Richford, VT

Richford is a Franklin County town on the Canada–United States border, with the Missisquoi River running through its main settlement. Chartered in 1780 and settled by Joseph Stanhope in 1795, it grew into a trading town after two railroad lines arrived in the 1800s. The old town center still carries that period through the Downtown Richford Historic District, the Missisquoi River Bridge, and the library beside Town Hall. The Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail begins here at its eastern end and follows the former railroad corridor through northern Vermont. The local shorthand is border town, river, old rail line, and a Main Street built around those layers.