Fairlee

Perched on the western bank of the Connecticut River in Orange County, Fairlee was chartered in 1761 and has long served as a quiet counterpart to its New Hampshire neighbor, Orford, just across the water. Lake Morey, a spring-fed body of water within the town's borders, is named for Samuel Morey, the inventor who is said to have tested a steamboat on its waters years before Robert Fulton's more famous demonstration.

Fairlee's population hovers near 1,000 residents. The town has a distinctly seasonal rhythm, with summer camps along Lake Morey bringing families from across the Northeast. The Fairlee Diner and the town's small commercial strip along Route 5 anchor the year-round community. In winter, Lake Morey hosts one of the longest maintained ice skating trails in the country.

Governance follows Vermont's town meeting tradition, and residents continue to gather annually to set budgets and debate local issues in the direct-democracy format that has defined Vermont civic life for over two centuries.