What is the NEK of Vermont
Let’s talk about the NEK or the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont…
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I once heard Yankee Magazine’s editor, Mel Allen read a poem saying…
When leaf peepers die they go to Vermont, but when Vermonter’s die they go to the Northeast Kingdom…
Mel Allen, Yankee Magazine
This was the first full year of the New England Fall Foliage Group on Facebook and one of the questions that I hear most often is “What is the NEK? or the Northeast Kingdom?” The simple answer is that this is the northeastern corner of Vermont. but it means so much more.
It’s hard to pin down what exactly draws everybody to the towns and villages of the Northeast Kingdom (NEK). Maybe it’s the small-town charm and the fact that time seems to have left these places behind. Each of them feels as though, upon entering, the town has just woken up just for us and when we leave it will go back to sleep till we visit again. It’s a Brigadoon kind of moment if you will.
Autumn is a state of mind, more than a time of year…
Jeff “foliage” folger
Finding the Northeast Kingdom
You will never find (at least I haven’t) signs saying “welcome to the Northeast Kingdom”. Or you are now leaving… There is no exact boundary line except on the North and east. The Northern Boundary is the Canadian Border and the Eastern border is the Connecticut River. But to the west and south, you have only certain towns that are either in the Northeast Kingdom or they are not. Here is a map of the NEK that is provided by the NEK chamber of commerce. Here is a google map that I made as well.
As you can see the Northeast Kingdom covers a large percentage of Vermont. Most everybody thinks of Stowe when they mention Vermont but Stowe is not in the Northeast Kingdom. The reason Stowe is first on people’s minds is that they do a really good job of marketing. But there are such wonderful little villages in the NEK that deserve your attention as well.
The Western Edge of the NEK
Two points mark the western boundary of the NEK. East Berkshire and Belvidere VT. East Berkshire is just off Route 105 and is little more than a group of homes and home businesses but maybe you can mark it as more than that because you will find a church snuggled in with the houses.
Belvidere VT on the other hand can be found along Route 109…
As Lisa would say Belvidere is little more than a map dot in our Gazetteer map book. BUT! As you can see above there is every reason to visit Belvidere. If nothing else stop alongside Route 109 and Belvidere Pond (the Gazetteer calls it Long Pond but Google says, Belvidere Pond). I saw this, and cleared my six… this means before I hit the brakes, I make sure I won’t catch someone behind me off-guard by stopping too fast.
This is the nature of the Northeast Kingdom. Most all the towns are fairly small like Belvidere which I mentioned above, their population is 348 as of the 2010 census but this includes the hamlets of Belvidere Center, Belvidere Corners, and Belvidere Junction. Yes, you heard me correctly, “Hamlets”.
There are a few bigger towns like Newport and St Johnsbury, whose populations are between 3,000 to 7,500. St Johnsbury is also a college town which explains its size somewhat. Maybe you are looking for the “shire” Well you will be interested to know that Saint Johnsbury is called a shire town or county seat, for Caledonia County, Vermont but don’t worry, dragons haven’t been seen since they stopped calling the kingdom, middle earth… Oh, but that’s another story…
You may think that I’m straying far afield with my references to J. R. R. Tolkien but I like to think that if he had visited here he would have written similar stories inspired by the hills and dales of the Northeast Kingdom. There is something so special about all these villages, towns, and hamlets that Lisa and I feel these places could be home to elves and all the characters in his books.
Don’t take my word for it, come up next spring at the greening of the grass and stop at a farm that just released the cows for the first time all winter and watch the cows dance a jig in the sunshine. I kid you not and if that is not enough, come up just for the fall colors. There is gold on those hills.
Here you see the village of Waterville Vermont and from here it does look like a shire of Tolkien fame and all it needs is some comfy hobbit homes built into the hills.
Happy trails and exploring my friends!
Jeff Foliage Folger
Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage
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Thanks for the explanation!!!!
Thanks for the explanation!!!!
I have been fascinated with The Kingdom in Vermont since reading the Mosher collection and the stories which feature this area. I’m truly blessed to have stumbled on your explanation, maps and photos. Ethan Allen was a boyhood hero but I’d never seen maps of the area. My wife and I are still fortunate we can travel and hope to visit here before we get much older. Thanks for giving us one more reason to “keep moving!!.”
I have been fascinated with The Kingdom in Vermont since reading the Mosher collection and the stories which feature this area. I’m truly blessed to have stumbled on your explanation, maps and photos. Ethan Allen was a boyhood hero but I’d never seen maps of the area. My wife and I are still fortunate we can travel and hope to visit here before we get much older. Thanks for giving us one more reason to “keep moving!!.”