Town Of Manchester
MANCHESTER LIVING
Local resources and highlights for Manchester and the Northshire area.
Whether you’re lucky enough to live here or just visiting, there’s always something happening in Manchester Vermont!
From shopping and dining, to cultural, recreational and community events, Manchester is the quintessential New England community. Ideally located in southwestern Vermont, Manchester is easily accessible to the rest of the Northeast but tucked into the Green Mountains in the picturesque Battenkill River Valley.
Manchester is a community on the MOVE!
In 2012 and 2013 the Town rebuilt its downtown and replaced Malfunction Junction with Function Junction. As a result, downtown Manchester is now graced with two beautiful roundabouts that provide better traffic and pedestrian flow, even on the busiest days. However, Function Junction is about more than traffic flow. Downtown Manchester now features attractive landscaping and streetscaping with historic style energy-efficient LED streetlights and plenty of new benches to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee. Even The New York Times is noticing “the new and improved Manchester.”
Visit Here. Manchester has over forty fantastic eateries. From casual to formal, international to American cuisine, we have a restaurant you’ll love. And with over a thousand hotel and motel beds, from family-friendly to four-star resorts, you are sure to find lodging to suit your needs. For more information about local events visit the Town’s Facebook page for the most up-to-date information about what’s happening in Manchester.
Live Here. Looking for a new place to call home? Manchester is a great place to live and raise a family. From our world-class parks system to first-rate educational opportunities, Manchester is all about quality of life.
Learn Here. You will find an education system that encourages innovation and personalized learning. Most Manchester students attend Manchester Elementary Middle School (MEMS) through eighth grade, although private options are available. As part of a long-standing tradition, local schoolchildren are dismissed early once a week for ski lessons at nearby Bromley Mountain. This is just one example of how living in Manchester provides the perfect balance.
At the high school level families are provided school choice. Most Manchester families choose historic Burr and Burton Academy, located in Manchester Village, which is renowned for its academics, high SAT scores and college admission rate, and extracurricular and athletic activities.
Whether you are interested in visiting, living or doing business here, you’ll find a warm welcome in Manchester. We encourage you to explore all the possibilities that Manchester has to offer!
Ivan Beattie, Chair of the SelectboardJohn O’Keefe, Town Manager
Manchester. So Close. So Vermont.
Helpful Links
- Home
- Helpful Links
Local Education
Manchester Elementary Middle School (public school grades pre-k through 8)
Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union (BRSU)
Burr & Burton Academy (independent school grades 9 through 12)
Maple Street School (private school grades kindergarten through 8)
Northshire Day School (not-for-profit preschool and after-school programs)
Local Media
The Manchester Journal (weekly newspaper)
Bennington Banner (daily newspaper)
GNAT-TV (local access cable television)
Local Not-For-Profit Organizations
Hildene (Lincoln family historic home)
Manchester Farmers’ Market (located at Adams Park)
The Collaborative (substance abuse prevention)
Transportation
The Bus (local bus service to Rutland, Vermont)
Green Mountain Community Network (local bus service to Bennington, Vermont)
Southern Vermont Regional Airport (Rutland)
Albany International Airport (Albany, New York)
Rensselaer-Albany Train Station – Amtrak (Rensselaer, New York)
Rutland Train Station – Amtrak (Rutland, Vermont)
Government – State
State of Vermont – General
Vermont Legislature (House of Representatives and Senate)
The Vermont Veterans’ Home in Bennington
Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT)
Regional and Local Government
Bennington County Regional Commission
Village of Manchester, Vermont
Disclaimer: The Town of Manchester provides links to governmental entities, Manchester-based community organizations and Manchester-based not-for-profits. It is the sole discretion of the Town to link to external sites based on the public good of Manchester residents. For-profit entities and national not-for-profits will not be posted. The Town of Manchester is not responsible for the content of the linked web site.
Welcome to the Village of Manchester
Manchester Village maintains the much loved grace and charm of the past while offering its residents and visitors many cultural, outdoor, fine dining, and shopping experiences. It is home to the Southern Vermont Arts Center, Hildene, The Equinox Preserve; offering 914 acres of recreational land, Burr and Burton Academy; an independent secondary school, fly-fishing, golf, and close proximity to alpine skiing.
A Brief History
Manchester Village was first settled in 1761. From 1761 to 1850, the Village was primarily a crossroads featuring numerous taverns and inns. From 1850 to about 1900 the Village entered its resort phase with the most notable contributor being the Equinox Hotel. The cities of the Northeast were growing explosively and tourists began to appear in numbers in Manchester Village. The first marble sidewalk, a still treasured historic feature, was laid in 1850 and by 1890, four miles of marble sidewalks adorned the Village.
Manchester Village represents a rural Village which has changed into a prospering, culture-filled community over the past century and a half. The architecture of the Village presents an unusually complete and well preserved record of the development of a resort community between 1850 and 1925. This record shows changing tastes in architecture, significant architectural examples, and a wide range of adaptive uses.
Today, Manchester Village maintains the much loved grace and charm of the past while offering its residents and visitors many cultural, outdoor, fine dining, and shopping experiences. It is home to the Southern Vermont Arts Center, Hildene, The Equinox Preserve; offering 914 acres of recreational land, Burr and Burton Academy; an independent secondary school, fly-fishing, golf, and close proximity to alpine skiing.
