Bennington County, Vermont
| Bennington County, Vermont | |
 Bennington County courthouse in Manchester
|
|
 Location in the state of Vermont |
|
 Vermont's location in the U.S. |
|
| Founded | 1779 |
|---|---|
| Shire Town | Bennington & Manchester |
| Largest town | Bennington |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
678 sq mi (1,756 km²) 677 sq mi (1,753 km²) 1 sq mi (3 km²), 0.21% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
37,125 55/sq mi (21.18/km²) |
| Website | www.rpc.bennington.vt.us |
Bennington County is a county in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 37,125. The shire towns (county seats) are Bennington (the Southshire) and Manchester (the Northshire). Its largest town is Bennington.
Contents |
History[edit]
Bennington is the oldest county in Vermont still in existence, created by the first general assembly on 17 March 1778.[1] Vermont was organized into two original counties, with Bennington in the west and Unity (a few days later renamed Cumberland) in the east.[2] On 16 February 1781 Rutland County was created from Bennington County.[3] On 13 April 1781 Bennington gained the gore east of the town of Bromley (now Peru) from Windham and Windsor Counties.[4]
From 26 June 1781 until 23 February 1782, Vermont attempted to annex part of New York east of the Hudson River (the so-called West Union); inhabitants in the area favored Vermont's township form of government, while Vermont hoped to gain bargaining power through expansion.[5] New York did not lose control of the area. For almost seven months Bennington County overlapped part of Albany County, New York.[6]
On 27 February 1787 Windham County gained the town of Stratton from Bennington County,[7] On 25 October 1805 Rutland County gained from the county when the town of Mount Tabor gained from the town of Peru.[8] The county gained from Rutland County when the town of Dorset gained a small area from the town of Mount Tabor on 17 November 1825.[9]
Geography[edit]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 678 square miles (1,756.0 km2), of which 676 square miles (1,750.8 km2) is land and 1 square mile (2.6 km2) (0.21%) is water.
Adjacent counties[edit]
- Rutland County, Vermont - north
- Windsor County, Vermont - northeast
- Windham County, Vermont - east
- Franklin County, Massachusetts - southeast
- Berkshire County, Massachusetts - south
- Rensselaer County, New York - southwest
- Washington County, New York - northwest
National protected areas[edit]
Demographics[edit]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 12,206 |
|
|
| 1800 | 14,617 | 19.8% | |
| 1810 | 15,893 | 8.7% | |
| 1820 | 16,125 | 1.5% | |
| 1830 | 17,468 | 8.3% | |
| 1840 | 16,872 | −3.4% | |
| 1850 | 18,589 | 10.2% | |
| 1860 | 19,436 | 4.6% | |
| 1870 | 21,325 | 9.7% | |
| 1880 | 21,950 | 2.9% | |
| 1890 | 20,448 | −6.8% | |
| 1900 | 21,705 | 6.1% | |
| 1910 | 21,378 | −1.5% | |
| 1920 | 21,577 | 0.9% | |
| 1930 | 21,655 | 0.4% | |
| 1940 | 22,286 | 2.9% | |
| 1950 | 24,115 | 8.2% | |
| 1960 | 25,088 | 4.0% | |
| 1970 | 29,282 | 16.7% | |
| 1980 | 33,345 | 13.9% | |
| 1990 | 35,845 | 7.5% | |
| 2000 | 36,994 | 3.2% | |
| 2010 | 37,125 | 0.4% | |
| [10][11][12] | |||
As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 36,994 people, 14,846 households, and 9,917 families residing in the county. The population density was 55 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 19,403 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.75% White, 0.42% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.5% were of Irish, 16.0% English, 10.5% French, 9.1% German, 9.0% American, 8.1% Italian and 6.3% French Canadian ancestry according to Census 2000. 96.4% spoke English, 1.2% Spanish and 1.2% French as their first language.
There were 14,846 households out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.10% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.20% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, the population was spread out with 23.70% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 25.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,926, and the median income for a family was $46,565. Males had a median income of $31,982 versus $23,632 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,193. About 7.00% of families and 10.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.40% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.
Politics[edit]
| Year | Democrat | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 65.5% 11,514 | 32.3% 5,687 |
| 2008 | 65.5% 12,524 | 32.1% 6,133 |
| 2004 | 58.1% 11,069 | 40.0% 7,616 |
| 2000 | 51.0% 9,021 | 41.2% 7,284 |
Cities, towns, and villages*[edit]
- Arlington
- Bennington, home to Bennington College and Southern Vermont College
- North Bennington (a village of Bennington)
- Old Bennington (a village of Bennington)
- Dorset
- Glastenbury
- Landgrove
- Manchester
- Manchester Village (a village of Manchester)
- Peru
- Pownal
- Readsboro
- Rupert
- Sandgate
- Searsburg
- Shaftsbury
- South Shaftsbury (an unincorporated community of Shaftsbury)
- Stamford
- Sunderland
- Winhall
- Bondville, a village in Winhall
- Woodford
* Villages are census divisions, but have no separate corporate existence from the towns they are in.
See also[edit]
- List of counties in Vermont
- List of towns in Vermont
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Bennington County, Vermont
References[edit]
- ^ Vermont History Timeline
- ^ Vt. State Papers, 12:43-44.
- ^ Vermont State Papers, 13:5-6.
- ^ Vt. State Papers, 13:19.
- ^ Vt. State Papers, 13:45-46; Newton, 83-87; Williamson, C., 101-102.
- ^ Vt. State Papers, 3, pt. 2: 67-68.
- ^ Vt. State Papers, 14:173-175.
- ^ McCarty, "Evolution," 134; Vt. Laws 1805, ch. 15/pp. 19-20.
- ^ McCarty, "Evolution," 140; Vt. Laws 1825, no 18/p. 25; Vt. Laws 1832, no. 25/p. 25.
- ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/vt190090.txt
- ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_QTPL&prodType=table
- ^ http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved 2011-06-11.
History[edit]
External links[edit]
- Bennington County Sheriff's Department
- National Register of Historic Places listing for Bennington Co., Vermont
 |
Washington County, New York | Rutland County | Windsor County | |
 |
Windham County | |||
|
||||
 |
||||
| Rensselaer County, New York | Berkshire County, Massachusetts | Franklin County, Massachusetts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
