Northfield is nestled in a valley threaded along the Dog River, one of Vermont's great wild trout streams. The rolling hills feature vast tracts of forestland interspersed with occasional farms. The town is home to Vermont's military academy, Norwich University. It was also home to Charles Paine, a Vermont governor who was a principal owner of Central Vermont Railroad. The railroad was originally surveyed to run through Montpelier, Barre and Williamstown Gulf -- so it would avoid the steep terrain of Northfield. But the routing was changed on the governor's orders, and both Paine and the town of Northfield benefited handsomely. Today trains, including the Amtrak passenger trains, still run through town, but no longer stop there.
