Rutland is located in
Rutland County on the banks of the Otter River and it is the county seat. The city is 67 miles south of
Burlington and 57 miles north of
Bennington on Highway 7.
Rutland was settled in 1770 and incorporated as a city in 1892. Its reputation as the "Marble City" is the result of immense quarrying and finishing industries, which began in the early 18th century. The Rutland and Burlington Railroad, completed in 1849, was the first line to connect Western Vermont and Boston.
Today an industrial center in the Otter Creek Valley, Rutland is protected by the Taconic Mountains to the west and three peaks of the Green Mountains to the east. It is the headquarters for the Green Mountain National Forest. Rutland is home to the College of Saint Joseph, the Vermont State Fair, and the Norman Rockwell Museum, featuring a chronicological display of Rockwell's work.
The population estimate for July 1, 1998 was 17,348, making it the second largest city in Vermont, after Burlington.
