Vermont

The region was first settled by the Abenaki. In the 1600s an estimated 10,000 Western Abenaki lived in the area, and Mohican and Mohawk groups also lived in the Lake Champlain region; Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) territory lay mostly west of the lake, in present-day New York StateNew York (state)New York is a state in the eastern United States; its capital is Albany and its largest city is New York City. One of the original 13 states, it ratified the U.S. Constitution on July 26, 1788, becoming the 11th state to join the Union, and its population in the 2020 census was 20,201,249.Open the full entry. Epidemics and warfare later reduced the Abenaki population by 90 percent or more.⁠[1][2]

In 1609 the French explorer Samuel de Champlain entered the area and sailed on the lake later named for him, Lake Champlain.⁠[1][2]

In 1666 the French built Fort St. Anne on Isle La Motte; the settlement was short-lived.⁠[2]

In 1724 the British built Fort Dummer to protect settlers in the Connecticut Valley, establishing the area’s first permanent settlement.⁠[2]

Beginning in 1749, the governor of New HampshireNew HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by Quebec, Canada, to the north, Vermont across the Connecticut River to the west, Massachusetts to the south, and Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east; its capital is Concord. One of the original 13 colonies, it became the ninth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on June 21, 1788, and its population in the 2020 census (April 1, 2020) was 1,377,529.Open the full entry granted land for new towns in the area, known as the New Hampshire Grants, basing the colony’s claim on a 1741 decree of King George II. On July 20, 1764, a British Order in Council awarded the disputed territory to the colony of New York, whose governor then granted charters to land already settled under New Hampshire grants.⁠[2][3]

In 1770 Ethan Allen organized the Green Mountain Boys to resist encroachment from New York.⁠[1][2]

After the American Revolution began, the Green Mountain Boys under Ethan Allen captured Fort Ticonderoga, in present-day New York State, from the British on May 10, 1775. Allen was later held as a British prisoner for nearly three years and returned to Vermont on May 31, 1778.⁠[4][2]

The Vermont Provincial Convention met in Dorset on January 16, 1776. On January 15, 1777, a convention at Westminster declared a new, independent state under the name “New Connecticut”; the name “Vermont” was adopted on June 4 that year.⁠[3][2]

The Battle of Hubbardton ended in a British victory on July 7, 1777; Seth Warner’s retreating men later rallied at Bennington. On August 16 American forces led by John Stark and Seth Warner defeated a British force in the Battle of Bennington.⁠[4][2]

On July 8, 1777, a convention meeting at a tavern in Windsor adopted Vermont’s first constitution, the first constitution to prohibit slavery.⁠[4][3][2]

The first Vermont Assembly met from March 12 to 26, 1778, and on June 11 that year accepted 16 towns east of the Connecticut River. On December 23, 1779, Bethel became the first town chartered by the independent state of Vermont.⁠[3][4]

In its early years it was uncertain that Vermont would join the Union: New York State refused to give up its claim to the Grants, Vermont’s negotiations with Great Britain about joining greater Canada hurt its chances, Congress was suspicious, and Vermont’s attempt to annex land from New Hampshire added to the frustration.⁠[5]

On January 13, 1781, New Hampshire ended its claims to Vermont land, and MassachusettsMassachusettsMassachusetts (officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts) is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States; its capital and largest city is Boston. One of the original 13 states, it ratified the U.S. Constitution on February 6, 1788, the sixth state to do so. Its population in the 2020 census (April 1, 2020) was 7,029,917.Open the full entry recognized Vermont’s independence the same year. On June 15, 1785, the legislature gave Reuben Harmon of Rupert permission to mint copper coins, and on May 4, 1787, Colonel Jacob Davis and other settlers founded the first permanent settlement of Montpelier.⁠[4][2]

On October 7, 1790, commissioners of Vermont and New York State agreed to a treaty resolving their outstanding differences.⁠[3][5]

Vermont delegates met in convention at Bennington from January 6 to 10, 1791; on January 10 the convention ratified the U.S. Constitution by 105 votes to 4 and applied for admission to the Union.⁠[3][5][4]

Congress passed the act admitting Vermont on February 18, 1791, and on March 4 Vermont became the fourteenth state, the first to join the original thirteen.⁠[3][4]

As a condition of joining, Vermont had to pay $30,000 to New York State; on November 3, 1791, the Assembly passed a tax to pay it and approved twelve amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The 1791 census counted 85,425 people in Vermont.⁠[6][3]

Vermont adopted its third constitution in 1793.⁠[2]

