Vermont

8 Most Neighborly Towns In Vermont

Published

1 year ago

February 16, 2025

The 14^th State to be admitted to the Union, the thinly-populated, singly landlocked state of Vermont sits in the New England region in the country’s northeastern corner. Highlighting awe-inspiring panoramas of verdant hills and valleys during summertime, otherworldly colorful foliage in fall, the white wilderness in winter, and wildflower-covered alpine meadows in spring, The Green Mountain State is there to take your breath away whenever you are on a visit. Dotting the state’s scenic 9,250 sq. mi. terrain are incalculable neighborly towns that are worth journeying to on your reinvigorating sabbaticals.

Montpelier

Fall colors in Montpelier, Vermont.

Christened by Colonel Jacob Davis with reference to its homonymous French city, Montpelier, the capital of Vermont and Washington County’s seat is located close to the geographic heart of the state by the side of the upper Winooski River. The unostentatious appearance of the US’ least populous state capital efficaciously obscures the copious creative activities that one gets to experience in this friendly small town.

Although the sundry historical sites like the gold-cupolaed Vermont State House, Kellogg-Hubbard Library, and Vermont History Museum are star attractions of this chief town, the large number of pristine urban oases such as Hubbard Park, Mill Pond Park, and their unlimited open-air recreations should not be missed. Also, pop in at the TW Wood Art Gallery to observe its extensive award-winning art collections, watch performances at the Lost Nation Theater, and shop for farm fresh produce and meet the locals at the Capital City Farmers Market.

Grafton

Initially baptized Thomlinson and later relabeled Grafton after its namesake Massachusetts town, this teeny and welcoming 645-inhabitant settlement is situated in Windham County of southern Vermont. The grandiose backstory of this noted stagecoach hub for transportation across the Green Mountains is appropriately reflected in significant properties like the Grafton Inn (previously the Old Tavern), together with numerous other accommodations that the Windham Foundation has suitably restored.

You can peruse the town’s myriad small enterprises, such as Plummer’s Sugar House, MKT: Grafton, and the Grafton Village Cheese Company, and participate in the plentiful summer and winter leisure activities provided by the Grafton Trails and Outdoor Center.

Woodstock

Woodstock, the seat of government of Windsor County, is located next to the Ottauquechee River’s south branch, almost a three-hour drive from Boston, Massachusetts. Woodstock’s idyll town square, popularly the Green, is flanked by umpteen warm and thoroughly maintained buildings with different architectural designs.

On a trip to this town, check out the famed tourist lures like the Billings Farm & Museum, Taftsville Covered Bridge, Woodstock History Center, and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. Yearly, join the friendly locals for the two-day Harvest Celebration at the Billings Farm & Museum in October and Wassail Weekend in December.

Stowe

Chartered by the colonial Governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth, this neighborly Lamoille County town is situated in a wide-ranging grassy valley limited by the Worcester Range to the east and Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak and other Green Mountain peaks to the west. Known for a long time for its snowy pursuits, this Ski Capital of the East offers vacationists excellent skiing and snowboarding amenities in addition to several miles of groomed and backcountry trails at the Stowe Mountain Resort, one of the leading cross-country skiing destinations of North America.

The brilliant colors of the encircling arboraceous mountains in the fall season make Stowe an exquisite location for photo opportunities coupled with a slew of recreational opportunities. When in town, the iconic Stowe Community Church, the paved Stowe Recreation Path, Smugglers’ Notch State Park & Recreation Area, Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, and Trapp Family Lodge are must-visits.

Manchester

Rimmed in the west by the Taconic Range and in the east by the Green Mountains, Manchester, set close to the Batten Kill River, is a welcoming town and one of the administrative capitals of Bennington County. A quondam iron-mining town and currently an all-season Vermont getaway, Manchester invites globetrotters to take note of its archaic properties, including the Bennington County Courthouse and the Lincoln Family Home, Hildene, symbolical white steeple churches, art galleries like Southern Vermont Arts Center, antique stores like The Vintage Soul, museums like American Museum of Fly Fishing, well-maintained community parks like Dana L. Thompson Memorial Park, and cozy diners like Ye Olde Tavern.

Summers and springtime are ideal for hiking the Prospect Rock Trail and trekking through the Merck Forest and Farmland Center. In the cold season, one can go skiing on the downhill slopes of the adjacent Stratton and Bromley Mountains.

