Area Awards
| The City of Burlington and the surrounding areas have generated international publicity as one of America’s most desirable places to live and visit. Vermont’s largest city, with about 40,000 year-round residents, Burlington attracts visitors who appreciate its flawless blend of cosmopolitan flair and stunning lake and mountain beauty.
Unwind in one of the area’s many excellent hotels, inns, bed and breakfasts, and resorts. And, of course, enjoy the spectacular natural beauty of Vermont’s Lake Champlain and Green Mountains. |
The Burlington, Vermont region offers outdoor activities from lake-based kayaking, fishing and sailing to mountain-based hiking,cycling and skiing– and everything in between. Or spend your time enjoying the area’s fantastic dining, shopping, concerts and special events.| 2010 | Burlington Vermont was ranked 8th on their Best Cities for 2010 List by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine. Its diverse economy, dedication to growing green businesses, creativity in the arts and business entrepreneurship create an inspired atmosphere. The local food movement is “30 years ahead of the rest of the country” according to Bruce Seifer, of Burlington’s Community and Economic Development Office. |
| 2010 | Burlington VT rated number 2 in their best college towns survey by MSN. |
| Jan 2009 | Women’s Self Magazine names Burlington VT as the #1 healthiest place for women out of 100 metro areas in the USA. |
| Nov/Dec 2009 | National Geographic Society’s Center for Sustainable Destinations ranked Vermont 5th in the world and 1st in the United States |
| 2009 | Burlington Vermont awarded top US cities to Live, Play and Start A Family by National Geographic Adventure Magazine. |
| 2008 | Burlington VT’s acclaimed downtown pedestrian mall The Church Street Marketplace, has won a national award by the American Planning Association for “exemplary character, quality and planning.” |
| Nov. 2008 | Burlington was featured in the New York Times column “36 Hours in Burlington”. The article describes the renaissance of the Burlington Waterfront on Lake Champlain. Gleaming new hotels, bike, kayak and sailboat rentals and a public waterfront park with eye popping views of the lake and Adirondack Mountains. |
| Nov. 2008 | Business Week Magazine names Burlington Vermont as one of the very best places to raise your kids. “Burlington, on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, is a walkable, cosmopolitan city that is a short drive from skiing and other outdoor activities.” |
| September 2007 | Ranked #1 in a regional study of downtowns commissioned by the Rues Principales Vieux-Saint-Jean (compared to 16 other downtowns in Quebec |
| May 2007 | Ranked among “Top Ten Greenest Cities” by real estate service, Move.com. |
| May 2007 | “Tree City USA” award by National Arbor Day Foundation for 13th year |
| April 2007 | Top 25 “Small Cities and Towns” Arts destinations by readers of American Style Magazine |
| April 2007 | Ranked #5 among “Top Ten Places to Retire Young” by Money Magazine |
| March 2007 | Ranked Burlington metropolitan area as “Greenest City” in the country in survey of 379 metropolitan areas nationwide. Based on air and watershed quality, mass transit use, power use, and number of organic producers and farmers’ markets. |
| February 2007 | Ranked 2nd out of 72 cities (50 largest cities in the country plus largest cities in each state) nationwide by The Earth Day Network on its Urban Environment Report. |
| November 2006 | Ranked 4th among “Top 10 cities for Beer Lovers” by ShermansTravels.com. |
| November 2006 | Ranked 5th in “America?s Healthiest Places for Women,” Self Magazine. |
| June 2006 | One of the “Top 25 Cities for Art” in the small cities and towns category, American Style Magazine. |
| July/August 2006 | Burlington’s Five Sisters neighborhood on the list of “Top Cottage Communities,” Cottage Living Magazine. |
| April 2006 | Burlington named the “Best of the Best” places to live (top 5 of their “50 Best Places to Live,” Men’s Journal Magazine. |
| 2006 | The Top 10 Greenest Cities, homestore.com (AOL Real Estate) |
| November 2005 | One of “50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live,” by author Gregory Kompes. |
| June 2005 | Burlington was number 12 among the top 25 small cities in American Style Magazine’s “Top Arts Destinations” for 2005. |
| 2005 | Ranked as the “third-funkiest city in the world” by British Airways’ magazine Highlife. |
| 2005 | Economy.com ranked Burlington #1 in the U.S. on its index of business vitality. |
| 2005 | One of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations, The National Trust for Historic Preservation. |
| 2005 | No.3 Best State for Healthy Kids, Child Magazine. |
| November 2004 | No.1 Best State for Women, Institute for Women’s Policy Research. |
| November 2004 | No.3 Healthiest State, United Health Foundation, (see full report titled “America’s Health: State Health Rankings” at www.unitedhealthfoundation.org). |
| June 2004 | No.6 in the World for Destination Stewardship & Sustainable Tourism Initiative, National Geographic Magazine. |
| May 2004 | “One of the 10 Best Small Cities in America,” Men’s Journal Magazine. |
| April 2004 | Burlington is one of five U.S. cities to receive Delicious Living magazine’s “Impressive City Award” for its “exceptional efforts toward sustainable living.” |
| March 2004 | “Top 25 Small Cities for Doing Business in America” (job bases up to 150,000). No.7 Best Small Cities to Do Business. Inc Magazine. |
