Arlington (town), Vermont
Encyclopedia
Arlington is a town
in Bennington County, Vermont
, United States
. The population was 2,397 at the 2000 census.
to the east, with most of Arlington's land mass lying in the Taconic Range. Five prominent peaks are located within the town: Grass Mountain
, Spruce Peak, The Ball (also locally referred to as West Mountain), Red Mountain, and Big Spruce Mountain. The highest peak is Grass Mountain at elevation 3109 ft (947.6 m). Arlington is set along the banks of the Battenkill River.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 42.4 square miles (109.9 km2), of which 42.4 square miles (109.9 km2) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km2) (0.05%) is water. The Battenkill River, famous for trout fishing, flows through the center of town.
of 2000, there were 2,397 people, 1,009 households, and 676 families residing in the town. The population density
was 56.5 people per square mile (21.8/km2). There were 1,200 housing units at an average density of 28.3 per square mile (10.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.08% White, 0.25% Black, 0.08% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races
, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic of any race were 0.46% of the population.
There were 1,009 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were couples living together and joined in either marriage
or civil union
, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 88.1 men.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,590, and the median income for a family was $49,412. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $22,199 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $23,277. About 6.4% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
, a high school with some 250 students.
company in neighboring Sunderland
.
. In 1777, Arlington became the first capital of the Vermont Republic.
Among the first settlers in Arlington were Captain Jehiel Hawley and his family, who had settled there by 1764. They were Anglicans
and had fled Roxbury
, Connecticut
because of the oppressive requirements of the established Congregational church
. At a Proprietor's meeting in 1764, the town voted to give 50 acres (202,343 m²) of land to any man who would set up a grist mill in what is now East Arlington. This offer was accepted by Remember Baker (first cousin of Ethan Allen), who built a grist and sawmill.
In the years leading up to the American Revolution, both New York and New Hampshire laid claim to lands comprising current day Vermont. The Province of New York
began to grant land in 1765, lagging New Hampshire by four years. Arlington was, for the most part, settled by Anglicans from Roxbury
, Newtown
and Milford
, Connecticut, with ownership rights derived from the New Hampshire Grants.
When settlers with New York grants arrived, conflicts ensued. Among other things, the residents of Arlington relied on the militancy of Ethan Allen to discourage those touting New York grants. Ethan Allen and his group were known by their friends as the Green Mountain Boys. They were relatively effective in promoting the cause of New Hampshire grantees, although legal ownership was not settled monetarily for many years.
Several members of the Green Mountain Boys
lived in Arlington before the American Revolution
, including Thomas Chittenden
, Seth Warner
and Remember Baker
, who was the first town clerk. Gideon Hard, a United States Congressman from New York
was born in Arlington.
Noted residents of Arlington in the twentieth century were Dorothy Canfield Fisher
, Carl Ruggles
and Norman Rockwell
.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Bennington County, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,397 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Arlington lies in the Valley of Vermont between the Taconic Range to the west and the Green MountainsGreen Mountains
The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range extends approximately .-Peaks:The most notable mountains in the range include:*Mount Mansfield, , the highest point in Vermont*Killington Peak, *Mount Ellen,...
to the east, with most of Arlington's land mass lying in the Taconic Range. Five prominent peaks are located within the town: Grass Mountain
Grass Mountain (Vermont)
Grass Mountain is a mountain located in Bennington County, Vermont.Grass Mountain is flanked to the north by Big Spruce Mountain, and to the southeast by Spruce Mountain....
, Spruce Peak, The Ball (also locally referred to as West Mountain), Red Mountain, and Big Spruce Mountain. The highest peak is Grass Mountain at elevation 3109 ft (947.6 m). Arlington is set along the banks of the Battenkill River.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 42.4 square miles (109.9 km2), of which 42.4 square miles (109.9 km2) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km2) (0.05%) is water. The Battenkill River, famous for trout fishing, flows through the center of town.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,397 people, 1,009 households, and 676 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 56.5 people per square mile (21.8/km2). There were 1,200 housing units at an average density of 28.3 per square mile (10.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.08% White, 0.25% Black, 0.08% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic of any race were 0.46% of the population.
There were 1,009 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were couples living together and joined in either marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
or civil union
Civil union
A civil union, also referred to as a civil partnership, is a legally recognized form of partnership similar to marriage. Beginning with Denmark in 1989, civil unions under one name or another have been established by law in many developed countries in order to provide same-sex couples rights,...
, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 88.1 men.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,590, and the median income for a family was $49,412. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $22,199 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $23,277. About 6.4% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Schools in Arlington include Arlington Memorial SchoolArlington Memorial School
Arlington Memorial High School is a rural high school in Arlington, Bennington County, Vermont and part of the Arlington School District. In 2005, it had some 247 students and a faculty of 33 teachers....
