Winooski

Built around the falls of the Winooski River, this one-square-mile city in Chittenden County has been shaped by water power and immigration since its earliest days. The Winooski Falls powered textile and lumber mills in the nineteenth century, and the Burlington Cotton Mill — later the Champlain Mill — drew waves of French Canadian workers who gave the city its distinctive cultural character. At its industrial peak, Winooski was a company town in all but name.

With a population of about 7,268 packed into its tiny footprint, Winooski is the most densely populated municipality in Vermont. The city has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent decades, evolving from a struggling post-industrial community into one of the state's most diverse and culturally dynamic places. The downtown circle, rebuilt in the early 2000s, now features restaurants, shops, and housing. Winooski operates under a city council and city manager form of government, and residents engage in local governance through regular council meetings and budget votes.