Locals and outsiders alike share views on Winooski
Winooski by dusk. Photo by Catherine Morrissey
University of Vermont students recently visited Winooski to collect impressions from both locals and visitors of the Onion City. Some students had never visited Winooski or been infrequently. Here’s what they found:
Caroline McGlone, a fellow UVM student, decided to visit Winooski after hearing about its “cool vibes.” She was struck by the sense of community.
“People actually stop and talk with each other on the street, which is pretty different from Burlington,” she said. McGlone also appreciated the city’s riverwalk and mix of urban landscapes.
Out-of-staters like Tyler Morris, 26, were also drawn to Winooski. Morris, who was visiting from Lowell, Massachusetts, enjoyed the area’s “cozy, small-town feel.” Morris was in Winooski for the first time to visit a friend who recently moved to the city.
Morris was also enamored with Winooski’s old mill buildings and said he’ll likely be back.
“It [Winooski] feels like kind of a hidden gem,” he said. “You just want to keep coming back to see what else it has to offer.”
Zahra Mohamed, who works for Winooski’s Community Services Department described her home city as extremely welcoming and trustworthy. Mohamed was born in Kenya and moved to Winooski as a child.
“Everyone is just so friendly, it’s like... I can trust my kid [in the community center] with someone I may have just met five minutes ago,” Mohamed said. She compared Winooski to some of her childhood memories in Kenya.
“People would usually come outside and drink tea together, families and friends would all play together, so everyone knew, like, everyone’s business, and I feel like that’s Winooski,” Mohamed said.
Despite Winooski’s small size (the city spans about 1.5 square miles and its population numbers a little over 8,000), Mohamed feels that residents have everything they need within their “village,” as she affectionately calls Winooski.
But there are complaints. John Belbucker, a 37-year-old Winooski resident, warned the students about the congestion on Main Street.
“Steer clear of traffic jams on the roundabout. It’s like the Bermuda Triangle but for cars at times,” he said.
Winooski’s roadways are currently undergoing a massive overhaul with the Main Street Revitalization project, which will install more sidewalks and bike lanes, upgrade traffic signal equipment, among other improvements.
Some also pointed out other issues Winooski struggles with like limited housing and drug addiction.
“The drug game right now is starting to come out here more,” said 26-year-old Lucy Williams who lives in Winooski. Williams also mentioned she doesn’t feel comfortable walking around the city by herself.
The unhoused population is a glaring problem for Nadyah Khan, a UVM student residing in Winooski.
“One thing I will say about Winooski is that the homeless population here is obviously pretty real and with things like going on the city buses there are people who are using drugs and you definitely have to be aware of your surroundings,” said Khan.
David Wilcox, 44, moved to Winooski in August 2023, having lived in Burlington for six years. He made the move to be with his partner who lived in another Vermont town and shared that Winooski was “essentially [their] compromise.”
Wilcox wants to see more public housing built, an issue that isn’t unique to Winooski. He explained that, though, “Winooski can’t have an impact on broader Vermont,” Wilcox thinks the city can start small by building on what currently works and fixing what doesn’t.
Despite these issues, for Samantha Clancy, a UVM student living in student housing in Winooski, the business scene is a plus.
“There are fun little stores and small businesses that I can support, which I love doing,” she said.
Stories by UVM students Hunter Lipari, Jack Moore, Lucía Reber-Viñas, Paige Lee, Jack Deminiski, Hailey Higgins-Figueroa, Tullio Lasansky, Alexander Bennett, Josie Cunningham, Meredith Loney and Greta Kilburn.