Manchester, Vermont

Manchester is a town in, and one of two shire towns^[1] (county seats)^[2] of, Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,180 at the 2000 census. Manchester has become a tourist destination, especially for those from New York and Connecticut, offering visitors national chain retailers such as Brooks Brothers and Yves Delorme and many locally owned family businesses such as The Lighting Place and The Northshire Bookstore.

Geography

"View of Manchester, Vermont" by DeWitt Clinton Boutelle, 1870

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 42.3 square miles (109.5 km²), of which, 42.2 square miles (109.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.12%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 4,180 people, 1,819 households, and 1,156 families residing in the town. The population density was 99.0 people per square mile (38.2/km²). There were 2,456 housing units at an average density of 58.2/sq mi (22.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.87% White, 0.38% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.43% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population.

There were 1,819 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples who were living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.81.

Bennington County court house. Manchester, Vermont

In the town the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $47,196, and the median income for a family was $59,191. Males had a median income of $36,453 versus $26,017 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,499. About 2.2% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

• Charles Augustus Aiken, (1827-1892), born in Manchester, Congregational Church clergyman, president of Union College, professor at Princeton University^[4]
• Joseph Sweetman Ames, physicist and president of Johns Hopkins University.
• Myra Bradwell, first American woman to become an attorney.
• Jeremiah French, soldier, judge and political figure in Upper Canada.
• Robert Todd Lincoln, first son of Abraham Lincoln.
• Treat Williams, movie and television actor.

See also

• Manchester (village), Vermont
• Manchester Center, Vermont

References

1. ^ Title 24, Part I, Chapter 1, §3, Vermont Statutes. Accessed 2007-11-01.
2. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
4. ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 

External links

• Manchester and the Mountains Vermont Regional Chamber of Commerce
• Southern Vermont Arts Council
• Manchester (town), Vermont is at coordinates 43°09′42″N 73°04′19″W / 43.16167, -73.07194 (Manchester (town), Vermont)Coordinates: 43°09′42″N 73°04′19″W / 43.16167, -73.07194 (Manchester (town), Vermont)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Bennington County, Vermont Shire town: Bennington & Manchester Towns Arlington | Bennington | Dorset | Glastenbury‡ | Landgrove | Manchester | Peru | Pownal | Readsboro | Rupert | Sandgate | Searsburg | Shaftsbury | Stamford | Sunderland | Winhall | Woodford Villages Manchester | North Bennington | Old Bennington CDPs Arlington | Bennington | Manchester Center | South Shaftsbury Footnotes ‡ Disincorporated