GRAND ISLE COUNTY
County Offices
3677 U.S. Highway 2
North Hero 802-372-8350
Chamber of Commerce
3501 US Route 2
North Hero 802-372-8400
https://www.champlainislands.com/
When considered by area in square miles, the water-oriented region known as Grand Isle is the smallest of Vermont’s counties. Four of its five towns are situated entirely on islands in Lake Champlain. Only Alburg rests on a peninsula that extends south into the lake from Quebec, Canada. This small and unusual county is part of the Burlington-South Burlington Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Services
Serving residents of Franklin and Grand Isle counties, the Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans is a private community hospital licensed for 70 beds. Keeping pace with technological advancements and a growing population, the hospital completed a number of major renovation and expansion projects in the 1990s that place it among Vermont’s list of “youngest hospitals.” NMC provides a full range of inpatient and outpatient services that include 24-hour emergency care, an after-hours walk-in clinic, the Family Birth Center, pediatrics, ambulatory surgical services, rehabilitation, and advance imaging. Northwestern Medical Center maintains close ties to Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, utilizing a telemedicine system for remote consultations with regional specialists. In addition to the renowned Fletcher Allen Health Care and its associated Children’s Hospital in Burlington, CVPH Medical Center across Lake Champlain in New York provides a 341- bed acute-care hospital and a 54-bed skilled nursing facility.
The network of elementary and secondary schools that serve the region are complemented by a number of outstanding choices in higher education that are close to home. Greater Burlington is home to public and private colleges and universities that include the University of Vermont, which combines the personalized attention of a small liberal arts college with the resources of a major research university. The private Champlain College continually ranks among America’s top tier of the Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the North. St. Michael’s College and Burlington College are also highly respected, independent, progressive, liberal arts institutions. Williston features a second urban campus for Vermont Technical College, and Burlington houses a learning center for the Community College of Vermont. The latter is widely recognized for its innovative programming and delivery methods, which include online opportunities that bring higher education as close to home as the nearest computer.
Lifestyle
The smallest of Vermont’s counties is home to charming island towns and one peninsula community of Alburg that fringes Canada. Serving as a bridged land route between New York and Vermont, Alburg welcomes a stream of pass-through traffic. Nevertheless, Alburg has remained rural in character and resisted the commercial development that often accompanies a thoroughfare. The remaining communities—North Hero, South Hero, Grand Isle, and Isle La Motte—are all nestled on islands in Lake Champlain. The Lake Champlain islands claim more shoreline than any other part of Vermont, so lakefront properties and summer homes are common sights. At every bend in the road, Grand Isle County offers breathtaking views. These charming waterfront towns, whether island or peninsula, share a prime location between two great cities: Montreal, Canada, and Burlington, Vermont.
The lifestyle in Grand Isle County is relaxed and steeped in New England traditions, from antique shopping to dining on local cheeses, chocolates, and wines. Natural treasures are available for exploration, including one of the world’s oldest coral reefs and New England’s most historic log cabin. North Hero Marina is one of the modern amenities, protected by Carry Bay and close to North Hero Village. The islands are 30 miles long and eight miles wide, covered by spectacular state parks and five quaint towns in an area that nestles between Vermont’s Green Mountains and the Adirondacks of New York. Wonderful shops, fine dining, water sports, historic sites, family farms, and four-season outdoor adventures create an idyllic environment for local residents and a welcoming vacation destination for visitors. Scenic causeways and the Grand Isle Ferry connect the storybook nautical paradise of the Lake Champlain Islands to the mainland, and the urban advantages of Greater Burlington.