Worcester

Chartered in 1763, Worcester is a Washington County town that stretches northward from Montpelier along the valley of the North Branch of the Winooski River. The Worcester Range, a prominent ridge of the Green Mountains, rises along the town's western border, with peaks including Mount Hunger and Stowe Pinnacle drawing hikers for some of the best summit views in central Vermont.

With a population of about 942, Worcester is a community of hill farms, forests, and the kind of back-road Vermont character that the state is famous for. The town sits just north of the capital but feels far removed from Montpelier's pace. Minister Brook and other streams drain the Worcester Range, feeding the river that runs through the valley. The selectboard governs, and town meeting each March is where residents come together to handle the budgets, road maintenance, and school decisions that keep this mountain-valley community self-governing.