Dorset

Chartered in 1761 and settled soon after, Dorset in Bennington County claims one of Vermont's most distinguished histories. It was at Cephas Kent's tavern in Dorset that delegates met in 1776 to begin the process of declaring Vermont's independence — first from New York, then from Britain. The town was also the site of Vermont's first marble quarry, opened in 1785, and the marble pulled from Dorset Mountain helped build structures across the young republic.

Dorset today has about 2,000 residents and a character that blends old-money summer colony with working Vermont town. The Dorset Playhouse has presented summer theater since 1929, and the village green — surrounded by white marble sidewalks and Colonial-era homes — draws visitors year-round. The Dorset Field Club hosts one of the oldest amateur golf tournaments in the country. Beneath the genteel surface, Dorset governs itself like any Vermont town: a selectboard handles administration, and Town Meeting each March gives every voter a direct voice in the budget and policy decisions that shape community life.