Vermont’s 37 Pay Phones Outlive Cell Towers, Offer Free Calls to Moose

Vermont’s 37 surviving pay phones now provide free calls, ironically thriving where cell signals evaporate; queries for 'Why are pay phones still used in Vermont?' and 'How to find pay phones near me' have surged. In rural towns like Granville and Eden, these relics outnumber cell towers, leaving some residents to dial up local moose updates. One operator notes, “People still want a real receiver and the chance to hear static.”
Granville’s moose hotline, delivered via a 1997 Bell Atlantic pay phone, draws curious tourists and 'What is the history of pay phones in America?' searchers. Locals claim the phones survive snowstorms that topple modern cell towers—an irony not lost on 'How do rural areas get phone service?' queries. Picture a maple syrup farmer, snow in beard, dialing the weather on rotary—progress, Vermont-style.
A 2024 state audit found that Vermont’s 37 pay phones fielded more calls last year than every rural cell tower combined, with one phone logging 11 emergency moose sightings in March.