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West Fairlee is a town in
Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...
,
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 621 at the 2020 census.


History

Originally a part of the town of Fairlee, West Fairlee separated in 1797. The town was first settled by Nathaniel Niles that same year. The town remained predominantly agricultural until copper was discovered in nearby Vershire in 1813. With the opening of the Ely Copper Mine in 1821 the town rapidly began to grow. The mine became the site of Vermont's largest labor revolt, dubbed the 'Ely War,' in 1883. Unable to remain financially solvent the mine was sold to
George Westinghouse George Westinghouse Jr. (October 6, 1846 – March 12, 1914) was an American entrepreneur and engineer based in Pennsylvania who created the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry, receiving his first patent at the age ...
. Combined with a fire that destroyed much of the town in 1910 and the mine's closure in 1920, West Fairlee's economy suffered immensely. Today the town is largely a bedroom community. During the Civil War 98 residents served, 11% of the town’s population. Among them Medal of Honor recipient General
Stephen Thomas (Medal of Honor) Stephen Thomas (December 6, 1809 – December 18, 1903), manufacturer, politician, jurist, and Union Army officer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for gallantry. Early life Thomas was born in Bethel, Vermont, the son of John and R ...
. This included Company A of the 15th Vermont Infantry Regiment which was organized in West Fairlee in 1862. West Fairlee was the summer residence of Nobel-winning economist
Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (; July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist and statistician who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and the ...
, which he named “Capitaf.” It was here that he and his wife,
Rose Friedman Rose Director Friedman (; born Rose Director (December 1910 – 18 August 2009), was a free-market economist and co-founder of the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation. Biography Rose Friedman attended Reed College and then transferred to the ...
wrote the 1980 bestselling book, Free to Choose. Portions of the 1983 film The Survivors starring Walter Mathau and Robin Williams was filmed in West Fairlee.


Landmarks

West Fairlee is home to two historic summer camps: Camp Billings and Aloha Horizons Camp. West Fairlee Center Church Asa May House


Geography

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 t ...
, the town has a total area of 22.8 square miles (59.1 km2), of which 22.6 square miles (58.5 km2) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.6 km2) (0.96%) is water. The
Ompompanoosuc River The Ompompanoosuc River is a river, about 25 mi (40 km) long, in eastern Vermont in the United States. It is a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound. According to the Geographic Names Information System, ...
flows through the southwestern part of the town. DeLorme (1996). ''Vermont Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme.


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 726 people, 278 households, and 197 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 32.1 people per square mile (12.4/km2). There were 340 housing units at an average density of 15.0 per square mile (5.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.76%
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 o ...
, 0.14%
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 ...
, 0.55% Native American, 0.41%
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 ...
, 0.14% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
. There were 278 households, out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% 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 3.02. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,667, and the median income for a family was $42,500. Males had a median income of $27,200 versus $22,788 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 $18,011. About 8.0% of families and 10.7% 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 16.1% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.


Notable people

* Asa L. Baldwin, Wisconsin state assemblyman * Chauncey C. Churchill *
Jabez William Clay Jabez William Clay (1852–1880) was an American-born graduate of University of Massachusetts Amherst, Massachusetts Agricultural College, and beginning his career in agricultural supply store, agricultural supply at the time of his death only fiv ...
, Founder of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. *
Eben Pomeroy Colton Eben Pomeroy Colton (February 11, 1829 – September 10, 1895) was an American businessman and farmer who served as the 32nd lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1878 to 1880. Personal background Born Ebenezer Pomeroy Colton and usua ...
, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Vermont from 1878 to 1880 *
Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (; July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist and statistician who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and the ...
,
Nobel prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
-winning economist in economics; owner of the summer estate named ''Capitaf'' (a portmanteau of "Capitalism" and "Freedom"), book from which he and his wife
Rose Friedman Rose Director Friedman (; born Rose Director (December 1910 – 18 August 2009), was a free-market economist and co-founder of the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation. Biography Rose Friedman attended Reed College and then transferred to the ...
were able to buy land and build from the proceeds. The book Free to Choose was written in West Fairlee during their summers spent at ''Capitaf''. Capitaf continues to host private summer colloquia for students hailing from universities all around the United States * Nathaniel Niles, US congressman * Albert Southworth, photographer known for their daguerreotypes in the first half of the 19th century * Stephen Thomas, recipient of the Medal of Honor for gallantry


References


External links

*
Town of West Fairlee Website
{{authority control Towns in Vermont Towns in Orange County, Vermont