Some two hundred fifty years ago, Williston served as a rich hunting ground for the Abenakis who resided along its waterways. Colonel Thomas Chittenden, Vermont's first governor, for whom the county is named, settled Williston in 1764 following his expedition up the Winooski River. Williston was an agricultural town through the 1800's, and numerous dairy farms dotted the landscape well into the mid-1900's. Considerable controversy arose during the 1970's as rural land near the village, just off Interstate 89, became a proposed site for a large shopping mall. Years of legal wrangling squashed the plan, but eventually a scaled-back version of the mall and a series of chain 'box stores' sprang up in the 1990's in the area known as Taft Corners. It has since become the busiest retail district in the State. To manage additional infrastructure maintenance Williston is the only municipality in northern Vermont with a local (1%) sales tax. With its appealing proximity to Route 89, Burlington, and the countryside, stylish new residential neighborhoods have sprung up aound the periphery of the older village.

Williston residents have a wide variety of public recreational facilities. Williston Community Park, located at Williston Central School, has baseball and soccer fields, basketball and tennis courts, bicycle trails, and ice skating. The Catamount Family Center hosts hiking, biking, cross country skiing, and skating. A favorite area for nature enthusiasts is Lake Iroquois. Golfers can tee up at the Williston Country Club and the Williston Driving Range.