Samuel de Champlain, an early French explorer of North America, was the first European to discover the Green Mountains. In the summer of 1609, Champlain left his encampment on the St. Lawrence in Quebec and joined the Algonquians in an expedition against their enemies, the Iroquois. The journey up the river brought Champlain onto the lake that now carries his name on July 4, 1609. The name "Vermont" is itself derived from the French, les monts verts, "the green mountains."

The first permanent English settlement was established along the Connecticut River in 1724 at Fort Dummer, near what is now Brattleboro. The fort was maintained by the colonial governments of Massachusetts and New Hampshire as a defensive outpost throughout the French and Indian Wars.

When peace was made with the French in 1760, the Green Mountains were quickly opened to settlement, and to considerable squabbling between the colonies of New Hampshire and New York as to which had the proper claim to the territory, then called the New Hampshire Grants. Most of the new settlers were from Connecticut or Massachusetts and persistently resisted the claims of authority by New York.

On January 17, 1777, Vermont was declared an independent republic in a meeting held at Westminster. This independent course, with the little republic minting its own coin and providing postal service, was followed until 1791 when Vermont was admitted to the Union, the first state to join the original thirteen.

Many of Vermont's villages and towns are a treasure of historical and architecturally significant buildings. As of 1998, 117 historic districts have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Most of the buildings in these districts were constructed during the late 18th century or the 19th century.

Today, Vermont's highly skilled workers are employed primarily in producing electronic components and equipment, machine tools, specialty consumer products, wood products, quarried and finished stone, and printing. The manufacturing sector is the major employer and the second largest sector of the state's economy (after services), producing $2.2 billion in goods ranging from computer chips to canoes, tombstones to teddy bears.

In the past 30 years, a thriving electronics industry has developed in the Burlington and Rutland areas, the state's most populous regions. The world's largest quarries are found in Barre, and marble is quarried and finished in Proctor. Large and small wood products companies are found throughout the state.

Vermont's agriculture is very diverse. Approximately 6,000 farms in Vermont produce everything from emus to sheep's milk cheese. Nearly a million and a half acres of Vermont land are in agriculture, sustaining the pastoral landscape that has made Vermont famous. 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 Macintosh apples, potatoes, eggs, honey, vegetables, Christmas trees, lumber, pulp wood, and green house nursery products.

Vermont has hundreds of roadside farm stands, and dozens of farmers markets. The farms in our rural communities provide a sense of place, an identity, and a connection to land and heritage that is invaluable to Vermonters. As one farmer put it, "Vermont without farms could still be a good place, but it could never be Vermont."

Higher education is a significant industry in Vermont, employing an estimated 8,500 people. In 1996, more than 45,000 students were enrolled in public and private universities and colleges in Vermont. The largest and oldest institution, the University of Vermont in Burlington, was founded in 1791. Norwich University at Northfield, established in 1819, is the oldest private military college in the United States.

After manufacturing, travel is the state's second largest industry and provides diversity and stability to the economy. The year-round recreation facilities created by travel are readily accessible from any part of the state. During the winter months, 20 alpine ski resorts and nearly 50 cross country ski touring centers make Vermont the premiere state for winter recreation in the East. Major resort areas typically offer indoor recreational facilities and health spas in addition to traditional outdoor activities.

In the summer, Vermont's villages, towns, and resorts are a festival of music, crafts, theater, antiques, and family activities, while the mountains and lakes welcome hikers and cyclists, sailors and swimmers, as well as golfers, tennis players, and horseback riders.

Throughout the year, Vermont's historic sites, 19th century villages, covered bridges and country inns attract those for whom travel is an exploration, an opportunity to experience places and traditions that have been bypassed elsewhere in America. Of the half-dozen places in the world where climate and vegetation provide spectacular autumn colors, Vermont's fall season is the most famous and most photographed.

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