Duxbury

Chartered in 1763, Duxbury lies along the Winooski River in Washington County, wedged between the ridgeline of Camel's Hump — Vermont's third-highest peak — and the Mad River valley to the south. The town's mountainous terrain limited agricultural development, and early settlers relied heavily on logging. The river powered sawmills, and timber was floated downstream to larger markets.

Duxbury today has about 1,390 residents and remains one of Washington County's more rugged communities. Much of the town's western half falls within Camel's Hump State Park, and the Bamforth Ridge trail to the summit is one of the more challenging approaches in the Green Mountains. Route 2 follows the Winooski through the northern edge of town, providing the main corridor to Waterbury and Montpelier. Duxbury's selectboard governs a community that values its wild landscape and quiet roads. Town Meeting each March brings voters together to handle budgets and local business in the direct-democracy tradition that is central to Vermont identity.