Rutland is the only city in and the
seat
A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation.
Types of seat
The ...
of
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.
As of the
2020 census, the city had a total population of 15,807.
It is located approximately north of the
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
state line, west of
New Hampshire
New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
state line, and east of the
New York state line. Rutland is the
third largest city in the state of
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 ...
after
Burlington and
South Burlington. Rutland City is completely surrounded by
Rutland Town, which is a separate municipality. The
downtown area of the city is listed as a historic district on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
History
The town of Rutland was chartered in 1761 and named after
John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland. It was settled in 1770 and served as one of the capitals of the
Vermont Republic
The Vermont Republic, officially known at the time as the State of Vermont, was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The state was founded in January 1777, when delegates from 28 towns met ...
.
[A. J. Coolidge & J. B. Mansfield, ''A History and Description of New England;'' Boston, Massachusetts 1859](_blank)
/ref> In the early 19th century, small high-quality marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
deposits were discovered in Rutland, and in the 1830s a large deposit of nearly solid marble was found in what is now West Rutland. By the 1840s, small firms had begun excavations, but marble quarries proved profitable only after the railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
arrived in 1851. Rutland eventually became one of the world's leading marble producers. A large number of Italians with experience in the industry immigrated and brought their families to Rutland.
This fueled enough growth and investment that in 1886 the center of town incorporated as Rutland village. Most of the town was split off as West Rutland and Proctor
Proctor (a variant of ''wikt:procurator, procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another.
The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts:
# In law, a proctor is a historica ...
, which contained the bulk of the marble quarries. Rutland City was incorporated as Vermont's third city on November 18, 1892. The new city's first mayor was John A. Mead.
The closing of the marble quarries in the area in the 1980s and 1990s led to a loss of jobs in the area.
Geography
Rutland is located at (43.60889, −72.97972).
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 city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.52%, is water. Rutland is drained by Otter Creek, Moon Brook, Tenney Brook, East Creek and Mussey Brook.
Climate
The city of Rutland has a humid continental climate (Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''Dfb'') with long, cold, and snowy winters and warm, moist summers. The all-time record high is , set in 2008. The all-time record low temperature is , set in 1994. On average, the wettest month is July, and February is the driest.
Transportation
Roads and highways
Rutland is the third largest city in Vermont and is not located on, or near, either of the state's two major Interstate highways. It is, however, signed on I-91
Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It is the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. Its southern terminus is in New Haven, ...
at exit 6 northbound in Rockingham and appears on auxiliary signs at exit 10 southbound near White River Junction. The city is also signed on I-89 at exit 13 southbound in South Burlington, exit 3 southbound in Royalton, and exit 1 northbound in Quechee.
In addition, the city appears on auxiliary guide signs on the Adirondack Northway (I-87) before Exits 17 and 20.
U.S. Route 4 and U.S. Route 7 intersect and overlap each other in Rutland along Main Street between the former Diamond Run Mall and Woodstock Avenue and are the two main routes into the city. U.S. 7 connects Rutland with Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
and Bennington to the south, and with Middlebury and Burlington to the north. To the east, U.S. 4 travels through Killington, Woodstock and White River Junction on its way toward New Hampshire
New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
. To the west, U.S. 4 has been rebuilt as a 4-lane freeway to the New York state line, a distance of just over . It is currently the only limited-access freeway to serve Rutland. The former route of U.S. 4, which runs parallel to the freeway portion, is now signed as U.S. Route 4 Business and Vermont Route 4A.
Rail
Rutland's railroad station is a major stop on Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's daily ''Ethan Allen Express
The ''Ethan Allen Express'' is a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak in the United States between New York City and Burlington, Vermont, via Albany, New York. One daily round trip is operated on a north–south route with a 7-hour 35 mi ...
'' train, with direct service south to New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
in 5.5 hours and north to Burlington in 2 hours. Other stops on the route include Albany, Castleton, Middlebury, and Vergennes.
Bus
Rutland is home to "The Bus", run by Marble Valley Regional Transit District, a local bus system costing $0.50 per person per ride ($0.25 for discount qualified riders), and $1–2 for out-of-town commuter and connector buses, with other expenses covered largely by taxpayers. Five local routes currently serve the city, along with other commuter routes serving the nearby towns of Fair Haven, Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, Middlebury (in a partnership with Addison County Transit Resources), and Proctor
Proctor (a variant of ''wikt:procurator, procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another.
