We're Moving To A New Site
We are in the process of building a new site which will be located at www.highgatevt.org. The site is currently offline but be sure to check back periodically. In the meantime please continue to browse this site and check out our facebook page for updates. Also, you can download the most recent town report and out town plan from the following links:
| Town Report 2012 |
| Town Plan |
Staff Contact Info
Town Administrator - Heidi Britch-Valenta
email: hbvalenta@comcast.net
phone: (802) 868-4697 x 203
Town Clerk - Wendi Dusablon
email: hgtownclerk@gmail.com
phone: (802) 868-4697 x 201
Town Treasurer - Tom Racine
email: tracine.town@comcast.net
phone: (802) 868-4697 x 204
Lister - Shirley Fecteau
email: sfecteau1@comcast.net
phone: (802) 868-4697 x 205
Lister - Pete St. Germain
phone: (802) 868-4697 x 205
email: hbvalenta@comcast.net
phone: (802) 868-4697 x 203
Town Clerk - Wendi Dusablon
email: hgtownclerk@gmail.com
phone: (802) 868-4697 x 201
Town Treasurer - Tom Racine
email: tracine.town@comcast.net
phone: (802) 868-4697 x 204
Lister - Shirley Fecteau
email: sfecteau1@comcast.net
phone: (802) 868-4697 x 205
Lister - Pete St. Germain
phone: (802) 868-4697 x 205
HIGHGATE IS THE DAIRY FARMING CAPITAL OF VERMONT
The Town of Highgate is located in northwestern Vermont along the southern border of Quebec, Canada on the shores of Lake Champlain and the Missisquoi River. It is home to over 3,700 people and more than 30 large dairy farms with an undetermined number of cows. Dairy farming, as the major industry in Highgate, drives the agribusiness economy. A large chicken/egg farm, beef cattle ranches, and numerous greenhouse operations also contribute to the agrarian lifestyle. Other significant features in town are the Franklin County Airport, the Highgate Falls Hydroelectric Dam, the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, the Missisquoi Valley Union High School, the Highgate Elementary School, the Highgate Town Library, and the Highgate Sports Center (which offers ice hockey, figure skating, baseball, and other fun activities). The Northern Forest Canoe Trail on the Missisquoi River and the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail pass through town and enhance the diverse recreational opportunities available for everyone. Fresh air, blue skies, friendly people, and pastoral scenery are plentiful! The farms, wild areas, and waterways are a photographer's delight.
Four distinct geographic areas form the Town of Highgate - Highgate Center, Highgate Falls, Highgate Springs, and East Highgate. Each area contributes its own unique character to the town as a whole.
HIGHGATE CENTER: Highgate Center is the institutional and commercial core of town. The municipal offices (802-868-4697), elementary school, Town Park, library, and sports center are located here as well as the town's fire department and highway department. The largest number of commercial retail operations are clustered in Highgate Center. It is also home to the U.S. Post Office, the Highgate Historical Society Museum, a Methodist church, a Catholic church, and several cemeteries. Most of the town's large dairy farms are located north of here extending up to the Canadian border. Highgate Center is the most densely populated area of Town. Vermont Routes 78 & 207 intersect here. Traveling west on Route 78, it is approximately 3 miles from this intersection to Exit 21 on Interstate 89 in Swanton. The Town contracts with the Franklin County Sheriff's Department (802-524-2121) for police coverage. The U.S. Border Patrol also has a significant presence in the town.
HIGHGATE FALLS: Highgate Falls is home to a large hydroelectric dam on the Missisquoi River. The dam, which is owned by Swanton Village Electric Company, provides some of the cheapest electric rates in Vermont. A historic steel bridge on the old Route 207 spans the river immediately below the dam. The village area of Highgate Falls consists of an attractive grouping of historic homes and a historic Episcopal church surrounding a long, narrow common. The most noteworthy historic home is the Highgate Manor, a beautiful, Second Empire stlyle house, which has been operated as a bed & breakfast inn and bar for many decades. In the Civil War years, it served as a safe house in the Underground Railroad. Al Capone is reputed to have been a patron at the manor during the era of prohibition and bootlegging. During the Big Band Era, Benny Goodman often played here in the elegant ballroom. Some folks believe it is haunted by the ghosts of the Baxter children who once lived under its roof in the late 1800's. To see a video on the mysterious Highgate Manor, CLICK ON:
http://www.vermonter.com/haunted-vt-%20inns-Highgate-manor.aspweeblylink_new_window
HIGHGATE SPRINGS: Highgate Springs is located in the western part of town on the shores of Lake Champlain. Its therapeutic springs once attracted visitors from afar. Today, visitors recreate at the popular lakefront Tyler Place Resort and at lake accessible vacation homes. The town maintains a boat launch on Lake Champlain off the northern end of Shipyard Road. The Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge is located nearby at the mouth of the Missisquoi River. The last gas station and U.S. Post Office before the U.S./Canadian border crossing station on Interstate 89 are located here on the old U.S. Route 7.
EAST HIGHGATE: East Highgate has a small collection of older homes aligning Vermont Route 78 where it makes a right angled bend going uphill toward the Town of Sheldon. An axe factory was operated here in the late 1800's and early 1900's between Route 78 and the Missisquoi River. The remains of the factory's foundation and sections of the hydro dam that once powered it are still present on the shore and in the river. A historic steel bridge that crosses the river here connects Machia Road to Route 78 at its bend. It replaced a wooden covered bridge that was washed away in the 1927 flood. A historic, one-room schoolhouse adds to the pleasant ambience of the traditional looking neighborhood. Likewise, a dairy farm graces the landscape directly across the river from the old axe factory site.
The Town of Highgate is a very special place in which to work, live, and recreate. We hope you visit soon!
The Town of Highgate Selectboard
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Click on the link below to access a detailed property tax map & zoning map of Highgate: http://www.caigisonline.com/HighgateVT/
Click on the HELP button in the map's toolbar for instructions on using its features.
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Click on the HELP button in the map's toolbar for instructions on using its features.
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TOWN OFFICE HOURS
The Highgate Town Office Building at 2996 VT Route 78 is open for town business from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday - closed on holidays. The listers office is open only on Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to noon or by appointment (868-4697, x-205).
The Selectboard meets at 7 p.m. on the first & third Thursdays of the month. The Zoning Board of Adjustment meets at 6 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month as needed. The Planning Commission meets at 6 p.m. on the first Monday of the month. Meetings that fall on a holiday usually meet one week later. All three boards meet in the Community Room at the rear of the Town Office Building. Other committees and groups meet in the Community Room as posted.
The Community Room is accessible through the center rear door and parking is available at the rear of the building for all board meetings. Selectboard meetings are recorded by Cable TV Channel 15.
The Selectboard meets at 7 p.m. on the first & third Thursdays of the month. The Zoning Board of Adjustment meets at 6 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month as needed. The Planning Commission meets at 6 p.m. on the first Monday of the month. Meetings that fall on a holiday usually meet one week later. All three boards meet in the Community Room at the rear of the Town Office Building. Other committees and groups meet in the Community Room as posted.
The Community Room is accessible through the center rear door and parking is available at the rear of the building for all board meetings. Selectboard meetings are recorded by Cable TV Channel 15.
TOWN OF HIGHGATE, P.O. BOX 189, HIGHGATE CENTER, VT 05459
Telephone: (802) 868-4697
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Telephone: (802) 868-4697
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