Hartford, Vermont

Hartford, Vermont
Town
Interactive map outlining Hartford
Location in Windsor County and the state of Vermont.
Hartford, Vermont Location in the United States
Coordinates: 43°39′54″N72°22′18″W / 43.66500°N 72.37167°W / 43.66500; -72.37167
Country	United States
State	Vermont
County	Windsor
Chartered	1761 [1]
Area
• Total	45.9 sq mi (118.9 km2)
• Land	45.0 sq mi (116.5 km2)
• Water	0.9 sq mi (2.3 km2)
Elevation	761 ft (232 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	10,686
• Density	230/sq mi (90/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code	05047
Area code	802
FIPS code	50-32275 [2]
GNIS feature ID	1462116 [3]
Website	www.hartford-vt.org

Hartford is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. It is on the New Hampshire border, at the intersection of Interstates 89 and 91. It is the site of the confluence of the White and Connecticut rivers; the Ottauquechee River also flows through the town. ^[4] The town is composed of five unincorporated villages: Hartford, Quechee, West Hartford, White River Junction and Wilder. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,686. ^[5]

History

The community was chartered by Governor Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire in 1761, ^[1] and is named for Hartford, Connecticut. ^{[6] [7]}

On February 5, 1887, Hartford became the site of what remains Vermont's worst railway disaster when a Vermont Central Railroad train struck a broken rail on a bridge west of town. The ensuing derailment threw the train to the frozen river below, killing 37 and injuring 50. ^[8]

Geography

The town of Hartford is located at 43°39′52″N72°23′12″W / 43.66444°N 72.38667°W / 43.66444; -72.38667 (43.66444, −72.38667). ^[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 45.9 square miles (118.9 km²), of which 45.0 square miles (116.5 km²) is land and 0.89 square miles (2.3 km²), or 1.93%, is water. ^[10] The Appalachian Trail crosses the northwest corner of the town, passing through West Hartford.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	988		—
1800	1,494		51.2%
1810	1,881		25.9%
1820	2,010		6.9%
1830	2,044		1.7%
1840	2,194		7.3%
1850	2,159		−1.6%
1860	2,396		11.0%
1870	2,480		3.5%
1880	2,954		19.1%
1890	3,740		26.6%
1900	3,817		2.1%
1910	4,197		10.0%
1920	4,739		12.9%
1930	4,888		3.1%
1940	4,978		1.8%
1950	5,827		17.1%
1960	6,355		9.1%
1970	6,477		1.9%
1980	7,963		22.9%
1990	9,404		18.1%
2000	10,367		10.2%
2010	9,952		−4.0%
2020	10,686		7.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [11]

At the 2000 census there were 10,367 people in 4,509 households, including 2,800 families, in the town. The population density was 229.6 people per square mile (88.7/km²). There were 5,493 housing units at an average density of 121.7 per square mile (47.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.02% White, 0.55% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.85%. ^[2]

Of the 4,509 households 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 30.6% of households were one person and 10.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.86.

The age distribution was 23.4% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median household income was $42,990 and the median family income was $51,286. Males had a median income of $35,969 versus $27,073 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,792. About 5.3% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• John L. Bacon, Chelsea and Hartford banker and Vermont State Treasurer ^[12]
• Marion L. Bugbee, physician, suffragist, hospital administrator
• Daniel A. Dickinson, Minnesota Supreme Court justice ^[13]
• Albert R. Hall, Minnesota and Wisconsin politician ^[14]
• Phillips Lord, radio producer and motion picture actor ^[15]
• Frank G. Mahady, Vermont attorney and judge who served on the Vermont Supreme Court ^[16]
• Samuel E. Pingree, 40th Governor of Vermont
• Charles W. Porter, Secretary of State of Vermont ^[17]
• William Strong, U.S. congressman ^[18]
• Andrew Tracy (1797–1868), U.S. congressman ^[19]
• Joseph Tracy, leading figure in the American Colonization Society
• Horace Wells, dentist and pioneering anesthesiologist

References

1. "Town of Hartford Vermont". Town of Hartford Vermont. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
3. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. DeLorme (1996). Vermont Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN   0-89933-016-9
5. "Census - Geography Profile: Hartford town, Windsor County, Vermont". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 30, 2021.
6. "Profile for Hartford, Vermont, VT". ePodunk. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
7. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  151.
8. Ferguson, J. A. (2013). "The Wrong Rail in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time: The 1887 West Hartford Bridge Disaster" (PDF). Vermont Historiy Journal. 81 (1): 52–74. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
10. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Hartford town, Windsor County, Vermont". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved July 31, 2012.
11. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
12. Hiram Carleton, Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont, 1903, pages 216-217
13. Minnesota State Law Library-Daniel A. Dickinson Archived 2014-01-05 at the Wayback Machine
14. The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin. 1893. p. 640.
15. "Phillips Lord". IMDb. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
16. "Obituary, Frank Gordon Mahady" . Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. August 19, 1992. p. 12.
17. Ullery, Jacob G. (1894). Men of Vermont Illustrated. Brattleboro, VT: Transcript Publishing Company. pp.  322–323.
18. "STRONG, William, (1763-1840)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
19. "Tracy, Andrew, (1797-1868)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 27, 2012.

External links

• Town of Hartford official website
• Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce
• Hartford Historical Society
• City-Data.com
• ePodunk: Profile for Hartford, Vermont