Vermont

Vermont
State of Vermont
Nickname
The Green Mountain State
Motto(s)
Freedom and Unity and Stella quarta decima fulgeat (May the fourteenth star shine bright)
Anthem: These Green Mountains
Map of the United States with Vermont highlighted
Map of the United States with Vermont highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodVermont Republic
Admitted to the UnionMarch 4, 1791 (1791-03-04) (14th)
CapitalMontpelier
Largest cityBurlington
Largest county or equivalentChittenden
Largest metro and urban areasBurlington
Government
 • GovernorPhil Scott (R)
 • Lieutenant GovernorDavid Zuckerman (P)
LegislatureGeneral Assembly
 • Upper houseSenate
 • Lower houseHouse of Representatives
JudiciaryVermont Supreme Court
U.S. senatorsBernie Sanders (I)
Peter Welch (D)
U.S. House delegationBecca Balint (D) (list)
Area
 • Total9,616 sq mi (24,923 km2)
 • Land9,250 sq mi (23,957 km2)
 • Water382 sq mi (989 km2)  4.1%
 • Rank45th
Dimensions
 • Length160 mi (260 km)
 • Width80 mi (130 km)
Elevation
1,000 ft (300 m)
Highest elevation4,395 ft (1,340 m)
Lowest elevation95 ft (29 m)
Population
 (2023)
 • TotalNeutral increase 647,464[3]
 • Rank49th
 • Density70/sq mi (27/km2)
  • Rank31th
 • Median household income
Increase $67,674[3]
 • Income rank
16th
DemonymVermonter
Language
 • Official languageNone
 • Spoken language
Time zoneUTC–05:00 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC–04:00 (EDT)
USPS abbreviation
VT
ISO 3166 codeUS-VT
Traditional abbreviationVt.
Latitude42°44′ N to 45°1′ N
Longitude71°28′ W to 73°26′ W
Websitewww.vermont.gov
State symbols of Vermont
List of state symbols
Living insignia
AmphibianNorthern leopard frog
Rana pipiens
BirdHermit thrush
Catharus guttatus
FishBrook trout
Salvelinus fontinalis
Walleye
Sander vitreous vitreous
FlowerRed clover
Trifolium pratense
InsectWestern honey bee
Apis mellifera
MammalMorgan horse
ReptilePainted turtle
TreeSugar maple
Acer saccharum
Inanimate insignia
BeverageMilk
FoodApple pie
FossilWoolly mammoth,
beluga whale[5]
GemstoneGrossular garnet
MineralTalc
RockGranite, marble, slate
SoilTunbridge
State route marker
Route marker
State quarter
Vermont quarter dollar coin
Released in 2001
Lists of United States state symbols

Vermont (/vərˈmɒnt/ vər-MONT)[6] is a landlocked state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the state had a population of 643,503,[7] ranking it the second least populated U.S. state ahead of Wyoming. It is the nation's sixth smallest state in area. The state's capital of Montpelier is the least populous U.S. state capital. No other U.S. state has a most populous city with fewer residents than Burlington. Vermont is also well known for being the largest producer of true maple syrup in the United States for over 200 years.

Native Americans have inhabited the area for about 12,000 years. The competitive tribes of the Algonquian-speaking Abenaki and Iroquoian-speaking Mohawk were active in the area at the time of European encounter. During the 17th century, French colonists claimed the territory as part of the Kingdom of France's colony of New France. After the Kingdom of Great Britain began to settle colonies to the south along the Atlantic coast, the two nations competed in North America in addition to Europe. After being defeated in 1763 in the Seven Years' War, France ceded its territory east of the Mississippi River to Great Britain.

Thereafter, the nearby British Thirteen Colonies, especially the provinces of New Hampshire and New York, disputed the extent of the area called the New Hampshire Grants to the west of the Connecticut River, encompassing present-day Vermont. The provincial government of New York sold land grants to settlers in the region, which conflicted with earlier grants from the government of New Hampshire. The Green Mountain Boys militia protected the interests of the established New Hampshire land grant settlers against the newly arrived settlers with land titles granted by New York. Ultimately, a group of settlers with New Hampshire land grant titles established the Vermont Republic in 1777 as an independent state during the American Revolutionary War. The Vermont Republic abolished slavery before any other U.S. state.[8][9] It was admitted to the Union in 1791 as the 14th state.

The geography of the state is marked by the Green Mountains, which run north–south up the middle of the state, separating Lake Champlain and other valley terrain on the west from the Connecticut River Valley that defines much of its eastern border. Vermont's topography is remarked for being extremely rugged and a certain explanation for the state's consistently small population. A majority of its terrain is forested with hardwoods and conifers. The state's climate is characterized by warm and humid summers, and cold and snowy winters.

Vermont's economic activity of $40.6 billion in 2022 ranked last on the list of U.S. states and territories by GDP but 21st in GDP per capita. Known for its progressivism, the state was one of the first in the U.S. to recognize same-sex civil unions and marriage, has the highest proportion of renewable electricity generation at 99.9%, and is one of the least religious and least racially/ethnically diverse states.

  1. ^ "Mt Mansfield Highest Point". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Highest and Lowest Elevations". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "QuickFacts: Vermont, United States". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  4. ^ "Language Spoken at Home". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  5. ^ State terrestrial fossil is the woolly mammoth of Mount Holly, state marine fossil is the beluga whale of Charlotte:
  6. ^ "Vermont". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  7. ^ "2020 Census Apportionment Results". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  8. ^ "Vermont Constitution of 1777". Chapter I, Section I: State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019. Therefore, no male person, born in this country, or brought from over sea, ought to be holden by law, to serve any person, as a servant, slave, or apprentice, after he arrives to the age of twenty-one years; nor female, in like manner, after she arrives to the age of eighteen years, unless they are bound by their own consent, after they arrive to such age, or bound by law for the payment of debts, damages, fines, costs, or the like.
  9. ^ Cox, Lee Ann (January 29, 2014). "Patchwork Freedom". University of Vermont. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019.


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