Johnson

Chartered in 1792, Johnson sits along the Lamoille River in the heart of Lamoille County. The town was named for Colonel Thomas Johnson, and its location along the river corridor made it a natural site for mills and commerce. By the nineteenth century, Johnson had developed a compact village center with schools, churches, and the kinds of businesses that served a farming community.

Johnson is home to about 3,500 people and is perhaps best known today as the location of Northern Vermont University — Johnson (formerly Johnson State College). The campus, established in 1828 as the Johnson Normal School for teacher training, has been a fixture of the community for nearly two centuries. The town's Main Street retains a working village character, with local businesses, a hardware store, and eateries serving both residents and students.

Local governance operates through a selectboard and annual town meeting. Johnson's identity as both a college town and a traditional Vermont community gives its civic life a distinctive flavor — a mix of academic energy and rural practicality.