Woodstock

Often called the prettiest small town in America — a claim that has appeared in national publications enough times to become part of its identity — Woodstock has been a place of wealth and careful preservation since the Rockefeller family began investing in the community in the mid-twentieth century. Laurance Rockefeller married Mary French, a Woodstock native, and their philanthropy shaped the town's conservation landscape, including the creation of Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, the only national park focused on conservation history and the stewardship of land.

Chartered in 1761, Woodstock is the shire town of Windsor County, and its village center — with a covered bridge, an oval green, and carefully maintained Federal and Georgian buildings — is a study in New England architectural preservation. The Woodstock Inn, the Billings Farm & Museum, and the Suicide Six ski area all contribute to a tourism economy that sustains the town. With a population of about 3,048, Woodstock operates under a selectboard, and town meeting each March grounds this picture-perfect community in the practical realities of Vermont self-governance.