Vermont may be becoming increasingly more active in many areas, but we still have plenty of towns where time seems to move at a slower pace. These smaller towns may be the perfect place to visit or live if you enjoy the simple things in life. While Vermont is known for picturesque countryside, friendly townsfolk and an active outdoor lifestyle, we love it when towns continue to embrace the slower things in life. After all, if you move too fast, you may miss the best parts! Here are 18 slow-paced towns in Vermont worth checking out.

1. Pomfret

One of the earliest ski tows in the United States was established at South Pomfret in 1934 and became known as Suicide Six. In 1979, then-cardinal Karol Wojtyla visited North Pomfret during the summer for a vacation. He later became Pope John Paul II and was canonized a saint.

2. Woodford

Woodford's town center lies at an elevation of 2,215 feet above sea level, the highest of any town in the state of Vermont.

3. Ripton

Jessica Ravitz of CNN referred to Ripton as "the kind of place where cell service fails more often than it works and the country store is really just that....Tibetan prayer flags wave outside a weather-worn home, and the fog lifts to reveal a white horse grazing in a field." We think that’s pretty accurate!

4. Peru

Originally known as Bromley, the town name was changed to Peru by the land grantees as a way of attracting land buyers to an area that had been described as 36 square miles of "trees and bears."

5. Pittsfield

This town in Rutland County is the site of the annual Pittsfield Snowshoe Race.

6. Plymouth

Calvin Coolidge was born and reared in Plymouth and is buried there as well. The Coolidge Homestead and the village of Plymouth Notch is a wonderful place to see and learn about the history of the 30th President of the United States.

7. Tinmouth

In 2007, the citizens of Tinmouth debates about switching from town meeting to the Australian ballot, where the ballot is secret and anonomous. Two separate votes were held, both close, but ending in the decision to make the switch. The first vote was 97–95 in favor of the switch, the second was 112–104.

8. Hancock

Hancock is home to the Middlebury College Snow Bowl, which has 17 trails and 3 lifts, offering access to more than 110 acres of terrain. In 2006, it became the first carbon-neutral ski area in the United States.

9. Waltham

Waltham, a town of 486 people, does not have its own school. The children of Waltham in grades K-6 are sent to Vergennes Elementary School, and the children in grades 7-12 are sent to Vergennes Union High School.

10. Grafton

The town was founded as Thomlinson, but renaming rights were auctioned in 1791 to the highest bidder, who reportedly offered "five dollars and a jug of rum" and changed the name to Grafton.

11. Peacham

The Peacham Library is a private library founded in 1810 as a resource for the debating team of the Caledonia County Grammar School. For the first century of its existence, the library possessed no fixed location and rotated from store to store around the town. The original library building was purchased in 1909, burned in 1959, destroying almost the entire collection, and rebuilt on the same location in 1960 and enlarged in 2001. The library now has over 9,200 volumes and over 500 registered patrons.

12. Roxbury

Just looking at the Roxbury Free Library, you know this town is charming.

13. Granville

How can you not live a relaxed life when you live in such close proximity to one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Vermont, Moss Glen Falls.

14. Walden

This community has no zip code of its own. Mail to Walden addresses is routed through the West Danville and East Hardwick post offices.

15. Brookline

Small town drama occurred in the 1800s when the round schoolhouse here was led by Dr. John Wilson, who was later unmasked as the infamous highwayman Captain Thunderbolt.

16. Westmore

Westmore is not only small, it is the least populated town in Orleans County. And stunning!

17. Athens

Athens was the stage for an episode of the TV show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," to build a new house for the Vitale family. The construction team built a new handicapped accessible house for the Vitale family who had two sons, the younger was diagnosed with multiple birth defects.

18. Sandgate

Sandgate is located in northwestern Bennington County and is entirely within the beautiful Taconic Mountains.

Take a break today and think about what makes Vermont special to you. Share this with people who would agree!