Wheelock, Vermont | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 44°34′6″N72°6′22″W / 44.56833°N 72.10611°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Vermont |
County | Caledonia |
Chartered | November 8, 1780 |
Area | |
• Total | 39.8 sq mi (103.1 km2) |
• Land | 39.5 sq mi (102.3 km2) |
• Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2) |
Elevation | 1,581 ft (482 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 759 |
• Density | 19/sq mi (7.4/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
Area code | 802 |
FIPS code | 50-83500 [1] |
GNIS feature ID | 1462259 [2] |
Wheelock is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 759 at the 2020 census. [3]
The town was named after Eleazar Wheelock, the founder of Dartmouth College. Through a provision of the college dating to c. 1830, any full-time resident of Wheelock who is accepted as an undergraduate at Dartmouth College may attend the school entirely free of tuition. [4] [5]
Between the 1890s and 2017, nine Wheelock Scholars attended Dartmouth College:
Standing in the center of the village for many years was the old brick hotel, known as the Caledonia Spring House. In 1893, Myron D. Park, who served four years as a Wheelock selectman, sold the Caledonia Spring House to Marshall Way. The hotel was the site of a notorious murder on May 20, 1896, when owner Marshall Way killed his 44-year-old wife, Ellen Sheldon Way, in the dooryard. According to the St. Johnsbury Caledonian of May 22, 1896, "The little town of Wheelock was thrown into a state of wild excitement last Wednesday evening when the cry went around that Marshall Way had killed his wife. It was a terrible shock to the people of the quiet town, and it may be many days before they recover sufficiently to converse to any length upon another subject."
After the murder, the Caledonia Spring House was sold to Alden J. Rennie, owner of several mills in Sutton, Sheffield, and Wheelock. The building was dismantled during the 1990s after falling into disrepair. It was moved to Peacham where it is being restored on private property.
Eleazar Wheelock's grandson founded Wheelock, Texas in the early 1800s and named it after the original town in Vermont.
Wheelock is located in northwestern Caledonia County and is bordered by the town of Sheffield to the north, Sutton to the northeast, Lyndon to the east, Danville to the south, Stannard to the southwest, and Greensboro to the west. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.8 square miles (103.1 km2), of which 39.5 square miles (102.3 km2) is land and 0.31 square miles (0.8 km2), or 0.80%, is water. [6]
The highest point in town is Wheelock Mountain, with an elevation of 2,782 feet (848 m). [7]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1790 | 33 | — | |
1800 | 568 | 1,621.2% | |
1810 | 964 | 69.7% | |
1820 | 906 | −6.0% | |
1830 | 834 | −7.9% | |
1840 | 881 | 5.6% | |
1850 | 855 | −3.0% | |
1860 | 832 | −2.7% | |
1870 | 822 | −1.2% | |
1880 | 829 | 0.9% | |
1890 | 596 | −28.1% | |
1900 | 567 | −4.9% | |
1910 | 500 | −11.8% | |
1920 | 526 | 5.2% | |
1930 | 412 | −21.7% | |
1940 | 293 | −28.9% | |
1950 | 287 | −2.0% | |
1960 | 246 | −14.3% | |
1970 | 238 | −3.3% | |
1980 | 444 | 86.6% | |
1990 | 481 | 8.3% | |
2000 | 621 | 29.1% | |
2010 | 811 | 30.6% | |
2020 | 759 | −6.4% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [8] |
As of the census [1] of 2000, there were 621 people, 238 households, and 178 families residing in the town. The population density was 15.7 people per square mile (6.1/km2). There were 321 housing units at an average density of 8.1 per square mile (3.1/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.58% White, 0.32% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 1.29% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races.
There were 238 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,750, and the median income for a family was $40,625. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $21,667 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,440. About 4.9% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,920, making it the least-populous county in both Vermont and New England. Its shire town is the municipality of Guildhall. The county was created in 1792 and organized in 1800. Bordered by the Connecticut River next to New Hampshire, Essex County is south of the Canadian province of Quebec. It is the county with the lowest household-income in Vermont.
Caledonia County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,233. Its shire town is the town of St. Johnsbury. The county was created in 1792 and organized in 1796. It was given the Latin name for Scotland, in honor of the many settlers who claimed ancestry there.
Windham is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the former city of Willimantic as well as the boroughs of Windham Center, North Windham, and South Windham. Willimantic, an incorporated city since 1893, was consolidated with the town in 1983. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 24,428 at the 2020 census.
Burke is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,651 at the 2020 census. The town contains the villages of East Burke, West Burke and Burke Hollow. The town is home to Burke Mountain and Burke Mountain Academy.
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Kirby is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 575 at the 2020 census.
Lyndon is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,491. Lyndon is the home of Lyndon State College. The town contains one incorporated village, Lyndonville, and four unincorporated villages: Lyndon Corner in the south, Lyndon Center in the center of town on the west side of Lyndonville, Little Egypt in the north, and East Lyndon in the southeast.
Newark is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 584 at the 2020 census.
Sheffield is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 682 at the 2020 census.
Stannard is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont. The population was 208 at the 2020 census. The town has no paved roads.
Sutton is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 913 at the 2020 census.
Walden is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 956 at the 2020 census. The community has no ZIP code of its own; mail is routed through the West Danville and East Hardwick post offices.
Waterford is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,268 at the 2020 census.
Brighton is a town in Essex County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,157 at the 2020 census. The town was named "Gilead" in its original grant in 1780. The town was sold to a group consisting primarily of soldiers commanded by Colonel Joseph Nightingale and subsequently named "Random". The town's name was finally changed by the legislature to "Brighton" in 1832. The Brighton village of Island Pond gets its name from the Abenaki word Menanbawk, which literally means island pond.
Brunswick is a town in Essex County, Vermont, United States. The town was named after Prince Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand of Brunswick-Lunenburg. The population was 88 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Berlin, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area. Brunswick is home to six mineral springs that made the town a popular resort destination in the 19th century. The land the springs are on is now owned by the Abenaki people.
Georgia is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,845 at the 2020 census.
Mount Tabor is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 210 at the 2020 census.
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