Vermont is considered the most rural of the United States because a large percentage of its residents live in communities of less than 2,500. Strict environmental guidelines, including a billboard ban and a 1988 law requiring towns to join in regional planning, aim to protect the rustic beauty of this least populous state in the East. In winter, when snow blankets hillsides, skiers descend on more than 50 resorts. Vermont's employment base consists of production of electronic components and equipment, machine tools, specialty products, quarried and finished stone, and printing.
Manufacturing is a major employer, producing a range of goods from computer chips to teddy bears.
Agriculture is also a significant industry in Vermont. Dairying is the primary farm industry, producing more than two billion pounds of milk annually. Vermont is America's largest producer of maple syrup and also produces substantial crops of McIntosh apples, potatoes, eggs, honey, vegetables, Christmas trees, lumber and pulp wood, and greenhouse nursery products. Burlington, Vermont's largest city, is located on the shores of Lake Champlain. Summer temperatures reach 25 to 30 degrees Celsius.