Facts About Vermont History: 7 Things You Might Not Know

There is a lot of rich history in every state and country, including the great state of Vermont.

Here are seven facts about Vermont you might now know:

1. In 1535, French explorer Jacques Cartier was the first European to site Vermont. However, it was Samuel de Champlain, who actually entered the state with the Huron war party in 1609 after beginning the colonization of Quebec. He gave his name to the beautiful Lake Champlain.

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2. Since 1968, billboards in Vermont have been banned to preserve the natural beauty of the state. You won't see McDonald's or Texaco highway exit signs, either. Private companies are also tightly controlled, when it comes to advertising signs.

3. Before it became the 14th state, Vermont was its own independent country for 14 years. In 1777, Vermonters gathered together and created their own independence, where it produced its own currency, ran its own post office and outlawed slavery.

4. Vermont was a key state in introducing the sport of snowboarding. Early snowboarding was called snurfing, because it mimicked the sport of surfing, except on snow. Vermont resident Jake Burton, who was also a former ski racer, loved snurfing. This led to him creating his own snowboarding company, which became the largest in the world.

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5. Ben & Jerry's, the beloved ice cream maker, has their corporate offices in Vermont and even gives left over ice cream to local farmers to feed their hogs. Because of their love of cows, the company chose the cow as its worldwide recognized brand.

6. Other facts about Vermont include taking pride in ranking at the top in heath, happiness and intelligence. In fact, Vermonters were the fifth happiest in the nation, In 2013, Vermont overtook Hawaii as the nation's healthiest state, and according to CNN, Twitter ranked Vermonters among the top five happiest users.

7. Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in the country, contributing to 35 percent of the nation’s supply. The state also boasts that almost every community has residents who make their own maple syrup.

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