Vermont: The Green Mountain State

Vermont: The Green Mountain State — page 1
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