The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts:
# In law, a proctor is a historica ...
. 2 winter tourist geared buses also go to and from Okemo Mountain in Ludlow
Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...
and Killington Ski Resort; the bus serving Killington is called the Diamond Express. Both of these buses run year round. "The Bus" was free prior to 2007, when the 50 cents fare was added to control the added gas expenses. MVRTD is housed in the downtown Marble Valley Regional Transit Center.
Premier Coach's Vermont Translines serves Rutland daily with two intercity bus connections between Burlington, Lebanon, New Hampshire
Lebanon ( ) is the only city in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,282 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 13,151 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Lebanon is in western New Hampshi ...
and Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...
, in its partnership with Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets.
Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...
. The two bus lines also meet at the Marble Valley Regional Transit Center as of June 9, 2014.
Air
The Rutland–Southern Vermont Regional Airport is a state-owned public airport located south of the city center in North Clarendon. The airport's only commercial offering is thrice-daily Cape Air flights to and from Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, which connect nationally through JetBlue Airways.
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 2010, there were 16,495 people, 7,167 households, and 4,209 families residing in the city. 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 . There were 7,167 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.9% 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 ...
, 0.8% 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 ...
, 0.3% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% 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 ...
, 0.3% from other races, and 1.8% 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 1.5% of the population.
There were 7,452 households, out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% 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, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.5% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.
Government
At the local level, Rutland is governed by a Mayor and Board of Aldermen. For representation in the Vermont House of Representatives
The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...
, Rutland is split into four districts. In the Vermont Senate
The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator repre ...
, Rutland is represented by three state senators who serve most of Rutland County.
Economy
Sales
One measure of economic activity is retail sales. Rutland stood third in the state in 2007 with $321.6 million.
The city's former shopping centers were the Rutland Mall and Diamond Run Mall.
Personal income
The median income for a household in the city was $30,478, and the median income for a family was $41,561. Males had a median income of $29,457 versus $23,688
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 city was $17,075. 15.4% of the population and 10.3% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 30.1% are under the age of 18 and 10.5% are 65 or older.
Industry
Major area employers are Rutland Regional Medical Center, General Electric Aircraft Engines (GE), OMYA, Green Mountain Power and Carris Reels. GE employed 975 workers in 2010. Casella Waste Systems is the second largest private employer (behind GE Aircraft), employing 583 employees at its headquarters on Green Hill Lane.
Hospital
Rutland Regional Medical Center is Vermont's second-largest health care facility, with 188 inpatient beds and 120 physicians.
Culture and entertainment
The downtown section contains the Rutland Free Library, the Paramount Theater and Merchant's Row, a restored street dating back to the mid-19th century. 108 buildings in downtown Rutland are listed in the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. Rutland also has the Pine Hill Park offering mountain biking, hiking, and other outdoor recreation. At the park's entrance is the Flip Side Skatepark, municipally operated in an open-sided closed roof arena at the Giorgetti Athletic Complex.
Events in Rutland
*Art in the Park
*Friday Night Live
*A Summer Farmers' Market in downtown Rutland's Depot Park
*A Winter Farmers' Market in the Vermont Farmers Food Center
*Downtown Street Party & Sidewalk Sales
*Downtown Sip and Shops
*The Summer Concert Series in Main Street Park
*The Vermont State Fair
*Rutland Winter Fest
*Green Mountain Open Bowling Tournament
The Rutland Halloween Parade has taken place annually since 1960. In the early 1970s, the Rutland Halloween Parade was used as the setting of a number of superhero comic books
A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
, including ''Batman'' #237, ''Justice League of America'' #103, ''Freedom Fighters'' #6, ''Amazing Adventures'' #16, ''Avengers'' #83, and ''The Mighty Thor'' #207. The parade celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009.
In popular culture
Multiple episodes of the truTV
TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable Television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts reruns of Television comedy, comedy, Reality television, docusoaps and reality shows, with a rec ...
reality show '' Speeders'' feature the Rutland City Police Department. The city has been the setting for many feature films and cable TV movies by film studio Edgewood Studios and filmmaker David Giancola. In Amazon's 2019 series '' Hanna'', when the titular character is given a new identity under the name Mia Wolff, she is said to live in Rutland, Vermont.
