I moved from the South to Vermont. Here are the 9 things that surprised me the most.

• After spending most of my life in Alabama and Caroline from the southI moved to Vermont.
• I knew it would be cold, but I was still unprepared for snowstorms and biting temperatures.

I’ve lived in Alabama and South Carolina most of my life, so I consider myself a Southern through and through.

But in January, my fiancée had the opportunity to work as a traveling CNA in Vermontlocal hospitals. So we packed our bags and moved across the country to Northeast.

Here are nine things that surprised me about living in Vermont.

We weren’t prepared for the heavy snow and cold temperatures

My fiancée and I moved to Berlin – a small town in central Vermont – in the dead of winter. For this southerner, it was a bit like visiting the North Pole.

January is the coldest month in Vermont most years. When we pulled up in our rear-drive Dodge Challenger, we knew we weren’t prepared for the low number (and sometimes less than zero) temperatures. The cold pierced my winter coat in seconds.

For months the snow all covered. One morning, after a big storm, the snow piled up so high that it covered the wheels of our cars.

On another occasion, I woke up to find that our car door locks were all frozen. Eventually I learned to spray door hinges with vegetable oil to help keep locks from freezing on cold nights.

Winter months can feel lonely

Unfortunately, we moved to Vermont in the middle of winter.

The snow piles and cold weather made us want to bundle up and hibernate indoors rather than explore our new surroundings.

Although Vermont is known for its skiing and snowboardingthe low temperatures initially prevented us from trying outdoor activities and sports.

Everyone in Vermont has been extremely friendly to us.

South has many stereotypes, but one of the most flattering is that everyone is well mannered and kind. Conversely, northerners are often labeled as being too busy to stop and chat.

I was surprised to find that everyone in Vermont has been extremely friendly and welcoming since we moved, completely erasing the negative Nordic stereotype. From a grocery clerk to a restaurant cook, everyone seemed happy to see us.

One snowy morning we woke up to find our landlord plowing the yard because he realized my fiancée had to be at work at 7am and didn’t want her to have trouble leave.

Knowing that extreme weather and winter storms can make the roads unsafe to drive on, he still offered to drive us if we needed to.

Finding accommodation within our budget was a challenge

Finding a place to stay in Vermont was a real headache. real estate is already limited in the state, especially in Berlin, a small city that is home to less than 3,000 people.

Because my fiancée’s job as a traveling CNA requires her to relocate, we had to secure short-term accommodationwhich turned out to be extremely difficult.

We went with an Airbnb in Berlin that cost around $3,000 a month after tax, which burned a hole in our savings. The unit ended up being a separate apartment that was attached to our landlord’s property.

After 13 weeks in Berlin, it’s time to move further north to Burlington for my fiancée’s upcoming wedding. travel assignment.

When we were looking for a place to stay in the city – which has a population of about 45,000 people – we found ourselves in a similar situation.

Because it was summer, a popular season to visit Burlingtonthere were not many rental units available and the small number of open places was very expensive.

As a result, we ended up booking a extended stay hotel for another high price.

The cost of living was higher than expected

Inflation and the rising cost of living have made the headlines this year, but I still don’t think we anticipated just how expensive living in Vermont was going to be.

With gas price exceeding $4 a gallon, we are spending over $50 every time we fill up our tank. Our grocery trips also cost between $200 and $300 for the two of us.

According to data from the Council for Community and Economic Research Cost of Living IndexBurlington has a higher cost of living than cities of similar size in both Alabama and Caroline from the south.

Some people may call us poor budgeters, but we struggled to live in Vermont without spending more money on daily necessities.

Vermont feels extremely remote

We technically live on the outskirts of the United States, with Canada a few hours away. But because of the Vermont landscape of deep forests and big mountainsit feels a bit like living on the edge of civilization itself.

When we arrived in Vermont, we realized we had to adjust to small town life.

Berlin only has three stoplights, and although the small town has a few restaurants and a Walmart, it was much more remote than we expected.

There were winter days when we had trouble entertaining ourselves.

Bigger cities in Vermont have more activities and things to do. However, Burlington, the most populous city in the statewas a 45 minute drive from our Airbnb in Berlin, which I thought was a long time.

Lack of artificial light at night is great for stargazing but terrible for driving

Berlin was so dark at night that my fiancée and I joked that it was ruled by vampires.

The lack of artificial lights at night can be attributed to several things, such as our remote location and state initiatives protect migratory birds by limiting light pollution. It took some getting used to.

Because there were so few reflectors and streetlights on the road, night driving turned out to be a terrifying experience. I can’t count the number of times I’ve parked sideways at Walmart because I couldn’t see the lines painted on the floor.

There is, however, a silver lining. The lack of artificial lights makes Vermont an amazing place to look at the stars.

Locally produced maple is delicious and some people associate it with kosher pickles

Vermont is the best maple producer in the United States, so of course I had to visit a local sugar bush.

I decided to try some homemade maple syrup taffy, which was prepared by pouring hot syrup over a piece of solid ice. The ice made the syrup solidify into a sweet treat.

To my surprise, the dish was served with a kosher pickle on the side. There was a method to perceived madness; the pickle helped reset my taste buds after eating all that sugar.

Vermont has many majestic sights and natural wonders

I hadn’t realized how beautiful Vermont was until I got here.

All the fresh snow reminded me of the poetry of Robert Frost, which makes sense given that he composed many of his classic works in Vermont. Months after moving here, I still watch the sunrise reflect off the misty mountains.

Although living in Vermont has been a big change, I have never regretted my decision to come all the way north.