Shelburne

Chartered in 1763, Shelburne stretches along the eastern shore of Lake Champlain in Chittenden County, its farmland offering some of the most scenic views in the state. The town's identity was profoundly shaped by the Webb family — William Seward Webb and Lila Vanderbilt Webb assembled a vast estate in the late 1800s that became Shelburne Farms, now a nonprofit education center and working farm on 1,400 acres of lakefront property. Shelburne Museum, founded by Electra Havemeyer Webb in 1947, houses an extraordinary collection of Americana across 39 buildings.

With a population around 8,963, Shelburne is one of Vermont's more affluent communities, combining a rural character with proximity to Burlington just to the north. Route 7 runs through the heart of town, lined with farms, shops, and orchards. The town operates with a selectboard and town manager, and residents participate actively in local governance — zoning debates, school budgets, and conservation planning all draw engaged crowds at public meetings.