Windham County, Vermont
| Windham County, Vermont | |
 Windham County courthouse in Newfane
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 Location in the state of Vermont |
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 Vermont's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1779 (as Cumberland County)[1][dubious ] (renamed 1781) |
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| Shire Town | Newfane |
| Largest town | Brattleboro |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
798 sq mi (2,067 km²) 789 sq mi (2,044 km²) 9 sq mi (23 km²), 1.18% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
44,513 56/sq mi (21.78/km²) |
Windham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 44,513. Its shire town is Newfane.[2]
Contents |
Geography [edit]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 798 square miles (2,067 km²) - 789 square miles (2,043 km²) is land and 9 square miles (24 km²) (1.18%) is water.
Adjacent counties [edit]
- Windsor County, Vermont - north
- Sullivan County, New Hampshire - northeast
- Cheshire County, New Hampshire - east
- Franklin County, Massachusetts - south
- Bennington County, Vermont - west
Reservoirs [edit]
National protected areas [edit]
History [edit]
Fort Bridgman, Vernon, was burned in 1755, a casualty of the French and Indian War.[3] The Court of Common Pleas (established 1768) of the County of Cumberland (established July 3, 1766) of the Province of New York was moved to the town of Westminster in 1772. On July 4, 1776 the Province of New York became an independent state.
On January 15, 1777 Vermont declared its independence from New York, and functioned as an independent republic until statehood in 1791. Cumberland County (N.Y.) and Gloucester County (N.Y.) were extinguished when Vermont declared its independence from New York; Albany County (N.Y.) and Charlotte County (now Washington County, N.Y.) were eliminated from Vermont.[4]
Unity County was formed March 17, 1778, the eastern of the two original Vermont Republic counties.[5] Unity County was renamed Cumberland County on March 21, 1778.[6] Cumberland County and Bennington County (the eastern original county) exchanged land, adjusting their early border.[7] On February 16, 1781 Rutland County was created from Bennington County, and Orange, Windham and Windsor Counties were created from Cumberland County.[8] Some authors assume Cumberland County was renamed Windham County in 1781. Yet there are several original sources that indicate Cumberland County was dissolved rather than renamed.[9] This was probably to make a clean legal break from any connection with Cumberland County, New York, as some authors indicate the Cumberland County, Vermont Republic, records remained in Windham County. Newfane became the Shire Town of Windham County before 1812.
Demographics [edit]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 17,572 |
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| 1800 | 23,581 | 34.2% | |
| 1810 | 26,760 | 13.5% | |
| 1820 | 28,457 | 6.3% | |
| 1830 | 28,748 | 1.0% | |
| 1840 | 27,442 | −4.5% | |
| 1850 | 29,062 | 5.9% | |
| 1860 | 26,982 | −7.2% | |
| 1870 | 26,036 | −3.5% | |
| 1880 | 26,763 | 2.8% | |
| 1890 | 26,547 | −0.8% | |
| 1900 | 26,660 | 0.4% | |
| 1910 | 26,932 | 1.0% | |
| 1920 | 26,373 | −2.1% | |
| 1930 | 26,015 | −1.4% | |
| 1940 | 27,850 | 7.1% | |
| 1950 | 28,749 | 3.2% | |
| 1960 | 29,776 | 3.6% | |
| 1970 | 33,074 | 11.1% | |
| 1980 | 36,933 | 11.7% | |
| 1990 | 41,588 | 12.6% | |
| 2000 | 44,216 | 6.3% | |
| 2010 | 44,513 | 0.7% | |
| [10][11][12] | |||
As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 44,216 people, 18,375 households, and 11,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 56 people per square mile (22/km²). There were 27,039 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.72% White, 0.50% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 1.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.1% were of English, 13.3% Irish, 9.5% French, 8.9% American, 7.7% German, 6.0% Italian and 5.0% French Canadian ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.9% spoke English, 1.3% Spanish and 1.2% French as their first language.
