In 1870, the waterfront was extended by construction of the Pine Street Barge Canal. This became polluted over the years and is a focus for cleanup in 2009.
The ice cream enterprise Ben & Jerry's was founded here in 1978 in a renovated gas station.
Current U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders was the Socialist mayor of Burlington from 1981 to 1989.
In 2007, the city was named one of the top four "places to watch" in the United States by the AARP. Ratings were based on what was perceived as ideal for older residents. Criteria included what makes a community livable: new urbanism, smart growth, mixed-use development, and easy-living standards.
In 2010, the city-owned Burlington Telecom cable provider was unable to pay the city of Burlington $17 million it owed. As a result, Moody's down rated the debt for the city two notches to A2, "upper medium" from Aa3, "high quality." Moody's also down rated the credit rating for Burlington International Airport
