Newbury, Vermont | |
|---|---|
 Newbury, VT, from the northwest | |
 Located in Orange County, Vermont | |
 Location of Vermont with the U.S.A. | |
| Coordinates:44°06′14″N72°07′18″W / 44.1039533°N 72.1217587°W /44.1039533; -72.1217587.[1] | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Vermont |
| County | Orange |
| Chartered | 1763 |
| Communities | Newbury Wells River |
| Area | |
• Total | 64.4 sq mi (166.9 km2) |
| • Land | 64.2 sq mi (166.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.27 sq mi (0.7 km2) |
| Elevation | 774 ft (236 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,293 |
| • Density | 35.73/sq mi (13.80/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | |
| Area code | 802 |
| FIPS code | 50-48175[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1462158[2] |
| Website | www.newburyvt.org |
Newbury is atown inOrange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,293 at the2020 census.[4] Newbury includes the villages ofNewbury, Center Newbury,West Newbury, South Newbury, Boltonville, Peach Four Corners, andWells River.
Located at theGreat Oxbow of theConnecticut River, with vast tracts of beautiful and fertile intervale, the area was a favorite of theIndians. Rivers teemed withsalmon and brooks withtrout.[5] Prior to European settlement, the Newbury area was the location of a village calledCowass orCowassuck of thePennacook tribe.[6] Cowass inAbenaki is "Coo-ash-auke," meaning "place of pine trees," and was a general name these people gave to the upper Connecticut River Valley and Lakes region.[7] The village was known to FrenchJesuit missions asKoés.[8] In 1704 thePennacook at Cowass kept several captives from theDeerfield Raid in the village, includingStephen Williams who was kept with SachemGeorge Tahanto[9][10][11] The area was first settled by English colonists in 1762 by Samuel Sleeper and family. One of theNew Hampshire grants, Newbury was chartered by GovernorBenning Wentworth on March 18, 1763, toJacob Bayley and 74 others, some fromNewbury,Massachusetts.[5]
The town served as the southern terminus of theBayley Hazen Military Road, begun by Bayley in 1760 and then continued until 1779 by ColonelMoses Hazen. Meanwhile, pioneerfarmers had to carry theirgrain 60 miles (97 kilometers) bycanoe toCharlestown,New Hampshire to get it ground intoflour. By 1859, when the population was 2,984, Newbury had twogristmills, in addition to apaper mill and steam mill to manufacturemackerel kits. The principal industry, however, along thealluvial meadows was raising beefcattle andsheep, and the production ofwool anddairy goods.[12] The Connecticut & Passumpsic Rivers Railroad opened on November 6, 1848, to the village of Wells River. It developed as an adjunct of therailway town across the Connecticut River atWoodsville, the once bustling village withinHaverhill, New Hampshire.
In the summer of 1913 a large fire destroyed 21 buildings in Newbury, including a church, the public school, the hotel and a number of businesses and residences. Only a change of the wind saved the balance of the town since there was no fire department at that time.
In 1958, Newbury gained widespread notoriety after an unpopular farmer disappeared. The discovery of his bound body in the river three months later led to his death being described as a "lynching" by newspapers along the East Coast. Two suspects were acquitted, and the crime was never solved.[13]
Boston University, one of New England's largest universities, traces its roots to the establishment of the Newbury Biblical Institute, a Methodist school founded in Newbury, Vermont in 1839.[14]
The town of Newbury is located in the northeast corner of Orange County.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 64.4 square miles (166.9 km2), of which 64.2 square miles (166.2 km2) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.7 km2) (0.40%) is water. Bounded on the east by theConnecticut River, which forms the Vermont–New Hampshire border, Newbury is drained by theWells River, Halls Brook and Peach Brook.
The town is crossed by
Interstate 91,
U.S. Route 5, and
U.S. Route 302.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 872 | — | |
| 1800 | 1,304 | 49.5% | |
| 1810 | 1,363 | 4.5% | |
| 1820 | 1,623 | 19.1% | |
| 1830 | 2,252 | 38.8% | |
| 1840 | 2,579 | 14.5% | |
| 1850 | 2,984 | 15.7% | |
| 1860 | 2,549 | −14.6% | |
| 1870 | 2,241 | −12.1% | |
| 1880 | 2,316 | 3.3% | |
| 1890 | 2,080 | −10.2% | |
| 1900 | 2,125 | 2.2% | |
| 1910 | 2,035 | −4.2% | |
| 1920 | 1,908 | −6.2% | |
| 1930 | 1,744 | −8.6% | |
| 1940 | 1,723 | −1.2% | |
| 1950 | 1,667 | −3.3% | |
| 1960 | 1,452 | −12.9% | |
| 1970 | 1,440 | −0.8% | |
| 1980 | 1,699 | 18.0% | |
| 1990 | 1,985 | 16.8% | |
| 2000 | 1,955 | −1.5% | |
| 2010 | 2,216 | 13.4% | |
| 2020 | 2,293 | 3.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[15] | |||
As of thecensus[3] of 2000, there were 1,955 people, 816 households, and 553 families residing in the town. Thepopulation density was 30.5 people per square mile (11.8/km2). There were 1,153 housing units at an average density of 18.0/sq mi (6.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.44%White, 0.31%Black orAfrican American, 0.66%Native American, 0.20%Asian, and 1.38% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.15% of the population.
There were 816 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% weremarried couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% 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 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,721, and the median income for a family was $42,262. Males had a median income of $30,169 versus $21,780 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $17,659. About 8.6% of families and 12.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
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Places adjacent to Newbury (town), Vermont | |
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Municipalities and communities ofOrange County, Vermont,United States | ||
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| Other communities | ||
