Why mountains?

In a few short minutes let me give you my own biased views. Even though I was born a flatlander, I picked the Green Mountain State as a final career dwelling place. From my home I can see two major mountain ranges and a number of presumptuous "wanna be" hills that carry mountain names. I can also see two paths of response to "Why mountains?" (1) "Why are they important?" and (2) "Why are they different or needing special treatment?"