Woodford

Chartered in 1753, Woodford is one of the highest-elevation towns in Vermont, with its center sitting above 2,200 feet in Bennington County. The town lies almost entirely within the Green Mountain National Forest, and its terrain of dense forest and mountain streams gives it a wilder character than most communities in the state. The Long Trail and Appalachian Trail cross through the town's higher elevations.

With a population of about 347, Woodford is thinly settled and deeply rural. Route 9, the Molly Stark Trail connecting Bennington to Brattleboro, passes through town and is known for its challenging winter driving conditions at the higher elevations. Woodford State Park, on Adams Reservoir, provides camping and recreation. The selectboard governs, and town meeting in March is where this small mountain community gathers to manage its budget and make decisions — a tradition of self-governance practiced at an elevation where winter arrives early and lingers long.