Chittenden County

More than one in four Vermonters lives in Chittenden County. With roughly 168,000 residents, it is by far the most populous of the state's 14 counties — larger than the next three combined. The county was organized in 1787 and named for Thomas Chittenden, Vermont's first governor, who served from 1778 to 1789 and again from 1790 to 1797.

Burlington, the county seat and Vermont's largest city, sits on a hillside overlooking Lake Champlain with the Adirondacks beyond. The University of Vermont, founded in 1791 as the fifth New England university, dominates the city's east side. Church Street Marketplace, a four-block pedestrian mall in the downtown core, has been the commercial center since its redesign in 1981. Burlington made national news in 1981 when Bernie Sanders won the mayoral race by ten votes, launching a political career that would reach the U.S. Senate.

The county's 18 towns and cities range from the urban core of Burlington, South Burlington, and Winooski to the rural hills of Bolton, Huntington, and Underhill at the base of Mount Mansfield. The tech sector, healthcare (UVM Medical Center is the state's largest employer), and higher education drive the economy. County government operates from Burlington, where the sheriff's department, state's attorney, and Superior Court serve Vermont's most densely populated jurisdiction — though at 539 square miles, there is still plenty of open country.