Rutland, Vermont

4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7 RUTLAND , VERMONT The city has been trying for about 20 years to have the passenger rail extended to nearby Burlington, which is approximately 67 miles north of Rutland, and that could finally be happening soon. The railroad contributed to Rutland’s early marble excavating industry in the 1850s and for many years Rutland was the railroad capital of the state. It still has a very successful freight industry. Rutland began as a small hamlet on Otter Creek in the early 19th century. At the time, it was called Mill Village and was surrounded by the Town of Rutland, which was named by Governor Benning Wentworth in 1761 after John Manners, third Duke of Rutland. Back then, small high-quality marble deposits were found in the community, and in the 1830s a large deposit of almost completely solid marble was found in what is now West Rutland. It eventually became one of the world’s leading marble producers. The City of Rutland was officially incorporated on November 18, 1892. The City of Rutland is located approximately 65 miles north of the Massachusetts border and 20 miles east of the New York state line. With a population of just under 16,000, Rutland is the fifth largest city in Vermont and the only city with a direct five-and-a-half-hour train to New York City. At one time, Rutland was a hub of passenger railways, and they hope to bring tourism back to the city via the NYC train. In that regard, they have secured a $300,000 design and build grant to update the property surrounding the train station. Allaire explains, “We thought it would be beneficial to us to be able to provide a welcoming environment over by the train station. So, part of this grant was to renovate and revitalize the whole area around it with greenscape and curbing. Just make it a more attractive place, where people can get off the train and the first thing that they see is this beautifully renovated space and entrance into the downtown.”