Burlington, Vermont

Everything about Burlington drives health living. For starters it is surrounded by the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain. It has great skiing, hiking, biking throughout and nearby and a population that takes advantage of all these outdoor lifestyle opportunities. If that wasn’t enough it also has nearly universal single-payer healthcare, access to amazing medical facilities at the University of Vermont, and a well educated, engaged community.

A local point of view: Plenty of people around if you're the social type, enjoy going out to bars, seeing live music shows, etc. Nice sunsets over the lake. You can live and work in the city without a car (I biked or walked everywhere, year round for several years). Burlington (and Winooski) have great options for dining out, or shopping for different cuisines (Vietnamese, Himalayan, and African Markets on North Street). Probably the most diverse and highest paying job market.

While Burlington doesn’t approach the price-iness of say Boston or NYC, it has acquired the higher cost of living of other popular groovy, beautiful, escape-the-big-city, lifestyle burgs. One other note, if you trend red-state, it should go without saying but you will not feel chill in Burlington.

Quick note from a local about the city: cost of living is absurdly high for a town of its size, but not for a major metro area.
- wages are about average for a town of its size, but hideously awful for a major metro area.

While there is a growing condo scene downtown much of Burlington is as you might expect. Lots of beautiful tree-lined streets with older homes that all seem to have exposed brick, vintage floorings, wood trim and big fireplaces for the long winter -- you know the drill.

Check out the local calendar of events for a better understanding of the daily lifestyle options: https://www.helloburlingtonvt.com/events/