9,615 square miles

802

Average temperatures throughout the year are (in °F) 20-40 in the winter, 50-75 in the spring, 60-80 in the summer and 25-60 in the fall.

Principal banks located in Vermont include, but are not limited to, Keybank, Vermont National Bank and Charter One Bank.  Banking hours vary, with most banks open Monday to Friday during normal business hours.  Some banks are open evenings and Saturdays. Automated teller machines are widely available throughout the state.

Montpelier

There are four distinct climate seasons in Vermont, ranging from a balmy warm summer to a snow-
covered winter wonderland.  Annual rainfall is on average 36 inches and average snowfall ranges from 100-250 inches, depending on where you are in the state.  Average temperatures throughout the year are (in F): 20-40 in the winter, 50-75 in the spring, 60-80 in the summer, and 25-60 in the fall.

The majority of stores, restaurants, and accommodations throughout Vermont accept major credit cards including Visa, Mastercard and American Express.  Debit or bank cards are increasingly popular and can be used almost as readily through networks such as Interac, Plus and Cirrus.  Credit and debit card charges will appear on the purchaser’s statement, converted into their home currency.  Not all credit and debit cards will be accepted in all areas, in particular more remote areas of the state. 

Although Canadian currency is accepted in many areas throughout the state, visitors are advised to either exchange their funds into American dollars, purchase travelers cheques in American funds, or make their purchases using credit cards. Commercial establishments are encouraged to provide a fair rate of exchange to foreign visitors.  Currency exchange rates are posted daily, and the best rates can be obtained at major financial institutions throughout the state.

The United States uses the same electrical plus configuration and current as Canada: 110 to 115 volts, 60 cycles.

Vermont is the birthplace of many well-recognized names in the world of sports, science, politics, the arts and general celebrity.  Among the list of famous Vermonters are….
• John Deere, inventor, Rutland
• Simon Fraser, fur trader, Bennington
• Chester Arthur, 21st U.S. President, Fairfield
• William Hepburn Russell, Pony Express founder, Burlington
• Calvin Coolidge, 30th U.S. President, Plymouth
• James Fisk, capitalist, Bennington
• Richard Morris Hunt, architect, Brattleboro
• William Wilson, Alcoholics Anonymous founder, East Dorset
• Levi Morton, U.S. Vice President, Shoreham

Welcome Centers
There are many information centers located throughout Vermont, offering assistance and information to travelers.  Friendly staff is on hand to assist with accommodations, dining, attractions, special events, and everything else you would need to plan your travels.

Highgate Welcome Center: Located on the I-89 in southbound at the Canadian border.

Lake Champlain Islands: Welcome Center at Alburg, located on Route 2  at the New York-Canadian border.

Welcome Centers at Williston: Located on the I-89 southbound and northbound.

Northwestern Vermont: Information Center at Georgia: Located on the I-89 southbound and northbound.

Welcome Center at Derby Line: Located on the I-91 southbound at the Canadian border.

Northeast Kingdom: Information Center at Bradford: Located on the I-91 northbound.  Information Center at Lyndon, located on the I-91 southbound.

Welcome Center at Waterford: Located on the I-93  at the New Hampshire border.

Welcome Center at White River Junction: Located downtown at the Amtrak Station.

Capital Region Visitor Center: Located at 134 State Street, Montpelier.

Fair Haven Welcome Center: located on Route 4A at the New York border. 

Welcome Center at Guilford: Located on the I-91 northbound at the Massachusetts border.

Tourism Districts

Northern Vermont Region

Vermont''s Islands and Farms
www.islandsandfarms.com
1-800-262-5226

Stowe/Smugglers'' Notch Region
www.stowesmugglers.com
1-877-247-8693

Northeast Kingdom
www.travelthekingdom.com
1-800-884-8001

Lake Champlain Valley
www.vermont.org
1-877-686-5253

Central Vermont Region

Central Vermont Tourism
www.central-vt.com
1-877-887-4968

Mid Vermont for All Seasons
www.midvermont.com
1-800-733-8376

Crossroads of Vermont
www.vermontcrossroads.com
1-800-756-8880

Eastern Vermont Getaway
www.easternvermont.com
1-888-848-4199

Southern Windsor County
www.VacationinVermont.com
1-877-668-1852

Southern Vermont Region

Green Mountains
www.sovermont.com
1-877-768-3766

Southern Vermont
www.southernvermont.com
1-877-887-2378

State Agencies

Vermont Department of  Tourism and Marketing
Contact: Christiane Skinner
802-828-5905  
christiane.skinner@state.vt.us
6 Baldwin Street, 4th Floor, Drawer 33
Montpelier, VT 05633-1301
www.vermontvacation.com

