Kirby is a rural town near outdoor destinations
Just east of Lyndonville and St. Johnsbury, Kirby is a scenic small town of about 600 residents. Historically a farming community, Kirby is known for its rural atmosphere. There isn’t a single stoplight in town, it doesn’t have a real town center and many roads are unpaved. But the area makes up for its lack of development with access to outdoor recreational hot spots and sweet maple syrup. The town is located near skiing, hiking and cycling destinations and is home to the Burke Mountain Maple Company, where syrup is made in-house.
Skiing Burke Mountain, biking the Kingdom Trails
Situated at the base of Burke Mountain, Kirby is near some of the Northeast Kingdom’s premier outdoor destinations. “Burke Mountain is well-known for its skiing,” says Patricia Emery, broker/owner of Parkway Realty, who has sold homes throughout the Northeast Kingdom since the 1970s. Burke Mountain Resort hosts over 50 trails of various difficulties across its nearly 300 acres. It’s also home to Burke Mountain Academy, an elite ski school that has trained over 30 Olympians. “In the summer, some of the trails turn into bike paths,” Emery says. “Some connect to the Kingdom Trails.” The Kingdom Trails are another outdoor destination in the Northeast Kingdom. This over 100-mile bike path runs through private landowners’ backyards and attracts cyclists from across the nation.
Permanent residences and second homes along dirt roads
Many homes in Kirby sit on unpaved roads, surrounded by farmland and the mountains. Mature pine and oak trees shade the land between properties and dot large front yards. Buyers can find ranch-style homes or modest cottages for between roughly $140,000 and $300,000, while Colonial Revivals can range from about $320,000 to $720,000. Home prices depend on a property’s size, age and condition. “Because of the area’s proximity to Burke Mountain, second homes are common,” Emery says.
School choice through Vermont Town Tuitioning Program
Kirby is served by the Kingdom East School District, which receives a D from Niche. The district has a student-to-teacher ratio of 23-to-1 and educates about 2,000 students. Through the Vermont Town Tuitioning Program, students may apply to any school, public or private, in or out of state, that is approved by the Vermont Board of Education or an equal state authority. For example, students may attend Lyndon Town School, which gets a C-minus from Niche, for kindergarten to eighth grade and Lyndon Institute, graded a B-plus, for high school. These schools are less than 10 miles west of Kirby.
Maple syrup in town, shopping and dining out of town
The Burke Mountain Maple Company is a family-owned and operated business in Kirby. It sells various grades of syrup year-round and maple-flavored soft serve in the summer. But that’s about the only business in Kirby, and residents will need to travel 8 miles west to Lyndonville or 12 miles southwest to St. Johnsbury. The former hosts a quaint and historic downtown area, where local restaurants and markets rest in quaint brick buildings. Here, locals can dine at Café Sweet Basil, which serves Italian and Mexican dishes and trendy cocktails from its farmhouse-style dining room, or grab a smoothie, coffee or sandwich from Freighthouse Market & Café. In St. Johnsbury, folks will find big-box stores like Aubuchon Ace Hardware, a Price Chopper grocery store and more restaurants, from drive-thrus to sit-downs. The Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital is also in St. Johnsbury.
Getting around Kirby
Because it’s so rural, Kirby is car-dependent. Backroads are the primary mode of transportation between towns. The area is about 8 miles from an entrance to U.S. Interstate 91, a main north-south thoroughfare through New England. Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport is about 86 miles west.
Written By
Adreanna DeMarino
