Special Places # 30
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the United States. It borders the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. Vermont is the only state in New England that does not border the Atlantic Ocean. Vermont is the second-least-populated U.S. state and the sixth-smallest by area of the 50 U.S. states with a recorded population of 643,503 according to the 2020 U.S. census. The state capital is Montpelier, the least-populous state capital in the United States. The most-populous city, Burlington, is the least-populous city to be the most-populous city in a state.
For some 12,000 years, indigenous peoples inhabited this area. The historically competitive tribes of the Algonquian-speaking Abenaki and Iroquoian-speaking Mohawk were active in the area at the time of European encounter. During the 17th century, French colonists claimed the territory as part of the Kingdom of France’s colony of New France. After the Kingdom of Great Britain began to settle colonies to the south along the Atlantic coast, the two nations competed in North America in addition to Europe. After being defeated in 1763 in the Seven Years’ War, France ceded its territory east of the Mississippi River to Great Britain.
The geography of the state is marked by the Green Mountains, which run north–south up the middle of the state, separating Lake Champlain and other valley terrain on the west from the Connecticut River valley that defines much of its eastern border. A majority of its terrain is forested with hardwoods and conifers, and a majority of its open land is devoted to agriculture. The state’s climate is characterized by warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters.
| Area | |
| • Total | 9,616 sq mi (24,923 km2) |
| • Land | 9,250 sq mi (23,957.39 km2) |
| • Water | 382 sq mi (989 km2) 4.1% |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 160 mi (260 km) |
| • Width | 80 mi (130 km) |
| Elevation | 1,000 ft (300 m) |
| Highest elevation (Mount Mansfield) | 4,395 ft (1,340 m) |
| Lowest elevation (Lake Champlain) | 95 to 100 ft (29 to 30 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 643,503 |
| Latitude | 42°44′ N to 45°1′ N |
| Longitude | 71°28′ W to 73°26′ W |
Photo Gallery
© HJ Ruiz – Avian101
H.J. Ruiz - Avian101 
Lovely shots, HJ! 🙂 I’ve never been to Vermont or any of the New England states, I hope some day to visit that area!
It has great country side, excellent foliage in Autumn. You’ll get there some day I’m sure. Thank you very much, Donna. 🙂
Thanks for all the info about Vermont. We lived near Burlington for quite a while and liked living there very much.
Thanks and all the best
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thank you so much, Klaus. Living in Vermont was an idea that I had years ago. The country side is fabulous! Lucky you! 🙂
I like the covered bridge. We do not have anything like that here.
These covered bridges were very popular in New England many years ago.
Thank you, Tom. 🙂
It looks like a beautiful countryside, HJ. It would be a very scenic place to live in.
It is gorgeous! For the winter you have lots of snow and skiing, during the Autumn the foliage changes almost all plants and trees in colors, fantastic for photography and summer is perfect to visit gorgeous towns, hikes in forests and enjoy many excellent restaurants. I’m sure that you’d love it there. Thanks, Chris. 🙂
Such beautiful rural scenes, H.J. I bet you got some good ticks on your bird list as well?
Believe it or not Vermont is like a gigantic garden with not so tall mountains but perfect for winter sports, the towns are not large but cozy. Thank you, D. 🙂
Great photos! I grew up in Massachusetts, but in a little town on the border of Vermont, on the Connecticut River. Your pics have captured that Vermont “feel”. Thanks!
I’m so glad that you liked it. I loved it in Vermont. 🙂