Green Mountains

The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range extends approximately 250 miles (400 km). The most notable mountains in the range include:
*Mount Mansfield, 4,393 feet (1,339 m), the highest point in Vermont
*Killington Peak, 4,241 feet (1,292 m)
*Mount Ellen, 4,084 feet
*Camel's Hump, 4,083 feet
*Mount Cleveland, 3,500 feet
*Mount Roosevelt, 3,580 feet
*Mount Wilson, 3,756 feet
*Glastenbury Mountain, 3,748 feet (1,142 m)
*Jay Peak, 3858 ft (1,176 m) Receives the most amount of snowfall on average in the eastern United Statescite book | author = Wheeler, Scott |title = The Man Who Helped Electrify the Jay Peak Ski Area | publisher = Northland Journal | month = February | year = 2008] [cite book | author = McLean, Dan |title = Investors purchase Jay Peak | publisher = Burlington Free Press | date = July 1, 2008]

The Green Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountains, a range that stretches from New England in the north to Georgia in the south. Fact|date=December 2007.The Green Mountains have five peaks over 4,000 feet. Three of these (Mount Mansfield, Camel's Hump, and Mount Abraham) support alpine vegetation. Three of them (all except Camel's Hump) have downhill ski resorts on their slopes. All of the major peaks are traversed by the Long Trail, a wilderness hiking trail that runs from the southern to northern borders of the state and joins the Appalachian Trail for roughly 1/3 of its length. Vermont has five peaks over 4,000 feet.

While it is of note that several of the peaks have alpine vegetation (as pointed out above), it should also be pointed out that the Green Mountains, especially the northern sections, support a dense boreal forest between roughly 3,000-3,500ft and treeline. This forest is particularly well established in the Green Mountains and throughout the winter months weathers harsh temperatures, snowfall and winds that would destroy other species. In other words, much of the "green" in Green Mountains is due to this boreal forest.

The Vermont Republic, also known less formally as the Green Mountain Republic, existed from 1777 to 1791, at which time Vermont became the 14th state.

Vermont not only takes its state nickname ("The Green Mountain State") from the mountains, it is named after them. The French "Verts Monts" is literally translated as "Green Mountains". This name was suggested in 1777 by Dr. Thomas Young, an American revolutionary and Boston Tea Party participant. The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, originally styled "the University of the Green Mountains," is referred to as UVM (after the Latin "Universitas Viridis Montis"). Vermont's postal code is VT as designated by the federal government.

Geology and physiography

The Green Mountains are a physiographic section of the larger New England province, which in turn is part of the larger Appalachian physiographic division.cite web |title=Physiographic divisions of the conterminous U. S. |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |url=http://water.usgs.gov/GIS/metadata/usgswrd/XML/physio.xml |accessdate=2007-12-06 ]

See also

*Green Mountain National Forest
*Vegetation of New England
*Green Mountain Boys - a paramilitary infantry led by Ethan Allen that took Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolution

References