Coventry, Vermont

Coventry, Vermont
Town
Located in Orleans County, Vermont
Location of Vermont with the U.S.A.
Coordinates: 44°52′54″N 72°13′3″W / 44.88167°N 72.21750°W / 44.88167; -72.21750Coordinates: 44°52′54″N 72°13′3″W / 44.88167°N 72.21750°W / 44.88167; -72.21750
Country	United States
State	Vermont
County	Orleans
Organized	July 7, 1920
Area
• Total	27.7 sq mi (71.7 km2)
• Land	27.5 sq mi (71.1 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation	218 ft (276 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	1,014
• Density	36.9/sq mi (14.3/km2)
• Households	379
• Families	286
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	05825
Area code(s)	802
FIPS code	50-16150[1]
GNIS feature ID	1462077[2]

Coventry /ˈkɒvəntri/ is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,086 at the 2010 census.

Local government

A waste system company paid the town about $800,000 in "tipping fees" in 2009. This allows the town property tax rate to be zero. However, the town still pays school taxes.^[3]

Town

• Moderator - Jean Maxwell^[4]
• Selectman - Mike Marcotte
• Town Clerk - Cynthia Diaz
• Lister - Rick Bickford
• Road Commissioner - David Gallup

School District

• Chair, School Board - Viola Poirier
• Principal - Matthew Baughman 2012-2013
• Budget - $2,625,755

History

Etymology

Town was named for the birthplace of one of the founders, Major Elias Buel, who was born in Coventry, Connecticut.^[5][6]

Post bellum

A record exists from 1860, showing that the "Artillery Company" of the 3rd Regiment mustered for annual drill on June 5. An inventory shows they possessed one six pound brass cannon.^[7]

In 1861, the 3rd Vermont Infantry, Company B, was recruited in part from Coventry.

Coventry Festival

In 2004, what was billed as the final concert of the band Phish was held in Coventry on August 14–15. The concert was the single largest gathering of people in the town's history. Some fans had to be turned back due to heavy rains. Even so, with 65,000 attendees Coventry's augmented population was the largest in the state at that time, outranking Burlington, Vermont, which had around 39,000 people in the 2000 census.^[8]

The Phish concert was a two-day event (August 14–15, 2004), held near the airport that borders Coventry and Newport. People began arriving early Friday morning and shortly after the roads became congested. On Friday morning, it had rained. The soft land in the parking area had turned to mud. Cars were then turned away. Instead of driving home, they parked their cars on the median of Interstate 91, choosing to walk the rest of the way to the concert.

Dozens of pairs of shoes, sandals and boots were lost due to the thick mud. On Sunday, at the end of the concert, tractors were brought over to help pull cars out of the mud.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 27.7 square miles (71.7 km²), of which 27.5 square miles (71.1 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.6 km²) (0.80%) is water. It contains the smallest area of any town in the county. However, the city of Newport is smaller in area.^[9]

The Black River flows an east-northeasterly course through the central part of the town until it joins the South Bay of Lake Memphremagog in Newport. For approximately the last 4.7 miles (7.6 km), the river is part of the state’s South Bay Wildlife Management Area.^[10]

South Bay Wildlife Management Area is located mostly in Coventry but also in the adjacent town of Newport at the southern part of Lake Memphremagog. This is a large wetland and floodplain forest, red maple and white cedar swamp, along the Black River.^[11]

The Barton River flows through Coventry, east of the Black River, and then into Lake Memphremagog.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,014 people, 379 households, and 286 families residing in the town. The population density was 36.9 people per square mile (14.3/km²). There were 435 housing units at an average density of 15.8 per square mile (6.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.63% White, 0.30% African American, 0.99% Native American, 0.10% Asian, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.

There were 379 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.3% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males.

Economy

Personal income

The median income for a household in the town was $33,487, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $26,528 versus $18,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,788. About 11.9% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.8% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Industry

The Washington Electric Cooperative has four electric generators at Vermont’s largest landfill in Coventry. The methane generation facility provides a third to one half of WEC’s members’ electricity needs.^[14] This facility supplies power to 6,000 households and businesses.^[15] In 2008, the coop applied to expand the plant to 8 megawatts. This increase is expected to cost $3 million.

The New England Waste Services of Vermont (Waste USA), a subsidiary of Casella Waste Systems,^[16] owns the landfill which serves much of Orleans County. It accepts over 250,000 short tons (230,000 t) of waste annually.^[17]

Infrastructure

Airport

The town is served by the Newport State Airport, which, despite its name, is located within the town of Coventry. It contains two runways of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) each 05-23, and 18-36.

Cultural activities

The Vermont Roots Reggae Fest has been held here the last Saturday in August for several years. It was attended by 2000 people in 2006. Past problems with unruly crowds and drugs have been addressed by the organizers.^[18] A fest is planned for 2007.

Footnotes

External links

• Coventy School Board website
• Phish's Coventry show website
• History:
  • Coventry Settlement - the East Side

Municipalities and communities of Orleans County, Vermont, United States Shire town: Newport City Newport Towns Albany Barton Brownington Charleston Coventry Craftsbury Derby Glover Greensboro Holland Irasburg Jay Lowell Morgan Newport Troy Westfield Westmore Villages Albany Barton Derby Center Derby Line North Troy Orleans CDPs Glover Greensboro Greensboro Bend Irasburg Lowell Newport Center Troy Unincorporated community Beebe Plain