Bolton 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 Chittenden 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 1,301 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is home to Bolton Valley, a popular ski resort. The main road passing through the town is

U.S. Route 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected ...

, which follows the north bank of the

Winooski River The Winooski River (also known as the Onion River) is a tributary of Lake Champlain, about 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 fro ...

. Interstate 89 also passes through the town, parallel to Route 2, but does not have an interchange there.

Geography

Bolton is located in eastern Chittenden County, bordered to the east by Washington County. The main crest of the

Green Mountains The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont and are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Que ...

runs north to south through the eastern part of the town, and the

, running east to west, cuts through the mountains south of the center of the town. 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 , of which is land and , or 0.65%, is water. The town is predominantly rural. There are four principal settlements: * Bolton proper is in the Winooski River valley, on the north side of the river. * West Bolton is in the northwestern corner of the town, and is accessed primarily from the adjacent town of

Jericho Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017. F ...

. * A thin strip of land, known as "the back side of the river", is located south of the Winooski River. The only road access is through the neighboring towns of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

and

Duxbury Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore approximately to the southeast of Boston, the population was 16,090 ...

. * A small number of year-round residents live near the Bolton Valley ski area in the northeastern part of the town. The

Long Trail The Long Trail is a hiking trail located in Vermont, running the length of the state. It is the oldest long-distance trail in the United States, constructed between 1910 and 1930 by the Green Mountain Club. The club remains the primary organiza ...

passes through Bolton on its way from

Camel's Hump Camel's Hump (alternatively Camels Hump) is a mountain in the Green Mountains in the U.S. state of Vermont. The north slope of the mountain borders the Winooski River, which has carved through the Green Mountains over eons. At , it is tied wi ...

Mount Mansfield Mount Mansfield is the highest mountain in Vermont, reaching an elevation of above sea level. Located in the northwest of the state, it is also the highest peak in the Green Mountains. Its summit is located within the town of Underhill, Vermon ...

Schools

Bolton has its own elementary school (Pre-K to 4th grade). The Ellen P. Smilie Memorial School's benefactor was Ellen Pinneo, born in 1849 in Pinneo Flats in Bolton. She attended the Pinneo Flats School, which was later destroyed by the flood of 1927. Ellen married Melville Smilie and moved to Montpelier where she lived for many years until her death on December 17, 1933. After the flood of 1927 washed away her old schoolhouse, she donated $1000 toward the rebuilding of another school on Pinneo Flats. In her will, she bequeathed a sum of money to the Memorial School. When I-89 was constructed through Bolton and cut off access to the Memorial School, it was demolished and in 1960 part of the present school was erected. In September 1999, a large addition was completed adding five new classrooms and a large gym to the existing building. A final gift was made that made it possible to enlarge the library facility and increase the number of books. The school is exceptional with a strong partnership with Smilie families and Townspeople. On November 4, 2014, the communities of Bolton, Jericho, Richmond, Underhill ID and Underhill Town voted to form the Mount Mansfield Modified Union School District, also known as the MMMUSD. This new school district serves and governs the current town school districts of Bolton (Smilie Memorial School), Jericho (Jericho Elementary), Richmond (Richmond Elementary), Underhill ID School District (Underhill ID Elementary), Underhill Town (Underhill Central School), Mt Mansfield Union School District (Browns River Middle, Camels Hump Middle and Mt. Mansfield Union High Schools) in grades Pre-K through 12 and Huntington students grades 5–12.Chittenden East Supervisory Union, http://www.cesu.k12.vt.us/

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 971 people, 368 households, and 260 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 22.9 people per square mile (8.8/km²). There were 412 housing units at an average density of 9.7 per square mile (3.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.15%

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 ...

, 0.10%

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 ...

, 0.41% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 0.93% 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 0.31% of the population. There were 368 households, of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% 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, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.09. The median income for a household in the town was $49,625, and the median income for a family was $55,486. Men had a median income of $39,375 versus $28,958 for women. 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 $24,256. About 3.6% of families and 5.3% 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 7.7% of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Alison Bechdel Alison Bechdel ( ; born September 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist. Originally known for the long-running comic strip ''Dykes to Watch Out For'', she came to critical and commercial success in 2006 with her Graphic novel, graphic memoir ''Fun ...

, cartoonist

References

External links

Town of Bolton official website
{{authority control Towns in Vermont Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area Towns in Chittenden County, Vermont