Maidstone

Chartered in 1761 by Benning Wentworth, Maidstone sits in the far northeastern reaches of Essex County, one of the most sparsely populated corners of the state. The town's centerpiece is Maidstone Lake, a deep glacial body of water surrounded by boreal forest and home to Maidstone State Park. With a population hovering around 170, this is Vermont at its most remote — no village center to speak of, no general store, just woods and water and the occasional logging road.

The town was slow to settle. Despite its early charter, permanent residents didn't arrive in meaningful numbers until the early 1800s, drawn by the timber trade along the Connecticut River. Today, much of the town's land is managed as state forest, and seasonal camps outnumber year-round homes.

Maidstone governs itself through the traditional town meeting format, as it has for over two centuries. In a town this small, every voice at the meeting carries real weight.