Vernon is a town in
Windham CountyWindham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2000, the population was 44,216. Its shire town is Newfane.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
VermontThe State of Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area. It has a population of 621,270, making it the second least-populated state...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,141 at the 2000 census. Vernon is the home of
Vermont YankeeVermont Yankee is a General Electric boiling water reactor type nuclear power plant currently owned by Entergy. It is located in the town of Vernon, Vermont and generates 620 megawatts of electricity. The plant began commercial operations in 1972...
, Vermont's only
nuclear power plantA nuclear reactor is a device in which nuclear chain reactions are initiated, controlled, and sustained at a steady rate.The most significant use of nuclear reactors is as an energy source for the generation of electrical power and for the power in some ships...
.
According to the
United States Census BureauThe 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. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the town has a total area of 20.0 square miles (51.8 km
2), of which, 19.4 square miles (50.2 km
2) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km
2) of it (3.15%) is water.
As of the
censusA "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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 2,141 people, 741 households, and 574 families residing in the town.
Vernon is a town in
Windham CountyWindham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2000, the population was 44,216. Its shire town is Newfane.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
VermontThe State of Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area. It has a population of 621,270, making it the second least-populated state...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,141 at the 2000 census. Vernon is the home of
Vermont YankeeVermont Yankee is a General Electric boiling water reactor type nuclear power plant currently owned by Entergy. It is located in the town of Vernon, Vermont and generates 620 megawatts of electricity. The plant began commercial operations in 1972...
, Vermont's only
nuclear power plantA nuclear reactor is a device in which nuclear chain reactions are initiated, controlled, and sustained at a steady rate.The most significant use of nuclear reactors is as an energy source for the generation of electrical power and for the power in some ships...
.
Geography
According to the
United States Census BureauThe 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. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the town has a total area of 20.0 square miles (51.8 km
2), of which, 19.4 square miles (50.2 km
2) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km
2) of it (3.15%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 2,141 people, 741 households, and 574 families residing in the town. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 110.5 people per square mile (42.7/km
2). There were 784 housing units at an average density of 40.5/sq mi (15.6/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.60% White, 0.28% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population.
There were 741 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $49,688, and the median income for a family was $55,625. Males had a median income of $35,845 versus $25,139 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the town was $19,720. About 2.5% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.
Vermont Yankee
The town's website states the local government's position with regard to Vermont Yankee:
Vernon has discussed seceding from Vermont to
New HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian province of...
or to
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
if Vermont legislators impose taxes on Vermont Yankee, or attempt to take away Vermont Yankee's operating permit, which is up for renewal in 2012. Vernon was once part of the town of
Hinsdale, New HampshireHinsdale is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,082 at the 2000 census. Hinsdale is home to part of Pisgah State Park in the northeast, and part of Wantastiquet Mountain State Forest in the northwest...
; accordingly, it has been claimed that this would be a return to a historical norm, rather than an unprecedented shift.
Notable residents
- Jonathan Hunt
Jonathan Hunt was a member of the United States House of Representatives. He was born in Vernon, Windham County, Vermont, and graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1807. Afterwards, Hunt studied law and was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Brattleboro, Vermont,...
, member of the United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
.
External links