Facts & Figures

Nearly a million and a half acres of Vermont land are in agriculture, sustaining the pastoral landscape that has made Vermont famous. Dairying is the primary farm industry in Vermont, producing approximately half the milk consumed in New England. Vermont is America's largest producer of maple syrup and also produces substantial crops of Macintosh apples, potatoes, eggs, honey, vegetables, Christmas trees, lumber, pulp wood, and green house nursery products.

Vermont is the second largest state in New England after Maine. Dominating the state's geography are the Green Mountains, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world.

Some 223 mountains over 2,000 feet in elevation, rise above fertile valleys that support and extensive dairy industry. The nation's sixth largest lake, Lake Champlain, runs along the state's western border.

Vermont government is distinctive for its local tradition of Town Meeting Day, held the first Tuesday in March. In many towns and villages, municipal and school budgets are voted from the floor as they have been for nearly 200 years.

Vermont's highly skilled workers are employed primarily in producing electronic components and equipment, machine tools, specialty consumer products, wood products, quarried and finished stone, and printing.

Higher education is a significant industry in Vermont, employing an estimated 8,500 people. In 1996, more than 45,000 students were enrolled in public and private universities and colleges in Vermont.

The largest and oldest institution, the University of Vermont in Burlington, was founded in 1791. Norwich University in Northfield, established in 1819, is the oldest private military college in the United States.