Chester, Vermont
Chester, Vermont
Coordinates: 43°17′17″N 72°36′54″W / 43.28806, -72.615
Country	United States
State	Vermont
County	Windsor
Area
- Total	55.9 sq mi (144.9 km²)
- Land	55.9 sq mi (144.7 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km²)
Elevation	823 ft (251 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	3,044
- Density	54.5/sq mi (21.0/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	05143-05144
Area code(s)	802
FIPS code	50-13675[1]
GNIS feature ID	1462070[2]

Chester is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,044 at the 2000 census. The town was originally chartered by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth as Flamstead in 1754. The terms of the charter were not met and the town was re-chartered as New Flamstead in 1761. In 1766 a third and final charter was granted and the town became Chester, named after George Augustus Frederick, the Earl of Chester and the eldest son of King George III.

Stone Village

Yosemite Engine Company

Attractions

Chester is famous for its "stone village", listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This section of the town is located along Vermont Route 103 in North Chester, across the Williams River from Chester Center. It is known for the many houses made of local granite, and is a popular tourist destination.

Chester's Registered Historic sites:

• Chester Village Historic District — Roughly bounded by Lovers Lane Brook, Maple St., Williams River, Middle Branch & Lovers Lane (added September 8, 1985)
• Greenwood House — VT 103 (added December 1, 1985)
• Jeffrey House — North St. (added July 13, 1974)
• Stone Village Historic District — Both sides of VT 103 (added June 17, 1974)

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 55.9 square miles (144.9 km²), of which, 55.9 square miles (144.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.09%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 3,044 people, 1,296 households, and 861 families residing in the town. The population density was 54.5 people per square mile (21.0/km²). There were 1,611 housing units at an average density of 28.8/sq mi (11.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.75% White, 0.33% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.03% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.

There were 1,296 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,417, and the median income for a family was $47,083. Males had a median income of $32,744 versus $26,114 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,661. About 3.8% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

• Fernando C. Beaman, politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.
• L. Paul Bremer, Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for post-war Iraq.
• Merritt A. Edson, general in the United States Marine Corps.
• James Robinson Graves, Baptist preacher, publisher, evangelist, debater, author, and editor.
• Thomas B. Marsh, leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Chester Vermont Official Town Web Site

• Chester, Vermont is at coordinates 43°15′46″N 72°35′44″W / 43.262778, -72.595556 (Chester, Vermont)Coordinates: 43°15′46″N 72°35′44″W / 43.262778, -72.595556 (Chester, Vermont)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Windsor County, Vermont
Shire town: Woodstock
Towns	Andover | Baltimore | Barnard | Bethel | Bridgewater | Cavendish | Chester | Hartford | Hartland | Ludlow | Norwich | Plymouth | Pomfret | Reading | Rochester | Royalton | Sharon | Springfield | Stockbridge | Weathersfield | West Windsor | Weston | Windsor | Woodstock
Villages	Ludlow | Perkinsville | Woodstock
CDPs	Chester Depot | Springfield | White River Junction | Wilder
Unincorporated communities	Ascutney | Brownsville | Hartford | Lewiston | Plymouth Notch | Quechee | Weathersfield Bow | Weathersfield Center | West Hartford