Addison County, Vermont
Encyclopedia
Addison County is a county located in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

. In 2010, the population was 36,821. Its shire town is Middlebury
Middlebury (town), Vermont
Middlebury is a town in and the shire town of Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 8,496 at the 2010 census. Middlebury is home to both Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History.-History:...

.

Geography

The county of Addison is situated on the west line of Vermont state and nearly in the center north and south; between 43° 50′ and 44° 10′ north latitude.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the county has a total area of 808 square miles (2,092.7 km²), of which 770 square miles (1,994.3 km²) is land and 38 square miles (98.4 km²) (4.72%) is water. The primary stream of the county is Otter Creek, which runs through the county from the south to the north.

Adjacent counties

  • Chittenden County, Vermont
    Chittenden County, Vermont
    Chittenden County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 156,545. Its shire town is Burlington. Chittenden is the most populous county in the state, with more than twice as many residents as Vermont's second-most populous county, Rutland.Chittenden County...

     - north
  • Washington County, Vermont
    Washington County, Vermont
    Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 59,534; Vermont's third-most populous county after Chittenden County and Rutland County. Its shire town is Montpelier, the state capital. The center of population of Vermont is located in Washington...

     - northeast
  • Orange County, Vermont - east
  • Windsor County, Vermont - southeast
  • Rutland County, Vermont - south
  • Washington County, New York
    Washington County, New York
    Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216. It was named for the Revolutionary War general George Washington...

     - southwest
  • Essex County, New York
    Essex County, New York
    Essex County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,370. Its name is from the English county of Essex. Its county seat is Elizabethtown...

     - west

Highways

  • U.S. Route 7
    U.S. Route 7
    U.S. Route 7 is a north–south United States highway in western New England that runs for from Norwalk, Connecticut, to Highgate, Vermont. The highway's southern terminus is at Interstate 95 in Norwalk, Connecticut...

  • Vermont Route 12A
  • Vermont Route 17
    Vermont Route 17
    Vermont Route 17 is a long state highway in western Vermont, United States. The temporary western terminus is at the Lake Champlain shoreline in Addison just west of its junction with VT 125. The eastern terminus is at VT 100 in Waitsfield. VT 17 was initially much shorter than it is today,...

  • Vermont Route 22A
    Vermont Route 22A
    Vermont Route 22A is a state highway in western Vermont, United States. It is the northward continuation of New York State Route 22A. Its southern end is at the New York state line in Fair Haven and its northern end is in Ferrisburgh at U.S. Route 7...

  • Vermont Route 23
    Vermont Route 23
    Vermont Route 23 is a state highway in Addison County, Vermont, United States. It is maintained by the towns of Middlebury and Weybridge and runs north from VT 125 in Middlebury to VT 17 in Weybridge.-Route description:...

  • Vermont Route 30
    Vermont Route 30
    Vermont Route 30 is a north–south state highway in Vermont, United States. Considered one of Vermont's most scenic roadways, it runs from Brattleboro, Vermont in the south to Middlebury, Vermont in the north...

  • Vermont Route 53
    Vermont Route 53
    Vermont Route 53 is a state highway in central Vermont, United States. It is a town-maintained highway that extends from VT 73 in the Forest Dale section of Brandon north to U.S. Route 7 in Salisbury...

  • Vermont Route 73
    Vermont Route 73
    Vermont Route 73 is an east–west state highway in central Vermont, United States. It extends from VT 74 in Shoreham in the west to VT 100 in Rochester in the east. The route runs through parts of Addison, Rutland, and Windsor counties...

  • Vermont Route 74
  • Vermont Route 100
    Vermont Route 100
    Vermont Route 100 is a north–south state highway in Vermont, United States. Running through the center of the state, it travels nearly the entire length of Vermont and is long...

  • Vermont Route 116
    Vermont Route 116
    Vermont Route 116 is a state highway in Vermont. It travels north from U.S. Route 7 in Middlebury, where it almost immediately intersects Vermont Route 125, then runs concurrently with Vermont Route 17 through much of the town of Bristol...

  • Vermont Route 125
    Vermont Route 125
    Vermont Route 125 is a state highway in Addison County, Vermont, United States. It runs east from VT 17 in Addison, near Lake Champlain, to VT 100 in Hancock. It passes through the Green Mountain National Forest and over Middlebury Gap. This route was once VT 19.-Major intersections:...


History

Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...

 settled in the county before European arrived in 1609. Frenches in Cross Point
Crown Point, New York
Crown Point is a town in Essex County, New York, USA. The population was 2,119 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is a direct translation of the original French name, "Point au Chevalure."...

 extended their settlements across Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...

