Shelburne, Vermont

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Shelburne, Vermont
Shelburne, Vermont

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[edit] History

The Town of Shelburne is a small town lying on the shores of Lake Champlain in the southwestern part of Chittenden County, Vermont. It was chartered by New Hampshire, August 18, 1763 to Jesse Hallock and sixty-four associates by Governor Benning Wentworth. The name 'Shelburne" or "Shelburn" was chosen to honor William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, a celebrated nobleman of the British Parliament and Prime Minister. According to the charter, the town was to have an area of 23,500 acres, or a tract a little over six miles square; but owing to a blunder on the part of the surveyors, it was shorn of a large portion of its possessions.

Currently the town of Shelburne comprises 22.3 square miles. From the beginning Shelburne's economy was based on farming. With the clearing of land and burning of logs the town experienced a potash boom. A carding and fulling mill, a gristmill, a sawmill and blacksmith shop were erected on the LaPlatte River at Shelburne Falls. In 1811 a few Merino sheep imported from Spain led to an upsurge in sheep raising. Orchards and fruit growing became a major source of income for the farmers with some 17,740 trees in 1880. Following the War of 1812 commerce on the lake expanded rapidly.

The Lake Champlain Transportation Company established its shipyard at Shelburne Harbor and launched its first steamboat, the General Green in 1825, to be followed by ten others before the Ticonderoga in 1906. In 1955, the Ticonderoga was moved overland to the Shelburne Museum were it is now on display.[1]

Today Shelburne supports a variety of businesses, including manufacturers, a wide array of service providers and retail establishments and Wake Robin, the State's largest continuing care retirement community. Shelburne is also home to three of Vermont's most popular tourist attractions, the Shelburne Museum, Shelburne Farms and the Vermont Teddy Bear Company.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 116.3 km² (44.9 mi²). 63.0 km² (24.3 mi²) of it is land and 53.3 km² (20.6 mi²) of it (45.85%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there were 6,944 people, 2,632 households, and 1,845 families residing in the town. The population density was 110.3/km² (285.6/mi²). There were 2,741 housing units at an average density of 43.5/km² (112.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.60% White, 0.23% African American, 0.10% Native American, 1.01% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population.

There were 2,632 households out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% wwere couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $68,091, and the median income for a family was $78,492. Males had a median income of $50,085 versus $28,429 for females. The per capita income for the town was $37,210. About 2.9% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] External links

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