Bennington, Vermont

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Bennington, Vermont
—  Town  —
Bennington Battle Monument
Located in Bennington County, Vermont
Location of Vermont within the U.S.A.
Coordinates: 42°53′28″N 73°12′29″W / 42.89111°N 73.20806°W / 42.89111; -73.20806Coordinates: 42°53′28″N 73°12′29″W / 42.89111°N 73.20806°W / 42.89111; -73.20806
Country United States
State Vermont
County Bennington
Chartered 1749
Area
 - Total 42.5 sq mi (110.1 km2)
 - Land 42.5 sq mi (109.9 km2)
 - Water 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation 817 ft (249 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 15,737
 - Density 370.9/sq mi (143.2/km2)
 - Households 6,162
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 05201
Area code(s) 802
FIPS code 50-04825[1]
GNIS feature ID 1462039[2]

Bennington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester[3][4]. The population was 15,737 at the 2000 census. By population, Bennington is the largest town in southern Vermont, the third-largest town in Vermont (after Essex and Colchester), and the sixth-largest municipality in the state (after Burlington, Essex, Rutland, Colchester, and South Burlington). Bennington is home to the Bennington Battle Monument, which is the tallest structure in the state of Vermont.

Contents

[edit] History

Bennington in 1887

First of the New Hampshire grants, Bennington was chartered on January 3, 1749 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth and named in his honor. It was granted to William Williams and 61 others, mostly from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The town was first settled in 1761 by four families from Hardwick and two from Amherst, Massachusetts. [5] They were led by Capt. Samuel Robinson, who camped in the river valley on his return from the French and Indian War.

The town is known primarily for the Battle of Bennington, fought during the Revolutionary War (the battle was actually fought a few miles to the west in New York). On August 16, 1777, Gen. John Stark’s 1,500 New Hampshire Militia defeated 800 troops of German mercenaries, local Loyalists, Canadians and Indians under German Lt. Col. Friedrich Baum. German reinforcements under the command of Lt. Col. Heinrich von Breymann looked set to reverse the outcome, but were prevented by the arrival of Seth Warner’s Green Mountain Boys; the Vermont militia founded by Ethan Allen.

There are three historic districts within the town today: Old Bennington, Downtown Bennington and North Bennington. Of these, Old Bennington is the original settlement, dating back to 1761 when Congregational Separatists arrived from Connecticut and Massachusetts. In the early 1800’s, Downtown Bennington started developing, and by 1854 the county’s population had reached 18,589.

In 1891, the Bennington Battle Monument was opened. The monument is a 306-foot (93 m) high stone obelisk that is the tallest structure in Vermont. It is a popular tourist attraction.

Bennington has ready access to natural resources and waterpower, and a long history of manufacture, primarily within wood processing. The town is also recognized nationally for its pottery, iron, and textiles.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 42.5 square miles (110.0 km2), of which, 42.4 square miles (109.9 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2) of it (0.14%) is water. Bennington is drained by the Walloomsac River and its tributaries.

The town is crossed by US 7.svg U.S. Route 7, Vermont 7A.svg Vermont Route 7A, Vermont 9.svg Vermont Route 9, Vermont 67A.svg Vermont Route 67A and Vermont 279.svg Vermont Route 279.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 15,737 people, 6,162 households, and 3,863 families residing in the town. The population density was 370.9 people per square mile (143.2/km2). There were 6,574 housing units at an average density of 154.9/sq mi (59.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.96% White, 0.63% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.99% of the population.

The sign for historic Bennington, Vermont

There were 6,162 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $33,706, and the median income for a family was $40,615. Males had a median income of $30,712 versus $22,411 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,290. About 11.1% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.1% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

Bennington is home to a variety of municipal, parochial and private schools. Continuing education is supported by a diverse mix of colleges and career development centers. Bennington College is a progressive primary four-year liberal arts college ranked 104 in Tier 1 by U.S. News College Rankings. Southern Vermont College is a private, four-year, liberal arts college offering a career-directed curriculum.

[edit] Youth sports

  • Bennington is home to the 21 time defending State Wrestling Champions: the Mount Anthony Patriots. The Mount Anthony Patriots have won 21 consecutive Vermont State Wrestling Championships under the head coaching of Scott Legacy.[citation needed] This is the New National record.[citation needed]

[edit] Sites of interest

N. Y. C. R. R. station in 1913

[edit] Notable residents

First Congregational Church of Bennington, 1804
Henry House, 1769
Burt Henry Covered Bridge, 1835
Silk Covered Bridge, 1840

[edit] Health

The Blue Benn, a historic diner in Bennington
  • Bennington is home to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, a community hospital that serves southern Vermont and has satellite clinics in Manchester and Wilmington.
  • Bennington is served by two ambulance services, Southwestern Vermont Regional Ambulance and Bennington Rescue Squad.
  • A number of primary and specialty care providers practice in the Bennington area. Most are affiliated with the Southwestern Vermont Healthcare system.

[edit] Media

Bennington's local newspaper is Bennington Banner. News is also carried in the Troy Record and the Manchester Journal. Bennington is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy television market. The radio station WEQX is located in nearby Manchester, VT. The area is also served by WBTN-AM 1370. A local radio station that features the hits from yesterday and today, and local talk shows, including a morning show, a sports show, a law show, and music shows.

[edit] Sister city

[edit] See also

Vermont portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ Title 24, Part I, Chapter 1, §3, Vermont Statutes. Accessed 2007-11-01.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  5. ^ A. J. Coolidge & J. B. Mansfield, A History and Description of New England; Boston, Massachusetts 1859

[edit] External links

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Municipalities and communities of
Bennington County, Vermont
Shire towns: Bennington and Manchester
Towns
Villages
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Footnotes

‡ Disincorporated
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