St. Johnsbury (often known locally as St. Jay)[1] is the shire town[4] (county seat)[5] of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,571 at the 2000 census. St. Johnsbury is located approximately 10 miles northwest of the Connecticut River and 40 miles south of the Canadian border.
St. Johnsbury is the major town in the Northeast Kingdom. In 2006, the town was named "Best Small Town" in National Geographic Adventure's "Where to live and play" feature. [4] The more densely-settled southern half of the town is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP), where over 83% of the population resides.
History
Bird's-eye view in c. 1910
The town was originally granted in 1760 as part of the New Hampshire Grants and named Bessborough. However, it was regranted by Vermont in 1786 as Dunmore, and settled the same year. An early settler was Dr. Jonathan Arnold, a member of the Continental Congress and author of Rhode Island's act of secession from the United Kingdom in May of 1776. Arnold left Rhode Island in 1787 and, with six other families, built homes at what is now the center of town.
By 1790, the village had grown to 143 inhabitants, and the first town meeting took place in Arnold's home that year, where the name St. Johnsbury was adopted. According to local lore, Vermont founder Ethan Allen himself proposed naming the town St. John in honor of his friend Jean de Crèvecœur, a French-born author and agriculturist and a friend of Benjamin Franklin (he was known in the United States as J. Hector St. John). According to this account, de Crèvecœur suggested instead the unusual St. Johnsbury to differentiate it from Saint John, New Brunswick.
In the mid-1800s, St. Johnsbury became a minor manufacturing center, with the main products being scales — the platform scale was invented there by Thaddeus Fairbanks in 1830 — and maple syrup and related products. With the coming of the railroad line from Boston to Montreal in the 1850s, St. Johnsbury grew quickly and was named the shire town (county seat) in 1856, replacing Danville. The oldest occupied residence in St. Johnsbury was built in 1801 and is located on Clarks Avenue.
Geography
St. Johnsbury is located at 44°25′N 72°01′W / 44.417°N 72.017°W / 44.417; -72.017, elevation 212.4m (697 ft) .[6] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.85 square miles (95.44 km2), of which, 36.72 square miles (4.3 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km2) of it (.35%) is water. Situated at the confluence of the Passumpsic, Moose and Sleepers rivers, the town lies at the heart of the Passumpsic River basin, one of the largest of the upper Connecticut River.[7] St. Johnsbury is on the site of the northernmost boundary of Lake Hitchcock, the post-glacial predecessor to the Connecticut River.
The town includes the unincorporated villages of St. Johnsbury, East St. Johnsbury, Goss Hollow, and St. Johnsbury Center.[8] The town center, which is defined as a census-designated place (CDP), encompasses the villages of St. Johnsbury and St. Johnsbury Center and covers an area of 13.1 sq mi (about 36% of the area of the town).
St. Johnsbury is serviced by 
Interstate 91, 
Interstate 93, 
US Route 2, 
US Route 5, and 
Vermont Route 2B.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000,[2] there were 7,571 people, 3,197 households, and 1,917 families residing in the town. The population density was 206.4 people per square mile (79.7/km2). There were 3,482 housing units at an average density of 94.49/sq mi (36.5/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.5% White, 0.5% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. 1.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,197 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% 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 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 12.8% under the age of 18, 19.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.5 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $20,269, and the median income for a family was $41,961. Males had a median income of $30,846 versus $22,131 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,807. 14.7% of the population and 12.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 37.8% are under the age of 18 and 11.1% are 65 or older.
Town center
The U.S. Census Bureau refers to the most developed portion of the town as a census-designated place (CDP).
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 6,319 people, 2,726 households, and 1,561 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 486.8 people per square mile (188.0/km2). There were 2,985 housing units at an average density of 230.0/sq mi (88.8/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.23% White, 0.47% Black or African American, 0.74% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.
