Many individuals would likely think that the small county of Rutland probably has little in common with the region of New England bearing the same name.
However, Andrew Brown, who serves as the chairman of Rutland County Council, points out that there are several unexpected parallels between the area he represents politically and Rutland in Vermont.
Brown has lately come back from a
a self-financed trip to Rutland’s American counterpart
Where he encountered the local mayor, the head of law enforcement, and participated in a Loyalty Day parade amidst heavy rainfall.
He mentioned that he received an exceptionally warm reception from his North American colleagues, who organized a jam-packed schedule enabling him to explore as much of the area as possible.
He stated, “It was incredible. They treated us exceptionally kindly.”
They have Rutland County, Rutland Town, and Rutland City, which has approximately 16,000 residents within the city limits and around 61,000 in the entire county, making it somewhat thinly settled.
And they have a railroad that goes right through the main city—similar to Oakham.
Brown included a trip to Rutland in Vermont on his wishlist after becoming the chairman of Rutland County Council.
“Since I’m elected annually and currently serving my second term, I aimed to participate as this might be my last opportunity. Therefore, I sent an email; they responded, and we held several online meetings to organize my visit,” he explained.
‘Minibus with wings’
Rutland in Vermont is located approximately 100 miles (160.9 kilometers) south of the Canadian border and was likely named after John Manners, who was the third Duke of Rutland.
Moreover, it was extremely secluded, forcing Brown, who was accompanied by his wife and son, to take a connecting flight just to reach their final location.
We traveled to Boston from the UK and needed to catch a connecting flight to Rutland, which turned out to be aboard an extremely petite plane with just nine seats,” Brown explained. “It felt akin to a minivan with wings!
“And it turned out it was overweight with the number of people travelling on it, so my wife and son elected to get off and travel there by car.
I found myself alone on the plane to ensure I arrived punctually; they had a detailed schedule planned for me in Rutland.
The sound of the aircraft was very noisy, making conversation impossible. Additionally, due to being surrounded by clouds, visibility was zero. Interestingly, my spouse and child reached Rutland just about an hour after me.
An announcement was made to welcome Brown’s arrival in Vermont, and he participated in the Loyalty Day parade, which honored both current and former military members along with representatives from law enforcement and firefighting units, alongside marching bands.
As per Brown’s statement, ‘The law enforcement system over there operates quite distinctively,’ with divisions including the state police, township police, and sheriffs. This caused some confusion for me regarding their respective roles.’
He similarly shared a meal with the police chief and spoke before the board of aldermen during their gathering, presenting them with a Rutland flag.
Brown was additionally featured in TV interviews and even took part in his own stand-up act during an evening of music and festivities to conclude his trip.
He stated, “I believed the interview was meant for just a small group of people, but it ended up being broadcasted on state television. When I returned to my hotel room, someone at the bar asked me, ‘Aren’t you that person from Rutland in England whom I spotted on TV?'”
I had a fantastic time, partly because I was eager to connect with genuine Americans, and I achieved that—everyone I met was wonderful and very grounded.
Brown scheduled a meeting with Mike Doenges, the mayor of Rutland City in Vermont, who mentioned that he has an interest in visiting the UK version of Rutland someday.
He stated, “We were extremely thrilled to welcome Andrew and his family to our home in Rutland, Vermont!”
When Andrew initially reached out to us, I was both astonished and pleased that he wished to use his personal time off for a trip to the United States just so he could stop by and visit us in Rutland City.
It was truly delightful to spend time showcasing our community to Andrew and his family, and exploring the significant parallels and minor distinctions between our two places named ‘Rutland.’
I am eager to make the trip to Rutland County UK personally at some point in the future, to visit and see the place named after us.
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More on this story
- Chairman of the council to tour the county’s American namesake
- Is Rutland actually the tiniest county in England?
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