Burke 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 ...

Caledonia County Caledonia County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,233. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of St. Johnsbury. The county was created in 1792 and organi ...

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 1,651 at the 2020 census. The town contains the villages of East Burke, West Burke and Burke Hollow. The town is home to Burke Mountain and

Burke Mountain Academy Burke Mountain Academy is a full-year private college-preparatory school in the northeastern United States, located in East Burke, Vermont. It educates and trains alpine ski racing athletes on the slopes of adjacent Burke Mountain Ski Area. Ove ...

Etymology

The town was named for Sir

Edmund Burke Edmund Burke (; 12 January ew Style, NS1729 – 9 July 1797) was an Anglo-Irish Politician, statesman, journalist, writer, literary critic, philosopher, and parliamentary orator who is regarded as the founder of the Social philosophy, soc ...

, a member of the

English Parliament The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised th ...

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 , of which is land and , or 0.40%, is water. Burke is bordered by the towns of

Lyndon Lyndon may refer to: Places * Lyndon, Alberta, Canada * Lyndon, Rutland, East Midlands, England * Lyndon, Solihull, West Midlands, England United States * Lyndon, Illinois * Lyndon, Kansas * Lyndon, Kentucky * Lyndon, New York * Lyndon, Ohio * L ...

and

Kirby Kirby may refer to: Buildings * Kirby Building, a skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States * Kirby Lofts, a building in Houston, Texas, United States * Kirby Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Corby, Northamptonshire, England * Kirby Ho ...

to the south,

Victory The term victory (from ) originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a strategic vi ...

to the southeast, East Haven to the northeast, Newark to the north, and

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...

to the west.

U.S. Route 5 U.S. Route 5 (US 5) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway running through the New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Significant cities along the route include New Haven, Connecticut; Hartford, Conn ...

runs through the western part of the town, connecting Lyndonville to the south with Barton and

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

to the north.

Vermont Route 5A Vermont Route 5A (VT 5A) is a state highway in extreme northeastern Vermont. It is an alternate route of U.S. Route 5 (US 5) that travels along the east shore of Lake Willoughby. VT 5A begins at US 5 in West Burke and end ...

leaves US-5 in the village of West Burke, leading north past

Lake Willoughby Lake Willoughby is located in the town of Westmore, Vermont, Westmore in Orleans County, Vermont, Orleans County in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, United States. The lake's southern end is surrounded by the Willoughby State Forest. This state f ...

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

Vermont Route 114 Vermont Route 114 (VT 114) is a north–south state highway in northeastern Vermont in the United States. It runs northward from U.S. Route 5 (US 5) in Lyndon until nearing the Canada–United States border in the town ...

runs through East Burke, leading north to Island Pond and south to US-5 in Lyndonville. The highest point in town is Burke Mountain, at .

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Burke has a

warm-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Burke was on July 19, 1953, while the coldest temperature recorded was on February 2–3, 1962.

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 1,571 people, 641 households, and 455 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 46.1 people per square mile (17.8/km²). There were 892 housing units at an average density of 26.2 per square mile (10.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.14%

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 ...

, 0.25%

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 ...

, 0.57% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 1.46% 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 1.08% of the population. There were 641 households, out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% 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, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.83. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.7 males.

Economy

Personal income

The median income for a household in the town was $35,268, and the median income for a family was $41,563. Males had a median income of $28,977 versus $19,509 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 $20,697. About 11.7% of families and 13.9% 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 18.0% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over. Burke has the highest per capita income of any place in Caledonia County or 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 with a population of 64,764 at the 2010 census. T ...

Tourism

Burke Mountain is home to Burke Mountain Resort, a mid-size ski area open to skiing and snowboarding in winter and downhill mountain biking in summer. The Resort includes a hotel with a pool, two restaurants, and an arcade. It is a popular location for weddings and other events. The mountain is also home to Burke Mountain Academy, a premier ski academy. East Burke is home to the Kingdom Trails trail system. Mountain bikers frequent the trails in the summer and autumn, during which there are hundreds of riders at any given time riding the local trails. The town is also located just south of Lakes Willoughby and

Crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

and the Mountains Hor and Pisgah around them, which attract swimmers and hikers.

Notable people

Henrietta A. Bingham Henrietta A. Bingham (, Burrington; December 29, 1841 – February 18, 1877) was a 19th-century American writer, editor, and preceptress. She succeeded Phebe Ann Coffin Hanaford as the editor of the ''The Universalist and Ladies' Repository, Ladi ...

(1841–1877), writer, editor, preceptress *

John Q. Farmer John Quincy Farmer (August 5, 1823 – August 17, 1904) was a Minnesota politician, jurist, and Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. He first served in the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1866, and was elected speaker one ...

(1823-1904), Minnesota state legislator * Buddy Jones (1937–2014), Bluegrass musician and music recorder/distributor; resided in West Burke (1979–2014) * Charles Albert Woodruff (1845–1920), US Army brigadier general; born in Burke in 1845

References

External links

Town of Burke official website

Burke Area Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Towns in Vermont Towns in Caledonia County, Vermont