Burlington, VT

Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 44,743. It is the least populous city in the 50 U.S. states to be the most populous city in its state.

A regional college town, Burlington is home to the University of Vermont (UVM) and Champlain College. Vermont's largest hospital, the UVM Medical Center, is within the city limits. The City of Burlington owns Vermont's largest airport, the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport, located in neighboring South Burlington. In 2015, Burlington became the first city in the U.S. to run entirely on renewable energy.

History

Early history to early 20th century

King George II of Great Britain placed the western border of the Province of New Hampshire twenty miles east of the Hudson River. However, George III moved the Province of New York's border to the Connecticut River. He stated that the land claims of those currently in the area gained by New York were still valid, but New York courts ruled against the settlers. New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth continued to sell land in these areas in direct opposition to New York and royal demands. On June 7, 1763, the grant document for Burlington was awarded to Samuel Willis and 63 others. In the summer of 1775, settlers began clearing the land and built two or three log huts in 1775, but the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War delayed permanent settlement until after its conclusion. The first recorded town meeting was held on March 19, 1787.

The origins for the name Burlington is disputed and Wentworth named many areas after rich people. Wealthy New Yorker Edward Burling who held land grants in Colchester, Vermont, or Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, who died a decade before the land grant, are the two candidates for the origin of the name. While no Burling family members are listed as grantees of the town, the family held large tracts of land in nearby towns, some of which were granted on the same day as Burlington. A settler from Burlington, Vermont, named Burlington, Iowa, in honor of it.

In 1808, the world's first lake-going steamboat was built in Burlington.

The War of 1812 was unpopular in Vermont and the rest of New England, which had numerous trading ties with Canada. Neither Vermont nor other New England states provided militia units or financial support. Vermont voters supported the Federalist Party, which opposed the war.Johnson, Tim. "1812: A look back at Burlington's 20-minute war". '' Burlington Free Press'' (July 29, 2007) p.4A

At one point during the war, the U.S. had 5,000 troops stationed in Burlington, outnumbering residents and putting a strain on resources. About 500 soldiers died of disease, which was always a problem due to poor sanitation in army camps. Some soldiers were quartered in the main building at the University of Vermont, where a memorial plaque commemorates them.

In a skirmish on August 2, 1813, British forces from Canada shelled Burlington. This is described as either a bold stroke by the British with an ineffectual response from the Americans or as a weak sally by the British, which was rightly ignored by the Americans. The cannonade lasted about 10 minutes and caused no casualties. The American troops involved were commanded by Naval Lieutenant Thomas Macdonough, later a hero of the Battle of Lake Champlain.

The town's position on Lake Champlain helped it develop into a port of entry and center for trade, particularly after completion of the Champlain Canal in 1823, the Erie Canal in 1825, and the Chambly Canal in 1843. Wharves allowed steamboats to connect freight and passengers with the Rutland & Burlington Railroad and the Vermont Central Railroad. Burlington became a bustling lumbering and manufacturing center – for some time the third largest lumber market in the world – and was incorporated as a city in 1865. Its Victorian-era prosperity left behind much fine architecture, including buildings by Ammi B. Young, H.H. Richardson, and McKim, Mead & White.

On September 5, 1901, U.S. vice president Theodore Roosevelt spoke to a Civil War fraternal group in Burlington. Nine days later, he became U.S. president when President William McKinley died.

Late 20th century to present

In 1870, the waterfront was extended by construction of the Pine Street Barge Canal. This became polluted over the years and was a focus for cleanup in 2009 under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund program. In fact, the entire Burlington waterfront was a derelict wasteland as late as the mid-1980s, with rail yards, industrial uses and 90 oil storage tanks crowding the 60 acres of shoreline filled into the harbor during the lumbering era.

In 1980, two 18 story luxury condominium towers were proposed for the waterfront, just north of College Street. Opposition to that proposal led to the formation of the Citizens Waterfront Group to advocate for a bike path along the shore instead.

In 1987, former Mayor Bernie Sanders proposed a community boathouse to anchor public redevelopment at the waterfront. The land filled into the harbor was eventually redesigned for public use in a decision of the Vermont Supreme Court in 1989.

