Windsor County, Vermont

History

Windsor County is one of several Vermont counties created from land previously ceded by the Province of New York and abandoned by the newly formed State of New York, established on January 15, 1777, when Vermont declared itself to be an independent state (the Vermont Republic). The land originally was contested by Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New Netherland, but it remained undelineated until July 20, 1764, when King George III established the boundary between the Province of New Hampshire and the Province of New York along the west bank of the Connecticut River, north of Massachusetts and south of the parallel of 45 degrees north latitude. New York assigned the land gained to Albany County. On March 12, 1772, Albany County was partitioned to create Charlotte County, and this situation remained until Vermont's independence from New York and Britain.

Windsor County was established on February 16, 1781, from parts of Cumberland County and organized the same year.

Windsor County is notable for being the birthplace and burial site of Calvin Coolidge, the 30th U.S. President and one of two Presidents born in the state (the other being Chester A. Arthur). Joseph Smith Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, was also born in Windsor County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 977 sqmi, of which 969 sqmi is land and 7.4 sqmi (0.8%) is water. It is the largest county by area in Vermont.

Adjacent counties

• Orange County - north
• Grafton County, New Hampshire - northeast
• Sullivan County, New Hampshire - east
• Windham County - south
• Bennington County - southwest
• Rutland County - west
• Addison County - northwest

National parks

• Green Mountain National Forest (part)
• Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
• White Rocks National Recreation Area (part)

Major highways

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2018

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 57,753. Of the residents, 17.6% were under the age of 18 and 24.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 48.5 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.1 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 91.6% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.8% from some other race, and 5.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.1% of the population.

There were 25,859 households in the county, of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 34,625 housing units, of which 25.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.0% were owner-occupied and 28.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 56,670 people, 24,753 households, and 15,420 families living in the county.{{cite web |access-date=January 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150201193257/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US50027 |archive-date=February 1, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213190336/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US50027 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

Of the 24,753 households, 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.7% were non-families, and 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.77. The median age was 45.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,893 and the median income for a family was $63,387. Males had a median income of $44,610 versus $34,150 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,053. About 5.6% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.{{cite web |access-date=January 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213032442/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US50027 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 57,418 people, 24,162 households, and 15,729 families living in the county. The population density was 59 PD/sqmi. There were 31,621 housing units at an average density of 33 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 97.72% White, 0.33% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.1% were of English, 12.9% Irish, 10.9% American, 9.9% French, 7.7% German, 6.7% French Canadian and 5.5% Italian ancestry. 96.4% spoke English and 1.5% French as their first language.

There were 24,162 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.90% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% 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 2.86. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.30% under the age of 18, 5.90% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 27.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,688, and the median income for a family was $59,002. Males had a median income of $42,648 versus $25,696 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,369. About 3.20% of families and 5.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.50% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.

In 2007, the census department estimated that Windsor had the oldest average age in the state, 44.7. This compares with the actual census in 2000 of 41.3 years.

Politics

Since Vermont began using the popular vote in presidential elections in 1828, Windsor County has voted for the statewide winner in every presidential election but 1912, when it voted for former President Theodore Roosevelt (the Progressive candidate) over the statewide winner, Republican nominee William Howard Taft. Mirroring the politics of the state as a whole, Windsor County was solidly Republican from its inception in the 1856 election until the 1980s, voting only for Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 when he faced the highly conservative Barry Goldwater. It has supported the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1992. While the county did not swing as hard to the Democrats as other parts of Vermont, it has given the Democrats at least 55 percent of the vote in every election since 2004.

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Transportation

In 2009, the United States Department of Transportation measured 113.6 mi of "major arteries", the highest in the state.

Because US Route 4 had the "feel" of a freeway, motorists were inclined to speed. As a result, the Windsor County Sheriff's Department wrote 2,452 tickets in 2007.

Communities

Towns

• Andover
• Baltimore
• Barnard
• Bethel
• Bridgewater
• Cavendish
• Chester
• Hartford
• Hartland
• Ludlow
• Norwich
• Plymouth
• Pomfret
• Reading
• Rochester
• Royalton
• Sharon
• Springfield
• Stockbridge
• Weathersfield
• West Windsor
• Weston
• Windsor
• Woodstock (shire town)

Villages

Villages are census divisions, but have no separate corporate existence from the surrounding towns.

• Ludlow
• Perkinsville
• Woodstock

Census-designated places

• Ascutney
• Bethel
• Cavendish
• Chester
• Hartland
• North Hartland
• North Springfield
• Norwich
• Proctorsville
• Quechee
• Rochester
• South Royalton
• South Woodstock
• Springfield
• West Woodstock
• Weston
• White River Junction
• Wilder
• Windsor

Unincorporated communities

• Brownsville
• Felchville
• Gaysville
• Hartford Village
• Hartland Four Corners
• Lewiston
• North Pomfret
• Plymouth Notch
• Weathersfield Bow
• West Hartford

References

References

1. "Windsor County, Vermont".
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. Slade, William, Jr., comp. ''Vermont State Papers: Being a collection of Records and Documents Connected with the Assumption and Establishment of Government by the People of Vermont, Together with the Journal of the Council of Safety, the First Constitution, the Early Journals of the General Assembly, and the Laws from the Year 1779 to 1786, Inclusive.'' Middlebury, 1823. P. 70-73.
5. Van Zandt, Franklin K. ''Boundaries of the United States and the Several States.'' Geological Survey Professional Paper 909. Washington, DC; Government Printing Office, 1976. The Standard Compilation for its subject. P. 64.
6. Williamson, Chilton. ''Vermont in Quandary: 1763-1825.'' Growth of Vermont series, Number 4. Montpelier: Vermont Historical Series, 1949. PP. 82-84; map facing 95, 100-102, 112-113.
7. Slade, William, Jr., comp. ''Vermont State Papers: Being a collection of Records and Documents Connected with the Assumption and Establishment of Government by the People of Vermont, Together with the Journal of the Council of Safety, the First Constitution, the Early Journals of the General Assembly, and the Laws from the Year 1779 to 1786, Inclusive.'' Middlebury, 1823. pp.13-19.
8. Van Zandt, Franklin K. ''Boundaries of the United States and the Several States.'' Geological Survey Professional Paper 909. Washington, DC; Government Printing Office, 1976. The Standard Compilation for its subject. P. 63.
9. New York Colonial Laws, Chapter 1534; Section 5; Paragraph 321)
10. (2008). "Vermont: Individual County Chronologies". [[Newberry Library.
11. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
12. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
14. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
15. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
16. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
17. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
18. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Windsor County, Vermont". [[United States Census Bureau]].
19. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Windsor County, Vermont".
20. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Windsor County, Vermont".
21. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
22. Sutkowski, Matt. (August 7, 2008). "Census: State older, a little more diverse". Burlington Free Press.
23. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
24. Heath, Brad. (September 25, 2009). "Funds bypass worst roads". Burlington Free Press.
25. Shinn, Peggy. (January 18, 2009). "Not so fast (or else) on these Vermont highways". Boston Globe.