Scenic sights, local businesses and outdoor fun in Westfield
Backdropped by Jay Peak and abundant with woodland that turns vivid shades in the autumn, Westfield is a rural community in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, near the Canadian border. With roots that date back to 1780, the population has stayed small, but the area sees a swell of tourism throughout the seasons as visitors come to take the scenic roads and ski at Jay Peak. Many will buy vacation homes in Westfield, but life is a quiet affair for those living here year-round. With a strong agricultural backbone, much of Westfield is dominated by farms providing food to the community and nearby areas. Westfield is also home to the Benedictine Monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, run by Benedictine nuns who often work with Saint Francis Xavier School and open guest houses to people of all faiths.
Hiking the nearby mountains and diverse recreation around Jay Peak
Westfield has no designated community parks; instead, the whole area can be used for outdoor recreation, from biking down scenic roads to snowmobiling in winter. At the southern portion of the community, Sugarloaf Mountain has a popular hiking trail that leads to an elevated peak, providing aerial views of the rural landscape below. A portion of the Jay State Forest sprawls into Westfield; at nearly 9,000 acres and home to Jay Peak, the area is popular for both controlled and backcountry skiing and hiking in the summer months. At the foothills, the Jay Peak Resort Golf Course is open to the public and offers daily rates for its 9- and 18-hole courses and tiered memberships with discounts for those living in Vermont.
A wide variety of architecture in the Vermont countryside
In Westfield, residential privacy and the quiet of a rural atmosphere are prominent, with farmhouses built in 1900 sharing the same winding road with custom-built chalets and quintessential ranch-style homes. Architecture and construction times vary here, so the price range is wide. Smaller homes built before or during the midcentury typically sell between $150,000 and $300,000, depending on how much acreage they sit on and the amount of remodeling they've undergone. Larger vintage homes with significant renovations or contemporary, custom properties near Jay Peak can sell anywhere between $350,000 and $650,000.
The locally operated farms, shops and restaurants around Westfield
Big-box stores and chain restaurants don't find a home in Westfield, as the community's businesses are primarily locally owned and operated, lined up along Route 100 among the swaths of green fields off the side of the road. Stores like Westfield's General Store and Home Town Hardware and Supply provide the essentials for errands. Several farms within the area are open to the public and have a stand or storefront for residents to buy produce and specialty goods. The Junction Restaurant, found at the split between Route 100 and 101, has served comfort food for years while Couture's Maple Shop sells Canadian-sourced syrup, candy and locally dried jerky.
North Country Supervisory Union manages local schools
The North Country Supervisory Union is a school district responsible for public education in Westfield and several surrounding rural communities. Any child living in Westfield can attend Jay Westfield Joint Elementary School, which receives an A-minus on Niche. The student population at Jay Westfield Joint Elementary stays extremely small, never surpassing more than 100 students, so classroom settings are very personalized. The school partners with the nearby Jay Community Recreation Centre to allow students an indoor area for play during Vermont winters. Students move on to North Country Union Junior High School, which gets a C-plus, before heading to C-minus-rated North Country Union High School.
Main roadways, getting to essentials and winter weather
Vermont Route 100 is the community's most traveled roadway, spanning nearly 150 miles north-south, while Route 58 is an east-west highway. Westfield's extremely rural nature means residents are largely car-dependent, but traffic is light. Residents in Westfield expect to be farther from essentials, with North Country Hospital being the closest medical clinic at 15 miles away. The hospital is equipped with a heliport for emergencies. Similarly, the closest airport with commercial flights is Burlington International Airport, found roughly 62 miles southeast.
Typical to the region, heavy snowfall in the winter months can be expected, and residents should consider taking precautions.