. A few individuals or families came up the lake from Canada and established themselves at Chimney Point
Chimney Point, Vermont
Chimney Point is an unincorporated community in the town of Addison in Addison County, Vermont, United States. It lies across Lake Champlain from Crown Point, New York. French settlers established the community of Hocquart near modern-day Chimney Point in 1730. This first settlement in Vermont...

 in 1730. In 1731, at Cross Point Fort Frederic
Fort St. Frédéric
Fort St. Frédéric was a French fort built on Lake Champlain at Crown Point to secure the region against British colonization and to allow the French to control the use of Lake Champlain....

 was erected. In the year 1759, General Amherst occupied Cross Point and British settler's settlers came in. The Battle of Bennington
Battle of Bennington
The Battle of Bennington was a battle of the American Revolutionary War that took place on August 16, 1777, in Walloomsac, New York, about from its namesake Bennington, Vermont...

 in Bennington, fought on August 16, 1777, brought a turning point for the American independence against British.

This county was established by act of the Legislature October 18, 1785. at the period of Vermont Republic
Vermont Republic
The term Vermont Republic has been used by later historians for the government of what became modern Vermont from 1777 to 1791. In July 1777 delegates from 28 towns met and declared independence from jurisdictions and land claims of British colonies in New Hampshire and New York. They also...

. In 1791, Vermont joined the federal union after the original thirteen colonies. The main product of the county was wheat. In addition to wheat, farmers began to raise flocks on the field for manuring around 1820s. The Champlain Canal
Champlain Canal
The Champlain Canal is a canal that connects the south end of Lake Champlain to the Hudson River in New York. It was simultaneously constructed with the Erie Canal and is now part of the New York State Canal System and the Lakes to Locks Passage....

 was opened on 1823, so the ships could navigate from the Hudson river
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...

.
In 1840, the county produced more wool than any other county in the United States.

When Vermont was admitted into the Union in 1791, in the major towns there were totally 9,267 people. In 1830, there were 26,503 people.

In 2008, the federal government declared the county a disaster area after severe storms and flooding June 14-17.

Demographics

At the 2000 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, there were 35,974 people, 13,068 households and 9,108 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 47 per square mile (18/km²). There were 15,312 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.86% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.54% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.26% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.73% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.03% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.29% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.29% from two or more races. 1.10% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race. 15.5% were of English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

, 12.7% American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, 12.0% French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

, 10.8% French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...

, 10.8% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 and 6.7% German ancestry according to Census 2000. 96.0% spoke English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, 1.8% French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 and 1.2% Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 as their first language.
There were 13,068 households of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were non-families. 23.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.02.

Age distribution was 24.90% under the age of 18, 12.50% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.40 males.

The median household income
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...

 was $43,142, and the median family income was $49,351. Males had a median income of $31,836 versus $24,416 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the county was $19,539. About 5.10% of families and 8.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.10% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over.

For historical populations since 1900, see Historical U.S. Census totals for Addison County, Vermont
Historical U.S. Census totals for Addison County, Vermont
This article shows U.S. Census totals for Addison County, Vermont, broken down by municipality, from 1900 to 2000.Like most areas of New England, Addison County is entirely divided into incorporated municipalities...


Politics

Presidential election results
Year Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

2008 68.6% 13,202 29.5% 5,667
2004 60.0% 11,147 38.1% 7,077
2000 51.3% 8,936 39.9% 6,953

Education

Addison County has the following high schools:
  • Vergennes Union High School
    Vergennes Union High School
    Vergennes Union High School is a high school/junior high school of about 700 students in Vergennes, Vermont, United States. The school serves the city of Vergennes, as well as the towns of Addison, Ferrisburgh, Panton, and Waltham...

     in Vergennes
    Vergennes, Vermont
    Vergennes is a city located in the northwest quadrant of Addison County, Vermont, in the United States. Bordered by the towns of Ferrisburgh, Panton and Waltham, as of the 2000 census the city population was 2,741. It is the smallest of Vermont's nine cities in terms of population...

  • Mt. Abe Union High School in Bristol
    Bristol, Vermont
    Bristol is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The town was founded June 26, 1762. The population was 3,788 at the 2000 census. Main Street is home to most of the businesses of the town...

