Addison County
Located in the central portion of the state and encompassing a wide variety of topographic features, Addison County is the jewel of the Champlain Valley. From the shores of Lake Champlain, the rolling hills of the valley and the peaks of the Green Mountains, Addison County, which is comprised of one city and 22 towns is quintessential heart of Vermont.
The three major communities of Addison County are an eclectic blend of the past meshed with today's business and lifestyle. Middlebury is located halfway between Vermont's two major cities, Burlington to the north and Rutland to the south. With a population of 8,000, Middlebury is the largest town and the hub of the county. Middlebury is also the home of Middlebury College.
In 1761, Middlebury was chartered with most people settling in the town after the Revolutionary War. Some say the town was named because it is located midpoint between the towns of New Haven in the north and Salisbury to the south, which were chartered the very same day. Middlebury is a beautiful quintessential New England village with its white steepled church overlooking Main Street and its vibrant citizenry. To demonstrate our industrial heritage, a historic marker is found on Main Street commemorating John Deere and his invention "the plow that broke the plains." This marker is located in Cannon Park near the blacksmith shop where Deere apprenticed in from 1821-1825. John Deere left Vermont and moved to Illinois where he built the world's first steel moldboard plow.
Vergennes is Vermont's oldest city, established in 1788, and is also Vermont's first incorporated city. It is home to about 2,800 people, and covers approximately 1200 acres of land which was carved from the three neighboring Towns of Ferrisburgh, Panton and Waltham. Vergennes is located on Route 22A in Addison County, 25 miles south of Burlington and 12 miles north of Middlebury.
The City's name was suggested by Ethan Allen to honor the Comte de Vergennes who served as the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and negotiator of the Treaty of Paris.
Vergennes was very much a part of the War of 1812 due to the navigability of Otter Creek providing access to Lake Champlain. Commodore Thomas MacDonough commanded the building of a naval fleet to defend the Lake against the British invasion. A marker designating the site of the shipyard can be found on the east side of Otter Creek in the Basin area of Vergennes. Bristol is a gateway to Vermont's Green Mountains. It lies at the foot of Deerleap and South Mountain above the New Haven River. Vermont State highways 116 & 17 lead through the center of Bristol where you will find shops and restaurants to suit just about everyone!
