Vermont may be becoming increasingly more active in many areas, but we still have plenty of towns where time seems to move at a slower pace. These smaller towns may be the perfect place to visit or live if you enjoy the simple things in life. While Vermont is known for picturesque countryside, friendly townsfolk and an active outdoor lifestyle, we love it when towns continue to embrace the slower things in life. After all, if you move too fast, you may miss the best parts! Here are 18 slow-paced towns in Vermont worth checking out.
- Pomfret
Flickr/Kent McFarland One of the earliest ski tows in the United States was established at South Pomfret in 1934 and became known as Suicide Six. In 1979, then-cardinal Karol Wojtyla visited North Pomfret during the summer for a vacation. He later became Pope John Paul II and was canonized a saint.
- Woodford
Flickr/O. Bendorf Woodford’s town center lies at an elevation of 2,215 feet above sea level, the highest of any town in the state of Vermont.
- Ripton
Flickr/flissphil Jessica Ravitz of CNN referred to Ripton as “the kind of place where cell service fails more often than it works and the country store is really just that….Tibetan prayer flags wave outside a weather-worn home, and the fog lifts to reveal a white horse grazing in a field.” We think that’s pretty accurate!
- Peru
Flickr/Jared and Corin Originally known as Bromley, the town name was changed to Peru by the land grantees as a way of attracting land buyers to an area that had been described as 36 square miles of “trees and bears.”
- Pittsfield
Flickr/Daniel Mennerich This town in Rutland County is the site of the annual Pittsfield Snowshoe Race.
- Plymouth
Flickr/Chris Devers Calvin Coolidge was born and reared in Plymouth and is buried there as well. The Coolidge Homestead and the village of Plymouth Notch is a wonderful place to see and learn about the history of the 30th President of the United States.
- Tinmouth
Flickr/Michael O’Brien In 2007, the citizens of Tinmouth debates about switching from town meeting to the Australian ballot, where the ballot is secret and anonomous. Two separate votes were held, both close, but ending in the decision to make the switch. The first vote was 97–95 in favor of the switch, the second was 112–104.
- Hancock
Flickr/Jared and Corin Hancock is home to the Middlebury College Snow Bowl, which has 17 trails and 3 lifts, offering access to more than 110 acres of terrain. In 2006, it became the first carbon-neutral ski area in the United States.
- Waltham
Flickr/Don Shall Waltham, a town of 486 people, does not have its own school. The children of Waltham in grades K-6 are sent to Vergennes Elementary School, and the children in grades 7-12 are sent to Vergennes Union High School.
- Grafton
Flickr/mksfca The town was founded as Thomlinson, but renaming rights were auctioned in 1791 to the highest bidder, who reportedly offered “five dollars and a jug of rum” and changed the name to Grafton.
- Peacham
Flickr/Madeleine Deaton The Peacham Library is a private library founded in 1810 as a resource for the debating team of the Caledonia County Grammar School. For the first century of its existence, the library possessed no fixed location and rotated from store to store around the town. The original library building was purchased in 1909, burned in 1959, destroying almost the entire collection, and rebuilt on the same location in 1960 and enlarged in 2001. The library now has over 9,200 volumes and over 500 registered patrons.
- Roxbury
Wikipedia.org Just looking at the Roxbury Free Library, you know this town is charming.
- Granville
Flickr/Matthew Paulson How can you not live a relaxed life when you live in such close proximity to one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Vermont, Moss Glen Falls.
- Walden
Flickr/Alison This community has no zip code of its own. Mail to Walden addresses is routed through the West Danville and East Hardwick post offices.
- Brookline
Flickr/Jared and Corin Small town drama occurred in the 1800s when the round schoolhouse here was led by Dr. John Wilson, who was later unmasked as the infamous highwayman Captain Thunderbolt.
- Westmore
Flickr/Walter Parenteau Westmore is not only small, it is the least populated town in Orleans County. And stunning!
