While you reflect on that profundity, let me give you a little verbal description of the morfing of Greater Burlington as seen from here. First off, understand that everything, including me, has changed which is generally acceptable and perfectly natural even if some of the changes ain't what I'd call my first choices. Now there are a ton of ATMs locally, all tied into national circuits. Used to be, if you wanted a mortgage, on the day of the closing a bunch of folks from the bank would drive by the property before giving their official okey-dokey. Now, if your mortgage payment goes to the same address three months in a row it's an oddity.
Mortgages used to be uniquely local, now they're a commodity like pork bellies.
Used to be, if you needed a commercial loan you called a local banker and described what you needed, scoped out a deal, did the paperwork and got the money. Now, you do a lot more paperwork and lot less describing. The diminution of big local businesses. McAuliffe, Magrams and Gaynes were big locally owned businesses with loyal followings that any chain, franchise or startup had to contend with. One has to look no further than the current idea that Filenes is the savior of downtown Burlington to get a flash of the difference between then and now.