Shaftsbury 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 3,598 at the 2020 census.

History

The town was chartered on August 20, 1761. It was named after the

Earl of Shaftesbury Earl of Shaftesbury is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1672 for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley, a prominent politician in the Cabal then dominating the policies of King Charles II. He had already succeeded his fa ...

. In June 1843, escaped slaves hid at a Shaftsbury farm, in the first recorded instance in Vermont of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

Geography

Shaftsbury is located in Bennington County along the western border of Vermont. To the north is the town of

Arlington Arlington most often refers to: *Arlington, Virginia **Arlington National Cemetery, a United States military cemetery *Arlington, Texas Arlington may also refer to: Places Australia *Arlington light rail station, on the Inner West Light Rail in S ...

, to the east is the unincorporated town of Glastenbury, to the south is the town of

Bennington Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 United States Census, US Cens ...

, the county seat, and to the west are the towns of Hoosick and White Creek in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Shaftsbury includes the communities of Shaftsbury Center and South Shaftsbury. Lake Shaftsbury State Park is located in the northern part of the town, around Lake Shaftsbury. 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 0.21%, is water. Most of the town drains southward to the Walloomsac River, while the northeastern corner, including Lake Shaftsbury, drains north to the

Batten Kill The Batten Kill, Battenkill, or Battenkill River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed October 3, 2011 river rising in Vermont that flows into New York and is a tributar ...

. Both rivers are part of the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

watershed.

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 3,767 people, 1,450 households, and 1,078 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 87.4 people per square mile (33.7/km²). There were 1,574 housing units at an average density of 36.5 per square mile (14.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.73%

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 ...

, 0.21%

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 ...

, 0.05% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.56% 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 ...

of any race were 0.90% of the population. There were 1,450 households, out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.2% 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, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 19.5% 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 2.60 and the average family size was 2.99. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $45,139, and the median income for a family was $52,083. Males had a median income of $36,118 versus $25,776 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 $22,035. About 4.0% of families and 6.7% 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 8.1% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The Selectboard is the body that has general supervision and control over the affairs of the town. The Selectboard performs three functions: *Legislative – enacts local ordinances, regulations and policies. *Administrative – prepares and presents the budget, oversees all town expenditures, supervises personnel and controls town buildings and property. *Quasi-judicial – determines private rights in such areas as laying out, discontinuing and reclassifying highways and hearing appeals as the local board of health and as the local liquor control commission. In Shaftsbury, the Selectboard also serves as the water board, overseeing the operations of the Shaftsbury Water Department; assuming duties of the former Shaftsbury Fire & Light District. Current members of the Selectboard include: *Tim Scoggins – Chair - three-year term expires 2018 *Art Whitman – two-year term expires 2018 *Ken Harrington – three-year term expires 2019 *Tony Krulikowski – three-year term expires 2020 *Joe Barber – two-year term expires 2019

Parks and recreation

Lake Shaftsbury State Park is an park surrounding Lake Shaftsbury. It became a state park in 1974, and has group camping, a developed beach, play area, and picnic area.

Notable people

Irving Adler Irving Adler (April 27, 1913 – September 22, 2012) was an American author, mathematician, scientist, political activist, and educator. He was the author of 57 books (some under the pen name Robert Irving) about mathematics, science, and e ...

, author, mathematician, scientist, and educator * Joyce Sparer Adler, literary critic, playwright, and teacher * George L. Buck, Wisconsin state senator and businessman *

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American Colloquialism, colloquial speech, Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New E ...

, American poet, writer of Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening and Fire And Ice * Jonas Galusha, sixth

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 ...

Jacob M. Howard Jacob Merritt Howard (July 10, 1805 – April 2, 1871) was an American attorney and politician. He was most notable for his service as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan, and his political career spanned the Ame ...

, US senator from

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

Norman Lear Norman Milton Lear (July 27, 1922December 5, 2023) was an American screenwriter and producer who produced, wrote, created, or developed over 100 shows. Lear created and produced numerous popular 1970s sitcoms, including ''All in the Family'' (1 ...

, television writer and producer * Andy Newell, US Nordic skier and Olympian * Gideon Olin, US congressman from Vermont * Henry Olin, US congressman from Vermont and sixth Lieutenant Governor of Vermont * Jane Stickle, quilter

References

External links

Town of Shaftsbury official website

{{authority control Towns in Vermont Towns in Bennington County, Vermont