General Information 
Situated
at the junction of two main highways, Route 7 and Route
4, the Rutland region lies among beautiful lakes and streams,
encircled by mountains 540 feet above sea level and encompasses
939 square miles. The broad valley contains rich agriculture
fields, orchards, pastures and meadows. More information
regarding Vermont opportunities and benefits can be found
through the following links:
State of Vermont:
http://www.vermont.gov
VT Chamber of Commerce:
http://www.vtchamber.com
Rutland Region
Chamber of Commerce:
http://www.rutlandvermont.com
Rutland Regional
Planning Commission:
http://www.rutlandrpc.org
Let Me Show You Vermont
http://www.letmeshowyouvermont.com
Transportation
Amtrak
offers scheduled passenger service from Rutland to New York
City. http://www.amtrak.com
Vermont Transit, (802) 773-2774, offers intrastate as well
as interstate service. Marble Valley Regional Transit District
"The Bus" provides local transportation on set routes throughout
the city of Rutland. http://www.thebus.com
Continental Connection flights. Boston/Rutland. Albany/Rutland.
http://www.continental.com
Human Services
The
Rutland Regional Medical Center is a comprehensive medical/surgical
hospital offering a wide variety of services and specialized
care. A full service emergency department, staffed by a
team of qualified health care professionals and physicians
trained in emergency medicine, operates 24-hours a day.
A regional ambulance service is available for emergency
services and outlying towns have volunteer rescue squads.
More information regarding area human services is available
at: http://www.rutlandvermont.com
Recreation & Lifestyle
The
Vermont 
lifestyle
attracts a wide variety of skilled people who are looking
for a more relaxed pace, the community of town life and
who enjoy the outdoor experience. Renowned for its recreational
opportunities, the Rutland region is surrounded by state
forests and parks including 56,000 acres of the Green Mountain
National Forest. The "Long Trail" passes within 10 miles
of the city (the Appalachian Trail also comes within a few
miles of the city limits), doubling along the ridge of the
Green Mountains and passing Killington and Pico Peaks, two
of Vermont's finest ski areas. Summer recreation is geared
to the area's many lakes with sailing, swimming, water-skiing,
canoeing, fishing, camping and picnicking. Golf courses
and tennis courts dot the area and hiking, hunting, horseback
riding, rodeos, stock car racing, mountain biking and bicycle
touring are all popular activities as well.
More information about the Rutland region's many activities
and opportunities may be found at: http://www.rutlandvermont.com.
Arts
The Rutland region offers a wide variety of arts, art events
and workshops. The Crossroads Arts Council offers programs
in classical music, dance, family music and theater from
fall to spring. They also subsidize an artist-in-residence
program for the public schools. Other musical offerings
include those provided by: Castleton State College, Grace
Congregational Church, the Killington Music Festival, and
the Rutland Recreation Department who offers band concerts
throughout the summer.
Community theater is strong throughout the area with the
following well-established groups offering choices of drama,
comedy and musicals:
Marble Valley Players Sometimes Theater, Actor's Repertory,
Castleton State College, Green Mountain Guild and Northstar
Theatre.
Art galleries in the area include:
- The Farrow Gallery & Studio
- Moon Brook Art Gallery
- Chaffee Center for the Visual Arts, a branch of the
Chaffee at Cortina Inn and Castleton State College. The
Chaffee Center for the Visual Arts sponsors two arts festivals
a year as well as hosting several exhibitions.
On With The Show
For more information, please link to: http://www.rutlandvermont.com
Population & Income
As of 1997 the population
of Rutland County was 70,000 with the City of Rutland making
up the majority at 18,230 (1990 census figures). According
to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Rutland County's population
is projected to increase 4.8% by the year 2000. By the year
2010, Rutlandâs population is expected to increase 7.0%
or 4,336 people. More information is available at: http://www.det.state.vt.us
Average hourly wages for covered workers in Rutland County
is $15, or $22,290 per year (DET Vermont Employment Data,
1995). The 1997 average household income for Rutland County
was $39,653. There were 17,557 families with the average
household size being 2.51 people. More detailed information
by industry and job title is available upon request through
the REDC office. redc@rutlandeconomy.com
Taxes
The State of Vermont has
a 5% sales tax and a 9% rooms and meals tax. The state income
tax is coupled to the Federal tax and is 25% of the federal
tax liability. Property taxes are the primary source of
revenue for local governments and school districts with
a leveled rates for all communities. More tax information
is available at: http://www.vermont.gov.
Utilites
Electrical needs of the region
are served by Central Vermont Public Service Corporation
- an investor-owned company. Coal, fuel oil and propane
are readily available from many area dealers. http://www.cvps.com
Verizon serves 16 of the county's towns with telecommunications
services. http://www.verizon.com
Vtel, a local phone company, Serves the remainder of the
population. http://www.vermontel.net
Media
Print
The Rutland region is served by a daily newspaper, the
Rutland Herald, with a circulation of 22,000. In cooperation
with the Barre Times Argus it also publishes a Sunday paper
with statewide distribution. Area weeklies include: The
Mountain Times and the Rutland Tribune, The Rutland Business
Journal is a monthly publication.
Radio
Excellent radio coverage is available from the following
stations:
- Vermont Public Radio VPR 88.9 FM
- Cat Country WJAN 94.5 FM
- WEBK 105.3 FM
- WHDQ Q106 FM
- WJJR 98.1 FM
- WVNR 1340 AM
- WZRT 97.1 FM
- WSYB 1380 AM
Television
An expanded cable system and the availability of satellite
dishes brings a wide variety of programming into the Rutland
region. Local TV news channels covering the area are:
- WCAX Channel 3
- WPTZ Channel 5
- WNNE Channel 31
- The WB/WWIN TV
- Community Access Channel 15
Media Contacts
Information regarding media contact may be reached at:
http://www.rutlandvermont.com.
