Williston 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
Chittenden 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. Originally rural and laid out with many farms, in recent decades it has developed into a thriving suburb of
Burlington
Burlington may refer to:
Places Canada Geography
* Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Burlington, Nova Scotia
* Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington"
* Burlington, Prince Edward Island
* Burlington Bay, no ...
, the largest city in the state of Vermont. As of the
2020 census, the population of Williston was 10,103, an increase of over 1,000 people since the 2010 census.
Williston is one of the fastest-growing towns in Vermont, and while becoming more populated, it has also developed as a major retail center for the
Burlington area as well as much of central and northern Vermont.
The town contains the village of Williston, which is unincorporated.
History
![Congregational Church, Williston, Vermont](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Congregational_Church%2C_Williston%2C_Vermont.jpg)
The town was chartered in the New Hampshire Grants in 1763 as a grant from Governor Benning Wentworth of the colony of New Hampshire. It was named for Samuel Willis, a New York merchant who was one of the original 65 grantees, though he never visited the town that was named in his honor.
A private, boarding high school, Pine Ridge, was founded in 1968 to serve learning-disabled students. It closed in June 2009.
The town is notable for its fine and well preserved central collection of brick nineteenth century civic and religious buildings including the "old Brick Church" of 1832, considered one of Vermont's finest country Gothic churches; the former Universalist Church, now the Town Hall, of 1860; the former Methodist Church of 1848, now the Town Annex; former Town Hall of approximately 1840. Also is the regal Federated Church of 1867, formerly the Methodist Episcopal Church, designed by noted Boston architect John Stevens. On the western side of the town, bordering South Burlington, is Vermont's largest mercantile development with numerous "big box" stores and other commercial activities, making it a destination from all over the region.
The town was also the home of several generations of the Chittenden family, for whom the surrounding county, Vermont's most populous, is named. A number of beautiful original Chittenden family homes still stand in the town. Thomas Chittenden, the President of the Vermont Republic, and first governor of the state had his home in Williston and is buried in the central cemetery, with a prominent memorial.
Events
During the night of July 7, 1984, an
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
train with 287 people aboard hit a landslide and derailed, killing five people and injuring about two hundred. Although the accident triggered one of Vermont's most intensive emergency responses, the final victims were not rescued until the end of the day.
Geography
Williston is in central Chittenden County, bordered on the north by the
Winooski River
The Winooski River (formerly the Onion River) is a tributary of Lake Champlain, approximately long, in the northern half of Vermont. Although not Vermont's longest river, it is one of the state's most significant, forming a major valley way from ...
. The city of
South Burlington
South Burlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Along with neighboring Burlington, it is a principal city of the Burlington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,292. It is home to the head ...
is to the west. 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 the ...
, Williston has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.65%, is water.
Brooks
Allen Brook drains the center of the town. It begins and flows from Mud Pond north to the village of Williston, and then in a northwesterly direction where it meets the Winooski River. It has a length of and drains a watershed covering .
Muddy Brook flows on the western edge of Williston and marks the border between Williston and South Burlington.
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 incl ...
of 2010, there were 8,698 people, 2,921 households, and 2,141 families residing in the town. The population density was 252.1 people per square mile (97.4/km
2). There were 3,036 housing units at an average density of 100.1 per square mile (38.6/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.6%
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 on ...
, 1.0%
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 ...
, 0.2%
Native American, 2.0%
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 ...
, 0.01%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.10% 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 1.1% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...
or
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 1.5% of the population.
There were 2,921 households, out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $61,467, and the median income for a family was $69,762. Males had a median income of $49,048, versus $31,740 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,757. About 0.8% of families and 1.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.8% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
One measure of economic activity is retail sales. Williston led the state in 2007 with US$434.8 million.
The part of town known as Taft Corners has a number of
big-box store
A big-box store (also hyperstore, supercenter, superstore, or megastore) is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain of stores. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store. The t ...
s, including
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
,
Home Depot
The Home Depot, Inc., is an American multinational corporation, multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportation rentals. Home Depot is the l ...
