Waterford is a town in
Caledonia County,
Vermont, United States. The population was 1,268 at the
2020 census.
History
The town was formed by the Vermont charter on November 8, 1780,
and was originally called Littleton, but the name was changed to Waterford in 1797. The town may have been named after
Waterford, Ireland
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
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, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
, or for the ford that ran across the
Connecticut River in that area.
Geography
Waterford is in eastern Caledonia County on the
Connecticut River, the eastern border of Vermont. The town is bordered by
Barnet to the west,
St. Johnsbury to the northwest,
Kirby to the north, and
Concord, Vermont
Concord is a town in Essex County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,141 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Berlin, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Concord was chartered on September 15, 1780, to Reuben ...
, to the east. The town of
Littleton, New Hampshire, is to the south, across the Connecticut River.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town of Waterford has an area of , of which is land and , or 3.59%, is water.
The town is crossed by
Interstate 93
Interstate 93 (I-93) is an Interstate Highway in the New England states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont in the United States. Spanning approximately along a north–south axis, it is one of three primary Interstate Highways ...
and
Interstate 91. The northern terminus of I-93, at I-91, is in the western corner of the town, just south of St. Johnsbury. Exit 1 on I-93 serves the northern part of Waterford.
Vermont Route 18 is a two-lane highway that parallels I-93.
The highest point in Waterford is the summit of Fuller Hill, near the town's eastern border.
Demographics
At the
2000 census there were 1,104 people in 424 households, including 340 families, in the town. The population density was 28.9 people per square mile (11.2/km
2). There were 477 housing units at an average density of 12.5 per square mile (4.8/km
2). The
racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the town was 98.55% White, 0.27% Asian, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.27%.
Of the 424 households 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.7% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.8% were non-families. 15.8% of households were one person and 6.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 2.88.
The age distribution was 24.6% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 31.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males.
Arts and culture
The area known as "White Village" features homes from the 1700s, a church, library, post office and
bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...
.
Economy
Personal income
The median household income was $50,197 and the median family income was $52,105. Males had a median income of $32,100 versus $23,839 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,762. About 2.3% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Waterford has the highest per capita income of any town or city in
the
Northeast Kingdom
The Northeast Kingdom (also, locally, "The Kingdom" and abbreviated NEK) is the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Vermont, approximately comprising Essex, Orleans and Caledonia counties and having a population at the 2010 census of 64,764. ...
. It ranks 74 out of 282 census areas in Vermont.
Education
Waterford Public Schools are part of the Caledonia Central Supervisory Union. The district serves students in prekindergarten to eighth grade.
Notable people
*
Amos K. Hadley,
Speaker of the New York State Assembly
The speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party.
As in most countries with a British heritage, the speaker presides over the lower house ...
*
Jonathan Ross, Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court and a
United States senator from Vermont
In popular culture
The film ''
State and Main'' is about a film production; it is set in Waterford, although it was actually filmed in
Massachusetts.
References
External links
Town of Waterford official websiteWaterford Volunteer Fire DepartmentePodunk: Profile for Waterford, Vermont, VTWaterford, Vermont, HistoryWaterford School
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Towns in Vermont
Vermont populated places on the Connecticut River
Towns in Caledonia County, Vermont
Populated places established in 1780
1780 establishments in Vermont