Brattleboro

This teeny neighborly town in Windham County occupies the Connecticut River Valley, which is approximately 10 miles north of the state border with Massachusetts at the conflux of the Connecticut River with its 53.8-mile-long tributary West River. Brattleboro, one of the state’s most sought-after travel destinations, proffers a seamless blend of agrarian ambiance and modern comforts, with plethoric gift shops like Penelope Wurr Retail Store, art galleries like Gallery In the Woods, museums like Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, performing arts theater like the Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery, and eateries like Peter Havens Restaurant in the Downtown Area.

You can spend quality time at the different parks and recreation centers, such as Fort Dummer State Park and Gibson-Aiken Center, or attend any of the town’s yearly events, such as the Brattleboro Free Folk Festival, Maple Open House Weekend, and Brattleboro Women’s Film Festival.

Weston

A serene and hospitable Windsor County town circumscribed by the verdurous Green Mountain National Forest, Weston is lauded for its flawless fusion of historical heritage and community spirit. This 623-resident town’s National Register-listed historic district features several well-preserved Gilded Age buildings, such as the Weston Playhouse, Old Mill, and the Farrar-Mansur House.

Merrymakers, all year long, get to enjoy diverse performances presented at the Weston Playhouse by the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, which, established in 1935, is the longest-running professional theatre in The Green Mountain State. Weston’s other impressive sites include the placid Weston Priory, the Vermont Country Store, where traditional goods are sold, and the Weston Village Green, which serves as a setting for fun-filled gatherings.

Shelburne

Christened Shelburne in honor of William Petty Fitzmaurice, the 2^nd Earl of Shelburne, this friendly town is set along the banks of Lake Champlain. Part of Chittenden County, and home to around 7,000 residents, its central business district is located around 7 miles south of the city center of Vermont’s most populous city, Burlington.

Holidaymakers on a visit to Shelburne adore its mind-boggling Green Mountain spectacles, productive valleys, and the conterminous scrupulously preserved farms. Aside from dropping by the town’s celebrated spots like Shelburne Farms, Shelburne Museum, Vermont Teddy Bear Company, and Shelburne Vineyards, vacationers can chill out with friendly locals at the beaches or partake in myriad aquatic pursuits such as swimming, fishing, boating, canoeing, and kayaking at the panoramic Lake Champlain.

From the beatific ski town Stowe to Shelburne’s lakeside opulence, the intimately connected towns peppering the 2^nd least populous and 6^th smallest state of the country lure excursionists with their idiosyncratic charisma. So, if you wish to have a well-rounded experience in The Green Mountain State, seek no further than these neighborly towns perpetually ready to hypnotize you with their natural spectacles, quaint downtowns, restaurants serving finger-licking locally sourced cuisines, unique seasonal celebrations, and never-ending outdoor interests.

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Vermont

Aly Richards announces run for Vt. governor

Published

6 hours ago

April 6, 2026

Press Room

Aly Richards announces run for Vt. governor

NEWBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – A new face joins the race for Vermont governor.

Aly Richards, the former CEO of Lets Grow Kids, will hold her campaign announcement on Monday morning.

Richards has spent the last decade advocating for affordable child care in Vermont, including pushing for the state’s landmark child care law.

Richards’ campaign announcement will take place in her hometown of Newbury at 11 a.m.

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Vermont

Vermont ends cold weather hotel assistance for 160 households

Published

18 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Press Room

Vermont ends cold weather hotel assistance for 160 households

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – About 160 households will no longer receive hotel rooms following the end of cold weather rules for the state’s General Assistance program this week.

Anti-homeless advocates said last year the federal government authorized Vermont to use state Medicaid funds for a program that could supplement rent for people at risk of homelessness.

State leaders this week said that is not an option as Vermont is still building the program.

Vermont Human Services Secretary Jenney Samuelson said at a press conference this week the waiver gives the authority, not the funding or infrastructure to build the program.

“The state would need to put up significant investments including enrolling housing providers, landlords, developing and building IT systems,” Samuelson said. “These steps require significant time and resources.”

The state legislature and Governor Scott’s administration have been trying to wind down the use of hotels and instead ramp up shelters to get people back on their feet.

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Vermont

Cock-a-doodle-don’t? Vermont towns can’t agree on roosters. – VTDigger

Published

1 day ago

April 5, 2026

Press Room

Cock-a-doodle-don’t? Vermont towns can’t agree on roosters. – VTDigger

Backyard chickens in towns and cities throughout Vermont have been banned in some places, while allowed in others. Photo by Al Frey/Williston Observer

Amanda Rancourt was facing a predicament.