There were 18,375 households out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.20% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.70% were non-families. 29.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, the population was spread out with 23.50% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 27.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,204, and the median income for a family was $46,989. Males had a median income of $31,094 versus $24,650 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,533. About 6.10% of families and 9.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.00% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.
Elections [edit]
| Year | Democrat | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 73.1% 16,026 | 24.4% 5,347 |
| 2008 | 73.0% 17,585 | 24.9% 5,997 |
| 2004 | 66.4% 15,489 | 31.2% 7,280 |
| 2000 | 52.7% 11,319 | 34.2% 7,358 |
In 2006, four towns in Windham County, Dummerston, Marlboro, Newfane, and Stratton, had their citizens pass resolutions supporting the proposed impeachment of President George W. Bush.[15]
The county was Vermont's bluest county in the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 U.S. Presidential elections. Then-Vice President Al Gore won the county by an 18.4% margin over then-Texas Governor George W. Bush, with 53% of the vote to Bush's 34%. In 2004, John Kerry carried the county by 35.2% margin over President Bush, with Kerry carrying the state by 20.1% over Bush.[16] In 2008, Barack Obama won Windham by 48.1% margin over John McCain, with Obama winning by 37% over McCain statewide.[17] In 2012, Obama won Windham County by a 48.7% margin over Mitt Romney.[18] Ronald Reagan was the last Republican candidate for president to carry the county, winning it with 54% of the vote to 45% for Walter Mondale in 1984.[19]
County Law Enforcement [edit]
The Windham County Sheriff's Department is one source of law enforcement in this county especially in areas that have no local police departments. Where no coverage exists, the Vermont State Police are the de facto law enforcement agency.
Cities, towns, and villages* [edit]
- Athens
- Bernardston
- Brattleboro
- West Brattleboro (an unincorporated village of Brattleboro)
- Brookline
- Dover
- Dummerston
- Grafton
- Guilford
- Algiers (an unincorporated village of Guilford)
- Halifax
- Jamaica
- Londonderry
- Marlboro
- Newfane
- Putney
- Rockingham
- Bellows Falls (an incorporated village of Rockingham)
- Saxtons River (an incorporated village of Rockingham)
- Somerset
- Stratton
- Townshend
- Harmonyville (an unincorporated village of Townshend)
- West Townshend (an unincorporated village of Townshend)
- Vernon
- Wardsboro
- Westminster
- North Westminster (a village of Westminster)
- Whitingham
- Jacksonville (a village of Whitingham)
- Wilmington
- Windham
- South Windham (an unincorporated village of Windham)
* Villages are census divisions, but do not necessarily have any 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 Windham County, Vermont
References [edit]
- ^ "Windham County, VT". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Slade, 70-73; Van Zandt, 64; Williamson, C., 82-84, map facing 95, 100-102, 112-113.
- ^ Vermont State Papers, 12:43-44.
- ^ Vermont State Papers, 3:13.
- ^ Vermont State Papers, 12:43-44
- ^ Vermont State Papers, 13:5-6
- ^ "Vermont: Consolidated Chronology of State and County Boundaries". The Newberry Library. 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Four Vermont Towns Vote to Impeach Bush Associated Press. Published on 2006-03-08. Retrieved on 2008-09-20.
- ^ 2004 Presidential General Election Results - Vermont
- ^ U.S. Election Atlas
- ^ http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2012&fips=50&f=1&off=0&elect=0
- ^ http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1984&fips=50&f=1&off=0&elect=0
External links [edit]
- Windham County Sheriff's Department
- The Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce
- National Register of Historic Places listing for Windham Co., Vermont
- The Historical Society of Windham County
- Windham County history and genealogy
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Windsor County | Sullivan County, New Hampshire | |
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| Bennington County |  |
Cheshire County, New Hampshire | ||
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| Franklin County, Massachusetts |
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