Official cumulative town count | Unofficial towns counted |
116 | 56 |
This edition of my VT 251 exploration starts and ends in adorable and upscale (tourist-friendly) towns in southern Vermont. In and around Grafton and Weston, however, are towns many folks might not even know exist, like Houghtonville (an unofficial town), Windham, and Athens. Rounding out this part of the state are also the towns of Jamaica, Winhall, Bondville (another unofficial town), and Westminster.
GRAFTON (& HOUGHTONVILLE)
Grafton, VT (pop. 645 in 2020) is a well-preserved, lovely town with 2 covered bridges, a nice Inn, a well-known cheese company, and considered by some to be one of New England's prettiest villages. It's location in the Green Mountains (with all the outdoor recreation that offers) and proximity to MA, CT, NY and NJ make Grafton a vacation home destination which helps keep the village in good shape aesthetically and amenity-wise -- the country store (MKT Grafton) is VERY well stocked for even very discerning clientele... If you want to go to the Grafton Village Cheese Company (and you SHOULD!), just check the hours -- I have tried twice to no avail (but did not check in advance). Houghtonville is an historic district within Grafton with exactly one store.
WINDHAM (& S. WINDHAM)
Windham VT (pop. 449 in 2020) is extremely rural and only had one community-centric building that we could find (the old meeting house cum town hall cum church cum library). Based on driving through the area, though, it has a definite hippy vibe. That vibe continued into South Windham, where there is a barn with a barn sign making company!
ATHENS
Athens, VT is another tiny rural community (pop. 380 in 2020) without a town per se (other than the old brick church which we could find). While it does have a town sign, some of the other road signage was a tad confusing.
WESTON
Weston, VT (pop. 623 in 2020) is a very popular and affluent town in southern Vermont. It is known best for being home to the famed Vermont Country Store (which is well worth your time and a place I bring all my visitors when I'm in that part of the state). Additionally, it has a well-regarded summer stock/ playhouse as well as antique stores, an art gallery, a town green and huge general store. It is beautifully situated such that every road into town has great views and it is a popular place to have a country home. Be warned, though -- there is no cell coverage in the town (at least at the time of this writing)!!
JAMAICA
Jamaica, VT is a small town (pop. 1,005 in 2020) near Stratton Ski Resort. It has a lovely state park with waterfalls (Hamilton Falls) and even during winter, a walk through the park, along the West River, was simply magical. The town includes the villages of Jamaica, East Jamaica and Rawsonville, and residents have a strong sense of community from all I've heard.
WINHALL (& BONDVILLE)
Winhall, VT (pop. 1,182 in 2020) is home to Stratton Mountain Resort, a year-round destination in the Green Mountains. In the southeastern corner of town is the unincorporated village of Bondville, where the post office is located. The town has a nice market and other resort-related amenities including an escape room. Given its location, there are numerous outdoor recreation opportunities year-round, including hiking, biking, fishing, swimming, tubing, skiing, etc.
WESTMINSTER
Westminster, VT (pop. 3,016 in 2020) is a rural community and was the first state capital of the Republic of Vermont (before it joined the US) -- hence the sign saying "Township No.1" on their welcome sign. The only place in town to stop in town was a hopping truck stop, Allen Brothers, with surprisingly good food, a nursery, and excellent cider donuts. Westminister West (a village within Westminster) has a cool vibe and lots of dairy farming. I can assure you that happy cows make happy cheese -- and there are two producers there to prove it. If you find cheese by Parish Hill in your local cheese store, get some -- it's mighty tasty! Or, if you find yourself roaming around this eastern part of southern Vermont, stop into their little shack -- it's an honor system payment set-up (of course).
More to come next week!
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