Vermont at a Glance

Vermont is a small, inland New England state whose identity is unusually tightly bound to its landscape — mountains, forests, village centers, and fall foliage aren't just tourism branding here, they genuinely shape how the state is organized and governed. It sits between New York to the west and New Hampshire to the east, with Canada along its northern border and Massachusetts to the south.

Capital and Largest City

Montpelier, the smallest state capital in the country by population, serves as the seat of government, while Burlington, on the shore of Lake Champlain, is Vermont's largest city and its primary economic and cultural center.

Population and Scale

With roughly 647,000 residents, Vermont is the second-least-populous state in the country, ahead of only Wyoming, and it remains the only New England state without a single city topping 50,000 people — a scale that shapes everything from its politics to its school funding formulas.

Nickname and Statehood

Vermont is nicknamed the Green Mountain State, a direct reference to the Green Mountains that run the length of the state. It joined the Union on March 4, 1791, as the 14th state — notably, the first to join after the original thirteen, having spent the previous fourteen years as the independent Vermont Republic.

A Republic Before a State

Few people outside Vermont realize the state functioned as a self-declared independent republic from 1777 to 1791, complete with its own currency and postal service, before negotiating its entry into the United States. That independent streak still colors Vermont's political culture today.

Regional Structure

Northwestern Vermont revolves around Burlington and Lake Champlain; central Vermont follows the Green Mountain spine and its tourism corridors; southern Vermont carries closer cross-border ties to Massachusetts and New York; and the Northeast Kingdom remains noticeably more remote and rural than the rest of the state.

Why Vermont Matters

Vermont matters because it has preserved an unusually visible connection between landscape and local identity — agriculture, outdoor recreation, education, and civic life here all still trace directly back to the shape of the land itself.