Williamstown is a town in Orange County,

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, 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 (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

, United States. The population was 3,515 at the 2020 census, making it the second largest municipality in the county.

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 th ...

, the town has a total area of 40.3 square miles (104.5 km²), of which 40.2 square miles (104.1 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.4 km²) (0.40%) is water. The village of Williamstown is in the central part of the town. The Ainsworth State Park is a 905-acre (3.7 km²) park located in Williamstown which provides camping, hiking, and hunting.

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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 3,225 people, 1,248 households, and 889 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 80.3 people per square mile (31.0/km²). There were 1,318 housing units at an average density of 32.8 per square mile (12.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.33%

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 ...

, 0.06%

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 ...

, 0.28% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.25% 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 ...

, and 0.96% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 0.78% of the population. There were 1,248 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.01. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,929, and the median income for a family was $45,859. Males had a median income of $29,635 versus $22,378 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 $17,720. About 5.9% of families and 8.0% 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 10.9% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* John Coughlin, awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

for his actions during the Civil War * Thomas Davenport, inventor, constructed the first American DC electric motor * Rockwell J. Flint, Wisconsin state legislator and newspaper editor * Mark MacDonald, Vermont state legislator * Ella Seaver Owen (1852–1910), artist, teacher *

Elijah Paine Elijah Paine (January 21, 1757 – April 28, 1842) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Vermont, a United States senator from Vermont and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont. Education ...

, United States senator *

Joseph Raycroft Joseph Edward Raycroft (November 15, 1867 – September 30, 1955) was the head men's basketball coach for the University of Chicago between 1906–07 and 1909–10. In his four seasons as coach, the Chicago Maroons compiled an overall record of 66 ...

, basketball coach *

Rollin White Rollin White (June 6, 1817 – March 22, 1892) was an American gunsmith who invented a single shot bored-through revolver cylinder that allowed paper cartridges to be loaded from the rear of a revolver's cylinder. Because the open breeches were ...

, inventor. Born in Williamstown. White patented a revolver with a bored-through cylinder, which became the basis for the

Smith & Wesson Model 1 The Smith & Wesson Model 1 was the first firearm manufactured by Smith & Wesson, with production spanning the years 1857 through 1882. It was the first commercially successful revolver to use rimfire cartridges instead of loose powder, musket b ...

References

External links

Williamstown Vermont Official Town Website

Ainsworth Public Library Website
{{authority control Towns in Vermont Towns in Orange County, Vermont