While including UVM among “public Ivies” such as the University of Michigan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary -- public institutions of higher ed “that provide an Ivy League collegiate experience at a public-school price” -- The Atlantic notes that Burlington distinguishes itself from other, more familiar small college towns such as Ann Arbor and Madison. Rather than dominating the sense of place, the university thrives in a software-company culture with a profitable print newspaper, an environmentally-conscious populace -- and a serious sunset over Lake Champlain, with Adirondack Mountains as the backdrop. Read the story...