The
Vermont region was explored and claimed for France by Samuel de Champlain
in 1609, and the first French settlement was established at Fort Ste. Anne in
1666. The first English settlers moved into the area in 1724 and built Fort Dummer
on the site of present-day Brattleboro. England gained control of the area in
1763 after the French and Indian Wars.
First
organized to drive settlers from New York out of Vermont, the Green Mountain Boys,
led by Ethan Allen, won fame by capturing Fort Ticonderoga from the British on
May 10, 1775, in the early days of the Revolutionary War. In 1777 Vermont adopted
its first constitution, abolishing slavery and providing for universal male suffrage
without property qualifications.
Vermont
leads the nation in the production of monument granite, marble, and maple syrup.
It is also a leader in the production of talc. Vermont's rugged, rocky terrain
discourages extensive agricultural farming, but is well suited to raising fruit
trees and to dairy farming.
Principal
industrial products include electrical equipment, fabricated metal products, printing
and publishing, and paper and allied products.
Tourism
is a major industry in Vermont. Vermont's many famous ski areas include Stowe,
Killington, Mt. Snow, Bromley, Jay Peak, and Sugarbush. Hunting and fishing also
attract many visitors to Vermont each year. Among the many points of interest
are the Green Mountain National Forest, Bennington Battle Monument, the Calvin
Coolidge Homestead at Plymouth, and the Marble Exhibit in Proctor.
Coming
Soon!
See
more on Vermont: Encyclopedia: Vermont Encyclopedia: Geography Encyclopedia:
Economy Encyclopedia: Government Encyclopedia: History Monthly Temperature
Extremes
Accredited
Colleges and Universities
Selected
famous natives and residents:
Chester A. Arthur president; Orson
Bean actor; Calvin Coolidge president; George Dewey admiral; John
Dewey philosopher and educator; Stephen A. Douglas politician; Carlton
Fisk baseball player; James Fisk financial speculator; Willbur Fisk clergyman
and educator; Richard Morris Hunt architect; William Morris Hunt painter;
Elisha Otis inventor; Moses Pendleton choreographer; Joseph Smith
religious leader; Ernest Thompson actor and writer; Rudy Vallee singer
and band leader; Henry Wells pioneer entrepreneur (Wells Fargo & Co.);
Brigham Young religious leader.
Capital:
Montpelier
State
abbreviation/Postal code: Vt./VT
Governor:
Jim Douglas, R (to Jan. 2007)
Lieut.
Governor: Brian Dubie, R (to Jan. 2007)
Senators:
James M. Jeffords, I (to Jan. 2007); Patrick Leahy, D (to Jan. 2011)
U.S.
Representatives: 1
Secy.
of State: Deborah L. Markowitz, D (to Jan. 2007)
Treasurer:
Jeb Spaulding, D (to Jan. 2007)
Atty.
General: William Sorrell, D (to Jan. 2007)
Entered
Union (rank): March 4, 1791 (14)
Present
constitution adopted: 1793
Motto:
Vermont, Freedom and Unity
State
symbols: flower red clover (1894) tree sugar maple (1949) bird hermit
thrush (1941) animal Morgan horse (1961) insect honeybee (1978) song
“These Green Mountains” (2000)
Nickname:
Green Mountain State
Origin
of name: From the French “vert mont,” meaning “green mountain”
Geographic
center: In Washington Co., 3 mi. E of Roxbury
Number
of counties: 14
Largest
county by population and area: Chittenden, 149,286 (2004); Windsor, 971 sq
mi.
State
forests: 300,000 ac.
State
parks: 52
Residents:
Vermonter
2004
resident population est.: 621,394
2000
resident census population (rank): 608,827 (49). Male: 298,337 (49.0%); Female:
310,490 (51.0%). White: 589,208 (96.8%); Black: 3,063 (0.5%); American Indian:
2,420 (0.4%); Asian: 5,217 (0.9%); Other race: 1,443 (0.2%); Two or more races:
7,335 (1.2%); Hispanic/Latino: 5,504 (0.9%). 2000 percent population 18 and over:
75.8; 65 and over: 12.7; median age: 37.7.
