Waterbury

Chartered in 1763, Waterbury sits at the confluence of the Winooski River and the smaller streams draining the Green Mountains to the west. The town gained statewide significance in 1891 when the Vermont State Hospital was established here, creating a large institutional campus that employed generations of residents. After Tropical Storm Irene devastated the state office complex in 2011, the state relocated most operations, and the campus has since been redeveloped.

Waterbury's population of about 5,318 reflects a town that has reinvented itself around food and beverage tourism. Ben & Jerry's factory, on Route 100 just north of the village, draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Cold Hollow Cider Mill and a growing cluster of craft breweries and restaurants have made Waterbury a culinary destination. The village center, rebuilt after the Irene flooding, has a walkable main street with shops and eateries. Town governance runs through a selectboard and town manager, with the annual town meeting providing the forum for direct democratic participation.