Vermont

From World travel guide

Vermont is located in the New England region of the United States. The Green Mountain State is known for its beautiful fall foliage and its maple syrup. It is a popular destination for hiking and skiing.

Contents 1 Understand 1.1 Orientation 1.2 History 1.3 Natural History 2 Regions 3 Cities 4 Other destinations 5 Understand 6 Talk 7 Get in 7.1 By plane 7.2 By train 7.3 By car 7.4 By bus 7.5 By boat 8 Get around 9 See 10 Do 10.1 Skiing 11 Eat 12 Drink 13 Stay safe 14 Get out 15 External links

Understand

Orientation

Vermont is the second smallest state in terms of population (it has 609,000 residents) and the sixth smallest in geographic area. Lake Champlain, the nation's sixth-largest freshwater body lies at the northwest border with New York State and Canada. The state is split east-west by the Green Mountains, which are popular for recreational activities. The eastern border with New Hampshire is defined by the Connecticut River. Vermont is the only landlocked state in New England which leads to its often being short-changed in guides to the region. Its highest point is Mount Mansfield at 4,393 ft, and its lowest point is Lake Champlain, at 95 feet.

The state is extremely rural, its valleys littered with farms. Its largest city is Burlington, pop. 38,889. Among the state's major exports are cheese, maple syrup, marble, slate, and granite. Tourism is also a very large industry in Vermont, as skiers travel from Boston, New York, Canada, and elsewhere to ski resorts up and down the Green Mountain spine during the winter. In summer, the B&B's (of which there are many) fill up with couples and families wanting to visit the state's small towns and wild areas. Vermont's autumn foliage is known for being the most spectacular in the country, and possibly the world. It occurs quite early -- mid-September to mid-October usually. The only time that the visitor might try to plan around is "Mud Season" (March-April), when unpaved ground becomes unwalkable during the thaw. Even Mud Season has its charms, though.

History

Vermont was the 14th state admitted to the United States. It was not among the original 13 colonies because of a border dispute between New Hampshire and New York which was originally resolved in New York's favor. Vermont residents, led by Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, fought New York's land claims tooth and nail until declaring independence and soon thereafter being admitted to the union. Vermont attracted settlers during the early nineteenth century, but population remained stagnent as flatter land to the West grew in favor. Significantly deforested by upland sheep farming during the 1800s, the forest has regrown (now covering 80% of the state) since dairy became the predominent form of agriculture. Vermont's urban areas have always been miniscule compared to the Northeast; the rural state, once seen as the most conservative in the nation, is now considered politically independent, progressive and protective of its environment and rural character.

Natural History

The Appalachian Mountains that enfold Vermont were most likely created during the Taconic Orogeny, when the North American plate collided with the African plate approximately 550 to 440 million years ago. The mountains have subsequently been eroded by ice, water, and wind, such that they are rather humble in their current state (they are suspected of having reached the heights of the Himilayas). Today Vermont is home to many wild habitats and their constituent flora and fauna, including northern deciduous forests, coniferous forests, wetlands, farmlands, powerline greenways, and patches of tundra (most notably on Mount Mansfield). Notable fauna include the black bear, moose, and the pileated woodpecker.

Regions

• Northeast Kingdom
• Northwest Vermont
  • Champlain Valley
• Central Vermont
• Southern Vermont

Cities

• Arlington
• Bellows Falls/Rockingham
• Bennington
• Brandon
• Brattleboro
• Burlington
• Hinesburg
• Montpelier
• Rochester
• Rutland
• Shelburne
• Stowe
• White River Junction
• Woodstock

Other destinations

• Green Mountains
• Lake Bomoseen
• Lake Champlain
• Lake Dunmore

Understand

Talk

The Vermont dialect uses broad “a” and “e” sounds for vowels, and words that end with “r” sound becomes “uh” and lastly they will drag out one syllable words into two syllables. Examples of Vermont speak would be calf would be “ca-af”, that is “thay-at”, there would sound like “they-uh” and idea is “idée-er”. If you are not a Vermonter, you could be accused of being a “flatlander”.

Get in

By plane

• There are flights to and from major cities to the Burlington International Airport (BTV).
• Rutland State Airport (RUT) has two flights a day to Boston Logan and one on weekends.
• Another alternative is the Manchester Airport (MHT) in New Hampshire as it serves as an alternate hub for all of northern New England and is a 2 hour or less drive to just about anywhere in Vermont.

By train

• There are two Amtrak trains that service Vermont, the "Vermonter" with daily service between Washington, D.C., New York and St. Albans, Vermont and it makes nine stops in Vermont. Also the "Ethan Allen Express" with daily between New York and Rutland, Vermont.

By car

• Driving access to Vermont is Interstate 91 that runs north-south and Interstate 89 that runs northwest-southeast.

By bus

• Vermont Transit has service to Boston, MA, Albany, NY and Montreal, Canada as well as various other [[New England] locations.
• Bonanza (888) 751-8800 has service from New York City to Bennington, Vermont.
• Adventure East (718) 601-4707 has service from Manhatten to Vermont ski resorts.

By boat

• Ferry service is available from three locations in Vermont that provides access to New York across Lake Champlain from Burlington,VT to Port Kent, NY, Grand Isle, VT to Plattsburgh, NY and Charlotte, VT to Essex, NY.

Get around

See

• Vermont State House. This golden-domed building is the most notable in the capital and is the meeting-place of the Vermont Legislature. The building is open to the public.

Do

Skiing

• Ascutney
• Bromley - The Sun Mountain
• Jamaica Village
• Killington
• Mad River Glen
• Mount Snow
• Okemo
• Stowe Mountain Resort
• Stratton
• Sugarbush Resort
• Suicide Six

Eat

Drink

Stay safe

Get out

External links

• State of Vermont Official Site

WikiPedia:Vermont

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