Northfield, Vermont

Northfield, Vermont
Town
Depot Square, Downtown Northfield
Motto: "Where the Good Life Begins"[1]
Location in Washington County and the state of Vermont
Northfield, Vermont Location in the United States
Coordinates: 44°8′28″N 72°39′52″W / 44.14111°N 72.66444°WCoordinates: 44°8′28″N 72°39′52″W / 44.14111°N 72.66444°W
Country	United States
State	Vermont
County	Washington
Chartered	1781[1]
Incorporated	1855[2]
Area
• Total	43.6 sq mi (113.0 km^2)
• Land	43.5 sq mi (112.7 km^2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km^2)
Elevation	735 ft (441 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	6,207
• Density	140/sq mi (55/km^2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	05663
Area code(s)	802
FIPS code	50-50275[3]
GNIS feature ID	1462163[4]
Website	www.northfield-vt.gov

Northfield is a town in Washington County, Vermont, in the United States. It lies in a valley within the Green Mountains, and has been the home of Norwich University since 1866. The town contains the village of Northfield, where over half of its population lives. The total population of the town was 6,207 at the 2010 census.^[5]

History

Northfield was chartered in 1781,^[1] and incorporated in 1855.^[2] The community was named after Northfield, Massachusetts.^[6]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 43.6 square miles (113.0 km²), of which 43.5 square miles (112.7 km²) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.3 km²), or 0.29%, is water.^[7]

The geographic center of Vermont is located within the town, with markers on the university campus of the geographical and magnetic centers.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1800	204		—
1810	426		108.8%
1820	690		62.0%
1830	1,412		104.6%
1840	2,013		42.6%
1850	2,922		45.2%
1860	4,329		48.2%
1870	3,410		−21.2%
1880	2,836		−16.8%
1890	2,628		−7.3%
1900	2,855		8.6%
1910	3,226		13.0%
1920	3,096		−4.0%
1930	3,438		11.0%
1940	3,601		4.7%
1950	4,314		19.8%
1960	4,511		4.6%
1970	4,870		8.0%
1980	5,435		11.6%
1990	5,610		3.2%
2000	5,791		3.2%
2010	6,207		7.2%
Est. 2014	6,114	[8]	−1.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[9][10]

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 5,791 people, 1,819 households, and 1,224 families residing in the town. The population density was 132.5 people per square mile (51.2/km²). There were 1,958 housing units at an average density of 44.8 per square mile (17.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.41% White, 1.02% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 1.33% Asian, 0.43% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.21% of the population.

There were 1,819 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the town the population was spread out with 19.4% under the age of 18, 27.2% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 122.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 122.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,523, and the median income for a family was $51,818. Males had a median income of $32,168 versus $24,781 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,592. About 3.2% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Norwich University enrolls undergraduate students.^[11]

Media

Published locally is the Northfield News & Transcript^[12][13] It is a weekly newspaper and was established in 1878 by George Richmond.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Bus

Northfield is served by Green Mountain Transit Agency's commuter route 93 between Montpelier and Northfield.

Roads

• Vermont Route 12 - Northfield to Montpelier. Northfield to Brookfield
• Vermont Route 64 - Northfield to Williamstown

Notable people

• Henry M. Bates, Vermont State Treasurer^[14]
• Murdock A. Campbell, United States Army Major General and Adjutant General, Vermont National Guard^[15]
• John P. Connarn, Vermont House of Representatives, 1957-1965; Vermont Attorney General, 1965-1967; Judge, Vermont District Court, 1967-1985^[16]
• Reginald M. Cram, United States Air Force Major General and Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard^[17]
• Joseph H. Denny, Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives and President pro tempore of the Vermont State Senate^[18]
• Alonzo Jackman, Norwich University professor and Brigadier General of the Vermont Militia in the American Civil War^[19]
• Hollis Latham, Wisconsin state legislator and farmer, was born in Northfield.^[20]
• Charles Paine, president of the Vermont Central Railroad and the 15th governor of Vermont^[21]
• Charles Plumley, congressman from Vermont^[22]
• Frank Plumley, congressman from Vermont^[23]

See also

• Central Vermont Railway
• Central Vermont Railway Depot (Northfield, Vermont)
• Northfield Savings Bank

References

1. "Town of Northfield official website". Town of Northfield official website. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
2. "Northfield Vermont". City-Data.com. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
3. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
5. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Northfield town, Washington County, Vermont". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
6. "Profile for Northfield, Vermont, VT". ePodunk. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
7. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Northfield town, Washington County, Vermont". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
8. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
10. "Vermont History Explorer". Retrieved August 7, 2015.
11. Norwich University
12. "The Northfield News". The Northfield News. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
13. "Times Argus". Times Argus. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
14. Baldwin, Frederick W. (1916). History of Bank of Orleans, Irasburgh National Bank of Orleans, Barton National Bank, Barton Savings Bank and Trust Company. Burlington, VT: Free Press Printing Company. pp. 109–110.
15. Lasher, George Starr (November 1, 1946). "Makes Adjutant General a Member". The Rattle of Theta Chi. Trenton, NJ: Theta Chi Fraternity: 19.
16. Doyle, William (2003). "Joint Senate Resolution 130". leg.state.vt.us. Vermont State Senate.
17. Vermont Birth Records, 1909-2008, entry for Reginald Maurice Cram, retrieved December 12, 2013
18. Ellis, William Arba (1911). Norwich University, 1819-1911; Her History, Her Graduates, Her Roll of Honor. The Capital City Press. p. 391.
19. Duffy, John J. (2003). The Vermont Encyclopedia. UPNE. p. 169.
20. 'History of Walworth County, Wisconsin' volume 1, Adam Clayton Beckwith, B. F. Bowen: Indianapolis, Indiana: 1912, Biographical Sketch of Hollis Latham, pg. 534-535
21. "Charles Paine". Find A Grave. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
22. "PLUMLEY, Charles Albert, (1875 - 1964)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
23. "PLUMLEY, Frank, (1844 - 1924)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 6, 2012.

External links

Winter at Norwich University, the town's main employer, located just south of downtown

• Town of Northfield official website
•  "Northfield, a village of Washington county, Vermont, U.S.A.". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.