Burlington: Vermont's Queen City
by Antoinette Supple

Burlington, "the Queen City" and economic heart of Vermont, holds court at the edge of Lake Champlain at Vermont's western boundary. With just under 40,000 population (nearby municipalities boost Burlington's "urban area" to roughly 130,000), the city has a comfortable scale, with real neighborhoods, a thriving downtown and arts community and, of course, lots of natural beauty. With over six miles of lake frontage, Burlington has what residents say is "the world's best view of the Adirondacks," which rise across the lake in New York state. Burlington is often referred to as "the west coast of New England" for many reasons other than its Lake Champlain west border. Burlington also has a west coast air to it, especially on a summer's eve when you'll see lots of activity and cafes open along the Church St. Marketplace, the city's downtown center - an open brick-lined street lined with shops and boutiques. The city has a progressive government that actively promotes the arts and many open-air music festivals that enliven the warmer months. Downtown is also home to the Flynn Theater for the Performing Arts, attracting first-class performers from all over the world. A visitor to Burlington's waterfront will be greeted by an attractive "gateway" leading to a marine museum, Burlington's Community Boathouse and Waterfront Park, where on any pleasant evening, citizens can be found walking, rollerblading or bicycling on the bike path that follows Burlington's shoreline; playing Frisbee on the grass; boarding a tour boat or a ferry to cross Lake Champlain; or just waiting for the sunset. Once considered the third-largest lumber port in the U.S., Burlington was a prosperous, bustling hub in the early 1800s, its harbor full of large sailing ships (sloops) and barges transporting grain, wheat, cotton and wool processed in nearby mills and, of course, lumber, according to local historian Albert Spaulding. Huge quantities of lumber were shipped north to Canada and Europe via the St. Lawrence seaway and south down Lake Champlain to the Hudson River as northwestern Vermont was rapidly cleared of its timber. Wealthy lumber barons eventually built their mansions on the hill above the waterfront, many of which now house sororities, fraternities or administrative buildings for the University of Vermont and Champlain College. Although the ship-ping industry died out once the railroad was built in 1850, Lake Champlain continues to play an important role in Burlington's culture. If you live in Burlington, you live on or near the lake. The Old North End and South End, which are nearest the city's center, both border the lake, as does the New North End. The neigh-borhoods near the University of Vermont and Champlain College are called the Hill Section. Although inland, many of the homes on the hill have spectacular lake views. In all the city's neighborhoods, you'll find established communities with tree-lined streets and residents who say their community's the best. "I love the architecture - the great old buildings," says one longtime Old North End resident. "And the Marketplace - you can walk down on a Saturday morning for your paper and a cafe au lait and enjoy the crowds, then it's just a few blocks away and you're home again." Most of the city's parks border the lake and its beaches, offering trails for walking or cross-country skiing, playgrounds, free band concerts on summer evenings, tennis courts, baseball fields and, at Leddy Park in the New North End, a year-round ice arena. Burlington is currently going through an exciting revitalization, as the years of planning for its waterfront development are finally underway. Just this year, up the hill from the waterfront, an 81-unit condominium complex and a six-story office building, both with waterfront views, have been completed, and new parking garages and a Filene's department store are in the works. The former Union Station at the foot of Main Street has been converted to offices and art galleries. The business community eagerly anticipates the influx of residential and commercial activity connecting the waterfront with Burlington's thriving retail and commercial area on the Church Street Marketplace. Burlington has six elementary schools (kindergarten through 5th grade). Burlington High School is the city's only public high school. BHS students average consistently higher than the Vermont and national averages on SAT scores. Often appearing on "Best Places to Live" lists, Burlington is a center of entrepreneurship, education and arts. The University of Vermont brings about 8700 undergraduate and graduate degree students to the community, 375 medical students, and employs roughly 870 full-time faculty members and 1800 administrative staff. Trinity College, primarily a women's undergraduate college; Champlain College, a 2 & 4 year degree business college; and Burlington College, a private, non-traditional college are also located within the city's limits. Fletcher Allen Health Care, Vermont's largest medical center, is also one of the city's largest employers. Burlington International Airport, the third busiest in New England, is just a few minutes' drive away in South Burlington. In a recent Reader's Digest article, which rated Burlington as the 6th best place in the country to raise a family, Burlington had the lowest drug crime of any of the top ten cities. Lisa Ventriss, mother-of-two, summed up the most delightful aspect of the city as its "scale of living". Filled with restaurants and bookstores, Burlington is only a ten minute drive from "a very rural part of the state."