Mendon

Carved from the western slope of the Green Mountains in Rutland County, Mendon was chartered in 1781. The town sits along Route 4, the major east-west corridor that cuts through Sherburne Pass, and its terrain rises sharply from the Otter Creek valley into the mountains. Pico Peak, home to Pico Mountain ski area, stands within town boundaries.

Mendon's roughly 1,170 residents live spread across a landscape that is heavily forested and steep. There is no traditional village center — the town's identity is tied more to the mountain landscape than to any cluster of buildings. The Long Trail passes through town, and hikers have been crossing Mendon's ridges since the trail was first blazed in 1910.

The town governs itself through town meeting and a selectboard. With Killington just next door, Mendon has long navigated questions about development pressure while maintaining its rural, mountain-town character.