Berkshire

Chartered in 1781 in Franklin County, Berkshire lies in the rolling farmland between Enosburg Falls and Richford, close enough to the Canadian border that its early settlers traded as readily with Quebec as with the rest of Vermont. The town was named after Berkshire County, Massachusetts, from which many of the first families migrated north.

Dairying has been the economic backbone of Berkshire for most of its history, and the town retains an agricultural landscape of open fields, barns, and the kind of working farms that are increasingly rare in New England. The Missisquoi River passes nearby, and the terrain is gently hilly -- productive land by Vermont standards, though the short growing season still limits what can be cultivated.

Berkshire has about 1,355 residents and operates under the selectboard form of government. Town meeting day remains the annual exercise in direct democracy, where farmers, commuters, retirees, and newcomers all have equal standing to speak and vote on the matters that shape their shared community.