Williamstown 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 Orange 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 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, 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 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 (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 3,225 people, 1,248 households, and 889 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 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 chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.06%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.28% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino 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 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, 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 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 $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 ...

, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Evalyn Bates Evalyn Cora Bates (1907–2010) was an American educator who helped found Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. Early life and education Born in Williamstown, Vermont, in 1916 to a Vermont subsistence farmer and his Vermont-born wife, Evalyn C ...

, educator * John Coughlin, awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

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 Ella Seaver Owen (February 26, 1852 – November 11, 1910) was an American artist and teacher. For many years, she taught oil, watercolor, and china painting, and was one of the pioneers, outside of New York City, in china firing. Owen was one of ...

(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 an American college football and college basketball coach and university professor. He was the head men's basketball coach for the University of Chicago between 1906–07 and 19 ...

, 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 wer ...

, 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 from 1857 to 1882. It was the first commercially successful revolver to use Rimfire ammunition, rimfire cartridges instead of loose Gunpowde ...

References

External links

Williamstown Vermont Official Town Website

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