Are we not in the midst of a great war now? While not massive like the previous world wars, the US has been in active military operations since 9/11. Russia has been involved in ground invasions. I'll admit these conflicts aren't huge, but they are constant and sustained.
I have a fantasy that once a year a major US cities (think Manhattan) ban private cars for a day. Public Transit, and emergency vehicles pass as normal.
I have lived in VT my entire adult life, and worked in tech/design. Ever couple of years I sit down and end up doing a comparison to see what it would be like to live in say the Bay area or Seattle. It usually comes out the same. I work remotely and know a bunch of other people who do it as well. It's totally doable (though bandwidth penetration to rural area's still sucks and is highly variable.). If you like Vermont, and can handle long winters it's great place to live, work and play.