Peru 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 Bennington 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 531 at the 2020 census. Originally known as Bromley, the town name was changed to "Peru" by the land grantees as a way of attracting land buyers to an area that had been described as of "trees, bears and mountain lions".

History

The town was chartered with the name Bromley in 1761 by

Benning Wentworth Benning Wentworth (July 24, 1696 – October 14, 1770) was an American merchant, landowner and colonial administrator who served as the List of colonial governors of New Hampshire, governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. He is best known ...

, governor of the

Province of New Hampshire The Province of New Hampshire was an English colony and later a British province in New England. It corresponds to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America. It was named after the Englis ...

. The first white settlement is said to have been in 1773, by William Barlow of

Woodstock, Connecticut Woodstock is a New England town, town in Windham County, Connecticut, Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The populat ...

. The town of Bromley was organized at a town meeting in March 1802. As of the autumn of 1802 there were 14 families living in the town. In late 1803 or early 1804 the name of the town was changed to Peru. The new name was adopted to attract more people to the town by associating it with the South American country

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, which was considered to be a place of great wealth, apparently due to the rich silver mining industry there.

Geography

Peru is located in northeastern Bennington County, bordered by Rutland County to the north. The crest of the

Green Mountains The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont and are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Que ...

runs from north to the south through the western half of the town, traversed by the

Long Trail The Long Trail is a hiking trail located in Vermont, running the length of the state. It is the oldest long-distance trail in the United States, constructed between 1910 and 1930 by the Green Mountain Club. The club remains the primary organiza ...

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...

Bromley Mountain Bromley Mountain is located in southern Vermont, United States and is part of the Green Mountains. It is located in the town of Peru, Bennington County, east of Manchester, Vermont and just west of the Peru town center. It is a popular destin ...

and its ski area are in the southern part of the town, and Styles Peak and Peru Peak are to the north. The village or town center of Peru is in the southeastern part of town, at elevation .

Vermont Route 11 Vermont Route 11 (VT 11) is a east–west state highway in Vermont, United States. The western end of the highway is at Vermont Route 7A, VT 7A in Manchester, Vermont, Manchester. The eastern end is at the New Hampshire border at the Cheshire ...

crosses the southeastern part of the town, through the town center and past Bromley Mountain Ski Area. 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 0.32%, is water.

Climate

This

climatic Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorolog ...

region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Peru has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 416 people, 157 households, and 118 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 445 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.84%

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 ...

, 0.24% Asian, and 1.92% 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 0.72% of the population. There were 157 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. Of all households, 17.2% were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the age distribution of the population shows 25.7% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $47,188, and the median income for a family was $54,063. Males had a median income of $31,000 versus $25,208 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 $28,546. None of the families and 0.7% of the population were living 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 no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Recreation

ski area offers alpine skiing and snowboarding in the winter and an adventure park in the summer. Hapgood Pond Recreation Area, part of the

Green Mountain National Forest Green Mountain National Forest is a national forest located in Vermont, a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest typical of the New England/Acadian forests ecoregion. The forest supports a variety of wildlife, including beaver, moose, coyote, b ...

, has a developed campground, fishing, swimming, and a one-mile nature trail. Peru is also home to sections of the

, and Catamount Trail.

In popular culture

The town appeared as "Hadleyville" in the 1987 film ''Baby Boom'' starring

Diane Keaton Diane Keaton (née Hall; born January 5, 1946) is an American actress. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Diane Keaton, various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including an Academy Award, a Bri ...

References

External links

* *
Virtual Vermont Peru page
{{authority control 1761 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies Populated places established in 1761 Towns in Bennington County, Vermont Towns in Vermont