| Vermont has always been an independent state; | | | | wonderful vacation region famed for its beauty, |
| it remained an independent nation for fourteen | | | | Vermont is known for its marvelous scenery, |
| years after the formation of the American Union, | | | | stone fences, quaint villages, twisting rural streets, |
| joining it thereafter. Its constitution, drafted in | | | | and tangled mountains. There are fifty state |
| 1777, was the first one in the world to ban | | | | parks and the Green Mountain National Forest, |
| slavery. | | | | which extends for almost two-thirds the length of |
| With regard to politics, the people of Vermont do | | | | the state. |
| things their own way. They elected the only | | | | The National Forest, besides being replete with |
| socialist in the U.S. Congress, one of their U.S. | | | | hundreds of kilometers of biking and hiking tracks, |
| senators became an Independent after he left | | | | also houses some of the more popular ski areas |
| the Republican Party, and same-sex marriage was | | | | like Stratton and Sugarbush. Plenty of mountains |
| sanctioned for the first time in the nation by the | | | | and trails and ample snowfall lend an atmosphere |
| Vermont legislature. Change and progress do not | | | | of excitement and wonder. The state is known |
| mean that the people of Vermont do not adhere | | | | for downhill skiing, but cross-country skiing is |
| to some traditions. For 200 years, several locals | | | | gaining popularity and there are nearly forty |
| have been meeting at the Town Meeting Day, | | | | ski-touring centers scattered across the state. |
| held the first Tuesday in March, to vote "on the | | | | The fall, late September to mid-October, is when |
| floor" on town and school budgets. | | | | Vermont looks its best. The chairlifts at Killington, |
| As a travel and vacation destination, Vermont | | | | Stowe, and Stratton Mountains offer great views. |
| stands apart. There is a sense of community in its | | | | Autumn, with its changing leaves, is when most of |
| small towns, clearly visible to visitors, and | | | | the visitors arrive. |
| billboards are not permitted in the state. A | | | | |