Montgomery is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
Franklin County,
Vermont
Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The population as of the
2020 census was 1,184.
In 1963, part of Avery's Gore in Franklin County became part of Montgomery, with the other section becoming part of
Belvidere in
Lamoille County. Montgomery is also known for having the most
covered bridges in Vermont, with seven. This amounts to one covered bridge for approximately every 170 residents, and is the most of any single town in the United States.
Geography
The town is in eastern Franklin County, bordered to the south by Lamoille County and to the east by
Orleans County.
Vermont Route 118 passes through the town, leading northwest to
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
and south to
Eden.
Vermont Route 58 intersects Route 118 at Montgomery Center, leading southwest over
Hazens Notch to
Lowell.
Vermont Route 242 also terminates at Montgomery Center, leading northeast over the
Green Mountains
The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont and are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Que ...
to
Jay. The higheast point in Montgomery is the summit of Big Jay, a spur of
Jay Peak. Big Jay is in the northeast corner of Montgomery.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km
2), or 0.13%, is water.
Nearly all of the town is drained by the Trout River, a northwest-flowing tributary of the
Missisquoi River
The Missisquoi River is a transboundary river of the east shore of Lake Champlain (via Missisquoi Bay), approximately long, in northern Vermont in the United States and southern Quebec in Canada.
It drains a rural area of the northern Green Moun ...
. The southeast corner of the town is drained by Calavale Brook, a tributary of the
Lamoille River. Both rivers flow to
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec.
The cities of Burlington, Ve ...
.
The following are named villages and places in the town of Montgomery, according to the Vermont Secretary of State.
* Hectorville
* Hutchins
* Montgomery Center (
ZIP Code 05471)
* Montgomery Village (ZIP Code 05470)
Hazen's Notch State Park is located on Vermont Route 58, the Hazen's Notch Road. The undeveloped park is located in three towns, including Montgomery. It is midway between
Lowell to the east and Montgomery to the west.
History
The town of Montgomery was granted a charter by the
Vermont General Assembly on March 15, 1780. Montgomery was named in honor of General
Richard Montgomery (1738–1775),
Revolutionary War hero.
[Branthoover, W.R. & Taylor, Sara, Montgomery Vermont - The History of a Town (1976, 1991, 2013) Montgomery Historical Society, Montgomery, Vermont]
The Montgomery Historical Society was formed in 1974. The society was initially created to acquire and restore the
St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Montgomery Village.
The following buildings and bridges in Montgomery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
*
Comstock Covered Bridge
*
Fuller Covered Bridge
* Hectorville Covered Bridge (Disassembled and stored awaiting restoration)
*
Hopkins Covered Bridge
*
Hutchins Covered Bridge
*
Longley Covered Bridge
*
West Hill Covered Bridge
* Montgomery House (Montgomery, Vermont)
*
St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church (Now known as Pratt Hall, Montgomery Historical Society)
* First Baptist Church (Now known as Kelton Hall, Montgomery Center for the Arts)
In 2008, the state notified residents of the town, and twelve other towns in the adjacent counties of Lamoille and Orleans, that a review of health records from 1995 to 2006 had revealed that residents within of the former asbestos mine on Belvidere Mountain had higher than normal rates of contracting
asbestosis
Asbestosis is long-term inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis, scarring of the human lung, lungs due to asbestos fibers. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, and chest pain, chest tightness. Complications may include lung canc ...
. The state and federal government continues to study this problem. A critic replied that the entire basis of the study were three unidentified people who died from asbestosis from 1995 to 2005 out of a total population of 16,700.
Government
The Montgomery Town Offices (Town Clerk, Select Board, etc.) are located at the Public Safety Building at 86 Mountain Road, Rte. #242, in Montgomery Center. The Montgomery Center Post Office is located at 98 Main Street in Montgomery Center (05471), and the Montgomery Village Post Office has its own post office located on 1 Black Falls Road, near the intersection of Fuller Bridge Road and Black Falls Road in Montgomery (05470).
Legislators
The
Essex-Orleans Senate district includes the town of Montgomery, as well as parts or all of
Essex County,
Orleans County,
Franklin County and
Lamoille County. As of 2021, it is represented in the
Vermont Senate
The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator repre ...
by Russ Ingalls (
R) and
Robert A. Starr (
D).
Demographics
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 992 people, 412 households, and 288 families residing in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...
was 17.5 people per square mile (6.7/km
2). There were 666 housing units at an average density of 11.7 per square mile (4.5/km
2). The
racial makeup of the town was 96.88% White, 0.20% African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.10% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population.
There were 412 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.75.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.1 males.
Economy
Montgomery's economy centers on
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
due to its proximity to
Jay Peak Resort.
Agribusiness
Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy,
in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise.
The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit ...
is also a significant contributor to the town's economy.
Personal income
The median income for a household in the town was $33,958, and the median income for a family was $38,839. Males had a median income of $27,917 versus $22,273 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the town was $16,570. About 8.7% of families and 14.4% 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 ...
, including 14.2% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
Dana Reed Bailey, politician
*
Percival L. Shangraw, Vermont Supreme Court 1958–1974 (Chief Justice 1972–1974)
*
Elle Purrier St. Pierre, Olympian
*
Homer W. Wheeler, U.S. Army officer and author
References
External links
Town of Montgomery official websiteMontgomery Historical Society
{{authority control
Towns in Vermont
Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area
Towns in Franklin County, Vermont