Ken Cosgrove grew up in rural what U.S. state?

Ken Cosgrove grew up in rural Vermont. In Mad Men, Ken describes his upbringing as rural Vermont, while other details place his family connection in Burlington and identify Cabot, Vermont, as the town where he attended high school.

That background helps distinguish Ken from the more metropolitan, Ivy League-centered world of Sterling Cooper. He works as an account executive and initially appears to be one of the agency's relaxed, socially confident young men. His rural origins are part of the contrast between his polished office persona and his understated personal life.

Viewers sometimes confuse Ken's education with that of Pete Campbell or Paul Kinsey. Ken attended Columbia University; Pete went to Dartmouth, and Paul went to Princeton. Harry Crane, another close colleague, is the one associated with the University of Wisconsin.

Ken's Vermont identity also connects to his development as a writer. Outside advertising, he publishes fiction and is treated by his coworkers as an unexpectedly serious literary talent, making him more than just another account executive in the ensemble.