| 2004 | US Conference of Mayor’s presents Burlington with a City Livability Award.? |
| 2004 | No.7 Most student-friendly U.S. City for populations under 1 million, Collegia Magazine. |
| 2004 | No.2 Happiest and No.4 Healthiest Place to Live in the U.S., Self Magazine. |
| June 2003 | “One of the 5 Best Places to Live & Ride.” Bike Magazine. |
| May 2003 | Ranked number 1 in Northeast, “Best Places to Live” (Metro 50,000 – 500,000). Men’s Journal Magazine. |
| May 2003 | “One of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations,? National Trust for Historic Preservation. |
| 2003 | ?Best Overall Program: Population 25,000-50,000? from Sister Cities International for the Burlington-Bethlehem-Arad Sister City Relationship. |
| 2001-03, 2005 | Vermont is Nation’s Healthiest State, Morgan Quitno Press. |
| October, 2002 | Ranked No. 4 for “Healthiest” and No. 2 for “Happiest” City for Women. Self Magazine. |
| April 2002 | One of the Top Ten Best Cities for: Economy (10): Jobs (1); Education (8); Child Care (2). Ladies Home Journal Magazine. |
| 2002 | International Association of Public Participation gave Burlington a “Core Value Award” for the Burlington Legacy Project. |
| 2002 | Burlington’s Marathon, the Vermont City Marathon, was named top 20 best marathon events in the country. Runner’s World Magazine. |
| 2002 | Sixth most artist-friendly alternative to N.Y. and L.A. according to Susan M. Brackney, author of “The Not-so-Lost Soul Companion,” based on cost of living, unemployment rate, availability of affordable housing, projected economic grown, local flavor, charm, and the value placed on performing arts. |
| August 2001 | Ranked No. 1, “Kid-Friendly,” smaller city (100,000 to 2 million metro) for quality of life, Zero Population Growth. |
| May/June 2000 | One of the “50 Best Places to Live,” Maturity Magazine. |
| March 2000 | One of America’s Ten Fittest Cities for Women,” Health Magazine. |
| November 1999 | Ranked No. 1 “Top Ten Cities to Have it All” by Arts & Entertainment TV. Runners-up: Chapel Hill, NC and Austin, TX. |
| November 1999 | One of 10 Great Places for Campus Culture, USA Today Travel Guide. |
| October 1999 | One of the 10 “College Towns Worth A Visit” – Princeton Review: “The Best Colleges”. |
| October 1999 | 50 Places of a Lifetime (Vermont), National Geographic Traveler. |
| June 1999 | Ranked number one for “Families that love outdoor sports” by Outdoor Explorer Magazine, premier issue. |
| December 1998 / January 1999 | No.5 “Boomtown, 75 Top Cities to Start a Business” Point of View Magazine. |
| November 1998 | No. 10 Best City for Women, Ladies Home Journal. |
| May 1998 | Cited “one of 15 Best Walking Cities in America” by Walking Magazine. |
| 1998 | Vermont City Marathon named top 10 most scenic marathons in the country. This course is completely run in the city limits of Burlington, Vermont. |
| 1998 | The Discover Jazz Festival – a segment of which consists of free open-air concerts along the Church Street Marketplace – is one of the ten best festivals in the country according to U.S. News and World Report. |
| June/July 1997 | Burlington ranks number four as “One of America’s Ten Most Enlightened Towns” as chosen by Utne Reader Magazine. |
| June 1997 | No.1 Most Livable Cities with Population Under 100,000, The US Conference of Mayors. |
| May 1997 | “Burlington: Northern Light” (Nation Magazine). |
| April 1997 | Burlington receives the prestigious Great American Main Street Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The unique collaboration between the government, business community, and private citizens that led to the rejuvenation of Church Street and the development of the Marketplace is central to the city being honored. |
| April 1997 | No.6 Best Family-Friendly Place in the Nation, Reader’s Digest. |
| 1997 | Burlington is one of 10 great places to raise a family according to Parenting Magazine. |
| 1997 | “A Latte Town” by the Weekly Standard (“The Rise of the Latte Town”). |
| June 1996 | Vermont ranked “Safest State in the Nation”, Morgan Quitno Press. |
| February 1996 | Burlington rates as one of the seven best retirement areas according to New Choices, a magazine devoted to “Living Even Better After 50.” |
| 1996 | Burlington is one of America’s Top 10 “Hippest Arts Towns,” reports author John Villani in his new book, ?The 100 Best Small Arts Towns in America.? |
| September 1995 | One of five retirement cities listed in N.Y. Times Sunday Magazine: “The Rise of the College City: The Best New Place to Live.? |
| June 1995 | Burlington heads the list of “Dream Towns: Where to Find It All”, published in Outside Magazine. |
| 1995 | The book ?A Good Place to Live? by Terry Pindell touts Burlington as one of the fourteen most livable cities in the United States. |
| November 1993 | Listed in a survey by Kimberley Stansee entitled “Top 10 Best Cities for Running a Home-Based Business” in Home Office Computing Magazine. |
| June 1993 | Burlington rates as the best place in the nation for raising children in a report released by Zero Population Growth. |
| 1993 | Featured in book “50 Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family” by Lee and Saralee Rosenberg. |
| June 1991 | Voted “Best in the Northeast” by Inc Magazine as one of the top five cities in the nation in which to grow a successful business. |
| June 1988 | Tied for first place as Most Livable City by U.S. Conference of Mayors for populations under 100,000 (Portland, OR for larger cities.) |
| July 1968 | Harper’s Magazine cites Burlington as a working model of an older American city. |