VT Facts
Total Population: 623,908 (2006, US Census Bureau) 
Land Area: 9,609 square miles
Capital City: Montpelier (population of 8,392)
Largest City: Burlington (population of 54,339)
State Motto: Freedom and Unity
State Nickname: Green Mountain State
Date of Statehood: March 4, 1791
State Governor: Jim Douglas
Governor Jim Douglas has been serving the people of Vermont for more than thirty years. He was voted in as Governor in 2003. "It is the people of Vermont who represent our greatest hope and best opportunity for a brighter tomorrow." Governor Douglas, Inaugural Address, January 9, 2003.
To learn more about Vermont's Capitol Building, and for information on tours, click here.
The State Flag of Vermont 
Vermont State Flower: Red Clover, Trifolium pratense
No. 159 of the Acts of 1894, effective February 1, 1895, designated the red clover as the official State Flower. Both an integral part of many a cultivated hay field and a common sight along numerous Vermont roadsides, the red clover is symbolic of Vermont's scenic countryside and of its many dairy farms.
Vermont State Bird: Hermit Thrush, Catharus guttatus 
The hermit thrush was adopted as the official state bird of Vermont by an act of the Legislature in 1941, effective June 1, 1941.
Vermont State Animal: Morgan Horse, Equus cabullus morganensis
The beautiful Morgan horse was adopted as the state horse of Vermont in 1961. The National Museum of the Morgan Horse is located in Shelburne, VT.
Vermont State Poet Laureate: Ruth Stone
Ruth Stone was born on June 8, 1915, in Roanoke, Virginia. Her recent books of poetry include In the Next Galaxy (Copper Canyon 2002). She has been a resident of Vermont since 1957. Read some of her poems online here.
Vermont State Quarter
On August 6, 2001, the first Vermont state quarters were released. It is the fourteenth quarter released in the 50 State Quarters Program. The design highlights two important features of Vermont: Camel's Hump, one of the highest peaks, and maple sugaring, a primary industry of Vermont.
Vermont State Tree: Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum
Fascinating Facts
- Vermont is considered the most rural of the United States because a large percentage of its residents live in communities of less than 2,500.
- Vermont's employment base consists of production of electronic components and equipment, machine tools, specialty products, quarried and finished stone, and printing.
- Manufacturing is a major employer, producing a range of goods from computer chips to teddy bears.
- Dairying is the primary farm industry in Vermont, producing more than two billion pounds of milk annually.
- Vermont is America's largest producer of maple syrup and also produces substantial crops of McIntosh apples, potatoes, eggs, honey, vegetables, Christmas trees, lumber and pulp wood, and greenhouse nursery products.
