So, you're thinking about attending a college or university in Vermont?

Vermont, a state in the New England and northeastern regions of the United States, is famous for its scenery, dairy products, and for being the largest producer of maple syrup in the nation. It is the only New England state without any coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. Vermont is also one of only five states in which the entire state, or at least parts of them, have been an independent nation at one point in their history. The state of Vermont is bordered by Canada to the north, New Hampshire to the east, Massachusetts to the south, and New York to the west.

Covering a total of 9,614 square miles, Vermont is the 45th largest state. The most notable features of the state's landscape are the Green Mountains, so named either because they have more forestation than other nearby mountains or because of the green-hued shale that is so predominant in them, and Lake Champlain, which is the sixth-largest body of fresh water in the country. Approximately 77% of Vermont is covered by forest. The remaining 23% is composed of meadows, uplands, lakes, ponds, and swampy wetlands.

The state of Vermont has generally warm, humid summers and cold winters. The northern section of the state usually has particularly cold winters, often averaging 10°F colder than the rest of the state. The annual snowfall in Vermont varies between 60-100 inches, depending on the elevation of the area in question. Due to a number of soil and climate conditions unique to the state, the hills in Vermont experience an explosion of red, orange, and gold foliage every year with the approach of winter.

The estimated population of Vermont, in 2005, was 623,050. This makes it the second-least populous state, only trailing Wyoming. In comparison with the rest of the nation, Vermont ranks 2nd in terms of the oldest median age of residents, 2nd in the proportion of whites in the state, 48th in its proportion of African-Americans, and 49th for the proportion of Hispanics.

In politics, Vermont voters are known for their political independence. In general, the residents of Vermont don't support strongly either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. Recently, they have tended to vote liberal on social issues and moderate to conservative on fiscal issues. The state of Vermont is the only state to have a U.S. Congressman who isn't affiliated with a political party.

Since 1992, Vermont's voters have supported the Democratic candidate for president in every election to date. In the 2004 election, John Kerry won the state by 20 percentage points, earning about 59% of the total vote. In 2006, however, the current governor, a Republican, won all but one of the state's counties.

In terms of religion, the residents of Vermont are mostly Christian, with 67% following this faith. 38% are Roman Catholic while 29% are Protestant. The Congregational United Church of Christ, one of the religions which fall into the Protestant category, is made up of 6% of the state's citizens, giving Vermont the largest percentage of this denomination out of any other state.

Also, while the Buddhist population is relatively small in comparison to others, Vermont does have the highest concentration of western-convert Buddhists in the nation. 22% of residents say they are non-religious, which ties with Oregon for the second-highest percentage of non-religious people in the country.

Personal income tax in Vermont is determined by a progressive structure of five income brackets, which range from 3.6% to 9.5%. The general sales tax of the state is 6%, with some towns adding an additional 1% to this figure. 46 exemptions from this tax exist and include such things food, clothing, medical items, and shoes with a purchase price of $110 or less.

There are several colleges and universities to choose from in the state of Vermont. Some of these are:

• The University of Vermont

• Castleton State College

• Southern Vermont College

• Goddard College

To find more information about universities and colleges in this area, visit the Online College Degrees page on this website.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Vermont".

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