Pittsfield is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 427 at the 2000 census. It is site of the annual Pittsfield Snowshoe Race.
History
Granted on November 8, 1780, the town was chartered on July 29, 1781 to Samuel Wilcox and 129 others. Pittsfield was named after Pittsfield, Massachusetts, which itself had been named in honor of William Pitt. It was first settled in 1786. The town proved suitable for grazing livestock because of its mountainous terrain. [3] Indeed, in the 19th-century, humorists attributed the invention of the one-legged milking stool to Pittsfield, "...as a means of conquering a stern difficulty." [4]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.0 square miles (51.9 km2), all of it land. Set among the Green Mountains, Pittsfield is drained by the Tweed River, a tributary of the White River.
The town is crossed by Vermont Route 100.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 427 people, 190 households, and 120 families residing in the town. The population density was 21.3 people per square mile (8.2/km2). There were 393 housing units at an average density of 19.6/sq mi (7.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.36% White, 0.23% Asian, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.47% of the population.
There were 190 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.9% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,667, and the median income for a family was $47,000. Males had a median income of $29,306 versus $26,406 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,837. About 1.6% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Site of interest
Notable resident
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Hayward's New England Gazetteer of 1839
- ^ A. J. Coolidge & J. B. Mansfield, A History and Description of New England; Boston, Massachusetts 1859
External links