,
Bed Bath and Beyond
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. is an American chain of domestic merchandise retail stores. The chain operates many stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
Bed Bath & Beyond was founded in 1971. It is counted among the Fortune ...
,
Petsmart
PetSmart is a privately held American chain of pet superstores, which sell pet products, services, and small pets. It is the leading North American pet company, and its direct competitor is Petco. Its indirect competitors are Amazon, Walmart, ...
,
Staples,
Old Navy
Old Navy is an American clothing and accessories retailing company owned by multinational corporation Gap Inc. It has corporate operations in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The largest of the Old Navy stores are its ...
, and
Best Buy
Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...
, as well as
chain restaurants
A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate the retail and dining markets and many service categories, in many pa ...
not seen elsewhere in Vermont such as Chili's,
Texas Roadhouse
Texas Roadhouse is an American steakhouse chain that specializes in steaks in a Texan and Southwestern cuisine style. It is a subsidiary of Texas Roadhouse Inc, which has two other concepts (Bubba's 33 and Jaggers) and is headquartered in Louisv ...
,
Longhorn Steakhouse
LongHorn Steakhouse is an American casual dining restaurant chain owned and operated by Darden Restaurants, Inc., headquartered in Orlando, Florida. As of 2016, LongHorn Steakhouse generated $1.6 billion in sales in its 559 locations.
History
...
, and
Ninety-Nine. Additionally,
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration tha ...
operates a large law enforcement center in the town.
![Williston central school williston vermont 20040808](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Williston_central_school_williston_vermont_20040808.jpg)
Another measure of economic activity is war production. In late 2021, it was announced that Williston's General Dynamics - Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) was awarded an $88 million contract to produce M61A1 20mm gatling guns for the U.S. Air Force. It is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite delivery/quantity contract expected to run through December 12, 2031.
Education
The town has two schools: Allen Brook School, Pre-K–2, and Williston Central School, 3–8.
The Williston school district is part of the Champlain Valley School District. It therefore sends its students of high school age to
Champlain Valley Union High School
Champlain Valley Union High School (CVU) is a high school located in the town of Hinesburg, Vermont, United States. The school serves the towns of Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George, and Williston. The enrollment for the 2017-2018 schoo ...
, which it supports through taxation. Pine Ridge School, a boarding and day school which served students with learning disabilities and behavioral issues, was located in Williston from its founding in 1968 through its closure in 2009.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Bus service is provided by
Chittenden County Transportation Authority
Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) was the public transit system headquartered in Burlington in Chittenden County, Vermont. CCTA served the communities of Burlington, Essex, South Burlington, Winooski, Shelburne, Williston and ...
. This transportation brings residents and workers to South Burlington and Burlington, the central locations of the bus system.
Major routes
Interstate 89
Interstate 89 (I-89) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States traveling from Bow, New Hampshire, to the Canadian border between Highgate Springs, Vermont, and Saint-Armand, Quebec. As with all odd-numbered ...
passes through town from east to west, though it is signed north-south. There is an interchange just south of downtown.
U.S. Route 2
U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, whi ...
, also known as Williston Road, passes through town from east to west. Williston's historic village is located along U.S. 2 in the center of town.
Vermont Route 2A
U.S. Route 2 (US 2) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that is split into two segments. Its eastern segment runs from Rouses Point, New York, to Houlton, Maine. In Vermont, US 2 extends from the New York state line in Alburgh ...
provides a north-south route through town, connecting it to
Hinesburg and
Essex Junction
Essex Junction is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 10,590. It was municipal incorporation, incorporated as a List_of_municipalities_in_Vermont#Villages, ...
. Much of the town's retail development, including nearly all of its big-box stores, is located along Route 2A, which runs through the western part of Williston and intersects I-89 and U.S. Route 2.