  • Middlebury Union High School in Middlebury
  • Middlebury Union Middle School
    Middlebury Union Middle School
    The Middlebury Union Middle School is in Middlebury, Vermont. The school services the towns of Middlebury, Ripton, Weybridge, Shoreham, Bridport, Salisbury, and Cornwall. The school population is about 350 7th and 8th graders...

     in Middlebury

Addison County is also home to two institutions of higher learning
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

, Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...

 and the Community College of Vermont
Community College of Vermont
The Community College of Vermont is a two year college founded in 1970 with locations in 12 sites in the state of Vermont. The college is a part of the Vermont State Colleges, a consortium of Vermont's five public colleges governed by a common board of trustees, chancellor, and Council of...

, both located in Middlebury

Cities and towns

  • Addison
    Addison, Vermont
    Addison is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. It was founded October 14, 1761. The population was 1,393 at the 2000 census.-History:Addison was chartered on October 14, 1761...

  • Bridport
    Bridport, Vermont
    Bridport is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The town was founded October 9, 1761. The population was 1,235 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

  • Bristol
    Bristol, Vermont
    Bristol is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The town was founded June 26, 1762. The population was 3,788 at the 2000 census. Main Street is home to most of the businesses of the town...

  • Cornwall
    Cornwall, Vermont
    Cornwall is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. It was founded November 3, 1761. The population was 1,136 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

  • Ferrisburgh
    Ferrisburgh, Vermont
    Ferrisburgh is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. It was founded June 24, 1762. The population was 2,657 at the 2000 census. The northern part of the town is referred to as North Ferrisburgh, with both sometimes spelled Ferrisburg....

  • Goshen
    Goshen, Vermont
    Goshen is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 227 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 21.4 square miles , of which 21.3 square miles is land and 0.1 square mile is...

  • Granville
    Granville, Vermont
    Granville is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 303 at the 2000 census. The town was originally called Kingston but was renamed in 1834....

  • Hancock
    Hancock, Vermont
    Hancock is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for John Hancock. The population was 382 at the 2000 census. Hancock is home to the Middlebury College Snow Bowl and contains Middlebury Gap....

  • Leicester
    Leicester, Vermont
    Leicester is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 974 at the 2000 census.Satans Kingdom is an unincorporated community located in Leicester.-Geography:...

  • Lincoln
    Lincoln, Vermont
    Lincoln is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,214 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 44.0 square miles , of which 44.0 square miles is land and 0.04 square mile is...

  • Middlebury
    Middlebury (town), Vermont
    Middlebury is a town in and the shire town of Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 8,496 at the 2010 census. Middlebury is home to both Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History.-History:...

  • Monkton
    Monkton, Vermont
    Monkton is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,759 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Monkton is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.2 square miles , of which 36.0 square miles is land and...

  • New Haven
    New Haven, Vermont
    New Haven is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,666 at the 2000 census. New Haven contains the village of Belden as well as Brooksville, New Haven Junction and New Haven Mills.-Geography:...

  • Orwell
    Orwell, Vermont
    Orwell is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,185 at the 2000 census. Mount Independence was the largest fortification constructed by the American colonial forces...

  • Panton
    Panton, Vermont
    Panton is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 677 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.0 square miles , of which 15.5 square miles is land and 6.6 square miles is water...

  • Ripton
    Ripton, Vermont
    Ripton is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 556 at the 2000 census. The Bread Loaf Writer's Conference is held annually in Ripton. Jessica Ravitz of CNN said that the town "is the kind of place where cell service fails more often than it works and the country...

  • Salisbury
    Salisbury, Vermont
    Salisbury is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,090 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 30.1 square miles , of which 29.1 square miles is land and 1.0 square mile is water...

  • Shoreham
    Shoreham, Vermont
    Shoreham is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,222 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 46.3 square miles , of which 43.5 square miles is land and 2.8 square miles is...

  • Starksboro
    Starksboro, Vermont
    Starksboro is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,898 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 45.5 square miles , of which 45.5 square miles is land and 0.1 square mile is...

  • Vergennes
    Vergennes, Vermont
    Vergennes is a city located in the northwest quadrant of Addison County, Vermont, in the United States. Bordered by the towns of Ferrisburgh, Panton and Waltham, as of the 2000 census the city population was 2,741. It is the smallest of Vermont's nine cities in terms of population...

  • Waltham
    Waltham, Vermont
    Waltham is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 479 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.9 square miles , of which 8.7 square miles is land and 0.2 square mile is...

  • Weybridge
    Weybridge, Vermont
    Weybridge is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 824 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 17.6 square miles , of which 17.0 square miles is land and 0.6 square mile is...

  • Whiting
    Whiting, Vermont
    Whiting is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for John Whiting, a landholder. The population was 380 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...


See also


External links

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