On July 27, VPR鈥檚 visited Grand Isle County with a community event at in South Hero.
It鈥檚 one of the the most spectacular views in Vermont 鈥� the Route 2 causeway crossing Lake Champlain into South Hero, with the high Adirondacks in the distance. And as if that鈥檚 not beautiful enough, at 6 a.m. Friday morning a rainbow appeared over the lake as I drove to our latest stop on VPR鈥檚 .
It鈥檚 easy to see why both 鈥渇latlanders鈥� like me and native Vermonters love 鈥淭he Islands,鈥� with its pastures, lake homes and friendly villages. But at our tour stop Friday morning, we heard an earful about the issues they鈥檙e facing 鈥� concerns over pollution in their beloved lake, the decline of farming, high taxes and the high cost of living.
I asked one Islands native why the towns are called South Hero and North Hero. He said it goes back to Ethan Allen himself, and the fight to drive out the New Yorkers and claim independence for Vermont, leading to our admission as the 14th state.
That independence can still be seen in the . Residents raised all the money themselves and plan to begin construction soon.
The town鈥檚 independence also leads to questions over taxes. Many residents believe property taxes are too high. As a 鈥済old鈥� town, some people believe too much of their local taxes are sent to Montpelier and distributed to less well-off school districts.
On the other hand, many Grand Isle County residents work in greater Burlington. It鈥檚 one reason we held our event during the morning commute at , a bagel shop and deli right on Route 2.
Burlington also affects the island鈥檚 water quality. from the city infuriated several Grand Isle County residents I spoke with. One of them described himself as a conservative, but to him clean water wasn鈥檛 an ideological issue. Pollution is an attack on his property values and way of life.
South Hero is only about a half hour from VPR鈥檚 headquarters in Colchester, but it has its own fascinating, unique culture and history. Exploring the whole Vermont story is about reaching people in all corners of our state 鈥� including the stories of people who live close to Vermont鈥檚 largest city but still feel a world away.
