"Island Pond" is also the name of several bodies of water. See Island Pond (disambiguation).

Island Pond, Vermont
Located in Essex County, Vermont
Location of Vermont with the U.S.A.
Coordinates: 44°48′52″N 71°52′56″W / 44.81444, -71.88222
Country	United States
State	Vermont
County	Essex
Town	Brighton
Area
- Total	4.5 sq mi (11.7 km²)
- Land	4.2 sq mi (10.8 km²)
- Water	0.3 sq mi (0.9 km²)
Elevation	1,198 ft (365 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	849
- Density	202.9/sq mi (78.4/km²)
- Households	374
- Families	228
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	05846
Area code(s)	802
FIPS code	50-35725[1]
GNIS feature ID	1457977[2]
Website: http://www.islandpond.com/

Island Pond is a census-designated place and unincorporated village located in the town of Brighton, Essex County, Vermont. The population was 849 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Berlin, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 11.7 km² (4.5 mi²). 10.8 km² (4.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (7.32%) is water.

Bluff Mountain overlooks the lake and the island.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 849 people, 374 households, and 228 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 78.4/km² (202.9/mi²). There were 556 housing units at an average density of 51.4/km² (132.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.23% White, 0.12% African American, 1.06% Native American, 0.59% Asian, and 4.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.12% of the population.

There were 374 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $25,547, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $25,577 versus $23,542 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $13,207. About 14.9% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.8% of those under age 18 and 18.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

The Twelve Tribes

Island Pond became the home of the Twelve Tribes when the religious movement relocated to Island Pond from Tennessee in 1977. Though the group sought shelter from the opposition it met elsewhere, it continually faced opposition, which culminated in the Island Pond raid in 1984, where State Police and state social workers seized 112 children due to allegations of child abuse. The subsequent trial found no evidence of child abuse, and the children were returned. Nevertheless, the Island Pond Raid retains its notoriety.^[3]

The railroad

Island Pond became an important railroad center in 1853 when the Grand Trunk Railway established international connections between Montreal, Canada, and Portland, Maine. The half-way point in the Portland-Montreal railroad line, this town became a booming railroad center with a roundhouse, shops, and all the facilities associated with train operations. In 1923 the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada was bankrupt and taken over by the Canadian government and operated as the Canadian National Railways. With the Canadian government directing the railroad, political considerations soon outweighed the economics of the railroad; commerce was displaced from the Port of Portland, Maine to the Canadian ports of Halifax and St. John. The importance of the Portland line then began a decline which was never to be reversed. Island Pond's days as a major railroad town were over by the late 1950s due to the elimination of steam locomotives. By 1960 passenger train service to Portland had ended, and three years later the diesel locomotive shop was closed. In 1966 the roundhouse closed, and barely a skeleton staff of people worked in Island Pond. Through freight train service between Montreal and Portland lasted until 1988; the line was sold to a short line operator the following year.

Today, only the passenger station remains and is used by a bank. An historical society is housed on the upper floors.

Traffic Enforcement Controversy

From 2004 to 2008 Island Pond gained publicity nationwide because of the town's practice of strict traffic enforcement. In 2006, the constable issued 1,224 traffic tickets and 1,662 warnings.^[4] The town was listed as one of the top "speed traps" in New England.^[5] In March of 2008, the constable was defeated in his bid for reelection.

Notable natives

• Porter H. Dale, U.S. Representative and Senator from Vermont.
• Rudy Vallée, popular American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.

Notes

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.
3. ^ http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/tribes.html article on the website of the University of Virginia, note: the articles on individual religious groups were mostly written by students with as a result highly varying degrees of quality
4. ^ Boston Glober news item
5. ^ SpeedTrap Exchange

Coordinates: 44°48′53″N, 71°52′49″W

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Essex County, Vermont Shire town: Guildhall Towns Averill‡ | Bloomfield | Brighton | Brunswick | Canaan | Concord | East Haven | Ferdinand‡ | Granby | Guildhall | Lemington | Lewis‡ | Lunenburg | Maidstone | Norton | Victory CDP Island Pond Grants and gores Avery's | Warner's | Warren's Footnotes ‡ Unorganized