Vermont - 650,000 People, the Green Mountains, and Town Meeting Democracy
Vermont has about 650,000 residents and ranks as the second least populous state in the country, ahead of only Wyoming. It covers 9,616 square miles and is dominated by the Green Mountains, which run north to south through the center and give the state its name from the French vert mont. Lake Champlain forms much of the western border with New York, and the Connecticut River marks the eastern boundary with New Hampshire.
Burlington, the largest city, has only about 45,000 residents. It sits on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain and hosts the University of Vermont, the state's flagship public university, along with Champlain College. Montpelier, the capital, has roughly 8,000 residents and is the smallest state capital in the United States by population. The combination of a small largest city and an even smaller capital is unique among U.S. states.
Agriculture and food manufacturing still define much of Vermont's economy. The state is the largest producer of maple syrup in the United States, accounting for more than 40 percent of U.S. output in most years. Ben and Jerry's, founded in Burlington in 1978, runs its main factory in Waterbury, and Cabot Creamery and several other dairy cooperatives sustain the hilltop farms. Ski resorts at Stowe, Killington, Sugarbush, and Mount Snow anchor the winter tourism economy in the Green Mountains, while the foliage season in late September and early October draws visitors from across the Northeast.
Vermont is known for its political culture. The state holds annual Town Meetings on the first Tuesday of March in most municipalities, a form of direct democracy that dates to the founding of the republic. Bernie Sanders has represented Vermont in the U.S. Senate since 2007 after serving as a U.S. Representative and as mayor of Burlington. Vermont was the first state to legalize same-sex civil unions, in 2000, and has consistently tracked to the progressive end of national politics. Public discussion of decriminalizing sex work between consenting adults has come up in the Vermont General Assembly on multiple occasions, though no bill has passed into law.
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Vermont has about 650,000 residents and ranks as the second least populous state in the country, ahead of only Wyoming. It covers 9,616 square miles and is dominated by the Green Mountains, which run north to south through the center and give the state its name from the French vert mont. Lake Champlain forms much of the western border with New York, and the Connecticut River marks the eastern boundary with New Hampshire.
Burlington, the largest city, has only about 45,000 residents. It sits on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain and hosts the University of Vermont, the state's flagship public university, along with Champlain College. Montpelier, the capital, has roughly 8,000 residents and is the smallest state capital in the United States by population. The combination of a small largest city and an even smaller capital is unique among U.S. states.
Agriculture and food manufacturing still define much of Vermont's economy. The state is the largest producer of maple syrup in the United States, accounting for more than 40 percent of U.S. output in most years. Ben and Jerry's, founded in Burlington in 1978, runs its main factory in Waterbury, and Cabot Creamery and several other dairy cooperatives sustain the hilltop farms. Ski resorts at Stowe, Killington, Sugarbush, and Mount Snow anchor the winter tourism economy in the Green Mountains, while the foliage season in late September and early October draws visitors from across the Northeast.
Vermont is known for its political culture. The state holds annual Town Meetings on the first Tuesday of March in most municipalities, a form of direct democracy that dates to the founding of the republic. Bernie Sanders has represented Vermont in the U.S. Senate since 2007 after serving as a U.S. Representative and as mayor of Burlington. Vermont was the first state to legalize same-sex civil unions, in 2000, and has consistently tracked to the progressive end of national politics. Public discussion of decriminalizing sex work between consenting adults has come up in the Vermont General Assembly on multiple occasions, though no bill has passed into law.
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