Montpelier, Vermont

Montpelier is the state capital of Vermont. It also serves as the shire town (as seats of Vermont counties are called) of Washington County. Montpelier covers 10.3 sq mi (26.6 sq km) and has a population of 8,000 people (2011 estimate), making it the smallest state capital in the country.

Vermont State House, Montpelier
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Montpelier_vermont_state_house_20.jpg
Author: Jared C. Benedict

Montpelier dates back to a land grant issued in 1781 to Timothy Bigelow and 58 others. A permanent settlement was established here in 1787. The early settlers included Colonel Jacob Davis, who named the site after Montpellier, France (though spelled with just one "l"), at a time when things French was in fashion, as a result of French aid to the Americans in the Revolutionary War.

Montpelier was made the state capital in 1805. It was incorporated as a village in 1818, and as a city in 1895. The construction of the Vermont Central Railroad, which opened in 1849, helped fuel the growth of Montpelier as a manufacturing center. That same year East Montpelier was set off as a separate town.

Today Montpelier is a small, quiet town. Many of the people are employed by the government.

Visiting Montpelier

Montpelier is on Interstate 89 (Exit 8), about 3 hours from Boston.

Places of Interest in Montpelier

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About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.