Norwich | |
---|---|
![]() Location in Windsor County and the state of Vermont. | |
![]() Location of Vermont within the US | |
Coordinates: 43°43′49″N72°18′11″W / 43.73028°N 72.30306°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Vermont |
County | Windsor |
Chartered | 1761 |
Area | |
• Total | 44.7 sq mi (115.7 km2) |
• Land | 44.4 sq mi (115.1 km2) |
• Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2) |
Elevation | 531 ft (274 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,612 |
• Density | 81/sq mi (31/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 05055 |
Area code | 802 |
FIPS code | 50-52900 [1] |
GNIS feature ID | 1462166 [2] |
Website | www |
Norwich is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,612 at the 2020 census. [3] Home to some of the state of Vermont's wealthiest residents, the municipality is a commuter town for nearby Hanover, New Hampshire across the Connecticut River. The town is part of the Dresden School District, the first interstate school district in the United States, signed into law by President John F. Kennedy. The town contains the Norwich Mid-Century Modern Historic District. [4]
The boundaries of Norwich were established on July 4, 1761, when Governor Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire defined the boundaries of townships in Vermont. [5] The first settlers reached the area in 1763 and began to clear the wilderness and erect the first hand-hewn log buildings, wintering over for the first time in 1765. [6] Early settlements occurred along the Ompompanoosuc River. Later, the current village site became settled. The first town meeting occurred in April 1768. The first Congregational church was founded in 1770 and a structure built in 1778. The population grew from 206 in 1771 to 1,158 in 1791 and 2,316 in 1830. [7]
The town was named after Norwich, Connecticut, the state from which the first settlers originated. [8] In the original charter, the name was spelled "Norwhich", but the additional 'h' was dropped shortly after the town was chartered. [9] Originally pronounced "Norritch" (similar to the English pronunciation of the city of Norwich, England), the town name has in more recent times become more commonly pronounced "Nor-wich".
In 1819 native son, Alden Partridge, a former Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, founded the private "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy" in Norwich. [10] He hoped to establish a new "American system" for training cadets that included both humanities and science topics in the curriculum, in addition to military science. In his six years of Norwich residency, Partridge achieved an academy population of nearly 500 "cadets". He moved that school back to Middletown, Connecticut, in 1825, but returned in 1835 with a charter from the U.S. Congress to found another military academy, which remained in Norwich until 1866, when it burned to the ground. The school then relocated to Northfield, Vermont, where it exists today as Norwich University. [7]
Norwich lies on the western bank of the Connecticut River, which forms Vermont's boundary with New Hampshire, opposite its companion town, Hanover, New Hampshire. The Ledyard Bridge connects the two towns. The Vermont towns bordering Norwich are Thetford to the north, Sharon to the west, and Hartford to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 44.7 square miles (115.7 km2), of which 44.4 square miles (115.1 km2) is land and 0.23 square miles (0.6 km2), or 0.05%, is water. The Ompompanoosuc River flows into the Connecticut River in the northeastern part of the town. [11]
The landscape is hilly and wooded. The elevation of the town center is 531 feet (162 m). The hills in the town include the 1,700-foot (520 m) Griggs Mountain in the southwestern section and the 1,853-foot (565 m) Gile Mountain in the northwestern section.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1790 | 1,158 | — | |
1800 | 1,486 | 28.3% | |
1810 | 1,812 | 21.9% | |
1820 | 1,985 | 9.5% | |
1830 | 2,316 | 16.7% | |
1840 | 2,218 | −4.2% | |
1850 | 1,978 | −10.8% | |
1860 | 1,759 | −11.1% | |
1870 | 1,639 | −6.8% | |
1880 | 1,471 | −10.3% | |
1890 | 1,304 | −11.4% | |
1900 | 1,303 | −0.1% | |
1910 | 1,252 | −3.9% | |
1920 | 1,092 | −12.8% | |
1930 | 1,371 | 25.5% | |
1940 | 1,418 | 3.4% | |
1950 | 1,532 | 8.0% | |
1960 | 1,790 | 16.8% | |
1970 | 1,966 | 9.8% | |
1980 | 2,398 | 22.0% | |
1990 | 3,093 | 29.0% | |
2000 | 3,544 | 14.6% | |
2010 | 3,414 | −3.7% | |
2020 | 3,612 | 5.8% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [12] |
As of the census [1] of 2000, there were 3,544 people, 1,367 households, and 944 families residing in the town. The population density was 79.3 people per square mile (30.6 people/km2). There were 1,505 housing units at an average density of 33.7 per square mile (13.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.97% White, 0.48% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.61% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.79% of the population.
There were 1,367 households, out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.3% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 31.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $66,000, and the median income for a family was $78,178. Males had a median income of $49,350 versus $33,871 for females. The per capita income for the town was $35,285. About 1.5% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
The town commercial center features a traditional, but actively used, general store. [13] Adjacent to the general store is a restored historic inn with a restaurant and brew pub. [14] The Montshire Museum of Science [15] and King Arthur Baking Company are located in Norwich. [16]
Norwich maintains one of the few interstate public school systems, the Dresden School District, commissioned by President John F. Kennedy, which is shared by the towns of Norwich and Hanover, New Hampshire. [17] Students attend Marion Cross School in Norwich for kindergarten through sixth grade, Richmond Middle School in Hanover for grades seven and eight, and Hanover High School in Hanover for grades nine through twelve. [18] [19]
Major transportation routes, which run parallel through the Connecticut River valley, include Interstate 91 (Exit 13 serves the town), U.S. Route 5 and the former Boston and Maine Railroad right of way, now owned by the State of Vermont. [20] The Appalachian Trail passes south to east through the town from Hartford to Hanover, New Hampshire. [21]
Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, and Hanover High School. The Appalachian Trail crosses the town, connecting with a number of trails and nature preserves.
