Newport 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 ...

Orleans County, Vermont Orleans County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,393. Its shire town (county seat) is the city of Newport. The county was created in 1792 and organized in ...

, United States. The population was 1,526 at the 2020 census. The town is referred to by the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

and the media as Newport Center, the name of the main settlement of the town. Newport is also the name of the neighboring city of Newport.

History

Newport was formed on October 26, 1781, and chartered under the name of Duncansboro, to George Duncan, Nathan Fisk, and 63 others on October 30, 1802. Amos Sawyer, Enos Bartlett, James C. Adams were the first town selectman. Amos Sawyer was also the first Town Clerk. These were among the first settlers of Duncansboro. The name was altered from Duncansboro to Newport, October 30, 1816. The first clearing, which began where Newport Center is now, was made by H. & A. Adams and D. & S. Meacham. Here they constructed a dam and put up a waterwheel sawmill on Mud Creek. Amos Sawyer, a carpenter by trade, built a home nearby. Two other settlements were established in the town: South Newport and Pickeral Point, later renamed to Lake Bridge (named for its location at the head of

Lake Memphremagog Lake Memphremagog (; , ) is a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport (city), Vermont, Newport, Vermont, United States and Magog, Quebec, Canada. The lake spans both Quebec and Vermont, but is mostly in Quebec. Most of the watershed th ...

). By the late 19th century, the

Boston and Maine Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of and a ...

and

Central Vermont The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Connect ...

railroads were routed through Lake Bridge and the small village experienced a population boom. In 1868, the Lake Bridge settlement was incorporated as the "Village of Newport". The main town village, Newport Center, was also incorporated in 1908. In 1917, the Village of Newport separated from the Town of Newport and merged with the Village of West Derby (in the town of

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 ...

) to form the City of

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 ...

. In 1931, by special acts of the General Assembly, the Village of Newport Center consolidated with the Town of Newport, with its former responsibilities automatically assumed by the town.

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 43.5 square miles (112.6 km²), of which 41.7 square miles (108.0 km²) is land and 1.8 square miles (4.6 km²) (4.07%) is water. The unincorporated village of Newport Center is located roughly in the geographic center of town. The town also contains a smaller, secondary settlement, South Newport, located in the southern part of town.

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 1,511 people, 587 households, and 436 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 36.2 people per square mile (14.0/km²). There were 746 housing units at an average density of 17.9/sq mi (6.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.35%

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 ...

, 0.26%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.73% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.07%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 1.32% 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 0.53% of the population. There were 587 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% 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, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% 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 2.93. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 27.8% 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 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $34,758, and the median income for a family was $43,828. Males had a median income of $28,063 versus $21,389 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 $17,677. About 10.1% of families and 12.7% 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 19.1% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over. The US Census Bureau estimates that the town's population increased 19.1% between 2000 and 2005, the second largest percentage increase in the state of Vermont.

Government

Town

* Selectman – Steve Barrup * Selectman – Richard Gosselin * Selectman – Gerry Waterman * Town Clerk – Denise Daigle * Road Commissioner – Fred Baraw * Zoning Administrator – Doug Lay * Member, Planning Commission – Dan Boone

School District

* Member, School Board (2007–2009) – Kristin Grenier * Member, School Board (2007–2010) – Wilma Therrien * Member, School Board – Conrad Bellavance * Budget – $2,400,000

Notable people

* Charles Adams, first owner of the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

, First National Stores, the

Boston Braves The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee, Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). ...

, and

Suffolk Downs Suffolk Downs is a former Thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The track opened in 1935 after being built by Joseph A. Tomasello for a cost of $2 million. It was sold in May 2017 to a developer who plans to cre ...

Josiah Grout Josiah Grout Jr. (May 28, 1841July 19, 1925) was an American lawyer and politician from Vermont. A Republican, he served multiple terms in the Vermont House of Representatives and Vermont Senate, including holding the leadership post of Speaker ...

, 46th

governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold guberna ...

; represented Newport in the legislature 1872–1876 * George "Spike" Hamilton,

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a dance band, rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhyth ...

. *

Glenn D. Lowry Glenn David Lowry (born September 28, 1954) is an American art historian and director of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City since 1995. His initiatives there include strengthening MoMA's contemporary art program, significantly deve ...

, director of

MoMA 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 ...

; summer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newport (Town), Vermont Towns in Vermont Towns in Orleans County, Vermont