Middlebury

Town and seat of Addison County, in west-central Vermont; population (1990, including Middlebury village) 8,000. The town is situated on the Middlebury River and Otter Creek, 52 km/32 mi south of Burlington.

Middlebury, which is situated in an agricultural and resort area, lies partly within Green Mountain National Forest. It was once a centre for marble quarrying and milling. Contemporary economic activities include growing fruit, raising poultry and cattle, and the manufacture of wood products, plastics, and business forms. The town is most famous as the site of Middlebury College, a liberal arts institution founded in 1800. The college's Bread Loaf School of English - a summer programme of literature and theatre - is held in the nearby town of Ripton, taking its name from Bread Loaf Mountain there (1,166 m/3,823 ft).