There were 2,726 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $26,702, and the median income for a family was $39,890. Males had a median income of $31,454 versus $21,283 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $16,561. About 12.8% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.3% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
Education
- St. Johnsbury Academy is a private high school founded by the Fairbanks family in 1842. While they have the option of attending any approved school, most St. Johnsbury secondary school students choose to be educated at St. Johnsbury Academy at the town's expense. The town of St. Johnsbury does not operate a public school for grades 9-12. Vermont law requires towns not operating schools to pay tuition to other approved schools for students in the grades not provided up to the Average Announced Tuition for union schools [9]
- St. Johnsbury Trade School opened in September 1918, offering the only four year vocational education in the area. The school's founders, Fairbanks, Morse and Company, wanted to provide young people with the opportunity to learn a trade while providing them a base for earning more money and high school courses.[10] After serving the community for over 50 years, the Trade School was closed, and the building then became the junior high. In 1981, it became the St. Johnsbury Middle School. [11]
- St. Johnsbury School now serves Pre-kindergarten through 8th grade.
- Good Shepherd School is operated by St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church and serves pre-school through 8th grade.
Industry
- E.T. & H.K. Ide Company, a grain wholesaler founded in 1813, was the oldest continuously operating business in town when the family sold it in 2003. It is no longer operational[12]
- Fairbanks Scales, still doing business here after more than 175 years, employs 160 workers.[13]
- Maple Grove Farms of Vermont was founded in 1915 by Helen Gray and Ethel McLaren who made maple candies on their family farm. Today, Maple Grove is the largest packer of pure maple syrup in the USA, and the largest manufacturer of maple candies in the world.[citation needed]
Medical
The Northeast Kingdom Human Services aids mental health needs.
Culture
There has been an annual First Night community celebration of the arts on New Year's Eve since 1993.[14]
The village contains the only National Historic Landmark in the county, as well as the only one in the Northeast Kingdom - The Athenaeum. The village also contains 12 other places on the list of National Registry of Historic Places, the most in Caledonia county or the NEK:
- Benoit Apartment House-74 Pearl Street — 74 Pearl St. (added June 6, 1994)
- Benoit Apartment House-76 Pearl Street — 76 Pearl St. (added June 6, 1994)
- Caleb H. Marshall House — 53 Summer St. (added September 16, 1994)
- Cote Apartment House — 16 Elm St. (added June 6, 1994)
- Franklin Fairbanks House — 30 Western Ave. (added October 27, 1980)
- Maple Street-Clarks Avenue Historic District — 17-49 Maple St., 4-34 Clarks Ave., 95 1/2-101 Main St., 4 and 6 Frost Ave. and 3 and 5 Idlewood Terr. (added June 5, 1994)
- Morency Paint Shop and Apartment Building — 73-77 Portland St. (added June 5, 1994)
- Railroad Street Historic District — Roughly bounded N and S by Railroad St. and Canadian Pacific RR tracks (added July 25, 1974)
- Shearer and Corser Double House — 81-83 Summer St. (added September 16, 1994)
- St. Johnsbury Federal Fish Culture Station — 374 Emerson Falls Rd. (added April 18, 2005)
- St. Johnsbury Historic District — U.S. 5 and U.S. 2 (added May 17, 1980)
- St. Johnsbury Main Street Historic District — Area along Main St. including intersecting streets (added June 28, 1975)
Sites of interest
Notable residents
- GG Allin, punk musician
- Jonathan Arnold, delegate to the Continental Congress and early settler
- Lemuel H. Arnold, congressman and governor of Rhode Island
- Asa P. Blunt, brevet brigadier general
- Jean Dubuc, baseball player
- Franklin Fairbanks, businessman and philanthropist; founder of Winter Park, Florida and Rollins College
- Horace Fairbanks, governor of Vermont
- Thaddeus Fairbanks, inventor
- Frederick G. Fleetwood, congressman
- Jacob Gates, religious leader
- Chris Hedges, journalist and author
- Ellery Albee Hibbard, congressman
- Harland Bradley Howe, judge
- Stephen Huneck, artist and wood carver[15]
- Luther Jewett, congressman
- Milo Parker Jewett, educator
- Khonnor, musician
- Charles Hosmer Morse, businessman; founder of Winter Park, Florida and Rollins College
- Graham S. Newell, state senator
- Edwin Wallace Parker, missionary bishop
- Jonathan Ross, senator
- "Dr. Bob" Smith, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous
- Erastus Snow, religious leader
- Zerubbabel Snow, religious leader
References
External links
