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St. Albans - from Railroad City to Maple Syrup Capital of Vermont
Not far from the top of Vermont sits St. Albans, an industrious community bordering Lake Champlain, proud of its rich history and its beauty. Just rated one of the best small towns in Norman Crampton's "The One Hundred Best Small Towns in America" , St. Albans has, until recently, been known as Railroad City.
With a population of 12,000, St. Albans is very much its own miniature urban area, though without the traffic hassles. Downtown, or Main St., is graced with a beautiful Park, and bustles with shops and restaurants amidst some of the most beautiful farmland in the country. Its classic New England charm and rural flavor has been maintained while serving as both a leader in dairy and maple syrup production, St. Albans is also Franklin county's industrial center, providing jobs in the manufacturing of goods ranging from chocolate to electrical equipment. It has its own daily newspaper, The St. Albans Messenger, superb recreation services, and a recently expanded hospital with a new birthing center.
Because of its proximity to Burlington (roughly 30 miles of interstate), St. Albans is also home to many Chittenden county commuters. In addition to lower housing costs, St. Albans has much to offer. "We found St. Albans to be a very family-oriented. Our kids loved it, and the schools were very good too... the teachers were very responsive and participated a lot.", says Deb Reynolds, a resident for the past six years who commutes to IBM. "There are great recreation programs for residents, for as little as $5, that offer golf lessons, aerobics, gymnastics... There is a city owned pool across from the elementary school, and State Parks for cookouts and swimming. And, of course, the sports complex, that has just about everything."
The city-owned Collins Perley Sports Center encompasses 55 acres, with five baseball fields, a magnificent football field, a large hockey arena, four indoor tennis courts, a jogging track, and racquetball court. The money for the complex was donated to the city by two philanthropists, and didn't cost taxpayers one dime. There is also Hard'ack, a sliding hill and little ski area with rope tow, cross-country trails and soccer fields.
With such excellent facilities, St. Albans youth have excelled at ice hockey, consistently winning state championships, and football is strong as well. Bellows Free Academy serves about 950 high school students. The city elementary school has about 900 students from kindergarten through 8th grade, while the elementary school in St. Albans Bay serves students outside the city boundaries (St. Albans is actually comprised of both a city and a township, each with separate governments).
St. Albans enjoys miles of lakeshore frontage, with many year-round cottages and summer camps. In addition to several public beaches, St. Albans Bay provides residents with a state park for cook-outs and swimming, good fishing, boating, and camping on state-owned Burton Island.
St. Albans has been a railroad headquarters since 1849, when John Smith built a line that connected to Essex Junction. In its heyday, the Vermont Central employed as many as 1500 people, and related industries such as locomotive and railroad car manufacturers have played a major role in St. Albans' economy. The railroad brought great affluence to the city, evidenced by the beautiful homes up on the hill from the railroad headquarters.
Recently Vermont Central was sold, ending an era and way of life for many families. Today the railway, now called New England Central, employs only about 100, and primarily services freight customers along its line. The only pasenger service is the Amtrack "Vermonter" train, which runs daily between New York and St. Albans.
St. Albans' proximity to Montreal, Quebec, only 60 miles away, makes it an attraction for Canadian shoppers and visitors, and St. Albans residents also enjoy the easy access to a major city. Understandably, much of St. Albans' heritage is French-Canadien, in addition to Irish Catholic.
Susan Rixon, of the St. Albans Chamber of Commerce sums up her reasons for choosing to settle here: "Having lived in many different cities across the world, New York, Boston, London, here I am settling down in St. Albans, Vermont... This is a great place to work, have a quality life, and more importantly, raise a family."
Above: Taylor Park, in the center of downtown St. Albans
Below: Much of the city is built on a hill, overlooking Lake Champlain.
Thousands swarm to downtown St. Albans each spring for the Vermont Maple Festival, enjoying samples of the latest harvest.
Below: Bellows Free Academy High School
Below:The city-owned Collins Perley Sports Center is considered
the best in Vermont.
The Baptist congregation commemorates their bicentennial
A great sledding hill in St. Albans
Some of the larger employers include: Wyeth Nutirionals (432 employees), Northwestern Medical Center (320), U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, (330), Bertek, pharmaceuticals (280), Ever-Ready, batteries (200), Van Houten& Zoon, chocolates (156), Fonda Group, paper containers (220), Bellow Free Academy, high school (160), Ben & Jerry's Homemade, ice cream (125).
