Essex Vermont is located just east of Burlington, minutes away from the University of Vermont and the Burlington International Airport. By population, Essex is the largest town in Vermont, and the second-largest municipality (after Burlington).

The village of Essex Junction is located in the southwestern part of the town. In November 2006 a vote merged the town and village temporarily. The merger was overthrown by a re-vote in January 2007. Had the merger not been overthrown, the result would have been a new Town of Essex Junction, replacing the current Town of Essex and Village of Essex Junction.

Notable residents of Essex Vermont include William B. Castle, former mayor of Cleveland, Ohio (1855-1856), and Jon Fishman, drummer for the band Phish. Essex is home to IBM, one of the world's largest producers of semiconductor technology.