, a high school with some 250 students.
Economy
One of the largest employers for residents of Arlington is the OrvisOrvis
Orvis is a family-owned retail and mail-order business specializing in high-end fly fishing, hunting and sporting goods. Founded in Manchester, Vermont in 1856 by Charles F. Orvis to sell fishing tackle, the company has changed hands only twice and has had only five CEOs in its 150-year history...
company in neighboring Sunderland
Sunderland, Vermont
Sunderland is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 850 at the 2000 census. It is home to the mail-order company Orvis.-Geography:...
.
History
The town of Arlington was chartered July 28, 1761, by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth, as part of the New Hampshire GrantsNew Hampshire Grants
The New Hampshire Grants or Benning Wentworth Grants were land grants made between 1749 and 1764 by the provincial governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth. The land grants, totaling about 135 , were made on land claimed by New Hampshire west of the Connecticut River, territory that was also...
. In 1777, Arlington became the first capital of the Vermont Republic.
Among the first settlers in Arlington were Captain Jehiel Hawley and his family, who had settled there by 1764. They were Anglicans
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
and had fled Roxbury
Roxbury, Connecticut
Roxbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,136 at the 2000 census.-History:Roxbury, whose Indian name was "Shepaug", a Mahican name signifiying "rocky water", was settled about the year 1713...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
because of the oppressive requirements of the established Congregational church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
. At a Proprietor's meeting in 1764, the town voted to give 50 acres (202,343 m²) of land to any man who would set up a grist mill in what is now East Arlington. This offer was accepted by Remember Baker (first cousin of Ethan Allen), who built a grist and sawmill.
In the years leading up to the American Revolution, both New York and New Hampshire laid claim to lands comprising current day Vermont. The Province of New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
began to grant land in 1765, lagging New Hampshire by four years. Arlington was, for the most part, settled by Anglicans from Roxbury
Roxbury, Connecticut
Roxbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,136 at the 2000 census.-History:Roxbury, whose Indian name was "Shepaug", a Mahican name signifiying "rocky water", was settled about the year 1713...
, Newtown
Newtown, Connecticut
Newtown is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 27,560 at the 2010 census. Newtown was founded in 1705 and incorporated in 1711.-Government:...
and Milford
Milford, Connecticut
Milford is a coastal city in southwestern New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located between Bridgeport and New Haven. The population was 52,759 at the 2010 census...
, Connecticut, with ownership rights derived from the New Hampshire Grants.
When settlers with New York grants arrived, conflicts ensued. Among other things, the residents of Arlington relied on the militancy of Ethan Allen to discourage those touting New York grants. Ethan Allen and his group were known by their friends as the Green Mountain Boys. They were relatively effective in promoting the cause of New Hampshire grantees, although legal ownership was not settled monetarily for many years.
Several members of the Green Mountain Boys
Green Mountain Boys
The Green Mountain Boys were a militia organization first established in the 1760s in the territory between the British provinces of New York and New Hampshire, known as the New Hampshire Grants...
lived in Arlington before the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, including Thomas Chittenden
Thomas Chittenden
Thomas Chittenden was an important figure in the founding of Vermont.Chittenden was born in East Guilford, Connecticut and moved to Vermont in 1774, where he founded the town of Williston. During the American Revolution, Chittenden was a member of a committee empowered to negotiate with the...
, Seth Warner
Seth Warner
Seth Warner was born in Roxbury, Connecticut. In 1763, he removed with his father to Bennington in what was then known as the New Hampshire Grants. He established there as a huntsman....
and Remember Baker
Remember Baker
Remember Baker was a member of the Green Mountain Boys. He was born in Roxbury, Connecticut and died in Quebec. The son of Remember Baker and Tamar Warner, he was a first cousin of Ethan Allen and Seth Warner.Remember Baker, Jr. was described by a cousin as a tough, redheaded, freckle-faced young...
, who was the first town clerk. Gideon Hard, a United States Congressman from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
was born in Arlington.
Noted residents of Arlington in the twentieth century were Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Dorothy Canfield Fisher was an educational reformer, social activist, and best-selling American author in the early decades of the twentieth century. She was named by Eleanor Roosevelt as one of the ten most influential women in the United States...
, Carl Ruggles
Carl Ruggles
Charles "Carl" Sprague Ruggles was an American composer of the American Five group. He wrote finely crafted pieces using "dissonant counterpoint", a term coined by Charles Seeger to describe Ruggles' music...
and Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
.