Cumulative Official Town Count | Unofficial Town Count |
142 | 33 |
If you've been following along, you are aware that the Upper Valley refers to the valley on both sides of the upper Connecticut River, which forms the natural boundary between Vermont and New Hampshire. This edition of my VT 251 exploration focuses on towns in the northern part Vermont's Upper Valley; specifically WASHINGTON, ORANGE, TOPSHAM, CORINTH, BRADFORD, FAIRLEE, AND NEWBURY. As is the case in most areas of Vermont, the views and vistas are impressive (White Mountains in NH to the east and Green Mountains to the West), and the towns are small. Some cater to tourists (hello, Fairlee!) and some to the locals (like Bradford). Read on for my impressions...
WASHINGTON
Washington, VT is a small (pop. 1,032 in 2020), non-affluent town. There's not much to see here, and the Calef Memorial Library seems to be the nicest building in town. Other than that, there is a welcoming post office and well-kept green with the ubiquitous memorial to fallen soldiers. In the village store, you can buy your fishing worms and bait right next to your cold-brew coffee, and if you need assistance with the gas pump, there's a sign letting you know to honk or call...
ORANGE
Orange, VT is about the same size as Washington (above), but there is no "downtown"/ Main Street. The scenery is great, but there is one municipal building (town clerk), in which lies an itty bitty free "library." There is a school (non-descript), but that's about it.
TOPSHAM (WITH WAITS RIVER & W. TOPSHAM)
Topsham, VT (pop. 1,199 in 2020) is apparently one of only three places in the world with that name, and it is believed that it got the name because some of its early settlers came from Topsham, Maine. It is comprised of five distinct villages, none seemingly affluent, and has the smallest free-standing post office I've ever seen. As with the other towns in this part of the state, the views are impressive, the maple trade is robust (check out The Vermont Maple Farm -- they ship!), and farming seems to be the prevalent way of life.
CORINTH (WITH E.CORINTH & CORINTH CENTER/ COOKEVILLE)
Corinth, VT is slightly bigger than the previous towns (pop. 1,455 in 2020) and has two distinct areas that I saw -- East Corinth (on the main road) and Cookeville/ Corinth Center (up the mountain from the main road). One of the filming locations for the movie Beetlejuice was in E. Corinth, and in other ways that village feels like a typical VT town, even with an old and small ski area. Corinth Center (Cookeville) has a different vibe altogether. It is rural and feels somehow more "authentic" -- making me think it was likely the original town center. Should you find yourself in the area and hungry on Wednesdays- Saturdays, head up to the Crossmolina Cookeville (farm) Market -- you won't be disappointed. Everything is hyper-local in the store, and the town green/ Historical Society (which used to be the Academy) is right there; totally charming and beautiful.
FAIRLEE
Fairlee, VT has a small year-round population of just under 1,000 (in 2020), but its summer/vacation population is clearly much larger. It is home to both Lake Fairlee and Lake Morey (with its namesake resort, offering day passes should you be interested in renting a canoe or hitting the greens for a while), and has a good number of vacation homes and summer camps. As such, the primary general store in town, Chapman's, caters to second-home residents and tourists with items in its "provisions room" such as mushroom jerky, several types of stuffed Greek olives, and wine. The town hall, library, and town green all are more in line with a small town population -- charming and diminutive. The town does have a diner and ice cream stand, as well as a (probably defunct based on the sign and driveway) drive-in theater.
BRADFORD
Bradford, VT is the commercial center for residents in neighboring towns. It had a population of 2,790 in 2020, and is home to a non-touristy general store (with dairy bar/ griddle), Chinese restaurant, pizza place, tae kwon do studio, book shop, public library (with awful parking but amazing views), and a theater group. There is also a speedway for dirt car racing (I didn't visit it), as well as Farm-Way, an emporium for pretty much any and everything you'd need -- from clothing and shoes, to jewelry, to feed, to furniture (closed on Sundays, sadly). Additionally, there is Wright's Mountain for hiking, and if you don't feel like a long foray, you can follow the Inspiration Trail which is under 2 miles round trip from the parking area and offers some lovely views. There's the requisite town green, which abuts a small waterfall from a dam (it seems) and an ice cream shop just across the road from it (The Mill). It's a good town for locals.
NEWBURY
Newbury, VT is a classic New England town well-worth visiting with a population of roughly 2,300 (in 2020). It is very well-maintained, has a large, beautiful town green (one of the biggest in Vermont!), good village store, ice cream shop (with excellent maple creemees), views to die for, and at least one farm store worth a detour! It is so lovely, in fact, that the village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Oh, and it was a stop on the Underground Railroad! I will definitely be returning here.
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