Timeline of Burlington, Vermont

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Burlington, Vermont, USA

Prior to 19th century

 * 1763 - Town charter granted by the British Province of New Hampshire.
 * 1774 - Settlement established.
 * 1791
 * March 4: Town becomes part of the State of Vermont.
 * November 3: University of Vermont founded.
 * Burlington becomes shire town of Chittenden County.
 * 1797 - Burlington Mercury newspaper begins publication.

19th century

 * 1801 - Vermont Sentinel newspaper begins publication.
 * 1802 - Court house built.
 * 1804 - Grasse Mount built, now a campus building of the University of Vermont
 * 1810 - Population: 1,690.
 * 1813 - August 2: Town besieged by British forces.
 * 1815 - September: University of Vermont begins operating again.
 * 1816 - Unitarian Church built.
 * 1823 - Methodist Episcopal Church established.
 * 1825 - LaFayette visits town.
 * 1826 - Champlain Transportation Company founded.
 * 1827
 * Free Press Weekly begins publication.
 * Champlain Glass Company established.
 * 1829
 * Lyman block built.
 * Burlington High School and Burlington Fire Company incorporated.
 * 1830 - Episcopal Society of Burlington founded.
 * 1834 - Baptist church established.
 * 1842 - Burlington Mechanics' Institute founded.
 * 1845 - Winooski Mill Company established.
 * 1847
 * E. & E. Lyman in business.
 * Commercial Bank of Burlington and Burlington Savings Bank chartered.
 * 1848 - Central Vermont Railway began operating (until 1995).
 * 1849
 * Rutland & Burlington Railroad built.
 * 1852 - Burlington Lyceum founded.
 * 1853 - Medical College established as part of the University of Vermont.
 * 1854
 * Town Hall built.
 * Vermont Episcopal Institute incorporated.
 * 1856 - Van Sicklen & Walker grocers in business.
 * 1857
 * Custom House built.
 * Burlington Breakwater Lights established.
 * 1858
 * Marine Hospital built.
 * Burlington Times newspaper begins publication.
 * 1862 - University of Vermont library building constructed.
 * 1865
 * Burlington chartered as a city; town of South Burlington established.
 * Albert Catlin becomes mayor.
 * Vermont Agricultural College incorporated with the University of Vermont.
 * Home for Destitute Children founded.
 * 1866 - St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum incorporated.
 * 1867
 * J.M. Henry & Sons in business.
 * Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception built.
 * 1869 - First Methodist Church of Burlington built.
 * 1870
 * City market building constructed.
 * E.S. Fullam & Co. in business.
 * Population: 14,387.
 * 1872
 * Winooski & Burlington Horse Railroad incorporated.
 * Wells, Richardson & Co. in business.
 * 1873
 * Fletcher Free Library established.
 * County courthouse built.
 * 1874 - Park House (hotel) in business.
 * 1877 - Howard Opera House built (approximate date).
 * 1878 - Burlington Commercial School established.
 * 1879 - Mary Fletcher Hospital founded.
 * 1880 - Population: 11,365.
 * 1884 - Burlington Venetian Blind Company incorporated.
 * 1885
 * Old Ohavi Zedek Synagogue built.
 * Urban A. Woodbury becomes mayor.
 * 1886 - Daniel Webster Robinson House built.
 * 1887 - Cathedral of Saint Joseph completed.
 * 1888 - Burlington Cotton Mills incorporated.
 * 1889
 * St. Mary's academy founded.
 * Baldwin Refrigerator Company established (approximate date).
 * 1890 - Population: 14,590.
 * 1894
 * Queen City Cotton Co. incorporated.
 * William J. Van Patten becomes mayor.
 * Burlington Daily News begins publication.
 * Fort Ethan Allen established.
 * 1897
 * Burlington Masonic Temple built.
 * Battery Park established.
 * 1900 - Population: 18,640.

20th century

 * 1902 - Fletcher Free Library re-located.
 * 1904 - Strong Theatre opens.
 * 1905
 * Burlington Electric Department created.
 * McIntosh and Crandall engineering company in business.
 * 1910 - Population: 20,468.
 * 1916 - Union Station operated until 1953.
 * 1920 - First aircraft lands at Burlington International Airport.
 * 1922
 * State Tree Nursery relocates from Burlington to Essex.
 * Champlain Valley Fair begins in nearby Essex.
 * 1925 - Trinity College founded.
 * 1926 - Ira Allen Chapel dedicated.
 * 1930 - Flynn Theatre built.
 * 1948 - U.S. Coast Guard Station Burlington established on Juniper Island.
 * 1953 - Ethan Allen Air Force Base activated.
 * 1964 - Burlington High School moves to current location; as part of a major realignment of the city's schools, Edmunds Elementary opens on the former campus replacing Adams (sold off and repurposed as office space) and Converse (demolished in urban renewal) schools.
 * 1967
 * City Council expands to 13 aldermen.
 * Population: 35,531.
 * 1969 - Howard Center headquartered in city.
 * 1972 - Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception destroyed by arson.
 * 1973 - Burlington International Airport new terminal opens.
 * 1977 - Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception re-built (closed 2018)
 * 1978 - Ben & Jerry's in business.
 * 1981
 * Church Street Marketplace constructed.
 * Bernie Sanders becomes mayor.
 * 1983 - City government Community and Economic Development Office established.
 * 1989
 * Outright Vermont founded.
 * Peter Clavelle becomes mayor.
 * 1990
 * Burlington City Arts established.
 * Cara Wick designs the flag of Burlington as a school project.
 * 1993
 * City Council expands to 14 councilors.
 * Population: 39,127.
 * 1998 - City website online.
 * 2000 - "Legacy Plan" for development created.

21st century

 * 2003 - Howard Dean presidential campaign, 2004 headquartered in Burlington.
 * 2006 - Bob Kiss becomes mayor.
 * 2009 - Vermont Daily News begins publication.
 * 2010
 * Population: 42,417
 * The city-owned Burlington Telecom cable provider is unable to pay the city of Burlington the $17 million it owes. As a result, Moody's downrates the debt for the city to A2, "upper medium". Moody's also downrates the credit rating for Burlington International Airport.
 * 2012 - Miro Weinberger becomes mayor.
 * 2014 - with the purchase of the Winooski 1 hydroelectric project on the Winooski River electricity comes from 100 percent renewable sources
 * 2015 - Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, 2016 headquartered in Burlington.
 * 2017 - Owen and Lucas Marchessault win a competition to redesign the former flag of Burlington. Their winning design is the current flag of the city.