Westmore 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 Orleans 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 357 at the 2020 census, making it the least populated and least densely populated town in the county. The town contains one unincorporated village clustered around

Lake Willoughby Lake Willoughby is a lake in the town of Westmore in Orleans County in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, United States. The lake's southern end is surrounded by the Willoughby State Forest. This state forest includes Mount Pisgah, Mount Hor, c ...

History

Originally named Westford, the town was chartered on August 17, 1781. Since Chittenden County had a town named Westford, in 1787 the name was changed to Westmore. The first vacation house was built on the lake in 1860. It is known as the Cheney House, named after an owner in the late 19th century. Westmore never attracted many settlers. The town's peak population was in the census year of 1880 with 485 people. Before he became famous, Robert Frost camped here in the summer of 1909 with his family. Songadeewin Camp for girls was located here in the 1920s–1940s. Electricity became available at the south end of the lake, from West Burke, . In 1970, the state of Vermont acquired as part of Willoughby State Forest, which included the Cheney House. Nudity is legal throughout Vermont, though in 2007–2008, the town discussed whether to ban nudity, aimed at sunbathers on the south beach of Lake Willoughby. Having closely approximated the state's voting percentages for governor, in 2006, and president in 2004, Westmore was considered one of six "bellwether" towns for the 2008 general election.

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 37.5 square miles (97.0 km²), of which 34.5 square miles (89.4 km²) is land and 2.9 square miles (7.6 km²) (7.85%) is water. One of the town's most prominent features is

. The relatively young 12,000-year-old glacier-carved lake is flanked on the east by Mount Pisgah and the west by

Mount Hor Mount Hor (Hebrew: , ''Hōr hāHār'') is the name given in the Hebrew Bible to two distinct mountains. One borders the land of Edom in the area south of the Dead Sea, and the other is by the Mediterranean Sea at the Northern border of the Land ...

. The mountains, which have hundreds of feet of rock cliffs, are located in the Willoughby State Forest and the cliffs have been designated a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

. In recent decades, several

peregrine falcons The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, ...

have been found there. Local mountains also include Goodwin , Bald , Hedgehog , Haystack , and Bartlett . The town has a local weather recording and reporting station.

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 306 people, 133 households, and 90 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 8.9 people per square mile (3.4/km²). There were 530 housing units at an average density of 15.4 per square mile (5.9/km²). There were 133 households, out of which 20.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.74. In the town, the population was spread out, with 16.7% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 36.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.5 males.

Economy

Personal income

The median income for a household in the town was $27,375, and the median income for a family was $38,333. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $18,958 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 $14,522. About 7.8% of families and 14.6% 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 25.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 3.8% of those 65 or over.

Tourism

The town is first in the county with the highest percentage of second home ownership. The county is tied for first in the state. Most of the tourism is around the lake and mountains, which have hiking and biking trails, some of which are associated with the Kingdom Trails, and campgrounds. There is hiking, biking, fishing, ice fishing, camping, rock and ice climbing, canoeing and other boating forms, parasailing. Visitors dive from Devils Rock on the east shore of the lake.

Government

Town

School district

High school students are sent to Lake Region Union High School. The town pays an assessment for this and elects a board member to the Orleans Central Supervisory Union.

Political Groups

Westmore Vermont Democratic Committee
a progressive political group founded in 2022 by local residents.