Moving to Fair Haven: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Fair Haven means moving to a small, historic southwestern Vermont town with a real, defining, and genuinely still-active slate-industry identity.
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Learn moreVermont's real slate capital, in the historic Slate Valley
Fair Haven is widely regarded as the slate capital of the United States, part of a broader Slate Valley shared with the nearby Poultney, VT and Granville, NY slate belt -- slate was first discovered near Fair Haven in 1839 and commercially quarried from 1848 (base record).
A real, genuinely still-active quarrying industry today
Unlike a purely historical identity, Fair Haven's slate quarrying and milling industry remains real and current, employing an estimated 300 people in the area today, led by Vermont Structural Slate Co.'s Eureka operation directly in Fair Haven (base record).
A real, historic Welsh-immigrant heritage
The first Welsh immigrants, whose traditional slate-working skill powered the region's roofing-slate industry, arrived in Fair Haven in 1850 -- by the late 19th century, 21 separate slate companies operated in the town (base record).
Genuinely affordable housing
Fair Haven's home prices run genuinely affordable across every source this pass reviewed (cited between $172,000 and $254,000), well below both national and Vermont statewide comparison figures (base record).
Key takeaways
- Fair Haven is widely regarded as Vermont's slate capital, within the broader Poultney/Granville, NY slate belt.
- The slate quarrying/milling industry remains real and current, employing roughly 300 people in the area today.
- Fair Haven carries a real, historic Welsh-immigrant heritage tied to the region's slate industry.
- Housing runs genuinely affordable relative to national and Vermont statewide averages.
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