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States of the US

Vermont


Vermont is located in the northeastern region of the United States. It is one of six states that make up the region known as New England. The Green Mountains, densely forested with conifers and northern hardwood trees, form a spine running north–south through Vermont. In the southwest are the Taconic Mountains, while the Granite Hills rise in the northeast. Dotted across eastern Vermont are isolated peaks, known as monadnocks. Lake Champlain lies in the fertile Champlain Valley, which runs along Vermont’s western border with New York State. The Connecticut River forms Vermont’s eastern border with New Hampshire. Having mostly rugged terrain, much of it densely wooded, Vermont has only a small area of arable land.

Name

The name Vermont probably comes from the French les verts monts, meaning "green mountains". The name was first proposed by Pennsylvanian Dr Thomas Young in 1777 following Vermont's independence from New Hampshire. The mountains may have been described as green because they were more forested than the higher White Mountains of New Hampshire. Others say that the green colour of the mountains’ shale rocks is the origin of their name.

Climate

Vermont has a continental climate, with short, hot summers (milder at higher elevations) and cold winters. It receives abundant rainfall with heavy snowfalls in winter, which usually cover the ground for at least three months. In the fall months of autumn, Vermont's trees turn red, orange and gold as cold weather approaches.

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Economy

Vermont has plentiful resources of granite, marble and maple wood, which are among its chief products Manufactures include electrical equipment, metal products and paper. The state is the US’s leading producer of maple syrup, made from the sap of maple trees. An important part of Vermont's economy is the manufacture and sale of foods and other items trading under the Vermont "brand”. Tourism is a major industry in the state. Dairy farming is the chief form of agriculture.

Facts about Vermont

Area 9616 sq miles (24,923 sq km)

Highest point Mount Mansfield 4395 ft (1340 m)

Population 647,464

Capital Montpelier (pop. 7991)

Largest cities Burlington, 44,528; South Burlington, 21,043; Colchester 17,067; Essex Junction, 10,817; Rutland, 15,630

Nickname The Green Mountain State

State bird Hermit thrush

State flower Red clover

State tree Sugar maple

Consultant: Nicholas Harris

History of Vermont

before 17th century
The Vermont region is inhabited by Native American peoples, the Algonquian-speaking Abenaki and Mohawk. The Iroquois, based in present-day New York state, use the area as a hunting grounds and wage war against the Abenaki

1609
The Vermont region is explored and claimed for the French colony of New France by Samuel de Champlain

1666
The first French settlement is established at Fort Ste. Anne on the Isle La Motte in Lake Champlain

1724
British settlers move into the area and build Fort Dummer on the site of present-day Brattleboro; it is the first permanent settlement in what is now Vermont

1741
Benning Wentworth beomes royal governor of New Hampshire and makes a claim on land west of the Connecticut River (present-day Vermont), beginning a long-running dispute with New York, which also claims the area

1759
British troops under Sir Jeffery Amherst capture Fort Carillon (in present-day Ticonderoga, New York) and secures British control over the area

1763
Following its victory in the French and Indian Wars, Britain gains the area from the French. The British uphold New York's territorial claim to Vermont

1770
Ethan Allen, his brothers Ira and Levi, and the Allens' cousins Seth Warner and Remember Baker, recruit a militia known as the Green Mountain Boys to resist incomers from New York

1775
The Green Mountain Boys capture Fort Ticonderoga from the British in the early days of the Revolutionary War

1777
Vermont proclaims itself as an independent state (the “Vermont Republic”) and adopts its first constitution, abolishing slavery (the first in North America to do so) and granting a vote to all male inhabitants without property qualifications

1777
The Battle of Bennington (16th August): American troops defeat a Hessian force (German soldiers hired by the British) at Hoosick, New York, just across the border from Bennington. The anniversary of the battle is still celebrated in Vermont as a state holiday

1791
After the dispute with New York is finally settled, Vermont enters the Union as the 14th state—the first to be admitted to the union after the original 13 colonies. Settlers migrate to Vermont from southern New England in search of new farmland

1814
US troops under Thomas Macdonough win the Battle of Plattsburgh on and around Lake Champlain against British troops threatening to invade from Canada

1858
Slavery is fully banned by state law. Vermont later plays an important role in the Underground Railroad, which helps American slaves escape to Canada

1927
Great Vermont Flood kills 84 people and causes extensive damage across the state

1980s–90s
Population boom in Vermont as many people move to the state from elsewhere in New England and New York

2011
Tropical Storm Irene causes major floods

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