Not as glitzy as St. Moritz or Aspen, this village of 4,000 spreading around a white-steepled church was home to rugged, hard-working Vermonters two centuries before becoming the Ski Capital of the East. Now, natives and urbanites seeking simpler, quieter lifestyles -- but with services and amenities -- live together, enriching a community already rich in tradition. Nickie and Jack Benoze moved to Stowe from Manhattan in 1990. From day one, they found restaurants (Stowe has 55) with cosmopolitan menus and quality ingredients. Stowe, don't forget, is second home to a sizable Montreal contingent. But ties? Little black dresses? Two-hundred dollar tabs? Get serious. Golf -- of course, except with such spectacular views Nickie can't keep her eye on the ball. The Helen Day Art Center, where the Benozes chair committees, keeps their artistic juices flowing between trips to the Met and Guggenheim. Burlington, less than an hour away has drawn Mikhail Baryishnikov, Ray Charles, Wynton Marsalis, Broadway road companies, the Italian State Opera Company, and funky Phish, the hometown band, to the Flynn Theatre, an historic art deco venue. Still, Stowe remains bedrock outdoorsy. Look around: whether native organic farmer selling fennel by the road, retired network anchor jogging the recreation path or ex-bonds trader hiking the Long trail, townspeople glow from the sun, the snow, the clean air. Of course the hills really are alive with the sound of music. Also, Vermont Mozart Festival concerts, the Hot Air Balloon and Flower & Garden Festivals, the Antique and Classic Car Meet, For Art's Sake/A Taste of Stowe, glider flights, kayaking, slurping cones on Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour, slicing the World's Best Cheddar at Cabot Creamery. Or, simply the comfy hum of a farmhouse, circa 1815, retrofitted with a Sub Zero fridge, satellite dish, radiant heating and rainforest shower. Love it, live it. Become a full- or part-time Stowe resident. A handful commute to Boston and New York weekly. Hundreds telecommute from home offices overlooking Stowe village or Mount Mansfield, while their kids go on apple-picking trips. Stowe, like the rest of Vermont, brings life's important things into focus. So when chicken pie at a church supper starts sounding better than escargots at Le Cirque, strap your bike on the car then head north. We've got a plaid flannel shirt in your size, too.