Middlebury College - Local Atmosphere

College Prowler Take

No matter what exotic tidbits or intriguing locales students attempt to haggle out of this town, in the end, they still wind up with good 'ole Middlebury—a small, antique dollhouse of a village, dotted with restaurants and shops that all close between 5 p.m. and midnight, and a smattering of snow-covered cobblestone streets. It’s quiet, it’s quaint, and it can feel suffocating at times. On the other hand, the atmosphere caters well to those more inclined toward outdoor activities—particularly winter sports, hiking, and swimming. There are several renowned ski areas around (including the one owned by the College), a maze of magnificently groomed cross-country ski trails, lakes, rivers, and falls.

The Middlebury experience feels similar to being inside a cozy penny candy store or an old-fashioned piggy bank. If you’re a country bumpkin, a lover of the magnificent outdoors, or are simply anxious to be liberated from the noise and pollution of the city, Middlebury is for you. It will certainly not overwhelm you with shopping options, nightclubs, or traffic lights. However, you can get anything and everything you need for survival in Middlebury, as long as you’re not counting on 24-hour stores. If you’re looking for variety and a less-settled atmosphere, you’ll have to take the trip to Burlington. If you don’t plan on bringing a car, it shouldn’t be much of a problem—usually even the most disagreeable people finagle a couple of friends with vehicles, and everyone visits Burlington frequently.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

There is not a whole lot in town.... There is not a whole lot in town. It seems as though it was built up around the school, since almost everyone in the town has some connection or another to the college itself. The closest universities are up in Burlington, about a half an hour away, so we don’t have much contact with them. There isn’t really anything to stay away from here, and there isn’t really much aside from shops and restaurants, either. However, there are quite a few museums in the area, and if you have a car, there are lots of places to visit between a half an hour and an hour drive away. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Middlebury (the town) is not the... Middlebury (the town) is not the most interesting or cosmopolitan destination, but what it lacks in style it makes up for in beauty. Sometimes, strolling down Main Street makes me feel as if I’m part of some turn-of-the-century novel. I suppose the word that comes to mind most readily is ‘quaint.’ It’s an idyllic hamlet set with the breathtaking backdrop of the mountains, and it has all the entertainment possibilities that come with this happy situation. It’s an ideal place for nature-lovers. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Middlebury is a small town in... Middlebury is a small town in rural Vermont—a state of approximately 650,000 people. Middlebury has some nice, yet pricey, restaurants and some nice boutique shops. The nearest ‘city’ is Burlington, which is 30 miles to the north and offers a lot of interesting things to visit and do. UVM (University of Vermont), St. Michael’s, and Champlain College are all in Burlington. Rutland is 30 miles south and offers some shopping. What does one do? A lot of skiing, with Sugarbush, Mad River Glen, Killington, Pico, and the College’s own ski area within an hour drive. The Green Mountains and Adirondacks offer lots of hiking, climbing, kayaking, and water sports, which are popular as well. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Middlebury is a quiet town with... Middlebury is a quiet town with friendly people. It has been a pleasure to spend four years in a town where, walking down Main Street, strangers smile and say ‘hello’ to you. UVM and Burlington are less than an hour away, and Burlington has some nice restaurants and bars that cater to college students. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

I really enjoy the town of... I really enjoy the town of Middlebury. There isn’t a whole lot to do, but the outdoor opportunities are excellent, and I’ve found the people in town to be very friendly in general. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Facts

Did You Know?

5 Fun Facts about Middlebury:

• Sure, maybe Middlebury doesn’t have hoards of filmmakers clambering at the front door, begging to make movies here. However, Middlebury did serve as the haunting locale for some of the most memorable and chilling moments in suspense history. Remember the scenes from the bridge in What Lies Beneath? That was Champlain Bridge in Crown Point, mere miles from campus. The majority of the movie was filmed in the John Strong Mansion, just up the road on Route 17.

• For 23 summers, Robert Frost, the great poet, made the mountains just outside of Middlebury his home. When he welcomed New England into his heart, the Middlebury area struck him as particularly captivating. The founder of the town’s Vermont Book Shop knew the poet well, and the Middlebury College Library houses many of his first editions.

• Middlebury pioneered Vermont’s marble industry. The Marble Works, filled with small shops and restaurants, continues to stand as a monument to this first.

• The foliage in Middlebury is some of the most resplendent in the country at peak season, which occurs in October.

• Middlebury College was ranked third in Outside magazine’s September 2003 cover story, “40 Best College Towns: The Coolest Places to Work, Play, Study, Party, and Live.” A couple of reasons that Middlebury appealed to Outside are due to its “more than 500 miles of hiking trails” in the Green Mountains and its “cutting-edge environmental conscience.”

Famous People from Middlebury:
John Deere (famous inventor of “the plow that broke the plains”)
Justin Morgan (the first Morgan Horse)

Local Slang:
Creamie – The agitating tag that Vermonters use to ask for soft-serve ice cream.
Cow Flap – What Vermonters call cow pies or cow poop. If you’re not familiar with the name, you’ll soon be familiar with the smell out here in Vermont farm country.
Long Johns or Skivvies – What you’ll soon be calling your trademark long underwear—a New England staple.
Wicked – More of a New England term in general, Vermonters often use “wicked” in place of “really,” “extremely,” or “hella.”

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