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Quality of life attracts people to Williston, and maintaining that quality of life is important to the town’s inhabitants and officials. Located along I-89 and Routes 2 and 2A, the town is a short commute to Burlington, the airport, IBM, and health care. Once again a hub of business and industry, Williston has caught the attention of the entire state because of its recent rapid growth.

Because of this rapid growth, it has been assumed that Williston is converting to a suburb. According to the town’s Comprehensive Plan and town officials, this perspective is misleading; the total area designated for development comprises less than one-third of the town’s 20,000 acres.

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According to Michael Munson, town planner, Williston has been diligent in keeping the growth restrained. Unfortunately, people only see the region surrounding Tafts Corners, and they don't recognize that the Town has made concerted efforts to keep the central village intact as an historic area."

As a result, the central village looks very much as it did 20 years ago. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an Historic District, Williston Village has a large number of 19th Century buildings that give it the look of a quaint New England village, a characteristic that the town is intent on preserving.

Known from its inception as primarily an agricultural community, Williston later introduced manufacturing and industry into the area during the late 18th and 19th centuries. Many residents, including Thomas Chittenden, were influential in the development of Vermont. Although the first years of settlement were rife with controversy and hardships, the settlers exhibited indominatable Yankee spirit and persevered. At the onset of the Revolutionary War, many citizens moved to southern Vermont.

Very few documents reflecting the life of the period after the war are available to researchers. Most information concerning the years from 1789 to 1810 was recorded in the diaries of itinerant preachers found in the archives
of the Congregational Church headquarters in Connecticut. Nathan Perkins, one of these "missioners" described Governor Thomas Chittenden’s family as "a plain family," and the governor as shrewd and cunning, "skilled in human nature and in agriculture." Chittenden was elected Vermont’s first governor, and was referred to as a symbol of "exuberant republicanism." It is said that the scene on the Vermont State flag depicts a view from Chittenden’s window. Rev. Perkins also commented that "Williston is a fine township of land...soil fertile."

The economic status of the village has changed greatly over the years. According to the 1789 grand list, Thomas Chittenden was the wealthiest resident and his taxable assets included 10 oxen, 4 cows, 4 horses, 11 acres of improved land, and 40 pounds of wool. Diversified farming peaked in Williston between 1825 and 1850. During the second half of the 19th century, dairy farming increased. In 1876, Smith Wright built one of the first cold storage plants in the nation, freezing and storing poultry and other meats.

Other industries proliferated, including manufacturing, blacksmithing, clothing mill, tanneries, and a distillery.
Because of its location on the Winooski Turnpike, Williston contained several taverns which provided food, and lodging to weary travelers. Deacon David Talcott operated the first known tavern in his home on Oak Hill.
Thomas Chittenden also kept a tavern in his home, and was fined $180 "for selling Liquors by small measure without Licence" a few days before his death. Two others were operated by Isaac French, and Calvin Morse near Tafts Corner. Today, Tafts Corner is still recognized for its central location, with hotels and restaurants catering to the needs of tourists and business travelers.

Early settlers laid out many roads which were in disuse by the middle of the 20th century, but several are still main arteries for transportation. The first public thoroughfare was a trail made by the indigenous population that started at the Winooski River, went up French Hill, through the village, to Winooski Falls, and ending at Lake Champlain. Known as the Winooski Turnpike, the road was a stage route connecting Montpelier and Burlington.

Paved and taken over by the State in 1929, the Williston Turnpike was renamed U.S. Route 2. The rural identity of Williston is still intact. Several farms are still in operation, particularly in North Williston, and the area south of the
Interstate. Neighborhoods surrounding the historic village have slightly lower densities, separated and delineated by open and natural areas. The region south of the interstate is characterized by its more rural feel. Any residential development in that portion of town is strictly monitored to avoid impact on sensitive land and preserve the predominantly rural character it generates. Williston has taken several steps to preserve open space, and
natural scenic and habitat areas. The Town has money set aside in a conservation fund, which is used to buy property, or development rights to a parcel.

Williston school systems are excellently rated, with approximately 65% of its students going on to four year colleges. Two grammar schools serve the town, and high school students attend Champlain Valley High School in
Hinesburg.

As with most Chittenden County communities, recreational activities abound year round. Golf, fishing, hiking, organized youth sports, and cross country skiing predominate. Health and fitness centers are nearby. A network of pedestrian trails are being developed throughout the town that include paved transportation/recreation paths and unpaved primitive paths.

Upon completion, the transportation/recreation paths will connect important activity centers, including the Village, Taft Corners, schools, recreation facilities, IBM, and the northwestern sector of town. Ultimately, these paths will connect Williston with the transportation/recreation paths in Burlington and other adjacent towns. These paths will permit travel by foot, wheelchair, bicycle, ski, in-line skates, and in some locations, snowmobile.

The primitive paths will link natural areas, country parks, and outlying areas of Williston with paths or trails intended for travel by foot and ski. Some of the primitive paths will also accommodate mountain bike, horse, and
snowmobile.

Williston is a town with many facets and attributes. Each has a place in the town’s future, and, like those from the past, each contributes to the quality of life that has formed Williston into the town it is today.