Grafton County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,118. Its county seat is the town of Haverhill. In 1972, the county courthouse and other offices were moved from Woodsville, a larger village within the town of Haverhill, to North Haverhill.
Clarksville is a town in northern Coös County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 294 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Berlin, NH-VT Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Northumberland is a town located in western Coös County, New Hampshire, United States, north of Lancaster. It is part of the Berlin, NH–VT micropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 2,126, of whom 1,068 lived in the village of Groveton.
Lebanon is the only city in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,282 at the 2020 census, up from 13,151 at the 2010 census. Lebanon is in western New Hampshire, south of Hanover, near the Connecticut River. It is the home to Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth College's Geisel School of Medicine, together comprising the largest medical facility between Boston, Massachusetts, and Burlington, Vermont.
Lyme is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,745 as of the 2020 census. Lyme is home to the Chaffee Natural Conservation Area. The Dartmouth Skiway is in the eastern part of town, near the village of Lyme Center. The Appalachian Trail passes through the town's heavily wooded eastern end.
Williston is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Originally rural and laid out with many farms, in recent decades it has developed into a thriving suburb of Burlington, the largest city in the state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population of Williston was 10,103, an increase of over 1,000 people since the 2010 census. Williston is one of the fastest-growing towns in Vermont, and while becoming more populated, it has also developed as a major retail center for the Burlington area as well as much of central and northern Vermont. The town has a National Register Historic District in its unincorporated central village.
Concord is a town in Essex County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,141 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Berlin, NH –VT Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Wells River is a village in the town of Newbury in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 431 at the 2020 census. The village center is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 5 and 302.
White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,528 at the 2020 census, up from 2,286 in 2010, making it the largest community within the town of Hartford.
Windsor is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As the "Birthplace of Vermont", the town is where the Constitution of Vermont was adopted in 1777, thus marking the founding of the Vermont Republic, a sovereign state until 1791, when Vermont joined the United States. Over much of its history, Windsor was home to a variety of manufacturing enterprises. Its population was 3,559 at the 2020 census.
Hanover is a census-designated place (CDP) and the main village in the town of Hanover in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population of the CDP was 9,078 at the 2020 census, out of 11,870 in the entire town. The CDP includes the campus of Dartmouth College.
Brattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located about 10 miles (16 km) north of the Massachusetts state line at the confluence of Vermont's West River and Connecticut. With a 2022 Census population of 12,106, it is the most populous municipality abutting Vermont's eastern border with New Hampshire, which is the Connecticut River.
The Montshire Museum of Science is a hands-on science museum located in Norwich, Vermont, United States.
Lewiston is a former village in the town of Norwich, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. Settlers first arrived in that area in 1765; the village's namesake, Dr. Joseph Lewis, arrived two years later. From the late 19th century, the village was centered on a rail station that was used by both Norwich and the town directly across the Connecticut River, Hanover, New Hampshire.
Alden Partridge was an American author, legislator, officer, surveyor, an early superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and a controversial pioneer in U.S. military education, emphasizing physical fitness training, advocating the concept of citizen soldier and establishing a series of private military academies throughout the country, including Norwich University.
Route 10A is a 1.070-mile-long (1.722 km) east-west highway connecting the towns of Norwich, Vermont and Hanover, New Hampshire. The route exists as Vermont Route 10A and New Hampshire Route 10A, with each designation carrying about half of the route's length. The route begins in Norwich at an interchange with Interstate 91 and U.S. Route 5 and runs east, crossing the state line and continuing into downtown Hanover, where it ends at New Hampshire Route 10.
White River Junction station is a passenger train station in White River Junction, Vermont, served by Amtrak's Vermonter. It is also used by the Green Mountain Railroad for passenger excursion trains to Thetford and the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, Vermont. Originally, it was built in 1937 as a union station that served the Boston and Maine Railroad and Central Vermont Railway. On display adjacent to the station is a sheltered display of Boston and Maine Railroad #494, a historic steam locomotive. The station's historic building is a contributing property in the White River Junction Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Dartmouth College is five miles to the north in Hanover, New Hampshire.
The Dresden School District is the first interstate school district in the United States. It operates the Francis C. Richmond Middle School and Hanover High School in Hanover, New Hampshire. The district is part of the New Hampshire's School Administrative Unit (SAU) 70, which also includes two other school districts, each with its own school board: the Hanover School District, which operates the Bernice A. Ray Elementary School in Hanover, and the Norwich School District, which operates the Marion Cross Elementary School in Norwich, Vermont.
Elisha Payne was a prominent businessman and political figure in the states of New Hampshire and Vermont following the events of the American Revolution. He is best known for serving as Lieutenant Governor of the Vermont Republic and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Vermont.
Wentworth town boundaries Norwich VT.
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