Danby 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 Rutland 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 1,284 at the 2020 census.

Etymology

According to the ''Vermont Encyclopedia'', Danby was most likely named for Thomas Osborne, Earl of Danby and Duke of Leeds."Danby" in ''The Vermont Encyclopedia'' (eds. John J. Duffy, Samuel B. Hand & Ralph H. Orth: University of Vermont Press, 2003), p. 101. However,

Henry Gannett Henry Gannett (August 24, 1846 – November 5, 1914) was an American geographer who is described as the "father of mapmaking in America."Evans, Richard Tranter; Frye, Helen M. (2009).History of the Topographic Branch (Division) (PDF). ''U.S. Geo ...

in 1905 attributed the town's name to Danby, North Yorkshire, in England. Historian Willard Sterne Randall, in his biography of

Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, writer, military officer and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolutionary War, and wa ...

, gives yet another name origin: that Allen named Danby "after the French Naval commander whose fleet invaded New England's waters in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

Geography, geology, and landmarks

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 0.22%, is water. Most of the town lies in the

Taconic Mountains The Taconic Mountains () are a 150-mile-long sub-range of the Appalachian Mountains lying on the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England. The range, which played a role in the history of geological science, is separated from th ...

; the eastern boundary of the town generally follows the course of Otter Creek in the narrow Valley of Vermont. The village of Danby lies along the eastern border of the town, on the west side of Otter Creek, and extends east into

Mount Tabor Mount Tabor ( ; ; ), sometimes spelled Mount Thabor, is a large hill of biblical significance in Lower Galilee, Northern District (Israel), northern Israel, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, west of the Sea of Galilee. In the Hebrew Bi ...

. Dorset Peak, part of the Taconic range, lies on the town's southern border and reaches an elevation of . Danby quarry, located near the peak, opened in the early 20th century and is likely the world's largest underground marble quarry.Frederick Bradley/Studio Marmo, ''Fine Marble in Architecture'', Vol. 1 (W.W. Norton, 2001). It was reported in 2001 to have a total monthly output of about 1,200 tons of marble, half of which consists of Imperial Danby, a fine architectural marble with a variety of uses. Danby marble has been used in a number of notable buildings, including the

United States Supreme Court building The Supreme Court Building houses the Supreme Court of the United States, the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. The building serves as the official workplace of the Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice o ...

and the Jefferson Memorial.

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 1,292 people, 502 households, and 362 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 31.2 people per square mile (12.0/km²). There were 647 housing units at an average density of 15.6 per square mile (6.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.53%

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 ...

, 0.54% Native American, 0.23% Asian, and 0.70% from two or more races. 0.62% of the population were

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. There were 502 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% 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, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.96. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,137, and the median income for a family was $39,737. Males had a median income of $29,063 versus $20,795 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 $16,984. About 4.6% of families and 8.4% 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 9.8% of those under the age of 18 and 9.1% of those 65 and older.

Notable people

* Pearl S. Buck, Nobel Prize-winning writer – lived in Danby and died there in 1973 * Luther Buxton, New York and Wisconsin legislator and physician * Thomas Chittenden, First Governor of Vermont * Asher Crispe, Orthodox Rabbi and technology futurist * Silas L. Griffith, Vermont businessman and politician and First Vermont millionaire * Henry D. Hitt, farmer, businessman, Wisconsin legislator"Henry D. Hitt" in ''A Biographical History, with Portraits, of Prominent Men of the Great West'' (ed. John A. Campbell: Western Biographical and Engraving Co., 1902), p. 223. * Thomas Rowley, "poet of the Green Mountain Boys" – lived in Danby * Nathan B. Smith, New York lawyer and politician

References

{{authority control Towns in Vermont Towns in Rutland County, Vermont