Vermont has many liabilities, as well as many assets. But we can't ignore the liabilities side of the ledger. One of those is our long, cold winters. We who live here don't mind them. If we did, we'd live somewhere else. That's what social scientists call a selection bias.
Most Americans, however, like warmth. That's why, over the past forty years, the southern and Pacific coast states have grown much faster than the cold northeast and midwest.
I always used to think that was more a matter of personal tastes than anything else. But economist Tyler Cowan, writing in The New York Times, notes that economists have found
When retired people move to a warmer state, their life expectancy rises dramatically. In fact, 8 to 15 percent of the increase in American life expectancy over the last 30 years comes from people moving to warmer climates
Since you can't get a much colder climate than Vermont's, it's something to think about. Anyone want to turn up the thermostat?
Comments