Chittenden County

Understand

Chittenden County is the only part of Vermont that could really be considered urban. People from out of state may be surprised that it does not fit the bucolic rural image they hold of Vermont. Don't be surprised if you encounter a traffic jam or two. The area is definitely worth a visit, especially Burlington. However, Chittenden County is considerably different from the rest of the state. Some Vermonters don't really consider it to be part of Vermont. If you have time, be sure to explore the rest of the state.

Regions

• Urban Core — The urban core is comprised of the cities of Burlington, Winooski, and South Burlington. This is the most densely populated part of Vermont. Most of the attractions are located in Burlington, but there are some good restaurants in South Burlington and Winooski. South Burlington is mostly nondescript sprawl right now, but Winooski has a pleasant and growing city center.
• Inner Ring Suburbs — The towns of Colchester, Essex, Williston, and Shelburne are predominantly bedroom communities for Burlington. The village at the center of Shelburne is picturesque and is home to the renowned Shelburne Museum.
• Rural Areas — The rest of the county is predominantly rural with some scattered villages. It is a suburb of Burlington since most residents commute there for work, but it is not densely populated. The terrain changes from farmland to rolling hills to mountains the farther you get from Lake Champlain.

Cities

• Burlington — the county seat and largest city
• Charlotte —
• Colchester — Vermont's fourth largest municipality.
• Essex Junction — railroad-oriented village at the center of Vermont's largest town
• Hinesburg
• Jericho — small town with quaint villages, and a gateway to the mountains of Underhill and Bolton
• Richmond — small riverside town known regionally as a dining destination
• Shelburne — small town home to the Shelburne Museum.
• South Burlington — Vermont's second largest city
• Williston — rapidly growing suburban town home to one of Vermont's largest shopping areas.
• Winooski — quirky city just north of Burlington home to a large African and Himalayan immigrant community

Other destinations

• Bolton Valley — ski resort adjacent to the small town of Bolton
• Underhill State Park — you can hike Mt. Mansfield from trails that begin in the park

Get in

By car

Chittenden County is served by I-89, U.S. 7, and U.S. 2. It is about 2 hours from Montreal and 3 hours from Albany and Boston

By train

There is an Amtrak station in Essex Junction.

Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express Train connects Burlington to Albany and New York City.

By plane

• Burlington International Airport (BTV), Airport Drive, +1 802 863-1889. Flights arrive daily via several carriers from as far away as Chicago and Orlando. Travelers from farther afield will have to make a connection in a larger city. There are non-stop flights to Burlington Airport from the following cities (some cities may be seasonal or only offer service certain days of the week): Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Toronto and Washington. Several car rental companies are located at the airport and taxis will take you pretty much anywhere you want to go. There is also CCTA bus service to downtown Burlington.

Get around

By bike

If you have strong legs, you may want to do this as the scenery is quite pleasant. There are many bike paths, and motorists are usually pretty accommodating. There are a lot of hills.

By public transportation

CCTA has pretty good coverage of the urban parts of the county. Most bus routes run every half hour with some running every 15 minutes at peak times. You can get to some of the outlying towns using commuter service or CCTA's Link service, but they only run during morning and evening rush hours and could leave you stranded somewhere if you miss the last bus.

By taxi

Possible, but be prepared to pay through the nose if you want to go anywhere outside of Burlington.

By car

This is the easiest way to see the rural parts of the county. Traffic in Burlington and its immediate suburbs can be bad at times, but people from major cities won't find it too bad.

Stay safe

Even though it's more urban than the rest of Vermont, Chittenden County has very low crime. Winter weather is the biggest safety issue a traveler is likely to encounter. The eastern part of the county near the mountains can have very different weather conditions than in Burlington. It could be overcast in Burlington while parts of Jericho and Underhill could be experiencing blizzard conditions.