Vermont - work in progress
Created | Updated Sep 1, 2003
Located in the northeastern region of the United States, Vermont is a state known primarily for skiing, cows, and maple syrup. It's considered to be the most rural of the 50 United States because so many of its residents live in communities with under 2,500 people, but it does have some large cities, including Montpelier and Burlington.
Some Facts About Vermont
Population: 584,7711
Area: 9,609 square miles or 15,461 square kilometers
Capital City: Montpelier
Largest City: Burlington
Motto: Freedom and Unity
State Tree: Sugar maple
State Bird: Hermit thrush
State Flower: Red clover
Products: Maple syrup2, McIntosh apples, potatoes, eggs, honey, vegetables, milk3, Christmas trees, and lumber.
Vermont's History
Famous Vermonters
Things Vermont Is Known For
-Maple syrup
-Cows
-Skiing
Phish
If you ever visit Vermont, it is inevitable that you will hear at least one reference to Phish, one of Vermont's most popular bands. Formed in the Burlington area in 1983, the band currently consists of Trey Anastasio (guitar), Mike Gordon (bass guitar), Jon Fishman (drums) and Page McConnell (keyboard). According to Mike Gordon, Phish plays "bluegrass, Latin, rock, funk, classical, jazz, calypso, hard-core, and Broadway" music, or various combinations of those. Their many albums include Junta (1989), Lawn Boy (1990), Picture of Nectar (1992), Rift (1993), Hoist (1994), A Live One (1995), Billy Breathes (1996), Slip Stitch and Pass (1997), The Story of the Ghost (1998), and Farmhouse (2000).
Ben and Jerry's
Ben and Jerry's, a Vermont manufacturer of ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet, was founded in 1978. The founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, had known each other since childhood. They began their business in an old gas station in Burlington, investing $12,000 in their business. They soon grew popular due to their unique flavours and the great taste of their ice cream, which is now distributed throughout America and in some foreign countries4 as well.
Foliage
Autumn in Vermont is marked by a mass migration of tourists5, all eager to see (and photograph) Vermont's beautiful trees as their leaves turn to lovely hues of red, orange, and brown. It is clear that these people have never had the exhilarating experience of raking this lovely foliage off of their lawns in frigid November, or they would drastically rethink their high opinion of it.
1As estimated in 1995 by the Vermont Health Department. Does not include cows.2Vermont is America's largest producer of syrup.3Vermont farms produce more than 2 billion pounds of milk each year.4Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, Iceland, China, Israel, Lebanon, Malta, Mexico, South Korea, and Switzerland.5Dubbed "leaf-peepers" by exasperated natives