She had started raising chickens in response to rising egg prices. But last May, a clutch of baby chicks she was raising in her backyard had grown up. Unexpectedly, one of the supposedly all-female chickens had a surprise for Rancourt.

The chicken turned out to be a rooster.

Rancourt knew what that meant. She could keep the chickens. But she lives in Barre City.

The rooster would have to go.

“It’s unfortunate. I literally live on the Barre City, Barre Town line,” she said. “It just kind of stinks we weren’t able to keep him, legally.”

Over the past few years, complaints across Vermont municipalities regarding roosters and their chatter have spurred many towns to ban them within their borders. Ordinances banning roosters have been in place in Burlington, South Burlington, Williston and Essex Junction for years. Yet regulations are not consistent, even between neighboring communities. The town of Barre, where Rancourt lives, has rooster regulations, while just up the road, the city of Montpelier does not.

As winter finally lets up and backyard flocks begin stirring from their coops, Vermont municipalities are increasingly saying “no” to roosters, creating a patchwork of local regulations that routinely pit the state’s agricultural heritage against suburban quality of life.

More communities have begun considering new bans. Last fall, the St. Albans City Council unanimously voted to ban roosters, with the threat of daily fines and possible court-ordered removal if a rooster is not moved, according to officials. A series of noise complaints regarding roosters crowing around the city had pushed the government to look at restrictions, St. Albans Mayor Tim Smith said.

Urban density fueled the complaints, with most residents living just 30 feet apart. And perhaps a blind spot in the city’s animal control laws helped the backyard chickens proliferate, said Chip Sawyer, St. Albans’ planning director and author of the proposed ordinance.

“A barking dog, you can deal with,” Sawyer said. “You can order someone with a barking dog to keep their dog inside. You can’t really order a rooster to be kept inside the home.”

The new rule drew little resistance. Only one family with a pet rooster complained, Smith said.

“To have some one person feel that his activities, his hobbies, whatever you want to call it, take priority over his neighbors is, in my opinion, very selfish,” Smith said.

Meanwhile, a similar dispute between neighbors in Shelburne prompted the town to debate adopting its own restrictions on roosters.

“They start yodeling at dawn and go on until dark,” wrote Ruth Hagerman, a Shelburne resident, in an email to town government representatives that was shared with VTDigger.

“They are disturbing the peace of those around them and are providing a textbook example of how neighborly policing doesn’t work.”

Yet after debating a drafted law, which was based on ordinances in neighboring municipalities, the Shelburne selectboard decided during a meeting last year to keep things as they were.

Shelburne Town Manager Matt Lawless was wary of overregulating how residents raise animals and produce their own food.

“We need to be cautious, I think, in when we deal with nuisance or when we’re concerned about health and safety, that we also look at the positive value provided, and we not make it hard for people to do things that are good,” Lawless said.

A ban on roosters felt too controlling, according to Shelburne board member Andrew Everett. He felt that for Shelburne, a community that is a mix of suburban and rural, changing traditional Vermont ways should be resisted until absolutely necessary.

Meanwhile, Williston’s war over backyard chickens has now spanned nearly a decade, with residents on smaller properties twice rebuffed in their efforts to keep hens. The city still classifies chickens as livestock, prohibited on any lot under an acre. The most recent attempt to lift the ban died in September 2023. Selectboard members who had previously supported the ban again voted to peel the chicken provisions off a broader housing package, shelving them indefinitely.

The trend of banning roosters from Vermont municipalities has caused a somewhat unintended wrinkle: what happens to the roosters?

The growing number of roosters that need to be re-housed has become an issue, said Pattrice Jones, cofounder of VINE Sanctuary in Springfield, an animal sanctuary that assists in rescuing roosters.

Sanctuaries around the state have been overwhelmed with requests to take roosters, Jones said. Chicks from hatcheries and farm stores that unexpectedly turn out to be roosters — and misconceptions about roosters being inherently violent — add to the problem.

But the growing list of local ordinances banning roosters has resulted in even more requests to take them in, adding to VINE’s “perpetual” waiting list, Jones said.

For many, emotional attachment to their roosters complicates the decision of what to do with the feathered pets.

“We hand raised them from when they were chicks and my kids were attached to them,” said Rancourt, the Barre chickens owner.

After a few months of looking, she was able to find a more rural home for her rooster, away from the suburban neighborhoods and the rooster ban in Barre.

“We understand that if they ended up becoming a problem with people, that they may end up having to cull them and eat them,”.

“Personally I couldn’t do that.”

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