- Athens
Flickr/Doug Kerr Athens was the stage for an episode of the TV show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” to build a new house for the Vitale family. The construction team built a new handicapped accessible house for the Vitale family who had two sons, the younger was diagnosed with multiple birth defects.
- Sandgate
Flickr/Jared and Corin Sandgate is located in northwestern Bennington County and is entirely within the beautiful Taconic Mountains.
Take a break today and think about what makes Vermont special to you. Share this with people who would agree!
Flickr/Kent McFarland
One of the earliest ski tows in the United States was established at South Pomfret in 1934 and became known as Suicide Six. In 1979, then-cardinal Karol Wojtyla visited North Pomfret during the summer for a vacation. He later became Pope John Paul II and was canonized a saint.
Flickr/O. Bendorf
Woodford’s town center lies at an elevation of 2,215 feet above sea level, the highest of any town in the state of Vermont.
Flickr/flissphil
Jessica Ravitz of CNN referred to Ripton as “the kind of place where cell service fails more often than it works and the country store is really just that….Tibetan prayer flags wave outside a weather-worn home, and the fog lifts to reveal a white horse grazing in a field.” We think that’s pretty accurate!
Flickr/Jared and Corin
Originally known as Bromley, the town name was changed to Peru by the land grantees as a way of attracting land buyers to an area that had been described as 36 square miles of “trees and bears.”
Flickr/Daniel Mennerich
This town in Rutland County is the site of the annual Pittsfield Snowshoe Race.
Flickr/Chris Devers
Calvin Coolidge was born and reared in Plymouth and is buried there as well. The Coolidge Homestead and the village of Plymouth Notch is a wonderful place to see and learn about the history of the 30th President of the United States.
Flickr/Michael O’Brien
In 2007, the citizens of Tinmouth debates about switching from town meeting to the Australian ballot, where the ballot is secret and anonomous. Two separate votes were held, both close, but ending in the decision to make the switch. The first vote was 97–95 in favor of the switch, the second was 112–104.
Hancock is home to the Middlebury College Snow Bowl, which has 17 trails and 3 lifts, offering access to more than 110 acres of terrain. In 2006, it became the first carbon-neutral ski area in the United States.
Flickr/Don Shall
Waltham, a town of 486 people, does not have its own school. The children of Waltham in grades K-6 are sent to Vergennes Elementary School, and the children in grades 7-12 are sent to Vergennes Union High School.
Flickr/mksfca
The town was founded as Thomlinson, but renaming rights were auctioned in 1791 to the highest bidder, who reportedly offered “five dollars and a jug of rum” and changed the name to Grafton.
Flickr/Madeleine Deaton
The Peacham Library is a private library founded in 1810 as a resource for the debating team of the Caledonia County Grammar School. For the first century of its existence, the library possessed no fixed location and rotated from store to store around the town. The original library building was purchased in 1909, burned in 1959, destroying almost the entire collection, and rebuilt on the same location in 1960 and enlarged in 2001. The library now has over 9,200 volumes and over 500 registered patrons.
Wikipedia.org
Just looking at the Roxbury Free Library, you know this town is charming.
Flickr/Matthew Paulson
How can you not live a relaxed life when you live in such close proximity to one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Vermont, Moss Glen Falls.
Flickr/Alison
This community has no zip code of its own. Mail to Walden addresses is routed through the West Danville and East Hardwick post offices.
Small town drama occurred in the 1800s when the round schoolhouse here was led by Dr. John Wilson, who was later unmasked as the infamous highwayman Captain Thunderbolt.
Flickr/Walter Parenteau
Westmore is not only small, it is the least populated town in Orleans County. And stunning!
Flickr/Doug Kerr
Athens was the stage for an episode of the TV show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” to build a new house for the Vitale family. The construction team built a new handicapped accessible house for the Vitale family who had two sons, the younger was diagnosed with multiple birth defects.
Sandgate is located in northwestern Bennington County and is entirely within the beautiful Taconic Mountains.
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