Burlington is the largest city in Vermont and is the state's business, industrial, educational, financial, and cultural center. Situated on the eastern shore of beautiful Lake Champlain near the Green Mountains, Burlington is a port city offering spectacular scenery and year-round recreational opportunities. In the Greater Burlington area, the old lives in harmony with the new as farms that have been in the same family for centuries coexist with industries engaged in space-age technology. The region's population is thriving while the high-level labor force leads to the prosperity of the overall business climate. Burlington's successes have frequently been cited: in 1999, by the Arts & Entertainment Network (A&E) that proclaimed it as "No. 1 of Top 10 Cities to Have it All," along with the 2004 presentation of "Outstanding Achievement Award" by the U.S. Conference of Mayors as part of its annual "City Livability Awards."