Middletown Springs 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 794 at the 2020 census.

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 22.9 square miles (59.2 km²), all land. The

unincorporated village An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

of Middletown Springs is at the center of the town.

History

Settlement began shortly before the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. At that time, the four towns of Ira, Poultney, Wells, and Tinmouth converged within a fertile valley ringed by mountains. Inhabitants of this valley had difficulty crossing the mountains to attend church and conduct business in their respective towns, and resolved in 1784 to petition the legislature to create a new town. The petition was granted, and the honor of naming the town was given to settler Joseph Spaulding because of his service in surveying the town's borders. He chose "Middletown" as result of its location at the middle of four towns and to pay homage to his hometown of

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.749504 km) south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the L ...

. The town's name was officially changed to "Middletown Springs" in 1885, which was a reference to the town's mineral springs that drew in large numbers of visitors in the late 19th century.

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 823 people, 331 households, and 237 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 36.0 people per square mile (13.9/km²). There were 397 housing units at an average density of 17.4 per square mile (6.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.81%

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 ...

, 0.49%

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 ...

, 0.49% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 0.61% 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 0.49% of the population. There were 331 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% 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, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 22.7% 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 2.49 and the average family size was 2.92. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,385, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $33,214 versus $25,114 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 $18,914. About 10.0% of families and 11.8% 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 19.0% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Frank Asch Frank Asch (August 6, 1946 in Somerville, New Jersey – 2022) was an American Children's literature, children's book writer, best known for his Moonbear picture books. In 1968, Asch published his first picture book, ''George's Store''. The ...

(1946-2022), children's book writer * Walter W. Granger (1872–1941), noted

paleontologist Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...

References

External links

Town of Middletown Springs official website
{{Authority control Towns in Vermont Towns in Rutland County, Vermont