By 1990, the Burlington Bike Path was complete, from Oakledge Park in the south, to the Winooski River in the north. In 2004, Governor Howard Dean obtained funding for construction of a bike bridge across the Winooski River, allowing the bike path to be extended four miles out into the lake on the old railroad causeway to the Champlain Islands, now known as the Island Line Trail.
In 1978, the ice cream enterprise Ben & Jerry's was founded in Burlington in a renovated gas station. It became a national brand, with retail outlets in numerous cities.

The local bicycle advocacy that emerged from this effort led to the formation of the non-profit Local Motion. They now run a bike ferry during the summer to get bicycles across a 200 yard gap in the railroad causeway, so they can get all the way out to the Lake Champlain islands.

In 2021, following the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, the city council scheduled a vote on a "Resolution In Solidarity with the Palestinian People" for September 13. The resolution called on the city council to "express its solidarity with the Palestinian people, condemn anti-boycott legislation, and endorse the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which calls for nonviolent pressure on Israel." The authors' stated reasons for introducing the resolution were Israeli settlements in the West Bank, an ongoing "military siege and an economic blockade" of Gaza, and US military aid to Israel. They also cited reports by Human Rights Watch and B'Tselem that find Israel guilty of the crime of apartheid.

The American Jewish Committee condemned the resolution as "deceptive and one-sided" and criticized it for its sole focus on Israel. A coalition of local rabbis and community groups condemned the resolution as well, citing the timing of the vote during the Jewish High Holy Days, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and fears that the resolution would fuel antisemitism. Former mayor Miro Weinberger called the resolution "inappropriate and counterproductive." In a 6–5 vote, the council decided to withdraw the resolution.

In 2023, three Palestinian-American students were shot and injured in an incident during Thanksgiving break.

Geography

The city of Burlington is situated on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, north of Shelburne Bay. It was built on a strip of land extending about south from the mouth of the Winooski River along the lake shore, and rises from the water's edge to a height of .

A large ravine in what is now downtown was filled in with refuse and raw sewage in the 19th century to make way for further development.

Neighborhoods

Burlington is characterized by its neighborhoods, which are generally recognized as follows:

* Downtown: The city's commercial hub is north of Maple Street, west of South Willard Street, and mostly south of Pearl Street (as it includes all property along Pearl Street that is west of South Willard Street).
* Hill Section: Burlington's wealthiest neighborhood is east of South Union Street and Shelburne Street, and south of Main Street, but excludes UVM and University Terrace while including all of Champlain College. The Hill Section is where the Burlington Country Club is situated.
* The Intervale: The Intervale cannot be considered a neighborhood but is a large area encompassing many locally owned organic farms and nature preserves along the Winooski River. Located to the north of the Old North End and east of the New North End, it is included on this list because its total area is larger than that of most neighborhoods in Burlington.
* New North End: Burlington's most populous neighborhood, a northwest suburban extension of the city, includes all points north of Burlington High School, as well as Leddy Park, Ethan Allen Park, and North Beach, and is west of Vermont Route 127 (the "Burlington Beltline").
* Old North End: Burlington's oldest and most densely populated neighborhood is north of all property along Pearl Street, west of Hyde Street and North Willard Street, and is inclusive of areas north of Downtown and west of the University District but south of the New North End and the Intervale. It is here that Burlington's largely Jewish neighborhood known as Little Jerusalem flourished from the 1880s to the 1930s.
* South End: A once mostly industrial and now mostly artistic district south of Downtown and west of the Hill Section, it includes the waterfront Oakledge Park and is home to the headquarters of many of Burlington's nationally known companies like Burton Snowboards and Dealer.com.
* University District: The University District is north of the Burlington Country Club, south of the Winooski River, east of Willard Street north of Main, and east of a large chunk of the Hill Section. It includes UVM and many former single-family homes converted to student and yuppie apartments (although these are everywhere throughout the city limits and metropolitan area).

