Jamaica is a mountainous town showcasing Vermont’s natural beauty year-round
The Windham County town of Jamaica is named for the Natick Indian word for beaver, not the Caribbean island. That said, this pocket of rural Vermont draws permanent and seasonal residents with its natural beauty, with water features, mountainous terrain and lush vegetation. “Jamaica is small-town Vermont,” says Carrie Mathews, a local resident and broker at Winhall Real Estate with more than 20 years of experience specializing in south central Vermont. “We’ve got a post office, a little general store and no big box stores — all of that is minimum 45 minutes away. When people think of Vermont, they used to think ‘winter.’ During COVID, there was an influx of people just wanting to get out of Dodge, and they fell in love with Vermont summers. Now, people are living here year-round or coming for weekends all year. It’s the pull to a life outdoors — skiing, mountain biking on the rail trail, hiking to amazing waterfalls. Frankly, I leave my snowshoes in the car through the winter.”
Riverside and mountainous recreation around Jamaica
The West River curves through Jamaica State Park and its nearly 800 acres of forested recreation areas, offering multiple access points for anglers, swimmers and boaters. Cyclists follow the path of the former West River Railroad on a rail trail that leads to Ball Mountain Dam. Hamilton Falls is one of the most popular hiking trail destinations in the park, as it’s among the tallest waterfalls in the state.
The Green Mountains also sprawl west of Jamaica, home to major winter sports destinations like the Stratton Mountain Resort. Alpine skiing is an obvious favorite pastime at Stratton, but it’s also a private hub for pickleball players, mountain bikers and golfers. Bromley Mountain Ski Resort is a little farther of a drive than Stratton, though Mathews notes that their alpine slide and adventure courses are a blast through the warmer months.
Centuries of single-family housing development in rural hills
Homes built through the early 1800s are often simple farmhouse styles, perhaps set along forested slopes. The village cores of Jamaica and East Jamaica are denser settlements of late 1800s through early 1900s folk-style homes, product of the West River Railroad’s brief surge in local industry and population. From the 1900s into the 2000s, custom builders favored A-frame chalets and cabins that take advantage of the landscape’s alpine beauty by including plenty of large windows. Prices can range from less than $200,000 for minimally updated cabins to nearly $2 million for new construction estates on dozens of acres. Jamaica’s median single-family home price is around $500,000, higher than the national median of around $400,000.
Events in the village of Jamaica and at Jamaica State Park
Old Home Day, also called Jamaica Day, has been designed to foster community spirit since it was first held to entice Vermont’s veterans to return home after the Civil War. Thanks to the efforts of the current Jamaica Historical Society, that history and other artisan and battle reenactments are on display every August, as is plenty of period-appropriate dress. Craft and food vendors, live musicians and magicians are also popular attractions.
For anyone more interested in getting outdoors than traveling back in time, the surrounding ski resorts and recreation areas are host to events big and small throughout the year, including Whitewater West Fest at Jamaica State Park. Once in the spring and once in the fall, kayakers gather to paddle through a surge in whitewater when the Ball Mountain Dam gate is opened.
Changes at West River Education District schools
Jamaica Village School now serves only prekindergarten and earns a B-plus from Niche. Kids might attend kindergarten through fifth grade at Townshend Village School, which earns a B-plus, or NewBrook Elementary School, which earns a B-minus. Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School earns a C-minus. The West River Education District has explored consolidation and redistricting plans in recent years due to low enrollment. Residents should pay attention to any changes to local schools.
Shopping and dining in Jamaica and Manchester
State Route 30 runs through the small villages of Jamaica and Rawsonville, each a small collection of historic churches and small businesses. West River Provisions is an old-fashioned general store between a red-painted town hall and the local post office. Small ski shops and boutiques are scattered around the villages between small inns, though hours are likely to change with the seasons. Residents head about 20 miles down Route 30 to the boutique outlets, quirky shops and diverse restaurants in the village of Manchester, settled in a valley across the Green Mountains. The nearest large grocery store, Shaw’s, is also in Manchester.
Taking Route 30 around southern Vermont
Jamaica is far away from major towns and cities. Brattleboro and Brattleboro Memorial Hospital are more than 25 miles down Route 30. Townshend’s Grace Cottage Hospital is closer and offers primary care services, about 10 miles from home. Residents rely on cars to get around and will need to account for slippery conditions on dirt roads during snowy winters and rainy springtime mud seasons. The nearest major airport is Albany International Airport, roughly 80 miles away.
West River flood risk
After unusually heavy rain, low-lying areas of Jamaica along the West River and other waterways are prone to flooding. “Irene hit Jamaica really hard, but nobody waited for the state to come in and fix bridge,” Harris says. “People went out and pulled trucks out of the water and were rebuilding before any of that help came. There’s a huge sense of community.” Residents can consult maps to understand their risk and potential need for insurance.
Written By
Julia Szymanski
