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St. Johnsbury, Vermont

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St. Johnsbury, Vermont

St. Johnsbury is the seat[1] of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,571 at the 2000 census. St. Johnsbury is located approximately 10 miles northwest of the Connecticut River and 40 miles south of the Canadian border. St. Johnsbury is the major town in the Northeast Kingdom. In 2006, the town was named "Best Small Town" in National Geographic Adventure's "Where to live and play" feature. [1]

Geography

St. Johnsbury is located at 44°25′N 72°01′W / 44.417°N 72.017°W / 44.417; -72.017, elevation 212.4m (697 ft.) 1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 95.44 km² (36.85 mi²). 4.3 km² (36.72 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (.35%) is water.

The town lies at the heart of the Passumpsic River basin, one of the largest of the upper Connecticut.[2]

The town includes the incorporated village of St. Johnsbury, and the unincorporated villages of East St. Johnsbury, Goss Hollow, and St. Johnsbury Center.[3]

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,571 people, 1,169 households, and 648 families residing in the town. The population density was 205.4/km² (601.1/mi²). There were 3,482 housing units at an average density of 289.0/km² (94.49/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.5% White, 0.5% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. 1.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,169 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the town the population was spread out with 12.8% under the age of 18, 19.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.5 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $20,269, and the median income for a family was $41,961. Males had a median income of $30,846 versus $22,131 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,807. 14.7% of the population and 12.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 37.8% are under the age of 18 and 11.1% are 65 or older.

History

Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium

The town was originally granted in 1760 as part of the New Hampshire Grants and named Bessborough. However, it was regranted by Vermont in 1786 as Dunmore, and the town's first settlers of European descent were led by Dr. Jonathan Arnold, a member of the Continental Congress and the author of Rhode Island's act of secession from the United Kingdom in May, 1776. Arnold left Rhode Island in 1787 and he and six other families built their homes in what is now the center of town. By 1790 the town had grown to 143 inhabitants, and the first town meeting took place in Arnold's home that year, where the name St, Johnsbury was adopted. According to local lore, Vermont founder Ethan Allen himself proposed naming the town St. John in honor of his friend Jean de Crèvecoeur, a French-born author and agriculturist and a friend of Benjamin Franklin (he was known in the United States as J. Hector St. John). According to this account, de Crèvecoeur suggested instead the unusual St. Johnsbury to differentiate it from Saint John, New Brunswick.

In the mid-1800s, St. Johnsbury became a minor manufacturing center, with the main products being scales — the platform scale was invented there by Thaddeus Fairbanks in 1830 — and maple syrup and related products. With the coming of the railroad line from Boston to Montreal in the 1850s, St. Johnsbury grew quickly and was named the shire town (county seat) in 1856, replacing Danville. The oldest occupied residence in St. Johnsbury was built in 1796.

Education

  • St. Johnsbury Academy, a private high school. While they have the option of attending any approved school, most St. Johnsbury secondary school students choose to be educated at St. Johnsbury Academy at the town's expense. The town of St. Johnsbury does not operate a public school for grades 9-12. Vermont law requires towns not operating schools to pay tuition to other approved schools for students in the grades not provided up to the Average Announced Tuition for union schools [4]

Industry

  • E.T. & H.K. Ide Company, a grain wholesaler, is the oldest continuously operating business in town, having been founded in 1813.
  • Fairbanks Scales, still doing business here after more than 175 years, employs 160 workers.[5]

Notable residents

Footnotes

  1. ^ officially called "shire town" in Vermont
  2. ^ http://www.ctrivertravel.net/st-johnsbury.htm
  3. ^ http://home.att.net/~local_history/Caledonia-Co-VT.htm
  4. ^ http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/pgm_finance_data.html
  5. ^ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3675/is_199608/ai_n8754402
  6. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.

References

  • Claire Dunne Johnson (1996). Images of America: St. Johnsbury. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-0260-9.

External links

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