Vermont

E

Electricity

Vermont’s sole nuclear power plant opened in Vernon in 1972, and in 2005 it produced 71 percent of the state’s electricity. Another 21 percent came from hydroelectric facilities. Wood fueled plants operate in Burlington and Ryegate.

F

Tourist Industry

Tourism has become an important source of income for Vermont. Initially most tourists visited in summer. However, with the expansion of winter sports activities, tourism has become a year-round industry. Because of tourism, roads have been improved and more permanent residents have settled. Many of the visitors are Canadians. In terms of dollars spent, skiing is now Vermont’s single most important tourist industry.

G

Transportation

Vermont’s inland and border location, its hilly terrain, and its hard winters have handicapped the development of transportation. There are few good east-to-west roads across the Green Mountains. However, expanded interstate highway programs have given better truck and automobile transportation. White River Junction, Montpelier, Saint Johnsbury, Rutland, and Burlington are transportation hubs. By 2004 the state had 23,123 km (14,368 mi) of highways, of which 515 km (320 mi) were part of the interstate highway system.

Vermont had 914 km (568 mi) of railroad track in 2004. Stone made up 92 percent of the tonnage of goods shipped by rail and originating in the state, and wood and wood products accounted for 2 percent. About half the railroad mileage is state owned.

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Three airports, at Burlington and Rutland and in the Barre-Montpelier area, handle much of the state’s commercial air traffic. Lake Champlain is a link in a waterway system extending from the St. Lawrence River in Canada to New York City.

H

Trade

As a border state, Vermont has many trade ties with Canada. Saint Albans, near the Canadian border, is a port of entry for international rail-freight traffic, and a considerable amount of Canadian lumber and animal feed for New England farms passes through. Burlington, on Lake Champlain, is a port of entry for waterborne freight, especially fuel oil. Burlington is the principal business center.

IV

The People of Vermont

A

Population Patterns

In 2006 Vermont ranked 49th among the states, with a total population of 623,908. This figure represented an increase of 8.2 percent over the 1990 census figure of 562,758. The average population density was 26 persons per sq km (67 per sq mi) in 2006. Vermont’s population is, proportionately, more rural than that of any other U.S. state; only 38 percent of Vermont residents lived in areas defined as urban in 2000. All Vermont urban centers are small. The largest, Burlington, accounts for less than one-tenth of the population, although Burlington and its surrounding Chittenden County region contain one-fourth of the people in the state. The fastest-growing areas are in the Champlain Valley and southern Vermont. The Green Mountains and northern Vermont had less growth, and some communities, notably Rutland and Barre, lost population.