Wardsboro

Chartered in 1780, Wardsboro is a Windham County town tucked into the Green Mountains along Route 100. The town was named for Colonel William Ward, and its early settlers carved farms from the forested hillsides. The Wardsboro Country Store, in the village center, has been a gathering place for generations.

With a population of about 905, Wardsboro maintains the character of a small mountain community. The town is perhaps best known for the Gilfeather Turnip, a unique root vegetable developed locally by farmer John Gilfeather in the early twentieth century and now celebrated at an annual turnip festival. The surrounding mountains and forests make the area popular with hikers and hunters. Town governance follows the selectboard model, and residents gather each March for town meeting to set budgets and make the decisions that keep this mountain community self-governing.