Vermont history from 2000-today

July 1, 2000

Civil Unions became legal in the state. Civil Unions allowed same-sex couples to be legally recognized. Vermont was the first state to sign Civil Unions into law.

May 31, 2003

ECHO, The Leahy Center for Lake Champlain opened at the Burlington Waterfront. ECHO stands for The Ecology, Culture, History, and Opportunities Center. Senator Patrick Leahy helped open ECHO. The center helps people learn about life in and near Lake Champlain.

August 28, 2011

Tropical Storm Irene, which started out as a hurricane, landed in Vermont. Flooding rivers took out roads, bridges, and houses. The storm caused millions of dollars in damage.

Tropical Storm Irene

April 11, 2014

Outright Vermont celebrated its 25th birthday. Outright started in 1989 to provide support, safe spaces, and services to LGBTQ+ teens.

September 16, 2018

Workers finished regilding the dome of the Vermont State House for the tenth time. Regilding is when workers reapply gold paint or gold leaf to make things shine again.

November 30, 2018

Workers installed the third statue of Ceres on top of the Vermont State House. This Ceres statue, carved by Chris Miller of Calais, replaced the second Ceres. There have been three statues of the Goddess of Agriculture on the State House. The first two, made of wood, rotted and needed to be replaced.

Embodiment of Agriculture (video)
Ceres II (video)

May 25, 2019

Senator Bernie Sanders held a rally on the Vermont State House lawn in Montpelier. This event was part of his second campaign for US president. He lost to Joe Biden in the Democratic primaries in 2020.

March 18, 2020

The start of the COVID-19 pandemic forced all schools in Vermont to close by this date. Governor Phil Scott ordered that schools close to keep students and teachers safe. Most schools remained closed through the end of the school year.