| Bennington, Vermont | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
| Bennington Battle Monument | |
| Located in Bennington County, Vermont | |
| Location of Vermont within the U.S.A. | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Vermont |
| County | Bennington |
| Chartered | 1749 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 42.5 sq mi (110.1 km2) |
| • Land | 42.5 sq mi (109.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 817 ft (249 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 15,764 |
| • Density | 372.45/sq mi (144.03/km2) |
| • Households | 6,313 |
| • Families | 4,018 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 05201 |
| Area code(s) | 802 |
| FIPS code | 50-04825[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1462039[2] |
| Website | http://www.bennington.com |
Bennington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester.[3][4] The population was 15,764 at the 2010 census.[5] By population, Bennington is the largest town in southern Vermont, the third-largest town in Vermont (after Essex and Colchester), and the sixth-largest municipality in the state (after Burlington, Essex, Rutland, Colchester, and South Burlington). Bennington is home to the Bennington Battle Monument, which is the tallest structure in the state of Vermont.
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First of the New Hampshire grants, Bennington was chartered on January 3, 1749 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth and named in his honor. It was granted to William Williams and 61 others, mostly from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The town was first settled in 1761 by four families from Hardwick and two from Amherst, Massachusetts.[6] They were led by Capt. Samuel Robinson, who camped in the river valley on his return from the French and Indian War.[7]
The town is known primarily for the Battle of Bennington, fought during the Revolutionary War (the battle was actually fought a few miles to the west in New York). On August 16, 1777, Gen. John Stark’s 1,500 New Hampshire Militia defeated 800 troops of German mercenaries, local Loyalists, Canadians and Indians under German Lt. Col. Friedrich Baum. German reinforcements under the command of Lt. Col. Heinrich von Breymann looked set to reverse the outcome, but were prevented by the arrival of Seth Warner’s Green Mountain Boys; the Vermont militia founded by Ethan Allen.
There are three historic districts within the town today: Old Bennington, Downtown Bennington and North Bennington. Of these, Old Bennington is the original settlement, dating back to 1761 when Congregational Separatists arrived from Connecticut and Massachusetts. In the early 1800s, Downtown Bennington started developing, and by 1854 the county’s population had reached 18,589.
In 1891, the Bennington Battle Monument was opened. The monument is a 306-foot (93 m) high stone obelisk that is the tallest structure in Vermont. It is a popular tourist attraction.
Bennington has ready access to natural resources and waterpower, and a long history of manufacture, primarily within wood processing. The town is also recognized nationally for its pottery, iron, and textiles.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 42.5 square miles (110.0 km2), of which 42.4 square miles (109.9 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km2) (0.14%) is water. Bennington is drained by the Walloomsac River and its tributaries.
Bennington experiences a humid continental climate (Koppen Dfa) with cold, snowy winters and warm to hot, humid summers. The town can experience snowfall as early as October and as late as April. Nor'easters often dump heavy snow and wind on the town during the winter, and accumulations of one foot of snow or greater are not uncommon when these storms move through the area. Abundant sunshine, along with heavy showers and thunderstorms are frequent during the summer months, although tornadoes are rare. An F2 tornado, however, did hit North Bennington on May 31, 1998 during an extremely rare tornado outbreak in the region.[8]
The record high is 98 °F (37 °C), set twice in 1955 and 1975. The record low is −25 °F (−32 °C), set twice in 1979 and 1994.[9] Bennington averages 64.1" of snow annually.[10]
| Climate data for Bennington, Vermont | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 61 (16) |
63 (17) |
81 (27) |
88 (31) |
90 (32) |
93 (34) |
98 (37) |
98 (37) |
96 (36) |
84 (29) |
78 (26) |
65 (18) |
98 (37) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 29 (−2) |
32 (0) |
41 (5) |
53 (12) |
66 (19) |
74 (23) |
79 (26) |
77 (25) |
69 (21) |
58 (14) |
44 (7) |
32 (0) |
54.5 (12.5) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 9 (−13) |
10 (−12) |
20 (−7) |
31 (−1) |
42 (6) |
50 (10) |
55 (13) |
53 (12) |
45 (7) |
35 (2) |
28 (−2) |
16 (−9) |
32.8 (0.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −25 (−32) |
−25 (−32) |
−15 (−26) |
7 (−14) |
23 (−5) |
29 (−2) |
38 (3) |
32 (0) |
24 (−4) |
16 (−9) |
−1 (−18) |
−20 (−29) |
−25 (−32) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 4.04 (102.6) |
3.49 (88.6) |
4.30 (109.2) |
4.35 (110.5) |
4.87 (123.7) |
4.62 (117.3) |
4.23 (107.4) |
4.44 (112.8) |
4.22 (107.2) |
4.30 (109.2) |
4.62 (117.3) |
4.25 (108) |
51.73 (1,313.9) |
| Source no. 1: The Weather Channel [11] | |||||||||||||
| Source no. 2: Bennington - Where Vermont Begins [12] | |||||||||||||
The town is crossed by U.S. Route 7, Vermont Route 7A, Vermont Route 9, Vermont Route 67A and Vermont Route 279. Route 279, also locally known as the Bennington Bypass, is a Super-2 freeway whose northern segment began construction in August 2007. This segment of the Bypass is estimated to be complete sometime in 2012.[13] Also to be constructed is a Vermont Welcome Center[14] in the center of its systems interchange with US 7.