Climate

Burlington has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen ''Dfa''), with cold winters and warm to hot, humid summers. The monthly daily average temperatures range from in January to in July. The annual precipitation of is well-distributed throughout the year, but the summer months are the wettest. The city's location east of Lake Champlain sometimes accounts for localized snow squalls, producing up to in 12 hours on rare occasions. Annual snowfall averages , but this figure can fluctuate greatly from one year to another. Temperature extremes have ranged from on January 15, 1957, and February 12, 1979, to on August 11, 1944. The most recorded snowfall from a single storm is , which fell January 2–3, 2010.

For the Northeastern United States, a heat wave is defined as having three consecutive days of or more. There were six such heat waves from 2000–2009.

Demographics

Population

According to the 2020 United States census, there were 44,743 people living in Burlington. The racial makeup of the city was 85.6% White, 4.4% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian, 4.6% Asian, and 4.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.8% of the population.

There were 17,174 households and the average number of persons per household was 2.16.

Personal income

According to the American Community Survey for 2017–2021, the median income for a household in the city was $59,331. Among workers with full-time, year-round work, males had a median income of $50,552 versus $38,418 for females. The per capita income for the city was $34,054. About 23.8% of the population was below the poverty threshold.

The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $338,100.

Economy

Burlington's economy centers on education, health services, trade, transportation, and utilities, and some manufacturing. In , the city had an unemployment rate of 2.1%. Mean annual wages were $63,180 in ; the state was $59,190.

As of , Moody's set the city's bond credit rating at Aa3, "high" quality.

Business and industry

The largest employers in the city, and the state overall, are the University of Vermont Medical Center and the University of Vermont, employing over 8,200 and 4,125 people, respectively. Other companies in Burlington include Blodgett Ovens, one of the oldest and largest commercial oven companies in the country, which manufactures restaurant equipment. General Electric develops software for the healthcare industry in South Burlington at the former headquarters of IDX Systems, which it purchased in 2006. General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products division employ 450 workers locally. A solely owned subsidiary, the division is based here. Dealer.com, a leading automotive internet marketing company, employs over 700 people.

Ben & Jerry's began in 1978 when Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened their first ice cream scoop shop in an old gas station in Burlington and now has a worldwide market and is based in neighboring South Burlington. Vermont Teddy Bear Company, whose founder started on a cart on a Burlington street, now ships custom teddy bears worldwide and is based in nearby Shelburne.

Corporate headquarters located in Burlington include Burton Snowboards, Bruegger's, Lake Champlain Chocolates, Rhino Foods, and Seventh Generation Inc.

Retailing and tourism

In , Burlington had $591.7 million in retail sales.

The Church Street Marketplace, a four-block pedestrian mall in the heart of the city, is the site of festivals throughout the year. Events such as the "South End Art Hop" and public galleries such as Pine Street Art Works, provide a forum for the visual arts in the South End.

A "Festival of Fools" had an estimated 25,000 attendees at the Marketplace in 2009. The "Vermont Brewers Festival" had 9,600 attendees in 2009, and the "Giant Pumpkin Regatta and Festival" had 5,000 attendees that same year; ''Saturday Night Live'' satirized the event. One of the largest year-round farmers' markets in the state of Vermont is located in the city.

Arts and culture

Dragon boat races to benefit charity have been held in Lake Champlain in August since 2006. In 2009, there were approximately 2,000 participants on 86 teams.

An annual First Night community celebration of the arts on New Year's Eve was founded in 1983 with funding from the National Endowment on the Arts and Vermont Council on the Arts. It ran for 35 years before shutting down in 2018.

The Drag troupe House of LeMay hosts the annual "Winter is a Drag Ball" which raises funds for HIV/AIDS-related organizations.

The Emily Post Institute, an etiquette organization, is headquartered here.

Local music

The city has, over the years, supported several local bands and has launched a handful of national acts. The most famous of these is Phish, which originated at UVM in 1983.

Other acts with ties to the city include Matisyahu, Kat Wright, Strangefolk, The Essex Green, RAQ, James Kochalka, The Jazz Mandolin Project, Pork Tornado, Anaïs Mitchell

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