Canaan is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Essex County,

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, United States. The population was 896 at the 2020 census. Canaan contains the village of Beecher Falls, located at the confluence of the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

and

Halls Stream Halls Stream or Rivière Hall is a tributary of the Connecticut River in eastern North America. For most of its length, it forms the Canada–United States border, with the province of Quebec (Canada) to its west and the state of New Hampshire ...

. It is part of the

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area. Due to Québécois ancestry, 26% of Canaan residents speak French as their primary language, making the town one of

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

's "Little Canadas." This is a decrease from 1982, when nearly 44% spoke French as their native language.

Geography

Canaan is the northeasternmost town in Vermont, bordered by the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

to the north and the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

to the east. It is one of two towns in Vermont to share a border with both another state and Canada, the other such town being

Alburgh Alburgh is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It lies about four miles (6 km) north-east of Harleston and 16 miles (26 km) south of Norwich. Heritage The earliest evidence of settlement is from the Mesolith ...

in the northwestern corner. Canaan has two border crossings with Quebec, each approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) apart. The border crossings are, from west to east,

Canaan–Hereford Road Border Crossing The Canaan–Hereford Road Border Crossing connects the towns of Saint-Herménégilde, Quebec and Canaan, Vermont on the Canada–US border. The crossing is at the junction of Quebec Route 141 and Vermont Route 141, and is open 24 hours for no ...

, accessed by

Vermont Route 141 Vermont Route 114 (VT 114) is a north–south state highway in northeastern Vermont in the United States. It runs northward from U.S. Route 5 (US 5) in Lyndon until nearing the Canada–United States border in the town ...

and

Quebec Route 141 Route 141 is a north/south highway in Quebec on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. Its northern terminus is in Magog at the junction of Route 112 and Autoroute 10, and the southern terminus is in Saint-Herménégilde at the United St ...

, and

Beecher Falls–East Hereford Border Crossing The Beecher Falls–East Hereford Border Crossing connects the towns of East Hereford, Quebec, (formerly Comins Mills) and the village of Beecher Falls, Vermont, on the Canada–United States border. It is reached by Vermont Route 253 on the A ...

, accessed by

Vermont Route 253 Vermont Route 253 (VT 253) is a state highway located entirely within the town of Canaan in Essex County, Vermont, in the United States. It extends from a junction with VT 102 and VT 114 to the Canadian border, where it con ...

and Quebec Route 253. Canaan is also the only town in Vermont to share a land border with New Hampshire—the town's far northeastern corner touches the southwestern corner of the town of Pittsburg—as the

defines the state line from Canaan southward. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.24%, is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 1,078 people, 441 households, and 306 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 32.5 people per square mile (12.5/km²). There were 650 housing units at an average density of 19.6 per square mile (7.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.83%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.19%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.83% Native American, 0.09%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 3.06% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.28% of the population. There were 441 households, out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,574, and the median income for a family was $36,705. Males had a median income of $28,913 versus $21,544 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $14,131. About 10.2% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 18.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Social services

Social services are provided in part by the Northeast Kingdom Community Action, located here and in other

Northeast Kingdom The Northeast Kingdom (also, locally, "The Kingdom" and abbreviated NEK) is the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Vermont, approximately comprising Essex County, Vermont, Essex, Orleans County, Vermont, Orleans and Caledonia County, Vermont, ...

sites. Northeast Kingdom Learning Services provides Adult Education and Literacy and High School Completion services to Canaan at no charge.

Town Meeting

Canaan, Vermont holds a town meeting on town meeting day, held in the school's gymnasium.

Economy

Since the start of the 20th century, Canaan has lost many logging jobs and most family farms. Tourism is now an important part of the local economy. The Beecher Falls furniture factory, a division of

Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for ...

, closed its manufacturing unit in August 2009, laying off 238 workers and leaving only the rough mill open. The plant opened in 1895 and was once the largest furniture factory east of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

References

External links

Town of Canaan official website

Canaan schools
{{authority control Towns in Vermont Berlin, New Hampshire micropolitan area Vermont populated places on the Connecticut River Towns in Essex County, Vermont