Green Mountain Community Network, who operate the Green Mountain Express,[15] is a private, nonprofit organization,[16] that owns and operates the public transit system in Bennington. Three lines serve Bennington itself (two during the work week, and one on Saturday), as well as a paratransit "Flex" route and a commuter route known as the "Regional Route". The Regional Route serves the remainder of the county, mostly along the US 7 and Historic Route 7A corridor. It provides commuters a public transit option by bus to Manchester to the North and Williamstown, Massachusetts to the South. This route runs on a limited schedule during weekdays.[17]
Yankee Trails operates another regional bus line from Bennington to Albany, New York's Greyhound terminal with an intermediate stop in downtown Hoosick Falls, New York.[18] It runs twice per day (three times from Hoosick Falls) from the historic Bennington Station on the corner of River and Depot Streets. The first trip runs without a Bennington stop from Hoosick Falls, and has one late morning trip and another evening trip with Bennington at its eastern terminus.
There has also been talk about bringing Amtrak Thruway intercity bus service to Bennington in the recent past.[19] However, it is unclear when, or whether, service will begin.
William H. Morse State Airport is a public-use, state-owned airport located about 3 miles (4.8 km) West of downtown Bennington.[20] Also dubbed "Southwest Vermont's Airport",[21] it sits near the northern flank of Mount Anthony and close to the Bennington Battle Monument. Based at this airport is the hub of cargo air carrier AirNow.[22]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 3,429 |
|
|
| 1850 | 3,923 | 14.4% | |
| 1860 | 4,389 | 11.9% | |
| 1870 | 5,760 | 31.2% | |
| 1880 | 6,333 | 9.9% | |
| 1890 | 6,391 | 0.9% | |
| 1900 | 8,033 | 25.7% | |
| 1910 | 8,698 | 8.3% | |
| 1920 | 9,982 | 14.8% | |
| 1930 | 10,628 | 6.5% | |
| 1940 | 11,257 | 5.9% | |
| 1950 | 12,411 | 10.3% | |
| 1960 | 13,002 | 4.8% | |
| 1970 | 14,586 | 12.2% | |
| 1980 | 15,815 | 8.4% | |
| 1990 | 16,451 | 4.0% | |
| 2000 | 15,829 | −3.8% | |
| 2010 | 15,764 | −0.4% | |
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 15,829 people, 6,313 households, and 4,018 families residing in the town. The population density was 372.45 people per square mile (144.03/km2). There were 6,574 housing units at an average density of 154.9 per square mile (59.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.96% White, 0.63% Black, 0.25% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic of any race were 0.99% of the population.
There were 6,162 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 30.4% 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 2.36 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,706, and the median income for a family was $40,615. Males had a median income of $30,712 versus $22,411 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,290. About 11.1% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.1% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.
Bennington is home to a variety of municipal, parochial and private schools. Continuing education is supported by a diverse mix of colleges and career development centers. Bennington College is a progressive four-year liberal arts college ranked 104 in Tier 1 by U.S. News College Rankings. Southern Vermont College is a private, four-year, liberal arts college offering a career-directed curriculum.
Bennington currently has four K-12 public elementary schools:
There is one public middle school, the Mount Anthony Union Middle School, (MAUMS), and one public high school, the Mount Anthony Union Senior High School (MAUHS). Grace Christian School[23] is a private, faith-based K-12 school founded in 1995.[24]
Bennington is the home of the Chamber Music Conference and Composers' Forum of the East, a summer institute for amateur musicians. The Conference is held on the campus of Bennington College, and has been located in Bennington for nearly all of its seasons since it was founded in 1946. The Conference also includes a chamber music festival each summer, performed by faculty members at Greenwall Auditorium on the Bennington College campus, with six concerts held between mid-July and mid-August. Bennington is also home to the Oldcastle Theatre Company, a small professional theatre with a special interest in encouraging New England plays.
Bennington College, in the village of North Bennington, has been the home base for Sage City Symphony since its founding in 1973 by Louis Calabro. The Symphony plays a challenging program of the traditional repertoire as well as commissioning a new work each year.
Bennington is also home to the Bennington County Choral Society [25] , the Bennington Childrens' Chorus [26] and the Green Mountain Youth Orchestra [27].
Bennington is home to the 23-time defending State Wrestling Champion Mount Anthony Patriots. They have won 23 consecutive Vermont State Wrestling Championships under the head coaching of Scott Legacy.[28] This is the national record.[29]
As of 2010, the Mount Anthony Patriots were also State Champions in Men's and Women's Nordic Skiing, as well as Women's Lacrosse.[30]
Bennington is home to a large and growing Cancer Center based on the campus of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. Due to a variety of local effects such as an abnormally high ozone count, the population has many times the normal rate of cancers and is also the subject of ongoing studies into Crohn's Disease due to the fact that Crohn's disease affects 5 out of 100,000 people in the USA but affects 1 out of 1,000 people in the greater Bennington, VT area.
Bennington's local newspaper is the Bennington Banner. News is also carried in the Troy Record and the Manchester Journal. Bennington is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy television market. The radio station WEQX is located in nearby Manchester, VT. The area is also served by WBTN-AM 1370.
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