Notable people
*
Edwin Atwater
Edwin Atwater (September 14, 1808 in Williston, Vermont – June 18, 1874 in Montreal) was a Canadian businessman, corporate director and municipal politician in Montreal.
Atwater immigrated to Lower Canada in 1830 settling in Montreal. He se ...
, Canadian businessperson and politician
*
James Edmund Burke
James Edmund Burke (April 23, 1849 – May 4, 1943) was an American politician who served as the 18th, 20th, 22nd, and 27th List of mayors of Burlington, Vermont, mayor of Burlington, Vermont. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he also ...
,
mayor of Burlington, Vermont
*
Lucius E. Chittenden
Lucius Eugene Chittenden (May 24, 1824 – July 22, 1900) was an American author, banker, lawyer, politician and peace advocate who served as Register of the Treasury during the Lincoln administration.
Early life
Chittenden was born in Willisto ...
, attorney and author who served as
Register of the U.S. Treasury during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
*
Martin Chittenden
Martin Chittenden (March 12, 1763September 5, 1840) was an American politician from Vermont. He served as a United States representative from 1803 to 1813 and as the seventh governor of Vermont from 1813 to 1815, during a crucial portion of the ...
, U.S. congressman and
governor of Vermont
The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...
*
Thomas Chittenden
Thomas Chittenden (January 6, 1730August 25, 1797) was an American politician from Vermont, who was a leader of the territory for nearly two decades. Chittenden was the first and third governor of the state of Vermont, serving from 1778 to 1789 ...
, founder of the Republic of Vermont and first governor of Vermont
*
Ben Cohen, entrepreneur and co-founder of
Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings Inc., trading and commonly known as Ben & Jerry's, is an American company that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet. Founded in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont, the company went from a single ice cream p ...
*
Bart Farley
Stewart Bart Farley is a retired American soccer Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper who played professionally in the North American Soccer League (1968–1984), North American Soccer League and MISL I, Major Indoor Soccer League.
A nat ...
, professional soccer player and coach
*
Jerry Greenfield
Jerry Greenfield (born March 14, 1951) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc.
Greenfield grew up on Long Island. He attended Oberlin College, where he was a National Merit Sch ...
, entrepreneur and co-founder of
Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings Inc., trading and commonly known as Ben & Jerry's, is an American company that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet. Founded in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont, the company went from a single ice cream p ...
*
Raul Hilberg
Raul Hilberg (June 2, 1926 – August 4, 2007) was a Jewish Austrian-born American political scientist and historian. He was widely considered to be the preeminent scholar on the Holocaust. Christopher R. Browning has called him the founding fath ...
, Austrian-born historian and leading scholar on the Holocaust
*
Virginia V. Lyons, member of 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-m ...
*
Ross Miner
Ross Miner (born January 24, 1991) is an American skating coach and retired competitive figure skater. He is the 2012 Four Continents bronze medalist, 2009 JGP Final bronze medalist, 2013 and 2018 U.S. national silver medalist and 2009 U.S. j ...
, figure skater and skating coach
*
Haviland Smith
Haviland Smith is a retired CIA station chief who worked in Prague, Berlin, Langley, Beirut, and Tehran, primarily on issues related to the Soviet Union. He also served as chief of the counterrorism staff and as executive assistant to the Deputy D ...
, retired
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
officer and former station chief
*
Russell S. Taft
Russell Smith Taft (January 28, 1835 – March 22, 1902) was a lawyer, politician and judge who served as the 29th lieutenant governor of Vermont and chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.
Early life
Russell Smith Taft was born in Will ...
,
chief justice of the
Vermont Supreme Court
The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court.
The Court ...
See also
*
Vermont locations by per capita income
Vermont has the twenty-fifth-highest per capita income in the United States of America, at $20,625 (2000). Its personal per capita income is $30,740 (2003).
Vermont counties ranked by per capita income
Note: Data is from the 2010 United State ...
References
External links
Town of Williston official website
{{authority control
Towns in Vermont
Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area
Towns in Chittenden County, Vermont