The city's famous annual Halloween Parade was featured in a number of comic books published by DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
and Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
, particularly in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Sister city
Ishidoriya, Iwate, Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
Since 1986, Rutland hosts an annual exchange called the Rutland Ishidoriya Student Exchange (R.I.S.E), selecting students from grades 8–11 to send to Ishidoriya, Japan. All of the money used to support the exchange is from fundraising. In exchange, five students from Ishidoriya come to Rutland the January after the Rutland ambassadors return each year.
Historic sites
(Date indicates inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
)
* Arthur Perkins House – 242 South Main Street (added October 27, 1988)
* Chaffee-Moloney Houses – 194 & 196-98 Columbian Avenue (added December 19, 2001)
* Clementwood – Clement Road (added October 27, 1980)
* H. H. Baxter Memorial Library – 96 Grove Street (added September 24, 1978)
* Longfellow School – 6 Church Street (added 1976)
* Proctor-Clement House – 85 Field Avenue (added July 17, 1982)
* Rutland Courthouse Historic District – U.S. 7 (added October 8, 1976)
* Rutland Downtown Historic District – roughly bounded by Strong Avenue, State, Wales, Washington, Pine and Cottage streets (added September 22, 1980)
* Rutland Free Library – the 1859 former post office and courthouse designed by Ammi B. Young
* St. Peter's Church and Mount St. Joseph Convent Complex – Convent Avenue, Meadow and River streets (added November 3, 1980)
Notable People
Aaron Lewis - American singer and songwriter
John Deere (inventor) - American inventor and founder of American company John Deere
Deere & Company, Trade name, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, Transmission (mechanical device), transmi ...
Education
Public
Public schools are managed by Rutland City Public Schools. These are:
* Rutland High School
* Rutland Middle School
* Allen Street Campus
* Howe Center Campus
* Rutland Intermediate School
* Northwest Primary School
* Northeast Primary School
* Stafford Technical Center
A publicly funded pre-kindergarten program for eligible families is offered through Rutland County Head Start on Meadow Street.
Private
Private schools include the Catholic Christ the King School (primary) and Mount Saint Joseph Academy (9–12), and the Rutland Area Christian School (K–12). Private pre-kindergarten programs are offered at Grace Preschool, Hearts and Minds Childcare and Preschool, Good Shepherd's Little Lambs Early Learning Center, The Peanut Gallery Preschool & Early Learning Center, and more.
College
The city is also home to two colleges, the College of St. Joseph in Vermont (now closed), and Community College of Vermont (CCV). Many Rutland residents will commute to nearby Castleton University, whose hockey teams practice in nearby Rutland Town.
Media
Newspapers
The city's print news comes from the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' Rutland Herald,'' which publishes five days a week. "Sam's Good News" is a local weekly shopper/local-interest newspaper which is circulated throughout Central Vermont and upstate New York. "The Mountain Times" is also circulated in Rutland.
Radio
There are seven radio stations licensed to Rutland:
*88.7 FM WRVT (public radio)
*90.9 WFTF
*94.5 WDVT (classic rock)
*95.7 WMTZ-LP ( 3ABN Radio)
*97.1 WZRT (Top 40)
*98.1 WJJR (Adult Contemporary hits)
*1380 AM WSYB
Television
Rutland is part of the Burlington / Plattsburgh television market. Comcast
Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...
offers most major in-market channels, including local Vermont PBS outlet WVER, channel 28, as well as Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...
stations WRGB
WRGB (channel 6) is a television station licensed to Schenectady, New York, United States, serving the Capital District as an affiliate of CBS. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside CW affiliate WCWN (channel 45). The two station ...
( CBS), WTEN
WTEN (channel 10) is a television station licensed to Albany, New York, United States, serving the Capital District, New York, Capital District as an affiliate of American Broadcasting Company, ABC. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, it is a sister s ...
( ABC), and WMHT ( PBS). PEGTV broadcasts local government programming on Comcast channels 15, 20, and 21.
Notable people
See also
* Rutland City School District
* Rutland Railway
* Rutland station
* List of mayors of Rutland, Vermont
References
Further reading
*
External links
City of Rutland, Vermont
Rutland Historical Society & Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rutland (City), Vermont
Cities in Vermont
Micropolitan areas of Vermont
County seats in Vermont
Cities in Rutland County, Vermont