The important and influential characteristics of Vermonters arose from Vermont’s early history. Many early Vermonters were farmers and builders who lived off the land. Largely because of Vermont’s isolation and the rigors of its climate and terrain, the kinds of men and women who arrived in what was to become the State of Vermont and who remained despite difficulties were and are hard-working, frugal, and self-reliant. Vermont used to be an independent republic until it became a state in 1791. As explained in a paper by three Vermont historians, Vermont was a “refuge for landless, younger sons; restless seekers of the frontier; and, to some degree, outlaws from Massachusetts and New York: people outside the colonial structures