Villages & Cities

This Continuing Issue was first published in the early 2000s after a series of proposals concerning the Village of Essex Junction and the Town of Essex raised a variety of questions about the history of incorporated villages and cities in Vermont.

While the history of incorporated villages and cities from records in the Vermont state archives is limited since many of the germane records are held at the municipal level, the following provides some context:

• Did all of Vermont's ten current cities derive from incorporated villages within their respective towns?
• When a village breaks away from the parent town to become a city, do all residents have an opportunity to vote on the city's incorporation?
• Why do municipal charter proposals go to the General Assembly?