Chelsea

Settled in 1784, Chelsea became the shire town of Orange County in 1796, a distinction it still holds. The town is unusual in Vermont for having two village greens — a north green and a south green — each lined with white clapboard buildings that give Chelsea one of the most photographed town centers in the state. The courthouse on the south green has served Orange County continuously for over two centuries.

About 1,240 people live in Chelsea, spread across hilly terrain between the First and Second Branches of the White River. Dairy farming shaped the local economy for generations, though the number of working farms has declined as it has across rural Vermont. The town takes evident pride in its civic heritage. Town Meeting Day in March draws a strong turnout, and Chelsea's well-preserved town hall hosts debates over budgets, roads, and school funding with the directness that defines Vermont's tradition of participatory local government.