Greensboro is the southernmost

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 Orleans 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 811 at the 2020 census. The town includes the places of Campbells Corners, East Greensboro, Gebbie Corner, Greensboro Four Corners, Greensboro Bend, Tolman(s) Corner, and Burlington Point. Greensboro Bend and the central village of

Greensboro Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina, af ...

are classified as

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

History

Greensboro was chartered in 1781. The town was named for Timothy Green, one of the original charter recipients and an original landowner under the charter. However, there is no evidence that he ever visited the town, and his land was sold for non-payment of taxes a few decades after he received it.Peter D. Watson, Wilhelmina Smith, Lewis Hill, Nancy Hill, Sally Fisher, Patricia Haslam, Rhoda Metraux, Dorothy Ling, and Gail Sangree, ''The History of Greensboro: The First Two Hundred Years''. Greensboro Historical Society, 1990. Pp. 13-14.^:13-14 Only three of the original proprietors settled in the town; most likely, the others were land speculators who sold their land to others or let it be sold at tax sales when buyers could not be found.^:18 The Bayley Hazen Military Road, built before the town was chartered, allowed its development. The road passed to the west of Caspian Lake, and a wooden

blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

was constructed there in 1779^:21-22Federal Writers Project, ''Vermont: A Guide to the Green Mountain State''. Vermont State Planning Board/Works Progress Administration, 1937. P. 242. on what is now known as Block House Hill^{:frontispiece}. In 1781, the blockhouse's party of four was attacked by

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pred ...

; two were killed and two were captured.^:22-23 A second road was built by Timothy Hinman between 1791 and 1793. This road, which came to be known as the Hinman Settler Road, branched off from the Bayley-Hazen in Greensboro and continued to

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 ...

. These two roads were of major importance to the settlement of northern Vermont.^:23 The town sent many soldiers to fight in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. Of eight prisoners of war from the town, confined to

Andersonville Prison The Andersonville National Historic Site, located near Andersonville, Georgia, preserves the former Andersonville Prison (also known as Camp Sumter), a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp during the final fourteen months of the American Civil Wa ...

, one returned. In the early 20th century, a development near the Highland Lodge contained restrictive covenants in the title forbidding subsequent resale to Jews. These restrictions were found to be illegal by the

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

. The Highland Lodge opened in 1954. It had a hotel and restaurant that was open year-round. It had a beach on Caspian Lake with sailboats, kayaks, and canoes; children's play programs and nature programs in the summer and nature hikes and cross-country ski trails in the winter. Special events included wedding, business retreats, music programs, workshops, and talks. It was largely closed in 2011, being open only for room and cottage rentals, but a group of investors purchased the property in December 2016 and have reopened the Lodge and restaurant seasonally.

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 39.4 square miles (102.0 km²), of which 37.8 square miles (97.8 km²) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.2 km²) (4.11%) is water. The town includes Caspian Lake and most of Eligo Pond, also known as Lake Eligo.

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 770 people, 313 households, and 215 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 20.4 people per square mile (7.9/km²). There were 773 housing units at an average density of 20.5 per square mile (7.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.36%

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 ...

, 0.13%

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 ...

, 0.78% Native American, and 2.73% 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 0.65% of the population. There were 313 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% 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, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.84. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.9 males.

Government

Town

* Moderator – Timothy Nisbet * Chair, Selectboard – Susan Wood * Town Clerk – Kim Greaves * Asst. Town Clerk – Kim Greaves, Jeanne Eisner * Treasurer – Barbara Brooke * Auditor – Patricia Mercier * Auditor – Marsha Gadoury * Lister – Kim Greaves * Lister – Kristen Leahy * Lister – Harold Tolman * Trustee of Public Funds – Sherral Lumsden * Library Trustee – Debbie Kasper * Agent – David Smith * Grand Juror – David Smith * Water Board – Keith Meyers, John Mackin, Craig Dezell

School District

* Member, District School Board – Wayne Young * Treasurer – Lorraine Tolman * Member Lakeview Elementary School Board – Patricia Launer * Member, Lakeview Elementary School Board – Mateo Kehler * Member, Hazen School Board – Ed Karp

Economy

Personal income

The median income for a household in the town was $34,583, and the median income for a family was $40,917. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,917 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 $19,396. About 3.7% of families and 6.9% 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 11.3% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over. Greensboro has the highest per capita income in Orleans County for a town. Newport city is higher. Greensboro's income ranks it 129th out of 282 census areas in Vermont.

Industry

Circus Smirkus, a non-profit youth circus, is based here. The company was founded in Greensboro by Rob Mermin in 1987. The Greensboro Arts Alliance and Residency (GAAR), the summer wing of The Mirror Theater Ltd, was formed here in 2005 to mix professional Mirror Repertory Company members with local community members. In 2016, GAAR performed the American premiere of

Joshua Sobol Yehoshua Sobol, sometimes written Joshua Sobol (; born 24 August 1939), is an Israeli playwright, writer, and theatre director. Biography Yehoshua Sobol was born in Tel Mond. His mother's family fled the pogroms in Europe in 1922 and his father' ...

's ''Sinners'', directed by Brian Cox, in Greensboro. Hill Farmstead Brewery is a local

craft brewery Craft beer is beer manufactured by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer than larger "macro" breweries and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, ne ...

that was named by RateBeer in 2015 as the "Best Brewery in the World", "Best Brewery in the United States", and "Top Brewery in Vermont". It was previously voted the Best Brewery in the World in 2012 and 2014 as well. Jasper Hill Farm was awarded "Best Unpasteurized Cheese" for its Bayley Hazen Blue at the 2014 World Cheese Awards in London.

Tourism

Caspian Lake is surrounded by cottages, many available for summer rental. The lake is used for boating, sailing and fishing. There is a public beach at the south end, in town, with a boat ramp. There are two inns in town, Highland Lodge, which rents rooms and cottages, and Lakeview Inn, which holds group events. Ice fishing is popular. Greensboro has a nine-hole golf course, Mountain View, since circa 1895, with views of the lake and Mount Mansfield.

Community

The Greensboro Association was founded in 1934 to conceive, advance, and support village initiatives and organizations. Greensboro was the setting of a short film called ''The Abels House is Green'' directed by part-time resident Duncan M. Rogers. The hub of town is a general store called Willeys. The Green Mountain Monastery, a community of women, was formed here in 1999.

Notable people

* Alfred Barr, art historian and the first director of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

. * Harriet Beecher Conant, physician * James F. Fixx, Editor, Author & Greensboro summer resident 1961-198

* Robert Gilpin, professor emeritus at Princeton University * Warner A. Graham, Associate Justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The court ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

, cross-country skier * Bliss Perry, scholar and editor * Benjamin H. Randall, politician and businessman * William Hubbs Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States *

Wallace Stegner Wallace Earle Stegner (February 18, 1909 – April 13, 1993) was an American novelist, writer, environmentalist, and historian. He was often called "The Dean of Western Writers". He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1972 and the U.S. National Book Award ...

, Pulitzer Prize-winning author * Anna E. Stoddard (1852-1936), writer, journalist, social reformer

References

External links

Town website
* http://www.greensboroassociation.org/ {{authority control Towns in Vermont Towns in Orleans County, Vermont