Chittenden County, Vermont

Chittenden County, Vermont
Chittenden County Superior Court in Burlington
Location in the U.S. state of Vermont
Vermont's location in the U.S.
Founded	October 22, 1787
Shire Town	Burlington
Largest city	Burlington
Area
• Total	619 sq mi (1,603 km2)
• Land	537 sq mi (1,391 km2)
• Water	83 sq mi (215 km2), 13%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	161,382
• Density	298.4/sq mi (115/km²)
Congressional district	At-large
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Chittenden County /ˈtʃɪtəndən/ is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2010 census, the population was 156,545. The county's population estimate for 2015 was 161,382. Its shire town (seat) is Vermont's most populous municipality, the city of Burlington. The county has over a quarter of the state's population and more than twice the population when compared to Vermont's second most populous county of Rutland. The county also has more than twice the population density when compared to Vermont's second most dense county of Washington. The county is named for Vermont's first governor and one of the framers of its Constitution as a Republic and state, Thomas Chittenden.

The county has most of Vermont's fastest growing municipalities. It is one of the three counties that comprise the Burlington metropolitan area, along with the counties of Franklin and Grand Isle to the north and northwest, respectively. The University of Vermont (UVM), Vermont's largest university, is located in the county, as well as its affiliated hospital, the UVM Medical Center (which is Vermont's largest hospital). Vermont's largest private employer (GlobalFoundries) and largest airport (Burlington International Airport) are in the localities of Essex Junction and South Burlington, respectively. The Vermont National Guard is based at Camp Johnson in the town of Colchester while their Air Guard is based at the Burlington International Airport.