Monkton is a quintessential small Vermont town in the Champlain Valley
In the Champlain Valley at the base of the Green Mountains, Monkton is a bucolic town that is home to just over 2,000 residents. “This area is naturally beautiful, and we probably have more dirt roads here than paved ones. But for a tiny town, we really do a lot as a community,” says Katrina Roberts, a Monkton resident and local Broker with Vermont Real Estate Company who has been a licensed Realtor in Vermont since 2007. “It’s really a wonderful community that we have. If you need help with anything, the people here will be there for you.” Monkton has numerous committees and local groups dedicated to the town and its residents, including a volunteer fire department and a historical society. Roberts adds: “Locals will often refer to this area as the Five Towns instead of just Monkton. The Five Towns specifies a region of Addison County comprising Monkton, Starksboro, New Haven, Bristol and Lincoln – all five feed into the same school district.”
Outdoor recreation, forests and farmlands are abundant throughout Monkton, and so is the local wildlife. “Our town is situated between two large mountain ridges, which creates a great habitat for black bears, so we see them a lot. We’ve got a community Facebook page that’s literally just for people to post about Monkton’s bear sightings,” Roberts says. Although black bears aren’t generally aggressive, residents here still need to be mindful of their surroundings and practice proper food storage and garbage disposal. Commercial business is limited here, but towns less than 10 miles away have more shopping and dining amenities, as well as large grocery stores. Monkton receives an overall CAP Index Crime Score of 1 out of 10, well below the national average of 4 and the lowest score possible on the index.
Spacious Craftsman-style homes and large lots
Spacious lots are a hallmark of Monkton’s housing options, and privacy is standard for most homes here. “I say that it’s ‘curtains-optional’ here, which means that homes usually have enough space from other homes that residents can pull back the curtains and let the light in but still enjoy their privacy,” Roberts says. “You really do have room to breathe out here.” Homes are often custom-built and showcase a mix of Victorian, Craftsman-style and colonial-inspired architecture. Houses range from early 19th-century estates to new construction projects completed in the 2020s. Monkton's median single-family home price hovers around $650,000, and listings spend an average of 21 days on the market before being sold, which is less than half the national average of 48 days.
Community parks and forests throughout Monkton
Monkton sits in a valley between two mountain ridges, a location that lends itself to natural beauty and outdoor recreation. Hiking and mountain biking are two of the most popular activities in this area, and nearby trails can be found in both the Raven Ridge Natural Area and Little Hogback Community Forest. Local parks include the Monkton Recreation Field and Monkton Community Dog Park next to Monkton Pond. “Monkton Pond was formerly called Cedar Lake, but no locals call it that anymore. It’s a beautiful place to ice skate, fish and go birdwatching,” Roberts says. Other nearby outdoor destinations include the Mount Philo State Park, Carse Wetlands and LaPlatte Headwaters Town Forest. “One of the biggest things that has happened in Monkton recently is that we were able to buy and preserve Monkton Town Forest,” Roberts says. “The forest covers 450 acres of habitats and recreational land, and so many people here did a tremendous amount of work to get it officially preserved.” The forest originally belonged to a timber management company before the town bought it to prevent deforestation.
Fresh produce at local farms and convenience to neighboring towns
Although there aren’t many commercial businesses within Monkton, the town is home to multiple farms and community agricultural spots. “We’re known as an amazing place for farming, so you see a lot of community share farms and berry farms around here,” Roberts says. “Literally, just in our tiny town, you can get eggs, meat, vegetables, fruit – everything you might need when it’s in season. We’re also an epicenter for apple orchards, and each September we do lots of cider donut tastings and things like that.” Local farms and orchards in Monkton include Last Resort Farm, Full Belly Farm, Yates Family Orchard and Stine Orchard. “If you’re going to get groceries, need to go to the post office or want to grab a cup of coffee, you would go south to Bristol or north to Hinesburg, and those are both only 10 minutes away by car,” Roberts says. For a larger selection of big-box stores and national retailers, residents can head to either Burlington or Middlebury; both cities are approximately 20 miles from Monkton in opposite directions.
Zoning for the Mount Abraham Unified School District
Monkton is zoned for the Mount Abraham Unified School District, which enrolls students from across the greater Five Towns area and receives an overall C rating from Niche. Prekindergarten through sixth-grade students can attend the B-rated Monkton Central School. Mount Abraham Union Middle/High School is rated C-plus and serves grades seven through 12. “The Mount Abraham Middle and High School is located down in Bristol, about ten minutes away from Monkton – locals call the school Mount Abe,” Roberts says.
Community festivities center around schools and the arts
In Monkton, the Monkton Community Coffeehouse is a nonprofit organization that has put together community events like the Monkton Garlic Festival and Chili Cook-off. The annual Strawberry Festival is hosted in late June at Monkton’s Russel Memorial Library. Outside town, events and celebrations occur year-round across the Five Towns region. “The Fourth of July Parade through the town of Bristol is a huge thing. You get to see things like horse-drawn carriages during the parade. It’s very Americana,” Roberts says. “The arts are also a huge part of our community. We just wrapped up the Fine Arts Festival, which all the schools across the Five Towns participate in. I would say a lot of local events also revolve around our schools.”
Getting around the Five Towns area
Despite its rural topography and small-town layout, Monkton residents still enjoy proximity to nearby highways and transit options. “As far as location, Monkton is a very easy commute to Burlington and Middlebury. We are almost exactly 30 minutes away from both; we’re right in the middle. Both cities have prominent colleges, hospitals, restaurants and arts scenes,” Roberts says. Residents are less than 10 miles away from access to U.S. Route 7, also known as the Ethan-Allan Highway, which travels north-south and connects to Burlington and Middlebury. Also 10 miles away in the town of Vergennes is a historic train station that still operates Amtrak’s Vermonter line. “My family and I always take the Amtrak down to New York City; it’s an easy trip,” Roberts says. The nearest bus services are accessible at the New Haven Junction Station in the town of New Haven, approximately 11 miles south.
