ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA Vermont The Green Mountain State CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO
4 VERMONT Vermont’s many mountains are covered with evergreens such as spruce hemlock and fir The capital of Vermont is Montpelier With about 8,000 residents Montpelier is one of the least populous state capitals in the country Five villages in Vermont Averill Ferdinand Glastenbury Lewis and Somerset have such small populations that they eventually lost their official status as towns and no longer have local governments The largest of the five is Ferdinand with a population of 33 people Vermont covers an area of 9,615 square miles making it the eighth smallest state Two U S presidents were from Vermont Chester A Arthur served from 1881 to 1885 and Calvin Coolidge served from 1923 to 1929 Both were vice presidents who were elevated to the presidency following the death of the presidents under which they served INTRODUCTION The saying good things come in small packages aptly describes the state of Vermont In addition to being one of the smallest states in the country Vermont is also one of the least populous The state is largely rural with three fifths of its citizens living in nonurban areas At its widest point Vermont is less than 90 miles from east to west and it is only about 160 miles long Despite its small size the state is rich in history culture and natural beauty Vermont joined the Union in 1791 making it the first state to do so after the original 13 colonies The state’s earliest European settlers were of British heritage Today Vermont is populated largely by offspring of the original settlers and of later immigrants from Great Britain Ireland Italy Poland Canada and other nations Some residents of French Canadian heritage speak French at home Montpelier is located in central Vermont where the Winooski and North Branch rivers meet
INTRODUCTION 5 Vermont is located in the northeast corner of the United States and is part of the New England region Of all the New England states Vermont is the only one that does not have an Atlantic Ocean coastline Vermont is bordered on the north by the Canadian province of Quebec and on the south by Massachusetts To the west is New York which is separated from Vermont for about 100 miles by Lake Champlain The Connecticut River forms Vermont’s border with New Hampshire on the east There are many ways to get to Vermont Interstate highways provide easy access to most of the state’s cities and towns For those arriving by air there are many small public airports The largest and busiest airport in Vermont is the Burlington International Airport Lake Champlain is also a popular transportation route Vermont Location Map Lake Champlain is the sixth largest body of freshwater in the United States Vermont’s state song adopted in 2000 is These Green Mountains It replaced Hail Vermont the state song from 1937 Vermont has about 14,000 miles of highways and 750 miles of railroad tracks Amtrak’s Vermonter service provides daily rail service to Vermont from Washington D C with many stops within the state Ferries bring passengers from various points in New York to Burlington Grand Isle Charlotte or Larrabees Point 0 0 Capital Montpelier Population 608,827 Interstate highways 15 30 24 48 Km Mi Scale Size 9,615 square miles Highest peak Mount Mansfield 4,393 feet
