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PART III - GEOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THE NORTHEAST KINGDOM.
The Northeast Kingdom is made up of Essex, Orleans and Caledonia Counties in the northeastern corner of Vermont. The region is the most sparsely populated in Vermont.
Essex County is in the Northeast Corner, bordering Quebec and New Hampshire. The region is heavily forested, and some of its townships are completely unpopulated. The total projected population for the county in 1998 was 6,182. Population centers include Canaan, Lunenburg and Island Pond. Canaan and Lunenburg are on the Connecticut River bordering New Hampshire. Canaan is home to a large Ethan Allen Furniture manufacturing plant, and Lunenburg has a dormant paper mill and publishing company. Island Pond is inland and surrounded by forest. Historically, the town was the railroad hub for a line running from Montreal to Portland, Maine.
B. Orleans County.Orleans County is in the northern part of the region bordering Quebec on the north and the spine of the Green Mountains to the west. The county is a mix of forest and agriculture lands. The total population is 25,862. Newport and Derby in the north are the market centers. Orleans village in Barton is home to another Ethan Allen manufacturing plant. The major rivers in the county flow north towards Lake Memphremagog on the Quebec border. Other important lakes include Lake Willoughby in Westmore and Crystal Lake in Barton.
Caledonia County sits primarily in the Passumpsic River watershed of the Connecticut River. The county is also a mix of forest and agricultural lands. The total population is 28,812. The major market and industrial centers are in St. Johnsbury and Lyndon. The town of Hardwick sits over a mountain ridge and is actually in the Lake Champlain watershed. Hardwick was originally a granite manufacturing town but now has limited industry.
The three counties are comprised of 55 individual towns or cities. As in all of New England, local government is primarily carried out at the town and city level. With the exception of law enforcement and the court system, there is virtually no form of county government. However, there are region wide non-profit organizations serving economic and community development, social services, housing, and the arts. Regional offices of state agencies are based in Newport and St. Johnsbury, and these offices are in regular communication. State agencies and social service networks participate in two collaborative "Community Partnerships" that serve the northern and southern halves of the region.
All three counties have a strong identity with the name for their region, the "Northeast Kingdom." The three counties also share a common isolation from the rest of Vermont. However, it should be noted that there are geographic barriers between the counties. A significant ridge at Sheffield Heights separates Orleans and Caledonia Counties. Orleans County is in the St. Lawrence River Watershed, while most of Caledonia County is in the Passumpsic/Connecticut River Watershed. The Essex County towns along the Connecticut River are isolated to the west by a vast expanse of the Northern Forest. Residents of these Essex County towns generally interact with their neighboring communities in New Hampshire.