BURLINGTON, the largest city of Vermont, U.S.A., is situated in a beautiful spot on the east shore of Lake Champlain, just below the mouth of the Winooski river, 9om. S.E. of Mon treal; it is a port of entry and the county seat of Chittenden county. It is on Federal highway 7; is served by the Central Vermont and the Rutland railways, and by lake steamers; and has a municipal airport. The area is ten square miles. The popula tion in 1920 was 22,779, of whom 3,116 were foreign-born and was 24,789 in 1930 by the Federal census; in 188o the popula tion was 11,365, and in 1900, 18,640.
The city is built on a slope which rises to a height of 2 7 5f t., commanding views from the Green mountains tom. E. to the Adirondacks across the lake. It is a touring centre in summer, and also attracts many visitors for the winter sports, which in clude ice-boat regattas. Large quantities of lumber were im ported formerly from Canada, but by 1925 the total commerce of the harbour had fallen to 16,430 tons. Burlington has a large wholesale and retail trade, and numerous manufactures, including lumber, venetian blinds, windowshade rollers, ovens, dyes, butter colour, spools and bobbins, maple-sugar utensils, cotton and woollen goods, refrigerators, overalls, candy and chocolate, and printing. The total factory output in 1925 was valued at $10, It is in the sugar-maple region, and there are many co operative creameries in the vicinity. The assessed valuation of property in 1927 was $25,000:000.
The University of Vermont and State Agricultural college, with an annual enrolment of about 2,000, occupies a hilltop overlook ing the city. The original constitution of the republic of Vermont, drafted in 1777, provided for a university. It was chartered, largely through the efforts of Ira Allen, in 1791, by the first general assembly after the State became a member of the Union ; and the agricultural college was incorporated with it in 1865. Its college of medicine, dating back to the appointment of a lecturer in chirurgery and anatomy in 1804, is one of the oldest in the country. Ft. Ethan Allen, a cavalry and artillery post of the United States Army, is 4m. east of the city. It was the base of the relief operations by troops and by aeroplane and seaplane after the disastrous floods of November 1927.
Burlington was chartered by Governor Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire, in 1763. Settlement began in 1774, and the city was incorporated in 1865. It was the home of Ethan Allen from 1778 until his death.