Brookfield

The only floating bridge in Vermont belongs to this Orange County town -- a bridge supported by nearly 400 barrels that sits directly on the surface of Sunset Lake. First built in 1820 and rebuilt multiple times since, it is closed to motor vehicles but remains a pedestrian crossing and one of the state's most photographed landmarks. The bridge speaks to Brookfield's character: practical, resourceful, and a little eccentric.

Chartered in 1781 in Orange County, Brookfield was settled by families who farmed the rolling hills between the Winooski and White River watersheds. The town's village center is compact and well-preserved, with a white church, a town hall, and a handful of homes clustered near the lake. The Allis State Park, on a hilltop at the edge of town, offers one of the best panoramic views in central Vermont.

With about 1,244 residents, Brookfield maintains its own school, its own identity, and its own approach to self-governance through the selectboard and annual town meeting. It is the kind of Vermont town where traditions persist not out of nostalgia but because they still work -- the floating bridge, the town meeting, the shared commitment to managing common affairs together.