Bristol

Where the New Haven River emerges from the Green Mountains into the Champlain Valley, Bristol grew up as a mill town and trading center for the surrounding Addison County hill towns. Chartered in 1762, the town developed a compact, handsome village that remains one of the liveliest small downtowns in Vermont. The town green, the brick commercial buildings, and the mix of shops and restaurants give Bristol a vitality that belies its modest size.

Bristol is perhaps best known for a curious inscription carved into a boulder along the old road to Lincoln: "Lord Rock," bearing the words "May God bless all who pass this way." The carving dates to the early 1890s and was commissioned by a traveler grateful to have survived the treacherous mountain road. Bristol also sits at the gateway to the Bristol Cliffs Wilderness, one of the smallest federally designated wilderness areas in the country.

With a population of about 3,960, Bristol is one of the larger towns in Addison County and serves as a service center for the communities in the mountains to the east. The selectboard and town meeting system governs local affairs, and Bristol's engaged population ensures that the annual meeting is a substantive exercise in direct democracy.