Bethel

At the junction of the White River and its third branch, Bethel grew up as a crossroads town in Windsor County. Chartered in 1779, it became an important stop on the railway line that followed the White River valley, and the handsome brick buildings along Main Street date from the prosperous decades of the late 1800s. The town was also an early center of Vermont's white granite industry -- Bethel White granite has been shipped across the country for monuments and buildings.

Bethel's village retains a compact, walkable center with a library, churches, and small businesses. The White River offers excellent swimming holes and fishing, and the town serves as a gateway to the more rural communities in the surrounding hills. The annual Whitcomb House concert series and community events keep the village lively beyond the tourist season.

With a population around 2,025, Bethel operates under the selectboard and town meeting form of government. The annual March meeting brings residents together to hash out the budget and set priorities -- a practice that has continued without interruption since the town's earliest days, connecting modern Bethel to the democratic traditions of its founders.