Vermont (Blackout)

Vermont, officially the State of Vermont, is an American survivor nation located in New England. It borders the Pine Nation to the east, Cornwall and the Hudson Republic to the west, the Cape Counties and the Confederation of Towns to the south.

With a population of 1.73 million people, it is one of the most populous nations in the former United States.

History
Following the effects of the blackout, the state government of Vermont lost communications with the majority of the state, but with the help of the Vermont National Guard stationed in Colchester, the state quickly expanded. During this time, the primary method of communication would be reduced to walking, but the small size of the state made communications between the major towns take less than a day.

Most of the livestock in Vermont was killed for food, but other agriculture, such as wheat, apples, and sweet corn became the primary food for consumption, and satisfied the needs of the state for a while.

Seven members of the State Legislature were killed or died after the Blackout, and mayoral, legislative, and gubernatorial elections were cancelled for 2024 and 2026. By 2025, Vermont soon had control over the entire state, and had met no resistance outside of a military regiment that had crossed the border from Lebanon, New Hampshire.

In 2027, the Governor officially commissioned the Vermont Radio Network, the most ambitious communications plan in the United States. Technicians at Vermont's Radio Technology Service soon established a new method to create a shortwave radio network and enabled basic communications between the Vermont cities of Burlington and Montpelier.

In 2028, southern New Hampshire was annexed after Vermont successfully intervened in a political civil war occuring in the New Hampshire government.