Vermont is one of the smallest states in the country, and it’s also one of the least populous. That means that even though it’s small in area, people aren’t packed on top of each other. Real estate, especially real estate located in the suburbs or out away from major cities, often comes with a nice bit of land attached to it. But due to its proximity to New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, trips to large cities take very little time. It’s even possible to make a quick visit to Quebec since the state shares a border with Canada.
If you’re an LGBT person or family and are considering Vermont as a place to move to, any gay or lesbian realtor will tell you that the state is very advanced on its stances. In fact, Vermont was the first state to institute civil unions, doing so as far back as July of 2000. Same-sex partner benefits were offered even before then—the state began offering benefits in 1994. Both single-parent and same-sex couple adoption has been permitted since as far back as 1993, when the state’s Supreme Court voted that the female partner of a woman with two biological children could adopt them as their second parent.
Vermont is also known for being the first state in the United States to make same-sex marriage legal via legislation, not because of a court decision. In July of 2007, a commission was created to look at family recognition, and as a part of their duties, they created a list detailing how marriage and civil union differed. From this report, the State Senate later passed a bill approving same-sex marriage in 2009. The legislation passed the house as well, although Governor Jim Douglas vetoed it. That veto was overridden on April 7, 2009. In September of that year, same-sex marriage licenses were issued, making Vermont the fifth state in the country to offer legal same-sex marriages. Up to that point, the other states that allowed same-sex marriage (Iowa, Connecticut, and Massachusetts) only did so because of a court order, not because of legislation.
There are many amazing cities in Vermont. The state capital, Montpelier, is actually one of the smaller cities. Burlington, Rutland, South Burlington, Essex, and Hartford are just a few of the more populous areas. Almost every city in Vermont is open and welcoming. In 2011, a survey of Vermont voters showed that 79 percent of them believed that same-sex couples deserved some type of legal recognition, with more than half supporting marriage.