Vermont Historical Society
109 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05609-0901
802-828-2291
www.vermonthistory.org

Vermont Ski Areas Association
26 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05601
802-223-2439        
www.skivermont.com

Vermont Council on the Arts
136 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602
802-828-3291

Vermont Attractions Association
P.O. Box 1284, Montpelier, VT 05601-0037
802-229-4581
www.vtattractions.org

Vermont Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 37, Montpelier, VT 05601-0037
802-223-3443
www.vtchamber.com

Motorcoach & Receptive Tour Operators
Bristol Tours, Bristol
(802) 453-2661

Custom Tours Inc., Killington
1-888-422-2818

Finer Vermont Tours, Killington
802-422-3040

Lamoille Valley Transportation, Morrisville
1-800-359-2103

Mountain Transit, Milton
802-893-1334

Notch Above Tours, Jeffersonville
1-800-639-2367

Premier Coach Co., Colchester
1-800-532-1811

Sugar Tours, West Dover
1-888-889-8681

Tim''s Transit, Killington
802-422-3500

Vermont Transit Co., Inc., Burlington
802-862-9671

Visitors to the United States are strongly urged to obtain health insurance before leaving their home country.  American hospital and medical services are available to travelers, but a hospital stay can be costly without adequate insurance coverage.  Visitors taking prescribed medications are advised to take a copy of their prescription should it need to be filled during the trip.

Vermont’s manufacturing sector is the largest behind the service industry.  The state thrives in production of electronics, marble quarry, cheese, maple products, and wood products.  There are also a high percentage of people working in the technology industry.  Vermont produces on average $2.2 billion in goods each year ranging from canoes to computer chips to teddy bears.  Tourism and higher education are also major industries in Vermont.

Based on the French words for green mountains, “verts monts”

623,050 (estimated)

State Nickname: Green Mountain State

State Capital:Montpelier

State Population:Approximately 610,000

State Area: 9,609 square miles

State Motto: “Vermont, Freedom & Unity”

State Tree: Sugar Maple

State Flower: Red Clover

State Mineral:Talc

State Fish: Brook Trout & Walleye Pike

State Insect: Honeybee

State Bird            Hermit Thrush

State Animal            Morgan Horse

 

52 State Parks

Individual store hours vary throughout the state. Sunday shopping is widely available though stores generally open slightly later and closed slightly earlier than the other six days of the week.

The sales tax rate in Vermont is 6%, Rooms and Meals tax is 9% (some local governments have a 10% tax),  and there is a 10% Liquor Tax applied to alcohol.

Vermont is made up of 251 cities and towns.

Vermont encourages winter travelers to come to the state and enjoy the many wonderful winter activities it offers.  However, visitors are advised that delays may be experienced due to changing weather conditions in winter, particularly in the northern and mountainous regions.

1609 – Samuel de Champlain, “Father of New France", was the first to see what is now Vermont
1777 – Vermont declared an independent republic
1791 – Fourteenth state to adopt the U.S. Constitution
1793 – Adopted current state constitution
1805 – Montpelier selected as state capital

• Vermont’s constitution was, in 1777, the first to outlaw slavery.
• 75% of Vermont’s total area is forested.
• Vermont has more than 220 mountains above 2,000 feet in elevation.
• Vermont produces more than 100 million pounds of cheese per year, one of the state’s most valued products.
• Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in the United States.
• Calvin Coolidge was the only U.S. president that was born on the 4th of July (1872), he was born in Plymouth.
• The first American-used postage stamp was made in Brattleboro in 1846.
• Bill Koch of Guilford received the first Olympic medal for the U.S. in Nordic skiing in 1976.
• Vermont has more than 100 covered bridges, which is, for its size, more than any other state.
• Montpelier is the only U.S. capital city that doesn’t have a McDonald’s restaurant.
• Sandpaper was invented by Isaac Fisher at Springfield in 1834.
• The first pulp paper mill was established in 1869 by William A. Russell in Bellows Falls. Russell later became the first president of the International Paper Company.