Regional Background

Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd by land area, 9,250 square miles (24,000 km²), and 45th by total area. It has a population of 621,270, making it the second least-populated state. The only New England state with no coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, Vermont is notable for Lake Champlain (which makes up 50% of Vermont's western border) and the Green Mountains, which run north to south. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north.

Originally inhabited by Native American tribes (Abenaki and Iroquois), much of the territory that is now Vermont was claimed by France but became a British possession after France's defeat in the French and Indian War. For many years, the surrounding colonies disputed control of the area (referred to at the time as the New Hampshire Grants) especially New Hampshire and New York. Settlers who held land titles granted by these colonies were opposed by the Green Mountain Boys militia, which eventually prevailed in creating an independent state, the Vermont Republic, founded during theRevolutionary War and lasting for 14 years; Vermont is thus one of 17 U.S. states (along with Texas, Hawaii, the brief California Republic, and each of the original Thirteen Colonies) to have, at one point, existed as its own sovereign government. In 1791, Vermont joined the United States as the fourteenth state, and the first outside the original Thirteen Colonies.

It is the leading producer of maple syrup in the United States.The state capital is Montpelier, and the largest city and metropolitan area is Burlington. No other state has a largest city as small as Burlington, or a capital city as small as Montpelier.