In 1805 Vermont chose Montpelier as its capital, and it has remained the capital since.⁠[6][2]

During the War of 1812, federal trade embargoes halted legal trade with Canada and hurt Vermont’s commerce, and the Champlain Valley became a battle zone. In 1813 Governor Martin Chittenden recalled the Vermont militia from New York State, where it was supporting federal troops; militia officers refused to return immediately and accused him of playing politics. In 1814 the militia returned to New York State and played a key role in the American victory at the Battle of Plattsburgh. Chittenden lost his bid for reelection.⁠[5]

In 1848 the Vermont Central Railroad began the state’s first passenger rail service. Earlier, in 1759–1760, the Crown Point Military Road had been built through the area.⁠[2]

In 1864, during the Civil War, Confederate soldiers based in Canada raided St. Albans and robbed its banks of more than $200,000, the only action of the war north of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaPennsylvania (officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) is a Middle Atlantic state of the United States; its capital is Harrisburg, and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are its two great metropolitan areas. One of the original 13 states, it ratified the U.S. Constitution on December 12, 1787, the second state to do so. Its population in the 2020 census (April 1, 2020) was 13,002,700.Open the full entry.⁠[2][1]

In 1881 Chester A. Arthur, born in Fairfield, became president of the United States.⁠[2]

In 1923 Calvin Coolidge of Plymouth became president of the United States.⁠[2]

In November 1927 three days of heavy rain caused a flood in which 84 people died; many bridges and roads were washed away, many houses and farms were destroyed, and water flowed into towns such as Waterbury, Stockbridge and Johnson. A plaque on the State House lawn in Montpelier marks the water level. It was the most destructive natural disaster in Vermont’s history.⁠[7][8]

It is the largest flood in Vermont’s recorded history and, as of 2025, still held the peak of record at eight U.S. Geological Survey streamgages.⁠[9]

In the apportionment following the 1930 census, Vermont’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives fell from two to one, and it has had one seat since.⁠[10]

The first ski runs were built in the 1930s, and by the 1960s a winter tourist industry had developed, making tourism a year-round business.⁠[1][2]

The number of farms fell by about one-third between 1950 and 2000, while the population grew 56 percent between 1960 and 2000. In the first decade of the 21st century the population grew 2.8 percent, compared with 9.7 percent nationally.⁠[2]

In 2011 flooding from Tropical Storm Irene cut entire towns off from one another, and rescue teams had to fly into Cavendish by helicopter. As of 2025, Irene still held the peak of record at 25 Vermont streamgages.⁠[8][9]

Under the 2020 census apportionment, Vermont kept its one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, unchanged from 2010, with an average population per seat of 643,503; it has three electoral votes for the 2024 and 2028 presidential elections.⁠[10][11]

On July 10–11, 2023, storms brought 3 to 9 inches of rain in 48 hours, with 9.20 inches in Calais; Montpelier recorded 5.28 inches in one calendar day, beating the 5.27 inches of Tropical Storm Irene, and its July total of 12.06 inches set an all-time monthly record. The Winooski River inundated much of downtown Montpelier, cresting there at 21.35 feet, second only to 1927; the cities of Barre and Montpelier suffered the greatest damage, and two people died.⁠[12]

On July 11, 2023, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared a state of emergency in Vermont; all 14 counties were designated for public assistance and nine for individual assistance, and federal assistance exceeded $54.7 million. Eleven of 80 streamgages recorded their peak of record.⁠[9]

The legislature, formally the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, has 150 representatives and 30 senators who serve two-year terms in a part-time legislature. Terms begin on the first Wednesday after the first Monday of January in odd-numbered years, and each two-year period is divided into two annual sessions.⁠[13]

The governor is elected every two years. As of November 2026 the governor is Phil Scott, who took office on January 5, 2017, as the 82nd governor of Vermont. Born on August 4, 1958, he grew up in Barre, served five terms in the Vermont Senate representing Washington County, and was the 79th lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2017.⁠[2][14][15]

The Vermont Supreme Court, in Montpelier, consists of the chief justice and four associate justices, appointed by the governor from candidates recommended by the Judicial Nominating Board and confirmed by the Senate for six-year terms; continuing past a term requires a vote of the General Assembly. As of November 2026 the chief justice is Paul L. Reiber. The court hears appeals from the state courts and certain agency decisions, adopts procedural rules, and oversees the court system and the admission and discipline of attorneys.⁠[16]

