The undulating landscape of Franklin County, with its grid of barns, silos and fields, reveals that agriculture is still at the heart of this northwestern Vermont community. At the same time, the sprinkling of new neighborhoods sprouting in former cornfields shows how much the region is changing.

Franklin County lies between the shores of Lake Champlain and the foothills of the Green Mountains and blends a rural air with an increasingly strong commercial economy. This combination attracts people who feel squeezed in the more suburban setting of Chittenden County to the south, but who want access to a good employment market and diverse retail opportunities. Franklin County provides both; it is close to major employers like International Business Machines Corp. in Chittenden County and has a growing manufacturing base itself, now boasting some 230 manufacturers. The county has worked hard to diversify its economy and has integrated its agricultural base with local manufacturing efforts such as Wyeth Nutritional Inc. and Belgian chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut U.S.A. Inc., both of which capitalize on the ready supply of dairy products in the region. Other large local employers include Northwestern Medical Center, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the Eveready Battery Co.

While manufacturing and other commercial niches employ more people in the county than traditional farming these days, the county's identity and economy are inextricably linked to agriculture, particularly milk production and maple syrup. Here at the county's heart in the beautiful and historic city of St. Albans, the state holds its Maple Festival each April. The city, surrounded by the larger town of St. Albans, has been named one of the 100 most liveable small cities in the United States. It’s easy to see why looking at the elegant buildings and leafy, open spaces of the place that bills itself as Vermont's "northern treasure."

St. Albans was also once a vital railroad town, and railroads remain an important employer. Its nickname, the "rail city," attests to the city’s pride in its heritage. St. Albans has other historical tales to tell, too. The city earned a mention in national history when, in October 1864, it was the site of the northernmost engagement of the Civil War. That month, a small band of Confederate soldiers robbed three banks, then fled to Canada after threatening to blow up the governor's house.

Nothing quite that electrifying happens these days in the city, or for that matter in the wider county, but the area is definitely buzzing with economic and population growth. For years the county suffered because of its location midway between Montreal and Burlington; many travelers viewed the county as a passageway to other places rather somewhere to stay. But that is gradually changing as more people get to know about the county's valuable natural resources, which include one of the state's most notable widlife areas, the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge. Two miles west of Swanton, the refuge combines brushland, timberland and marsh, and a variety of wildlife. The Black Creek and Maquam Creek trails wind through the refuge with markers explaining the flora and fauna. The refuge is just one of many picturesque areas in Franklin County that bolster the county's claim to being a "year-round paradise."