6 Vermont Nicknames and the Stories Behind Them

Destguides may receive commissions from purchases made through affiliate links in this article.

Vermont, located within New England in the Northeastern United States, has a smaller population than nearly any other state. In fact, it's the second-least populated, behind Wyoming. But despite its small number of residents, the state of Vermont has a long and exciting history. So much so that plenty of nicknames for the region have popped up over the years.

You may be familiar with the Green Mountain State name. After all, it's the official state slogan, and you'll see it everywhere. But did you know the name originates from the colonial era? The Covered Bridge State nickname goes back pretty far, as well. However, other monikers like the State of American Craft Beer are much newer.

In this article, you'll learn about six of the most famous Vermont nicknames. You will also discover the stories behind them, as well as some other interesting facts related to the commonly used names.

6 Nicknames for Vermont

Green Mountain State

You'll see and hear Green Mountain State everywhere in Vermont. It's the official and most well-known nickname. You can even find it on the state's green license plates.

The Green Mountain State slogan comes from the state's prominent Green Mountains. The name Vermont originates from the range, which translates to "Monts Verts" in French. Additionally, the Vermont Republic, which existed between 1777 and 1791, when Vermont became a state, was commonly known as the Green Mountain Republic.

One of the most prominent groups during the Vermont Republic was the Green Mountain Boys militia, founded by Ethan Allen. Their efforts to secure Vermont's independence as a territory from New York and New Hampshire helped forever imprint the Green Mountain State moniker.

The Marble State

It may sound unusual, but the Marble State nickname for Vermont is one of the easiest to understand. The name comes from the famous marble produced in the state. Rutland, Vermont, is known as the Marble City because of the sizeable marble-grinding plant located there. Marble is even one of the official state rocks.

At one point, the Vermont Marble Company was one of the largest marble producers in the world. Even today, the Danby Quarry is the largest underground marble quarry in the world. It stretches a mile-and-a-half below the surface.

Marble was first commercially mined in Vermont in 1785 at the Norcross-West Quarry in Dorset. Vermont marble has been used in many famous buildings, especially in the nation's capital, Washington, DC. There, you'll find marble from Vermont used to build the US Capitol, the US Supreme Court Building, and the Jefferson Memorial.

The State of American Craft Beer

Vermont has become known as the State of American Craft Beer because it has more breweries per capita than anywhere else in the country. Today, you'll find about 70 breweries located around Vermont. This is pretty impressive, considering the state is the second-least populated in the nation.

The history of brewing beer in Vermont originates from the colonial period. However, strong beer and other alcohol were outlawed for around two decades at the turn of the 18th century.

By the mid-1800s, Burlington was the center of the Vermont beer scene. Located in the western part of the state along the banks of Lake Champlain (named after French explorer Samuel de Champlain), the city was pumping out more beer than anywhere else. The Burlington Brewery produced nearly 13,000 gallons per year by 1840.

Prohibition in the early 1900s put a halt to Vermont's beer industry. It wouldn't be until 1987 that the first post-prohibition producer, Catamount Brewery, would open in the state. After Catamount closed in 2000, Burlington's Vermont Pub and Brewery (which opened in 1988) became the oldest operating craft brewery in the aptly-named State of American Craft Beer.

Maple Syrup Capital of the US

If you hear Vermont referred to as the Maple Syrup Capital of the US, you won't have to travel far to taste why. That's because you'll find maple syrup everywhere in the state. One of the sweetest Vermont facts is that over half of the United States maple syrup supply is produced within the state. Vermont is even sometimes called the Maple State.

Vermont has been the country's largest maple syrup producer since the early 1900s. Although only becoming commercial in the last century or two, the sweet product has been a part of life for residents of the Maple Syrup Capital of the US since the state's early days.

Original Vermont settlers learned how to turn maple sap into syrup from the Native Americans already living in the region. However, it wasn't until after the Civil War that maple syrup exploded in popularity.

That was because cane sugar, primarily produced in the war-ravaged South, had grown harder to obtain. Even when cane sugar became more accessible, maple syrup remained popular as a luxury sweetener and table accompaniment.

While production peaked in the early 1900s, there's still plenty of truth behind this Vermont nickname. In 2022, Vermont produced more than 2.5 million gallons of the popular breakfast topping!

The Covered Bridge State

It's common to hear Vermont referred to as the Covered Bridge State. Covered bridges are part of the historical culture of New England and Vermont in particular. In fact, covered bridges are often considered as famous landmarks in Vermont.

The primary reason for the Covered Bridge State moniker is that Vermont has the most covered bridges per square mile of any state. You'll find covered bridges in every region of Vermont, from Montgomery in the north to Brattleboro in the South and everywhere in between.

At their peak in the 1800s, there were more than 700 covered bridges. You can still find around 100 of them surviving, with 90 listed by the National Register of Historic Places. The Great Eddy Covered Bridge in Waitsfield is Vermont's oldest still-operating covered bridge. It was built in 1833.

The Snowboarding Capital of the World

Vermont is known as the Snowboarding Capital of the World because it's one of the first places connected to the sport. An early prototype of the snowboards known today was crafted here in 1977 by Jake Burton Carpenter. Carpenter later went on to found the world-famous Burton Snowboards brand.

Nearly half a century later, snowboarding remains one of Vermont's most popular cold-weather activities. And every year, when the powder begins to fall, the Vermont state nickname of the Snowboarding Capital of the World rings true again!

That's because of all the snowboarding enthusiasts that flock to the state's most popular downhill destinations like Stowe Mountain Resort (often referred to as the Ski Capital of the East), Killington Ski Resort, and Okemo Mountain Resort. Then there's the annual Vermont Open snowboarding tournament, held at Stratton Mountain in March, which attracts hundreds of competitors and spectators.

In Summary

Vermonters have devised numerous nicknames for the state since it gained independence from New York and New Hampshire in the late 1700s. Green Mountain State, today the official nickname, has its origins from that time period. And even readers familiar with the slogan probably learned something new about the story behind it.

From the Covered Bridge State to the Maple Syrup Capital of the US, it is easy to see (and taste) how Vermont got some of its top monikers. Hopefully, you've learned some new nicknames in this article and are going away with some interesting facts about the slogans.

This article was edited by Alli Sewell.

Give us feedback about this article