Prize fight! Round One: Vermont v. New Hampshire

[cali]

Vermont and New Hampshire are very, very different in a myriad of way. Just consider that one in the Green Mountain State with the state motto being Freedom and Unity May the 14th Star Shine Bright, while New Hampshire's is Live Free or Die. That's what's on their license plates. On mine, is Green Mountain State.

From 2012

The word that I kept hearing describing Vermont was ‘crunchy‘ (meaning eco-friendly and sustainability-minded). Speaking at Champlain College, I was exposed to the varied recycling/composting programs that the school has in its cafe. Listening to the radio, I heard a lively discussion about the different numbers on recyclable products. Farms abound, community gardens are en vogue, and there’s an active fight against the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. It’s pretty much the hippie, liberal place it has the reputation of being.

I assumed New Hampshire had to have some of the same elements. Not so much. On the radio, there was a strong independent streak. People complained how all the candidates are in the pocket of someone. When you cross from VT to NH, you can definitely notice a difference in some regards, especially in the cities. Vermont had felt too perfect (as I mention in my Burlington post). The ‘lived-in’ feel made me feel more comfortable in Concord than anywhere in Vermont. While the houses had the same sort of historical look to them, they were run-down enough that they differed from the Disneyland-ready abodes in their western counterparts.

At the State House in Concord, I learned a lot more about the fabric that makes NH the home of “Live Free or Die“.

<snip>
It’s astounding to me how disparate two adjoining states can be, especially when they’re both lumped under the category of “New England”. Confused at how the Connecticut River couldn’t be enough to define the two sides, I asked everyone I could why the two states were so close, yet miles apart in mentality.

Here are some theories:

<snip>
http://roniweiss.com/2012/08/30/vermont-vs-new-hampshire/

[cali]

1. Kick for the big differences

[PotatoChip]

2. I've been saying the same thing for awhile now.

But apparently, not many (on a certain side of the primary divide) want to hear observations from people who actually live in northern NE states.

I can only assume that it has something to do with upsetting the carefully crafted narrative.

[cali]

3. The following piece is both nasty and dated

Vermonters still like to believe it's true.

Vermont is a beautiful place, a postcard. New Hampshire looks like Arkansas with snow.

Vermont was home to Abe Lincoln's son and the von Trapp family. New Hampshire gave us the lunatic publisher Loeb, the theif Sherman Adams, athe perposterous Sununu and a member of the Manson gang.

Vermont passed a Clean Air act before the environment became trendy. New Hampshire wrote a constitutional amendment raising the IQ of its citizens by 50 points so they could communicate with their house pets.

Vermont has several nifty towns like Brattleboro and Montpelier. New Hamshire's largest city - Manchester - has a main street that concludes in a dead end.

First thing you see when cross into Vermont is spectactular foliage and sprawling valleys that recede into picturesque, rolling hills. First thing you see in New Hampshire is a toll booth where the attendent is stumped making change for a $5 bill, followe d by a state liquor store.

They speak English in Vermont. They speak a contorted form of gibberish in New Hampshire, saying things like "Geez-o crow, look 'hup the street, the soldiers are marching down."

<snip>

Vermont has two capable United States senators. New Hampshire has Judd Gregg, a complete dope who won the 1993 Anthony Perkins "Psycho" look-alike contest and took great pride in the fact he tried to take a dying woman's money after shw put a down payment on his property and then tried to get it back after she contracted cancer. When Gregg announced for the Senate, they coined the phrase, "The sap is running."


<snip>


Vermont has a lot of people who moved from Massachussetts and New York to escape the rat race. New Hampshire has thousands who moved in out of pure selfishness, to avoid taxes or doing anything that might help a neighbor.

In Vermont, if you get sick the take you to a hosptial. In New Hampshire, if you become ill, old or infirm they use you for fertilizer or target practice.

<snip>
http://boulter.com/nh/barnicle.html

[PotatoChip]

4. Ouch! That is a bit harsh.

But there is certainly a recognizable grain of truth to the piece.

[cali]

7. Vermont and NH are even very different geologically.

[elias49]

5. It's true. NH and VT are very different.

Claiming that Bernie leads in the polls in the NH primary because he's from a neighboring state just doesn't cut it.
"People in NH know Bernie. That's why he's ahead"
What? People in NH don't know Hillary?
Silly.

[cali]

6. And she has spent far more time campaigning in NH over

the years than he has. And won there 8 years ago.