Living in Brattleboro, Vermont
Located on the Connecticut River, Brattleboro is the oldest town in the state of Vermont. Brattleboro was founded in 1724 to defend Massachusetts during the French and Indian Wars and after the War’s end it became a lucrative trading post. Brattleboro boomed in the late 1700s and early 1800s and became a classic New England Mill town with the opening of a sawmill and gristmill and later a textile mill among others.
Brattleboro is an artist’s haven and has a plethora of galleries, artists and other organizations. Each month, on the first Friday, Brattleboro holds an event called Gallery Walk where art organizations open their doors to local artists who can display their work. Not only does Brattleboro embrace art, it embraces music and theatre as well and has a surplus of theatre companies, music centers and dance schools. Among art attractions, Brattleboro also offers a host of annual events throughout the year, including the winter carnival, ski jumping competition, Brattleboro music fest, the strolling of the Heifers and the Brattleboro Literary Festival.
Brattleboro has been steadily growing since the 1950s when suburban developments began to spring up to the west, north and south of downtown. The neighborhoods to the south of downtown are comprised primarily of single family homes, two family homes and the occasional triple decker style multifamily home. Western Brattleboro is primarily a residential and rural area with the largest mobile home park in the state as well as other large developments. The northern section of town was developed n the 60s and 70s and is home to many commercial and industrial centers.
