Photo by Lorianna Weathers Photography
Pownal
The town of Pownal , in Vermont ’ s southwest corner , is tucked up against Massachusetts and New York on two sides . Cross the border from those states , though , and there ’ s no mistaking you ’ re in Vermont . The Hoosic River flows gently through fertile farmland , flanked by steeply rising verdant mountains . You might see kayakers and fishermen on the river , while unseen up on the Green Mountain ridgetop hikers are beginning the 273 miles of Vermont ’ s Long Trail , the oldest long hiking trail in the nation .
Pownal ’ s lime quarries and cotton mills may be a thing of the past , but a former racetrack is now a large solar park , and the Hoosic itself has a new hydroelectric station . Thanks to a citizen initiative , the Vermont Council on Rural Development chose Pownal as the site of its first Climate Economy Model Community Program (“ Empower Pownal ”).
Vermont State 7 slices through the geographic center of the town , but if you want to discover Pownal , get off the highway , head west on North Pownal Rd ., then ramble up and down Carpenter Hill Rd . The entire landscape of the Shires will open up before you as you pass through 300-acre Southern Vermont Orchards , once part of the largest privately owned orchard in the world .
Pownal ’ s proximity to Williamstown , MA , and Albany , NY , as well as to Bennington and Manchester , makes it an easy place to visit as well as a great spot to commute from . The visitor will find it the perfect base for access to cultural happenings in the Berkshires and Bennington County alike . Fun fact : in 1970 Hillary Clinton often weekended at a farm cabin in Pownal with her boyfriend while she was a law student at Yale ( the weekends ended when she met a new guy named Bill ).
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