Bolton

Squeezed between the Winooski River and the spine of the Green Mountains, Bolton is a Chittenden County town where the terrain does most of the talking. Chartered in 1763, the town's steep, mountainous landscape limited settlement to the narrow river valley, and Bolton has never had a large population despite its proximity to Burlington, just 20 miles to the west.

Bolton Valley Resort, a ski area on the upper slopes of Bolton Mountain, has been the town's most visible enterprise since it opened in 1966. The Long Trail crosses through Bolton's high country, and the town encompasses some of the most rugged terrain in the northern Green Mountains. The Winooski River corridor, meanwhile, carries Route 2 and Interstate 89 through a dramatic gorge that separates Bolton from Richmond.

With approximately 1,130 residents, Bolton is small for a Chittenden County town. The selectboard manages daily governance, and the annual town meeting gives residents the opportunity to shape local policy directly. Bolton's civic identity reflects its geography -- a community of independent-minded people who chose to live where the mountains and the river leave just enough room.