Vermont is a constituent state of the United States of America. One of the six New England states lying in the northeastern corner of the nation, it was admitted to the Union on March 4, 1791, as the 14th state. Its 9,614 square miles (24,900 square kilometres) have relatively few inhabitants, and its capital, Montpelier, is one of the least-populous U.S. state capitals. On the south, Vermont borders Massachusetts; on the west, New York; and on the north, Quebec, Canada. From the Canadian to the Massachusetts border, the Connecticut River separates Vermont from New Hampshire on the east. The river, from the mean low-water line on the western bank, is entirely within New Hampshire.
In many ways Vermont is a vigorous survivor of an earlier, simpler time in the United States. Millions of people visit the state each year, and many thousands of out-of-state residents maintain second homes in Vermont. These people primarily seek the beauty and tranquillity of Vermont's mountains and narrow valleys and the sense of the nation's past that pervades the entire state. The steeples of white wooden churches rising above small, mountain-bound towns with trim village greens; the herds of dairy cattle on sloping mountain pastures; and the red-gold leaves of tree-lined autumnal lanes are aspects of scenic Vermont that, in painting and photography, have become symbols of the rural United States.
Many people left their birthplaces in Vermont to join the movement westward and to America's cities. In turn, many creative personalities have sought the spiritual refuge offered by the state. Vermont has never stood in the mainstream of the nation's history, but its people and land have poured into their country a strength and a sense of continuity that joins the achievements of the nation's past with the purposes of its present.
The Green Mountains that cover most of the state are a northeastward extension of the Appalachian Mountains that run from Canada into northern Alabama. They provide Vermont with a north–south backbone that ranges from 20 to 36 miles (32 to 58 kilometres) in width. Thirty-one mountains in the state rise to more than 3,500 feet (1,100 metres), and most of this tilted landscape is rocky with thin topsoil. Only 15 percent of the state's terrain, mostly in the Champlain Valley, is level land with fertile soil and high productive capability. Vermont's average altitude is about 1,000 feet above sea level. Mount Mansfield, at 4,393 feet (1,339 metres), is its highest point; and Lake Champlain, at 95 feet (29 metres), is its lowest. On the Vermont–Massachusetts border, the northern end of the Hoosac Range enters the state, and the Taconic Range rises along the southwestern side. North of the Taconic Range are the Red Sandrock Hills, which extend along Lake Champlain to St. Albans.
Farming has declined as family farms have been combined into larger units, and an increasing number of farmers, unable to modernize their equipment and expand their herds, have sold their lands. Labour is not generally well organized in the state. In the 1930s the first ski runs were built, which led, by the 1960s, to the development of a winter tourist industry. During this time many small manufacturing plants set up operations in the state, and much of the hill country was opened to vacation home development. Despite these changes, Vermont has retained much of its earlier character.
Vacation resorts, motels and hotels, and related services employ thousands of Vermonters to serve the many tourists that visit the state each year. Skiing facilities at Stowe, Dover, Sherburne, and the Mad River valley are among the many Vermont winter resorts that attract people from throughout the Northeast. During the summer, visitors hike mountain trails, search through antique shops, study exhibits in the many museums, attend musical and dramatic performances, or bicycle or drive through the state and take photographs. The travel information office of the Agency of Development and Community Affairs is active in promoting tourism, and its Vermont Life magazine depicts the state's scenic resources.
Passenger service ceased on Vermont's railroads in 1966 but was resumed on a limited basis by Amtrak in 1971. Airline service is limited in southern and central Vermont, but the airport at Burlington is one of the busiest in New England. The major transportation arteries are north–south routes in the Connecticut River valley and the lowland valley south of Lake Champlain. Interstate highways link Vermont with Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Quebec province. Elsewhere, roads are often winding, narrow, and hilly, following the contours of the land. None of these factors is conducive to industrial expansion, and transportation remains a major problem.
