Sports and recreation are a major reason that visitors vacation in the Green Mountain State. Everyone knows that world class skiing can be found here, but in recent years the ski resorts have opened up knew avenues of appeal. Most ski areas have huge snowboarding facilities, and many convert their terrain to mountain bike trails in the summer. Vermont hosts some of the finest golf courses in the country, and of course the biking, swimming and hiking is spectacular. You will find everything you need to make your Vermont vacation complete.

Until the late 1800s, much of the entertainment and culture that Vermonters enjoyed did not extend beyond the town or village boundaries. Since agriculture constituted an entire way of life, entertainment was frequently combined with, and fostered by, farm labor activities. Sugar-on-snow parties, kitchen junkets, corn-husking parties, quilting bees, and barn raisings are just a few of the typical social activities enjoyed by 19th century Vermonters. Parades, circuses, and agricultural fairs provided additional entertainment during the warmer months, and can still be found throughout Vermont today.

[Lodging] [Dining] [Attractions] [Resorts] [Sports] [Golf] [Calendar of Events]

In 1777 Vermont declared itself an independent republic. Fourteen years later, in 1791, the Continental Congress declared Vermont the fourteenth state, making it the first state to join the Union. By the 1830s, Antislavery societies, and even a few underground railroad stations, were established in communities around the state. The early decades of the 20th century were marked by significant reform efforts on the part of State government. During the 1830s and '40s, health was caught up in the general wave of reform, and various types of alternative medicine were developed. By World War II, much of the ethnic diversity that had colored Vermont's urban communities had disappeared.

Artists and writers numbered among the early settlers of Vermont during the latter half of the 19th century. Itinerant portrait painters traveled from town to town, seeking commissions from the wealthy, while engravers were busy illustrating the proliferation of journals and newspapers put out by Vermont's early printing presses. Folk songs were written to both new and familiar tunes, while the early history of Vermont was chronicled in poetry and prose.

[Arts & Culture] [Museums] [Calendar of Events]

Vermont has rightfully earned a reputation as one of the safest, most beautiful states in the nation. Artists, adventurers, writers, philosophers, and people who simply love the unspoiled outdoors have long been drawn to the rolling hills, dairy farms, and historic villages that define our landscape. One of the first things you'll notice is that there are no billboards. That fact is emblematic of a state that treasures its distinct rural character.

If large shopping malls and fast food are important to you, Vermont might not be your best choice. But if community living in a scenic natural setting with abundant outdoor recreation is what you're after, then you'll love Vermont!

[Real Estate] [Employment] [Media] [Weddings] [Gay Marriage]

Nearly a million and a half acres of Vermont land are in agriculture, sustaining the pastoral landscape that has made Vermont famous. Dairying is the primary farm industry in Vermont, producing approximately half the milk consumed in New England. Vermont is America's largest producer of maple syrup and also produces substantial crops of Macintosh apples, potatoes, eggs, honey, vegetables, Christmas trees, lumber, pulp wood, and green house nursery products.

[Farms & Agriculture] [Maple Producers] [Shopping & Products]

Vermont is the second largest state in New England after Maine. Dominating the state's geography are the Green Mountains, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. Some 223 mountains over 2,000 feet in elevation, rise above fertile valleys that support an extensive dairy industry. The nation's sixth largest lake, Lake Champlain, runs along the state's western border.

[Maps] [Weather] [Foliage Report] [Snow Report]

Vermont government is distinctive for its local tradition of Town Meeting Day, held the first Tuesday in March. In many towns and villages, municipal and school budgets are voted from the floor as they have been for nearly 200 years.

[Government] [Chambers & Associations] [Media] [Transportation]

Vermont's highly skilled workers are employed primarily in producing electronic components and equipment, machine tools, specialty consumer products, wood products, quarried and finished stone, and printing.

[Farms & Agriculture] [Shopping & Products]

Higher education is a significant industry in Vermont, employing an estimated 8,500 people. In 1996, more than 45,000 students were enrolled in public and private universities and colleges in Vermont. The largest and oldest institution, the University of Vermont in Burlington, was founded in 1791. Norwich University in Northfield, established in 1819, is the oldest private military college in the United States.

[Education Resources] [K-12: Public] [K-12: Private] [Colleges]

Information was obtained from the Vermont Department of Tourism
and various area Chamber of Commerce websites.