St. Albans Town & City: A Closer Look

St. Albans is the commercial and population hub of Franklin County, a town and city sitting about 30 miles from the Canadian border, 30 minutes from Burlington International Airport, and right on Lake Champlain. This short video produced by the Town of St. Albans gives a feel for what that actually looks like day to day, from the historic downtown to the trails, parks, and neighborhoods around it.

City or Town - Which One Are You Actually Moving To?

"St. Albans" is often used as shorthand, but it's technically two separate municipalities, and the difference matters if you're house hunting.

St. Albans City is the compact, walkable core; the historic downtown, Taylor Park, most of the shops, restaurants, and civic buildings. It was incorporated separately from the town in 1902 and has its own city government. If you want to walk to dinner or the farmers market, this is where you're looking.

St. Albans Town completely surrounds the city and is its own municipality with its own town government. It's more rural and residential, larger lots, farmland, and direct access to Lake Champlain along St. Albans Bay, while still being a five-minute drive from downtown. Most of the area's lake access and open space falls within the town, not the city.

Both share the St. Albans name, the same school district, and the same sense of place, but they're separate governments, and separate tax rates. Worth knowing which one a listing is actually in before you fall in love with it.

Aerial view of Taylor Park in St Albans City
Man and Woman Swinging Toddler in Taylor Park
Aerial view of St. Albans Bay on Lake Champlain at dusk, with a marina, fall foliage-lined shoreline, and the Adirondack Mountains visible across the water under a dramatic cloudy sky.

Getting Around

St. Albans City and Town are easy to move between. Most points in the Town are a five to ten minute drive from downtown. I-89 runs right through the area, putting Burlington about 25 minutes south, and Route 7 connects north toward the Canadian border. St. Albans is also the northern terminus of Amtrak's Vermonter line, with the station right downtown, a rare small-town perk.

Curious what housing looks like in each? Visit our Housing page, or see how St. Albans compares to the county's other towns on our Places page.