Montgomery is a

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

in Franklin 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 the ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. 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.

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 Vermont Route 118 (VT 118) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Vermont. The highway runs from VT 100 in Eden north to VT 108 in Berkshire. VT 118 connects several towns in northern Lamoille County and eastern Franklin County, i ...

passes through the town, leading northwest to

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Be ...

and south to

Eden Eden may refer to: * Garden of Eden, the "garden of God" described in the Book of Genesis Places and jurisdictions Canada * Eden, Ontario * Eden High School Middle East * Eden, Lebanon, a city and former bishopric * Camp Eden, Iraq O ...

Vermont Route 58 Vermont Route 58 (VT 58) is a east–west state highway in Franklin and Orleans counties in northern Vermont, United States. The western terminus of the route is at VT 118 in Montgomery. The eastern terminus of VT 58 is ...

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. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Quebec, Canada. The part of the same range that is i ...

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 (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 An economy is an area of th ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km²), 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 Mount ...

. The southeast corner of the town is drained by Calavale Brook, a tributary of the

Lamoille River The Lamoille River is a river which runs through northern Vermont and drains into Lake Champlain. It is about in length, and has a drainage area of around . The river generally flows southwest, and then northwest, from the water divide of the Gre ...

. Both rivers flow to

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

. 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 The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

on March 15, 1780. Montgomery was named in honor of General

Richard Montgomery Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish soldier who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and he is most famous for ...

(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 The Fuller Covered Bridge, also known as the Blackfalls Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge that crosses Black Falls Brook in Montgomery, Vermont on Fuller Bridge Road. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The ...

* Hectorville Covered Bridge (Disassembled and stored awaiting restoration) *

Hopkins Covered Bridge The Hopkins Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge that crosses the Trout River in Enosburg, Vermont on Hopkins Bridge Road. Built in 1875 by brothers Sheldon & Savannah Jewett, it is one of a cluster of area covered bridges all attributed to ...

Hutchins Covered Bridge The Hutchins Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge that crosses the South Branch of the Trout River in Montgomery, Vermont on Hutchins Bridge Road. It was built in 1883 by Sheldon & Savannah Jewett, brothers who are credited with building mos ...

Longley Covered Bridge The Longley Covered Bridge, also known as the Harnois Covered Bridge, is a wooden covered bridge that crosses the Trout River in Montgomery, Vermont on Longley Bridge Road. Built in 1863, this Town lattice truss bridge is the oldest of a group of ...

West Hill Covered Bridge The West Hill Covered Bridge, also known as the Crystal Springs Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge that crosses West Hill Brook on Creamery Bridge Road in Montgomery, Vermont. It is one of six surviving 19th-century bridges built in Montg ...

* 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 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 scarring of the lungs due to asbestos fibers. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, and chest tightness. Complications may include lung cancer, mesothelioma, and pulmonary heart diseas ...

. 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 of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-me ...

by Russ Ingalls ( R) and

Robert A. Starr Robert A. Starr (born December 17, 1942) is an American politician from Vermont who currently serves as a Democratic member of the Vermont State Senate. He has represented the Essex-Orleans senate district since 2004. He had previously spen ...

( D).

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 in ...

of 2000, there were 992 people, 412 households, and 288 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was 17.5 people per square mile (6.7/km²). There were 666 housing units at an average density of 11.7 per square mile (4.5/km²). 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 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, 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 or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...

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 w ...

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 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 $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 Dana Reed Bailey (April 27, 1833 - March 25, 1908) was a politician in Vermont, Wisconsin, and South Dakota. Biography Bailey was born on April 27, 1833, in Montgomery, Vermont. He became a teacher, lawyer, and politician. Political career He ...

, politician *

Percival L. Shangraw Percival L. Shangraw (August 6, 1897 – December 18, 1988) was a Vermont attorney and judge. He is notable for his service as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1958 to 1972, and chief justice from 1972 until 1974. Early life ...

, Vermont Supreme Court 1958–1974 (Chief Justice 1972–1974) * Elle Purrier St. Pierre, Olympian *

Homer W. Wheeler Homer W. Wheeler (May 13, 1848 – April 11, 1930) was an American military officer and author. A veteran of the American Indian Wars and Spanish–American War, he attained the rank of colonel and wrote several books, including memoirs of his e ...

, U.S. Army officer and author

References

External links

Town of Montgomery official website

Montgomery Historical Society
{{authority control Towns in Vermont Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area Towns in Franklin County, Vermont