.
I’m an avid gardener, and
this summer I plan to try a few urban backyard chickens. Yes, I would
love to have an acre or five, and a mountain view, but my Vermont is
focused around the historical village and the ability to walk and bike.
This is just as much the "true" Vermont as the landscapes along a rural
road.
I love my freedom, and the community, that comes with this
compact approach to transportation and life.