Jay

Perched in the mountains of northern Orleans County just south of the Canadian border, Jay was chartered in 1792 and has always been defined by its topography. Jay Peak, rising to 3,862 feet, dominates the landscape and gives the town its identity. The mountain's unusual position — jutting out from the main spine of the Green Mountains toward Canada — creates weather patterns that deliver some of the heaviest snowfall in the eastern United States.

Jay's population is about 450, but the town's economic life revolves around Jay Peak Resort, a ski area that has grown significantly since its founding in 1956. The resort, which includes an indoor waterpark, ice arena, and golf course, has transformed the local economy — though not without controversy, as a 2016 fraud case involving the resort's developers drew national attention. The mountain and its resort remain central to the community.

Jay operates through a selectboard and annual town meeting. In a town where a major resort coexists with a tiny year-round population, local governance involves balancing the needs of residents with the realities of a tourism-dependent economy.