The Supreme Court was established in 1782 with five judges elected annually by the General Assembly; its size changed several times thereafter. After the 1906 reorganization of the judiciary it began holding terms in Montpelier, and in 1908 a chief justice was added, bringing it to the five members it has today.⁠[17]

Towns hold their town meetings on the first Tuesday in March.⁠[2]

Vermont is bordered by Quebec, Canada, to the north, Massachusetts to the south, New York State to the west, and New Hampshire, across the Connecticut River, to the east; Lake Champlain separates it from New York State for about 100 miles (160 km). The state has 14 counties.⁠[1][2][9]

In the Census Bureau’s 2010 state area measurements, Vermont has a total area of 9,616 square miles (24,906 sq km), of which 9,217 square miles (23,871 sq km) is land and 400 square miles (1,035 sq km) is water, all of it inland.⁠[18]

The Green Mountains run through the centre of the state, forming its backbone. The highest point is Mount Mansfield in Chittenden County, at 4,393 feet (1,339 m), and the lowest is Lake Champlain, at 95 feet (29 m). Most rivers drain into Lake Champlain, and Lake Bomoseen is the largest of the 400 natural lakes lying entirely within the state.⁠[19][1][2]

The Census Bureau estimated the population at 644,663 on July 1, 2025. Between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, Vermont was one of five states whose population declined, along with CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a U.S. state on the Pacific coast; its capital is Sacramento and its largest city is Los Angeles. California was admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state. Its population at the 2020 Census (April 1, 2020) was 39,538,223, the largest of any state.Open the full entry, HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is a U.S. state consisting of a group of volcanic islands in the central Pacific Ocean; its capital is Honolulu, on the island of Oʻahu. Hawaii was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, as the 50th state. Its population at the 2020 Census (April 1, 2020) was 1,455,271.Open the full entry, New Mexico and West VirginiaWest VirginiaWest Virginia is a U.S. state formed from the western counties of Virginia during the Civil War; its capital and largest city is Charleston. It became the 35th state on June 20, 1863. Its population was 1,793,716 in the 2020 census (April 1, 2020).Open the full entry.⁠[20][21]

Nearly nine-tenths of residents are of European ancestry and about one-third are of French or French Canadian descent; Hispanic residents make up about 2 percent of the population. Four state-recognized Abenaki tribes are present. The Burlington metropolitan area holds about one-third of the state’s population.⁠[2][2]

Vermont’s nominal GDP was $49,657.5 million in 2025, up from $47,334.1 million in 2024 (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data).⁠[22]

Services are the dominant sector. Dairy products are the most valuable agricultural commodity, and Vermont leads the nation in maple syrup production. Computer chip manufacturing, centred in Essex, is the chief industry. The Danby quarry, covering 25 acres (10 hectares), is the largest underground marble quarry in the world, and granite comes from the Barre region.⁠[2]

The University of Vermont was chartered in 1791 and opened to students in 1800. Rutland County Grammar School was founded on October 15, 1787.⁠[2][4]

The Long Trail follows the Green Mountains for more than 270 miles (430 km). Major ski resorts include Killington, Stowe, Stratton Mountain, West Dover and Warren.⁠[2]

The state motto set by statute is “Vermont; Freedom and Unity,” and a Latin motto, “Stella quarta decima fulgeat,” was added in 2015. The Great Seal was accepted by a resolution of February 20, 1779.⁠[23][4]

By statute the state flag is blue with the state coat of arms on it. Vermont’s first flag, adopted under a law of October 31, 1803, became official on May 1, 1804; it had a blue canton with 17 white stars and 17 stripes and was the first U.S. state flag adopted for purposes other than maritime or military use. The second flag, of 1837, showed the state seal on a white star in a blue canton, with 13 red and white stripes. The current flag has been in use since 1923 and incorporates the 1821 coat of arms, which is based on the state seal.⁠[23][24][25]

The coat of arms shows mountains, a red cow, a pine tree in the centre and three sheaves of grain on a green field, with a deer’s head as the crest, pine branches along the sides and the state motto along the bottom.⁠[25]

The state bird is the hermit thrush, the state flower the red clover, the state tree the sugar maple, and the state animal the Morgan horse (designated in 1961). The state song is “These Green Mountains” (effective 2000), the state beverage milk (1983), the state flavor maple from the sugar maple (1994), and the state rocks marble, granite and slate (1992).⁠[23]

State of Vermont: Official website: https://www.vermont.gov/ (opens in a new window).⁠[26]

Office of Governor Phil Scott: Official website: https://governor.vermont.gov/ (opens in a new window).⁠[14]