St. Albans - from Railroad City to Maple Syrup Capital of Vermont
Not far from the top of Vermont sits St. Albans, an industrious community bordering Lake Champlain, proud of its rich history and its beauty. Just rated one of the best small towns in Norman Crampton's "The One Hundred Best Small Towns in America" , St. Albans has, until recently, been known as Railroad City.
With a population of 12,000, St. Albans is very much its own miniature urban area, though without the traffic hassles. Downtown, or Main St., is graced with a beautiful Park, and bustles with shops and restaurants amidst some of the most beautiful farmland in the country. Its classic New England charm and rural flavor has been maintained while serving as both a leader in dairy and maple syrup production, St. Albans is also Franklin county's industrial center, providing jobs in the manufacturing of goods ranging from chocolate to electrical equipment. It has its own daily newspaper, The St. Albans Messenger, superb recreation services, and a recently expanded hospital with a new birthing center.
Because of its proximity to Burlington (roughly 30 miles of interstate), St. Albans is also home to many Chittenden county commuters. In addition to lower housing costs, St. Albans has much to offer. "We found St. Albans to be a very family-oriented. Our kids loved it, and the schools were very good too... the teachers were very responsive and participated a lot.", says Deb Reynolds, a resident for the past six years who commutes to IBM. "There are great recreation programs for residents, for as little as $5, that offer golf lessons, aerobics, gymnastics... There is a city owned pool across from the elementary school, and State Parks for cookouts and swimming. And, of course, the sports complex, that has just about everything."
The city-owned Collins Perley Sports Center encompasses 55 acres, with five baseball fields, a magnificent football field, a large hockey arena, four indoor tennis courts, a jogging track, and racquetball court. The money for the complex was donated to the city by two philanthropists, and didn't cost taxpayers one dime. There is also Hard'ack, a sliding hill and little ski area with rope tow, cross-country trails and soccer fields.
With such excellent facilities, St. Albans youth have excelled at ice hockey, consistently winning state championships, and football is strong as well. Bellows Free Academy serves about 950 high school students. The city elementary school has about 900 students from kindergarten through 8th grade, while the elementary school in St. Albans Bay serves students outside the city boundaries (St. Albans is actually comprised of both a city and a township, each with separate governments).
St. Albans enjoys miles of lakeshore frontage, with many year-round cottages and summer camps. In addition to several public beaches, St. Albans Bay provides residents with a state park for cook-outs and swimming, good fishing, boating, and camping on state-owned Burton Island.
St. Albans has been a railroad headquarters since 1849, when John Smith built a line that connected to Essex Junction. In its heyday, the Vermont Central employed as many as 1500 people, and related industries such as locomotive and railroad car manufacturers have played a major role in St. Albans' economy. The railroad brought great affluence to the city, evidenced by the beautiful homes up on the hill from the railroad headquarters.
Recently Vermont Central was sold, ending an era and way of life for many families. Today the railway, now called New England Central, employs only about 100, and primarily services freight customers along its line. The only pasenger service is the Amtrack "Vermonter" train, which runs daily between New York and St. Albans.
St. Albans' proximity to Montreal, Quebec, only 60 miles away, makes it an attraction for Canadian shoppers and visitors, and St. Albans residents also enjoy the easy access to a major city. Understandably, much of St. Albans' heritage is French-Canadien, in addition to Irish Catholic.
Susan Rixon, of the St. Albans Chamber of Commerce sums up her reasons for choosing to settle here: "Having lived in many different cities across the world, New York, Boston, London, here I am settling down in St. Albans, Vermont... This is a great place to work, have a quality life, and more importantly, raise a family."
Above: Taylor Park, in the center of downtown St. Albans
Below: Much of the city is built on a hill, overlooking Lake Champlain.
Thousands swarm to downtown St. Albans each spring for the Vermont Maple Festival, enjoying samples of the latest harvest.
Below: Bellows Free Academy High School
Below:The city-owned Collins Perley Sports Center is considered
the best in Vermont.
The Baptist congregation commemorates their bicentennial
A great sledding hill in St. Albans
Some of the larger employers include: Wyeth Nutirionals (432 employees), Northwestern Medical Center (320), U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, (330), Bertek, pharmaceuticals (280), Ever-Ready, batteries (200), Van Houten& Zoon, chocolates (156), Fonda Group, paper containers (220), Bellow Free Academy, high school (160), Ben & Jerry's Homemade, ice cream (125).
